I really enjoy Middle Grade fantasy adventure books but there's often pieces of the story you have to gloss over and just accept in order for things to work. I didn't feel that at all when reading Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate. The fantasy elements were built well without being too complicated for a child reader to understand. The story was engaging and Farrah's internal struggle was extremely relatable despite the magical circumstances. I really enjoyed Farrah's fierceness and her confidence in her own abilities. While she questioned her relationships she never doubted herself, which was great to see. I'm very excited to see what happens next in Farrah's story.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s the best of the middle grade arcs that I have read lately.
Zargarpur clearly put so much of her own personal story in this middle grade adventure. She takes her personal history, being the child of divorce, and uses the fantastical nature of the story to explore the effects on a middle school girl. At the outset of this story, Farrah learns that her father, a man she sees once a year and only once a year per “rules” is actually a djinn king and she finds that out by making a wish that completely upends and threatens to destroy the world she knows as well as the world she just discovered. Along the way she also meets new family members as well as makes a friend that she has to learn how to trust after secrets come to light later in the book. Well done.

This was an excellent adventure! Farrah Noorzad is plucky and determined but also has some definite lessons to learn. Her best friend, the mysterious jinn boy, and her jinn brother make an excellent team that help balance her strengths and flaws. The world is wonderous and adventurous and full of magical surprises. The plot has surprising depth. I loved every second of listening to it and can't wait for the next one!

The audiobook is really well done. The characters have easily distinguishable and believable voices and the emotion comes through loud and clear.

*Thanks to Labyrinth Road for providing an early copy for review.

Gin, a wish and a young girl learning about more of herself and her family and new friends along her journey discovering gin world a little bit about her father. Young readers will be delighted in this magical story full of adventures and riddles.
This was an really fun start to a series and I'll be looking forward to more in it and anything the author comes up with. Definitely middle graders will eat this up is perfect for the age group.

Be careful what you wish for.

This book is super cute! I loved the mythology here. I think the messages in this are going to be really empowering for the target age range. And the adventure aspect is fun, the pacing is quick. Great book!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Deeba Zargarpur!

A wonderfully written middle grade read. I will definitely be getting a copy for my oldest to read.

Actual Rating 3.5

This is definitely one of those MG works where the child runs off without telling any adults and “has to do everything on their own.” I’m not the biggest fan of this trope, but it didn’t really detract much from the read. This work explores the theme to never interfere with fate even if you have the option to wish for anything you want.

The author made an odd choice in keeping Farrah’s time in the jinn city short and instead spending much more time back in Philadelphia. It seemed like the only real reason for this was to add another character into their group, so it was disappointing to lose out on the magical worldbuilding of a cool new place. Another related thing I noticed was that there wasn’t much action but rather a lot of pursuing answers or chasing after things, which did lead to some parts of the book feeling too slow and made it difficult to really lose myself in the book.

Overall, the characters were good. I wanted Farrah to be a little more developed as a character, but as this is only book one in a series, I imagine she’ll have some more in book two. The villain also felt a little generic and I would have liked to see more depth or something new in relation to that aspect. I also wasn’t sure why the author chose to not have Farrah tell her best friend (basically sister) early on in the book what was happening and include her from the beginning, rather than bringing her back in near the end. This was definitely a missed opportunity to highlight a strong female friendship that could have added much to the story.

The book does resolve some things but is a setup for a sequel. If you’re interested in a MG fantasy that focuses on jinn and some Persian mythology, then you may love this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me to read and review this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random house for this arc.
Even as an adult, I still enjoy middle school and YA books. That being said, while this one was cute and I enjoyed the world and myths to it, it was just a little lacking for me.
Even for a middle schooler audience it felt a little too predictable at times and sometimes I felt we were told too much instead of shown.
That being said, I do think it’s a great middle schooler read and I’d read more by this author.

I like to start with a caveat—I am not a middle-grader—but if I was, I would definitely be excited for this new series. I am, however, a huge fan of tales of the Jinn, so this book was a must for me to request on NetGalley. Zargarpur, in her middle-grade debut, offers a lively story with a hugely engaging cast of characters. She's created a deeply imagined world with plenty at stake for Farrah and her friends, new and old. And, as much as I liked Farrah, I also loved the many supporting characters who came along on her quest, each offering their own particular strengths and knowledge to the cause. This is a solid adventure that handles some heavy issues with compassion and grace. Can't wait for the next installment.

3.5

I liked:
Farrah rock climbs as a hobby, which I don't think I've seen a in a book before.
The obnoxious character who knows what's going on but doesn't want to tell you anything is a boy instead of a girl.
The friendship love between Farrah and Arzu.

I didn't like:
Farrah roof jumps as a hobby. That's dangerous and not something kids should be encouraged to do.
Some parts near the beginning moved fast and were a bit confusing.
Farrah sometimes seemed very young and naive (at one point she was incredibly easily swayed by ice cream, and despite just meeting Idris and knowing next to nothing about him is constantly calling him her friend.

Parts of this reminded me of the Winnie Zeng series, but not in a good way.

I didn't know going in that this was a series, and I won't be in any hurry to pick up the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Farrah Noorzad is a 12 year-0ld girl who lives with her mother and grandparents; she sees her father once a year on her birthday. She is smart, fearless, and strong - and she has no idea why her father isn't around for the rest of her life. In Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate, she finds out, and it's nothing she could have imagined. Her father, it turns out, is a jinn - and not just any jinn, but one of seven kings of the jinn.

This novel is based on pre-Islamic, Islamic, and Persian mythology, and blends all three into a fun fantasy adventure aimed at middle school students, but suitable for readers of all ages. Featuring a strong, independent, female protagonist, in a single-parent household with a largely-absent father, this is a story that many people will see bits of themselves within - not the mythical, magical jinn, but the common, everyday issues that surround anyone in a family with a missing parent, for whatever reason. Even without that, this is a rich adventures full of interesting characters and folklore. I look forward to the sequel that I hope will be quick in coming. Recommended for ages 10 through adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book presents a different yet exciting perspective of the jinn along with the usual middle-grade fantasy adventures with life, family and friendship.

Another book I’m waiting to have my hands on. I loved this so much. I enjoy any type of middle grade with different types of cultures. It’s such a beautiful read. I highly recommend it. And can’t wait to buy it. 10/10

Found family? Yes. Adventurous fantasy? Yes. There's not much else you need to ask for in a great middle grade fantasy novel! Jinn are one of my favorite things to read about and explore and Zargarpur does a great job of this!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

I think this is lower rated for me simply because I've outgrown a lot of middle grade/YA - it's well written, I think young adults will love this, truly. But for me...I found myself annoyed at the predictability several times. But, I appreciated the story and the interesting characters. I look forward to my son being old enough to read stories like this (he's only 4, so it will be a while!) and I especially love that there is so much more diversity in the stories coming out for adults and kids these days.

Please check this out for your kiddos - they'll love it and it's important we support these diverse stories and authors!

What an absolutely delightful adventure for middle grade readers! The story got slightly convoluted at parts, and there were times when I wondered why Farrah was being so casual about how much her mom might be worrying about her. But overall it's a great book, and I'm sure readers in this community in particular will appreciate seeing themselves represented so well. Great job, Deeba Zargarpur!

This is a book that will likely appeal to fantasy readers of all ages. The quick pace and plentiful action, along with numerous twists, will keep readers actively engaged. The world building, as well as an introduction to Persian mythology, is well done. Characters are developed and likable. Overall, this is a diverse fantasy read, and we certainly need more of those! This is the first in the series, and it will likely leave readers anticipating the next installment.

Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate by Deeba Zargarpur, 336 pages. Labyrinth Road (Random House), 2024. $18. Centering me
Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: MANY
Once a year on her birthday, Farrah (12yo) gets to see her dad. Their climbing trip this year is a little rocky, and then it takes a sudden turn for the worst when Farrah’s dad turns blue and disappears right before her eyes! Her family doesn’t believe her, so Farrah sets out by herself to find her dad, no matter what kind of magic trouble he’s involved in.
Zargarpur’s fantasy world is based in some Islamic mythology, specifically about jinn, and it was fun to see these mythical beings brought to life in a new way. Farrah’s whole story revolves around a wish to change her fate and her journey that reveals her true power—a power each of us could wield in our lives. Wishes sound great in theory, but we don’t need wishes to make our world better.
Farrah and Arzu are Muslim Afghan Americans. The violence rating is for fantasy violence and mentions of execution.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is akin to Riordan's Presents series--though it is not part of it. I'll definitely be recommending it for those hungering for more modern adaption of mythologies across the world.

I'd like to have rated it higher but something about it was missing...I'm not sure what. I loved that it was set in Pennsylvania and how Centralia was part of the journey but as much as I like my home state, I thought it was annoying we were in the magical Jinn city for 5 seconds before going back to Philly. Why build up this cool world and leave it immediately for the mundane world that we live in?

I did like the side characters--especially Idris. Farrah's human best friend was fun and all but I found it dull to get back to the boring human world in the middle of all the plot. Still, it was an entertaining read.

Farrah only gets to see her father once a year on her birthday. Why? Well that’s the real question. She knows he has another family, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. The truth is her father is not only a jinn, but one of the seven jinn kings. A fact she only becomes aware of when her birthday wish goes horribly wrong, trapping her father in a magic ring and making her aware she’s half jinn. Soon she finds herself teaming up another jinn boy who escaped from the ring and a brother a half-brother she never knew she had in an attempt to save her father and the rest of the jinn kings. Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate is the first book in a new and extremely entertaining YA fantasy. While there has been an increase in the diversity of YA stories in the last several years, the inclusion of Persian culture and jinn lore still feels fresh, and I really enjoyed Deeba Zargarpur’s take and look forward to seeing what comes next for Farrah and her friends. I’d like to thank Random House Children’s, Labyrinth Road, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3OWUPNLW14FIA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv