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The Lady or the Lion
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Perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and The Wrath and the Dawn, this scintillating debut retells “The Lady or the Tiger?” against a Pakistan-inspired world of forbidden love and court intrigues.
Once there was a princess forced to choose a fate for her lover-to a future in the arms of a beautiful lady, or to death in the mouth of a lion? But what came first was the ...more
Once there was a princess forced to choose a fate for her lover-to a future in the arms of a beautiful lady, or to death in the mouth of a lion? But what came first was the ...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication:
June 22nd 2021
by CamCat Books
(first published June 2021)
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I hope it isn't in poor taste to give my own novel 5 stars but if I'm not going to be my biggest cheerleader, who will??
Also, I wrote a blog post describing what inspired this novel and my journey writing it! You can read it here: https://www.aamnaqureshi.com/blog-3/w... ...more
Also, I wrote a blog post describing what inspired this novel and my journey writing it! You can read it here: https://www.aamnaqureshi.com/blog-3/w... ...more

I just finished reading The Lady or the Lion by Aamna Qureshi, a Pakistani-inspired Young Adult fantasy novel, and I am absolutely in love with this book for so many reasons. The first and most significant reason is that Pakistani-culture is instilled into this story like I have never experienced before. As a Pakistani teen myself, this book meant the world to me. Just the fact that one of the characters shared a name with my dad, or the fact that the characters were constantly drinking chai and
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Thank you so so much to the most lovely Aamna for gifting me an ARC!
This was such a fantastic read, I enjoyed every page turn!! The writing was so beautiful and poetic Aamna really is extremely talented ‘Ma Sha’ Allah!!! It felt so refreshing reading about authentic south Asian rep, written so magnificently at that. The characters were amazing, I really admired Durkhanai. I’ll be honest this book made me hungry also and nostalgic of authentic south Asian food. The last 50 pages had me on edge o ...more
This was such a fantastic read, I enjoyed every page turn!! The writing was so beautiful and poetic Aamna really is extremely talented ‘Ma Sha’ Allah!!! It felt so refreshing reading about authentic south Asian rep, written so magnificently at that. The characters were amazing, I really admired Durkhanai. I’ll be honest this book made me hungry also and nostalgic of authentic south Asian food. The last 50 pages had me on edge o ...more

i was lucky enough to receive an arc of this book from the author herself, and wow. it blew me away. i immediately fell in love with the writing, the description of this beautiful pakistan-inspired land, the complex characters and their relationships. as a pakistani girl i can't put into words how amazing it was to see urdu words and part of my culture so seamlessly weaved in with the story. reading this book, i felt as though i had been transported to the beautiful land of marghazar, and isn't
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Aamna Qureshi definitely has a talent for storytelling because The Lady or the Lion captivated me within reading the first few chapters. The book was full of beautiful descriptions of Pakistan, a country I'm proud to call home so it was really nice reading about it. Our main characters, Durkhanai and Asfandyar are strong and unique characters and I enjoyed reading through their perspectives. I would say that the romance in the book is my favourite part - it's so well done and has all the best tr
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I got a Beta version of this book so no spoilers but this book is AMAZING!!!!!! The way the author instantly transports you to the Northern areas of Pakistan, you can almost feel as though you are there! being Pakistani Muslim myself, I loved how the author used urdu phrases and had inserts of Islam put in there which just were just utterly delightful!
The 2 main characters I love alot, particularly the heroine as I see such of myself in her and you instantly root for her! I love especially how e ...more
The 2 main characters I love alot, particularly the heroine as I see such of myself in her and you instantly root for her! I love especially how e ...more

My mind is still spinning from that ending. This was a beautiful and vibrant story, full of color and love, and then tinged with betrayal and heartache. Trust me when I say this is not a book you want to miss out on.
We start the story off with Durkhanai, the young princess who strives to prove her grandfather’s innocence as her palace is filled with foreign ambassadors demanding answers for a deadly summit attack.
While her goal may seem simple, the journey is anything but, and she finds hers ...more
We start the story off with Durkhanai, the young princess who strives to prove her grandfather’s innocence as her palace is filled with foreign ambassadors demanding answers for a deadly summit attack.
While her goal may seem simple, the journey is anything but, and she finds hers ...more

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Lady or the Lion in exchange for an honest review.
This is a really ambitious story to try and adapt into a fully length novel, and I think Aamna handled that beautifully. I love the way Qureshi decides to answer a story that's never had one before but unfortunately, until then, this book didn't really captivate me. I don't think it had anything to do with Qureshi's narration (it's very well done. All the comfort and hallmarks of the historical ...more
This is a really ambitious story to try and adapt into a fully length novel, and I think Aamna handled that beautifully. I love the way Qureshi decides to answer a story that's never had one before but unfortunately, until then, this book didn't really captivate me. I don't think it had anything to do with Qureshi's narration (it's very well done. All the comfort and hallmarks of the historical ...more

I’m not going to give any spoilers away but this book was everything I could want. It is a Pakistani - inspired young adult fantasy and you will crave the food when you’re reading. The writing is beautiful! If you’re a fan of These Violent Delights and The Wrath and The Dawn, then you’ll love this one!!! Fair Warning: I wanted samosas and chai a lot this week and when you’re reading this, you might find yourself craving it too. I have a review that will be posted on the pub date on pop-culturali
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IS THAT A PAINTED COVER??
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A YA fantasy set in Pakistan which combines royal and political intrigue with a captivating forbidden love story.
A mixed bag for me. Review to come
A mixed bag for me. Review to come

so i guessed the "betrayal" that was to come in the end. but it was good to read through it (especially the very end!!!), the author's writing is and descriptions are a delight. i love our flawed protagonist, Durkhanai. the dynamic between her and Asfandyar had some of my favourite tropes!! definitely not to miss if you want to read Pakistani/diverse rep
also the chai and snacks mentioned totally did not make me hungry :) ...more
also the chai and snacks mentioned totally did not make me hungry :) ...more
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Aamna Qureshi is a Pakistani, Muslim American who adores words. She grew up on Long Island, New York, in a very loud household, surrounded by English (for school), Urdu (for conversation), and Punjabi (for emotion). Much of her childhood was spent being grounded for reading past her bed-time, writing stories in the backs of her notebooks, and being scolded by teachers for passing chapters under th
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