This book was so GOOD. I love when I read a book and I don't have to try too hard to see a movie in my head play out; it just happens naturally - and THE LADY OR THE LION played such a lush, gorgeous movie in my head while reading it!!! My favorite Bollywood movies are the historic ones - Jodha Akbaar, Ram Leela, Padmavat - and THE LADY OR THE LION was dripping in those vibes while being so Muslim.

I loved this book. Not only was the romance incredible, the politcal plot and betrayals that happened had me so INVESTED and hurt. Overall, it was a great exploration of south asian family dynamics and above all else, anti-blackness that has yet to be truly addressed in our cultural and religious circles. My heart broke for Asfandyar, a half black character, over and over and then broke again knowing that there is real-life basis of how he is treated.

On the audiobook aspect of this book (as I listened to it) - I'm one of those people who listen to books at 1.4 or 1.5x speed. The pace of the narration was very slow - too slow. I was listening at over 2.0x speed and the accent the narrator affected for Asfandyar was not my favorite.

I loved watching Durkhanai's growth from a spoiled, petulant princess to a poised, sure queen.

Also be warned of the cliffhanger at the end - I am kicking myself for not having the sequel ready to go.

Thank you CamCat Books and Netgalley for an ALC for sharing this incredible book with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Lady or the Lion is a retelling of The Lady and The Tiger. I like how it was set in medieval Pakistan. As for the narration, I wish that there was a better narrator. I had a hard time understanding her because of her accent. I had to repeat it to understand the story. Thus, this story is best enjoyed reading rather than in audiobook format to better comprehend the story.

"The Lady or the Lion" by Aamna Querishi, narrated by Deepti Gupta, is billed as young adult fantasy, but it reads more like historical political intrigue. A summit has been bombed, and a group of ambassadors have gathered to figure out who to blame. The princess of Marghazar is wrapped up in the plots of the various groups. In the meantime, she falls for one of them in a forbidden love trope. On top of that, her people become ill. She takes it upon herself to treat them and find the cause of the illness. The world-building feels very inspired by nineteenth-century Pakistan or northern India. The narration is sprinkled with many words from the area, and the attention to detail in regards to clothing and jewelry helps paint a vibrant picture.

The plot is based on “The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton. If you’ve read that short story, (spoiler alert) you know how this version will end. I was familiar with it from school. I seem to remember reading it every couple of years, and I always hated the discussion at the end the teacher made us have. I had therefore hoped that Querishi had taken this same frustration and done something different with her own ending. Sadly I was disappointed. Evidently it is the first book in a series, and perhaps her twist will come in the beginning of the next book, but I probably won’t be reading it. My other issue was with the main character, Durkhanai Miangul, who I found to be too manipulative. She pouts excessively to get what she wants. While there is some growth in her character (it’s even mentioned by another character), it wasn’t enough for me, and I never sympathized with her.

The best part of the audiobook was the narrator whose delivery gave authenticity to the narrative. She nailed the emotions and the different characters.

"The Lady or the Lion" has potential, and perhaps if it comes across my desk, I’ll read the sequel to see if it is more satisfying. I received a review copy of the audiobook from NetGalley.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was very interesting and I wish I connected with it more than I did. For some reason it wasn't keeping my attention but when it did I really enjoyed it! I will have to try it again at another time, maybe when the next book is available because that cliffhanger!! The narrator was perfect.

Synopsis

Would you choose love or fate? If you were forced to choose a random door with a beautiful woman or a fierce lion would you select it with ease or terror?

Durkhanai Minagul is the crowned princess of Marghazar. She is passionate about her people and seeks truth and sincerity wherever she goes to represent her people. However, her family's past does not follow those morals. Rumor has it that her grandfather is at fault for the mass assault. This causes the neighboring kingdoms to threaten war. As a servant to her people, Durkhanai will do what it takes to cease the pending violence.

Unfortunately there is more history that she is about to uncover, one that tests the waters of family over duty. Throw in a spice of love and you get a whole lot to deal with as the future queen.

This story is inspired by the "The Lady and the Tiger" a Pakistani tale of forbidden love and royal obligations.

Thoughts?

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As I have mentioned numerous times throughout this blog, I thoroughly enjoy audiobooks. They allow me to escape to a new world while I am driving (this does not distract me and I promise I am a safe driver), cleaning, and getting ready for work. I enjoy a narrator who is able to bring the character to life and keep me engaged in the story.

The narrator for this story was Deepti Gupta. I did a little research on this narrator, as she was one I have not heard before. She is a home based narrator, with degrees in Acting (MFA), Theater Studies (MA), and English Literature (BA). She has narrated more than 30 audiobooks and has used her diverse accent (Indian, American, and British) to her advantage (Thank you http://deeptiguptanarrates.com/about/ for all the wonderful information). No one in their right mind would argue that Deepti Gupta does not have the talent or the ability to narrate a book well. Honestly, for this particular choice I think she was a good choice for her background. Her ethnicity and accents also were crucial to this role. I was grateful that for a Pakistani inspired tale they did not use a white narrator... not appropriate or needed (in my opinion). I was able to distinguish MOST of the characters just from the way she presented them. With that being said however, I found that her narration was very slow (even for 1.5x speed) and had moments where she was monotone that distracted from the experience. It made it difficult to stay focused at times, but if it was not for the ability to increase speed, I do not know if I could have finished it. But I was able to increase speed and I am happy to report that I finished the book and loved it.

Enough about the narrator, time for the meat and potatoes (AKA the story). I really haven't read much South Asian, Pakistani, or Muslim based works. I have never read anything written by a Muslim American either. I wasn't avoiding it, I just never found anything....until now.

Forbidden love is not really my favorite trope. If forbidden love is in a book I already know one of two things is going to happen (1) they are going to fall in love anyways or (2) one or both of them is going to be killed. It is kind of a deterrent for me; however, this one had so many other components happening within it, that even with knowing what would happen with the forbidden love (or at least thinking I would know) I was preoccupied. I was most intrigued by royal role that Durkhanai played and the way she was going to prevent any impending doom. Not only that but the backstories related to her family were in-depth and well-thought out. I often forgot that there was a romance side to this story.

Character wise, each character was detailed and intricate. I understood what their personalities were and their descriptions were well done.

While the audiobook was good, I think that I would have enjoyed physically reading the book better. I think I will attempt a physical read with book two in this series.

Final Review

Do I think this is a good book?

Yes, I think that this is a good book. In a single book, the author was able to establish characters, plot, and create an engaging read. While I did struggle a bit with the audiobook, I was continually wondering what next.

Is this a stand-alone fantasy or a series?

This is a fantasy series. The Lady or the Lion is book one in the "The Marghazar Trials Series". The second book in the series (release date August 30, 2022) is titled "The Man or the Monster."

Would I recommend this to anyone and everyone?

Likely yes. The main demographic that I would recommend this to are readers who like folktale inspired retellings. Any reader who also enjoys forbidden love tropes and underestimated, yet strong female protagonist will also enjoy this book.

Overall: Special thanks to NetGalley, Aamna Qureshi and ComCat Books for providing me with an audiobok-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rep: forbidden romance

Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:

I thought that the story was interesting! I've never hear of the story that this book is based off of, but I liked it! I will be honest, this story just kind of went over my head. While I liked the story, I honestly can't remember much of it after I finished it. Will I go to the next book? MAYBE. But for now, I will just re-listen to the book and think about my feelings for this book once more.

BEST THING EVER! I am so obsessed with this book. This was like watching a movie in my head; I love the way it is written. Just enough steamy, but not steamy enough leaves you wanting for more. The romance scenes make you feel like you have butterflies in your stomach; you know that forbidden first love feeling. The revelations, the anguish, and betrayal will keep you on your toes the whole time. Also the cliffhanger at the end will get you so bad that you wont stop thinking about this book! I can wait to read the next one!

This was a very solid YA fantasy with the perfect amount of romance. I was intrigued from the first page and could not put it down until I finished it.

In this retelling of “The Lady or the Tiger” set within the tribes of Pakistan, Durkhanai is the granddaughter of the a powerful Badshah. She is heavily involved in much of the local politics and outreach within the tribe. This often gets her into situations that put her at odds with her grandparents. And while they want her to learn about the world to prepare her for rule, there is much they keep from her. She gets herself into several scrapes including ones that involve a certain handsome and mysterious foreign ambassador. He exposes her to a different side of the world she thinks she knows, then she must figure out the truth.

I really loved seeing a story set in these cultures, which we consider in the modern world to be very patriarchal, to see the women within the royal family have such power and presence. There are times when she is frustratingly precocious and principled and other times where she has such nuance. What boy are there some stunning betrayals she must endure.

I am always seeking out stories from diverse settings and authors from backgrounds different than my own and I am always amazed by how much I learn and how easy it is to immerse in cultures anew. I think it would have been easier to settle into this story if some of the culturally specific terms had a bit more explanation in the beginning, after a few chapters I got the hang of the titles and details but at first I was a little overwhelmed and had to keep stopping to google terms.

Read this one if you liked City of Brass (although there is no magic in this one) or Daughter of the Salt King. I want to give it five stars but the ending was a bit too open for me so I’m landing at 4.5.

Thanks to CamCat Books via Netgalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions above are my own.

Lady or the Lion (The Marghazar Trials #1)
Aamma Qureshi
I wanted to like this tale, but I could not get into it. I realize this book received mostly good reviews but to me the characters seemed flat, the princess seemed like a spoiled brat and the ending just didn’t work.

This is a retelling of the short story “The Lady or the Tiger?” in a Pakistan-inspired historical setting. Durkhanai is the crown princess and will do anything for her people, even when an ambassador, Asfandyar, comes through and steals her heart. Soon, she has a lot on her plate, including the mysterious illness sweeping through her kingdom and her off-limits love.

Something that was done incredibly well was how the ending was given at the beginning, yet this did not spoil the reading experience one bit, not even when we caught up to that point in the story. I love retellings, and though “The Lady or the Tiger?” is a short story I read in ninth grade, I was really excited for this retelling of that story and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint!

The romance was so angsty, which is another thing I love to read in books. As she is the crown princess, there are a select few eligible to marry Durkhanai. However, that wasn’t even the only thing holding her and Asfandyar back, as you’ll come to find out.

I am curious to see what’ll happen in book two. This would still work great as a standalone, in my opinion, but I’d love to see more Durkhanai and possibly even Asfandyar.

Audiobook note: The narrator had a lovely voice and really brought this story to life! Highly recommend.

I’ll admit I had a very hard time getting into this audiobook. It may have been better for me as a printed book because the cultural aspect that I was unfamiliar with made the book harder to listen to. Even then I found that the main character was quite annoying and selfish and self serving so I couldn’t find myself relating to her. The author clearly has a passion for the culture and I appreciate that but it didn’t really help me get into the novel

Durkhanai is a princess of Marghazar, a kingdom known for its barbaric traditional trials. Her grandfather is blamed for an attack on a gathering of leaders, and ambassadors from those countries arrive to judge his guilt. Durkhanai is tasked with being welcoming and open with the ambassadors to prove her country’s innocence, but she is warned not to become involved with Ambassador Asfandyar. Despite this, Durkhanai finds herself drawn to him and stubbornly refuses to listen to others. They form an uneasy alliance, and both attempt to discover the truths and lies that are intertwined around the recent attack.

I enjoyed the setting of this work and the way the author neatly incorporated it into the story. This included the use of different words for “love” and their different specific meanings, which added greatly to the story. Several scenes of the work also took place outside of the palace within different villages and the surrounding area, which added greatly to the setting.

The characters were okay overall. I never could become completely engaged with any of them or their personalities, which did detract from the story. Durkhanai was a difficult protagonist to like – she began as a spoiled, stubborn, demanding princess, which was absolutely acceptable. But despite being told that she was growing and developing as a character, I just didn’t see it until the very end. Even in the last quarter she’s still whining and stomping her feet, which made the growth unbelievable. There were also instances where she was changeable (like a complete about-face) with no explanation as to why, which was annoying.

There were several chapters at the end of the book that focused on secondary characters, providing some backstory for choices they made. This weakened the ending for me and detracted from the work overall. I wasn’t invested in these secondary characters, so for the plot to stop while we explored some of their stories was a little frustrating. Also, this work ended on a massive cliffhanger with almost no resolution to anything, which made for an unsatisfactory ending.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work; the narrator did an excellent job with the different characters’ voices and bringing them to life. Overall, this was a solid read with some real positives, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I recommend it for fans of non-western fantasy and romance.

My thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for letting me read review copy of this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Lady or the Lion (The Marghazar Trials, #1)
by Aamna Qureshi

the story of a small Indian country, how it was able to overcome wars, illness, and political schemes of the neighbors. Form the choice of son to run away from his inherited role causes problems for the child he left. His parents made an imitate choice to pick their county over their family. The daughter is drawn into his schemes, his spy sent to find proof of the political choice. The parents had let their son go, but divided their family, claiming that they were forced by his choice. The grandparents raised his child, and groomed her for his role. When they killed his second daughter because of her political schemes. The spy was put on trial. His parents turned against its neighbors, and created an even more deadly political place, by attacking a unity meeting.

So much fun listening to a fantasy which is full of desi vibes. Very familiar, entertaining and well narrated.

This is a masterpiece! Aamna Qureshi is such a talented writer and I loved the world-building in a fantasy book. The narrator is so good, too.