Shabanu

I liked the book quite a bit... right up until the last two or three chapters. In part, I wasn't entirely happy with the ending (I hated the way it worked out)... but I think that the bigger issue that I had was the abruptness of the ending, and the fact that we didn't see anything beyond that point. I was honestly reminded in the last few paragraphs of Harlan Ellison's “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”... for a book that had up until that point balanced it's lessons of consequences for one's actions with love and hope, it seemed to abandon all of those things at the most important moment.

I like the strong yet (mostly) obedient character of Shabanu in this book and I liked the action-filled parts. Unfortunately, most of the book was not action-packed. It was a really interesting look at nomadic life in Pakistan but it didn't always hold my interest. Teen girls would have to be pretty interested in the subject matter to really enjoy this, in my opinion. My heart kind of sank when I found out there was a sequel. Not a great sign.