MUHARABA by idgafology

Reviewer: xFall3nang3lx

I’m really happy to be able to review idgafology's work again, I really enjoyed reading her book ‘THE IMPERFECT HABIBI’ the last time I did a review for her.  I’m not going to lie, I had a hard time writing this review as I didn’t know where to begin, so I’m sorry if this book review is really late.

Cover:
I noticed that this cover is a different kind of style from your other covers which shows that you’re broadening your different art styles and not limiting it to just one specific type, which is something that I really admired, I also noticed that in the cover the girl is covering her mouth  which I think is a reference to your book as though she is not allowed to speak out and is supposed to be submissive. All in all I think that this is a pretty great cover, it’s simple yet effective.

Description:
A little thing I noticed that the words in bold reference to a “he” as the solution to fill the emptiness inside when really it should be “I” instead as all she really needs at the moment is herself, as she’s happier with the single life compared to the life she had with her ex husband, and the fact that she doesn’t need a man to be happy when really happiness is a inside job, and that it all depends on yourself. With Zayn it felt kinda like a fairytale for Alishba but yet with her arranged husband that’s when reality hits and that a marriage doesn’t always result in a “happily ever after” this is just what i took from it. I really love the female empowerment in this story, and even though it may not look like a happy ending, it actually is if you look at in a different perspective, she’s finally free of a abusive husband and can finally live her life the way she wants to and she’s now content with how her life is now, so it is a happy ending for her at least.

Storyline:
I always love reading your author notes I swear hands down they are some of the best things I’ve ever read. Reading this story, I’ve gone through a lot of different emotions, happiness,sadness, anger and so on. A thing I’ve noticed in books about arranged marriages that include marital r*pe, is that almost always the woman is then married off to another man, which I don’t really understand, as I feel like it’s saying that women need a man to be happy when that is not true at all, I don’t understand what the problem is if a woman is single. (Sorry for that rant), and yet your book is completely different from that. This story shows two different kind of perceptions with Zayn it gives us the idea of a beautiful love story which in this book is the fantasy however we then get a completely polar opposite which is of a abusive, loveless marriage which is unfortunately the reality with Alishba’s “husband” which he doesn’t deserve to be called.

Characters:
Alishba, has changed quite drastically from a immature, naive girl to a strong independent woman who don’t need no man, which is quite understandable after everything she had to go through. I admire how she had the courage to leave as that is a hard thing to do, and I’m glad she cut off all of those people that weren’t there to support her. I’m glad she got a chance at a new start in life, she stood up for herself, She is a warrior, a brave warrior, she has her battle scars both inside and out, but she’s still here, she’s a survivor

Spelling/Grammar:
I could not find any mistakes at all, none at all, but I will say this though this story was so perfectly written, and it scared me how realistic it was, I’ve always been a big fan of your writing style, you always manage to make me get emotional. Also the ending line “You’re doing great Alisha. Keep going! You’re a muharaba” is such a inspiring line as at the beginning her self-confidence was being broken down and now she’s got it back, that part really got to me.

Engagement of the reader:
As you know I am a huge no no person about sexism, and this book I’m not gonna lie I actually cried while reading some parts because it hurts to know that these kind of situations are still happening around the world, I thank you for writing this book exposing the acts of cruelty of society that’s happening in the world. Something I’m kinda hoping for is a sequel to MUHARABA, where it’s a aftermath on Alishba’s current life situation and how’s she’s doing.