Nura and the Immortal Palace

Product Information

She currently resides in Toronto, Canada, with a hyperactive cat and an increasing selection of fantasy video games.

Nura's mother wants her kids to get an education but it seems luxury when it is hard to meet their basic needs. The atmosphere is bright and colourful but the realistic undertones are not to be missed among the glitters. T. Khan—be it the food competitions, the glamour or the liveliness through which Nura is lured into the faux sense of security. All her life Nura has been warned to stay away from trickster jinn, and now they are welcoming her into a palace with riches beyond measure.The quick-moving plot serves as a vehicle for both suspense and wonder, as Khan expertly weaves together traditional Pakistani folklore with the raw injustice of child exploitation and labor. Nura and the Immortal Palace made it on my tbr list from the day I saw it on the author's Twitter account and I am more than glad that it was everything it promised to be.

But once I saw the cover of Nura and the Immortal Palace and read the premise, I just knew that I needed to read this story. But sometimes,” he sighs, ruffling my hair, “if you dig hard enough, you can find sparkles in the dirt, can’t you? Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review. My South Asian heart absolutely adores the Islam religion and Pakistani culture influences in the book, be it about festivals, the mouth watering food, the dances, the faith or the sense of family among the characters.Nura and the Immortal Palace is an endearing adventure story filled with loveable characters at its core that emphasizes the cycle of exploitation. If I could travel back in time right now this is the book that I would immediately hand to younger me. Nura has worked all her life in the mica mines, earning just enough to keep her family afloat – and enjoy the odd delicious gulab jamun from the market. I’m so glad that I decided to pick this one up, it was an absolute joy to read this brilliant story! personally, i wish the theme of education was tackled with more nuance and framed a bit differently (with the onus being more on government/structural failures rather than the protagonist's individual choice) but i understand that's unfair to expect from a short middle grade book.

after the 3 days of eid celebration, if the kids still can’t escape this immortal palace, nura and the rest will find themselves stuck forever. There’s a smooth blend of the shining world in the story with insights into how mere kids are exploited and how the rich turn the poor against each other for their benefit. The descriptions of the clothes and foods, and even the buildings themselves were just so familiar to me, as well as the little details like mentions of Eid and Ayatul Kursi that show the practice of Islam in rural Pakistan. Most of the children’s books I have read in my childhood had some or all of the following: Magical adventures; Best friends and squabbling but sweet siblings; Excitement for Christmas; biblical values; cakes and pies; pretty dresses for parties; elves/gnomes.It’s not often I see my religion or culture celebrated in a such a beautiful way so I recommend this to everyone. I was pleasantly surprised to read direct Islamic and Quranic references as the majority of Muslim books are white-washed for sake of the majority of readers. The author’s note really had me thinking about how many children in the world don’t have access to education and that’s just heartbreaking. I loved how the story incorporated South Asian culture and that I could look at Nura and see someone who looked like me.

The theme of child labour and poverty were so well-done, and not something I’ve seen covered much in kidlit. Faisal, a side character and Nura’s closest friend shines throughout the story too, despite being a side character.There is a chapter header for each chapter and I really love how some of the things look, especially the images of the jinn, and the front cover looks so good with a second page that shows you more of the palace and jinn world which is just amazing to look at! Some day she's going to find the Demon's Tongue, a legendary treasure buried deep in the mines, and her family will never have to worry about money again. The result is an adventure that is dangerously beautiful and will make sure readers are both enchanted and excited for every page turn. Nura is a fabulous heroine; a determined young girl who undergoes her own transformation as she realizes the true priorities in life are not what you have but who you have in your life. Nura and the Immortal Palace is about Nura who is after a fabled treasure buried in the mine to help support her family experiencing financial troubles.