What do you think?
Rate this book
Aya and the Star Chaser: South Asian magic in this gothic fairytale adventure
For fans of Sophie Anderson and South Asian myths and legends comes a fairytale based on Bengali folklore that puts brown girls centre-stage, from the author of A Fairytale. Filled with gorgeous black and white illustrations by Kaley McKean.
Aya has been fascinated by stars ever since she can remember. But never in her wildest imagination did she expect to get struck by one and develop powers beyond her control.
When the evil Abnus takes over the region of Alferra in search of power, Aya quickly learns there is a great darkness afoot. Can Aya learn to control her burgeoning magic and keep her friends and family safe before it's too late?
Aya and the Star Chaser is a brilliant gothic fairytale from Radiya Hafiza.
Aya has been fascinated by stars ever since she can remember. But never in her wildest imagination did she expect to get struck by one and develop powers beyond her control.
When the evil Abnus takes over the region of Alferra in search of power, Aya quickly learns there is a great darkness afoot. Can Aya learn to control her burgeoning magic and keep her friends and family safe before it's too late?
Aya and the Star Chaser is a brilliant gothic fairytale from Radiya Hafiza.
153 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2024
1 person is currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Radiya Hafiza
6 books46 followersRadiya Hafiza is the acclaimed author of the Rumaysa duology and Aya and the Star Chaser. Her debut, Rumaysa, was the Waterstones Children's Book of the Month in April 2021 and has won critical acclaim across the UK and US. The Silver Kingdom is her debut YA fantasy, exploring empires, history and forbidden love.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2024
In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy supposedly based on a Bengali folklore. The story had great promise, but the execution left me bored. Really disappointed, because I had had great expectations from this one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Few middle-grade folklore-based fantasies are based in South Asia, even though this region is ripe with fantastical stories. So when I saw this one, I knew I HAD to grab it. My intrigue was further enhanced by the mention of its being a “fairy tale based on a Bengali folklore.” The author is a British Muslim of Bangladeshi heritage, so my excitement at seeing an OwnVoices story set in this region was even higher. Sadly, my experience didn’t match up.
Bookish Yays:
👻 Aya is wonderful as a girl with independent spirit and a fascination for nature, especially the night sky. Her character is very relatable, hating the chores on the farm, loving to frolic around with her friend, and just like me, a night bird who hates early mornings. A great character to lead this story!
👻 Aya’s being a hijab-clad, brown, Muslim girl adds many ticks to the inclusivity checklist.
👻 The key secondary characters in the book are Aya’s mom Jannah and Aya’s bestie Naznen. While Jannah might not be a favourite due to her overprotectiveness, she comes across as a concerned parent than an overbearing one. Naznen is fabulous as the best buddy who is always ready to support Aya. I wish she had had a greater role in the plot, especially the finale.
👻 Unlike many middle grade books I have read (and I have read plenty!), Aya is shown feeling guilt at deceiving her mother every time she does something rebellious or tells lies. While she does what she wants anyway, I still appreciate how this regret was factored into the story. I don’t like MG books that let kids get away with all kinds of behaviour without any prickling in their conscience.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🤡 Every Indian knows the word “bhoot”. It means ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit’ in Hindi, and from what I checked online, it has a similar meaning in Bangladesh. However, the bhoots in this story were more like demons than spirits, giving me conflicting feelings. This won’t be a hindrance to those who have no idea what bhoots are.
🤡 The abilities Aya gains after the star hits her are interesting and diverse. But they are barely utilised in the story except in the climactic scene. I wish we had seen more of her magical prowess, and also more of her learning to control these unexpected powers.
Bookish Nays:
☠ Thanks to Jannah’s being overprotective and Aya’s being worried about her strange new powers, a lot of the story is spent in hiding and escaping. This makes the plot slow and somewhat boring. There is no action for most of the way and then suddenly there is a burst of magic towards the climax, which ends almost as quickly as it begins. The overall effect is not like a fantasy adventure but like a slow drama.
☠ The setting isn't used satisfactorily. Alferra is fictional, but the blurb, the author’s background, and the characters’ dressing set the story in South Asia, specifically in Bangladesh. But there is just a rudimentary Bangladeshi/South Asian feel to the plot, most of which could have been set anywhere. The oddest to me was the ‘Somerfest ball’, as balls are an essentially Western concept.
☠ The blurb declares this to be a “fairytale based on Bengali folklore.” I tried to look up the source material, but couldn’t find any result. I wish there had been some note about what story it was. I like retellings better when I get a chance to observe how the new story has evolved from the original one.
☠ The book has some B&W illustrations. They were a bit too simplistic for my liking, but my bigger issue was that only a couple of illustrations depicted key scenes. The rest were all incidental graphics, which didn’t add much to my experience.
A part of me feels like this might still work better in the target market, where this book would be perceived as an exotic, Asian-origin fantasy retelling. But to someone with desi blood, this felt like a vague representation of our rich culture.
As the summer vacations are going on, I caught hold of my in-house middle-grader, who enjoys magical stories, to read and vet this book. I was hoping to get a more accurate opinion from the right target audience. To my disappointment, she abandoned this book after reading 35%, calling it “too boring.” Yup, she’s harsher than I am, and by now, a pro at DNFing. *deep sigh!*
Looking at the other ratings, mine is clearly an outlier opinion. So I guess I would still suggest you give this a try. As long as you expect a mostly generic story without hoping for any retelling or genuine South Asian feels, this might still work better for you.
2.5 stars. (Rounding down, because the in-house MG boss wasn’t impressed.)
My thanks to Pan Macmillan, Macmillan Children's Books, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Aya and the Star Chaser”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Aya, whose age we find out much later in the book as being ten years old, adores the night sky and the stars. So when there’s news of a meteor shower, she makes plans along with her best friend Naznen to go up the nearby hill and watch the spectacle first at hand at midnight, even after her mother’s express command telling her not to leave her bed. Unexpectedly, Aya is struck by a star, and seems to have come away unscathed. Until some weird powers begin to manifest.
When an evil entity named Abnus invades and takes over the kingdom of Alferra, Aya learns of a terrifying prophecy.
The story comes to us in Aya’s third person perspective.
Few middle-grade folklore-based fantasies are based in South Asia, even though this region is ripe with fantastical stories. So when I saw this one, I knew I HAD to grab it. My intrigue was further enhanced by the mention of its being a “fairy tale based on a Bengali folklore.” The author is a British Muslim of Bangladeshi heritage, so my excitement at seeing an OwnVoices story set in this region was even higher. Sadly, my experience didn’t match up.
Bookish Yays:
👻 Aya is wonderful as a girl with independent spirit and a fascination for nature, especially the night sky. Her character is very relatable, hating the chores on the farm, loving to frolic around with her friend, and just like me, a night bird who hates early mornings. A great character to lead this story!
👻 Aya’s being a hijab-clad, brown, Muslim girl adds many ticks to the inclusivity checklist.
👻 The key secondary characters in the book are Aya’s mom Jannah and Aya’s bestie Naznen. While Jannah might not be a favourite due to her overprotectiveness, she comes across as a concerned parent than an overbearing one. Naznen is fabulous as the best buddy who is always ready to support Aya. I wish she had had a greater role in the plot, especially the finale.
👻 Unlike many middle grade books I have read (and I have read plenty!), Aya is shown feeling guilt at deceiving her mother every time she does something rebellious or tells lies. While she does what she wants anyway, I still appreciate how this regret was factored into the story. I don’t like MG books that let kids get away with all kinds of behaviour without any prickling in their conscience.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🤡 Every Indian knows the word “bhoot”. It means ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit’ in Hindi, and from what I checked online, it has a similar meaning in Bangladesh. However, the bhoots in this story were more like demons than spirits, giving me conflicting feelings. This won’t be a hindrance to those who have no idea what bhoots are.
🤡 The abilities Aya gains after the star hits her are interesting and diverse. But they are barely utilised in the story except in the climactic scene. I wish we had seen more of her magical prowess, and also more of her learning to control these unexpected powers.
Bookish Nays:
☠ Thanks to Jannah’s being overprotective and Aya’s being worried about her strange new powers, a lot of the story is spent in hiding and escaping. This makes the plot slow and somewhat boring. There is no action for most of the way and then suddenly there is a burst of magic towards the climax, which ends almost as quickly as it begins. The overall effect is not like a fantasy adventure but like a slow drama.
☠ The setting isn't used satisfactorily. Alferra is fictional, but the blurb, the author’s background, and the characters’ dressing set the story in South Asia, specifically in Bangladesh. But there is just a rudimentary Bangladeshi/South Asian feel to the plot, most of which could have been set anywhere. The oddest to me was the ‘Somerfest ball’, as balls are an essentially Western concept.
☠ The blurb declares this to be a “fairytale based on Bengali folklore.” I tried to look up the source material, but couldn’t find any result. I wish there had been some note about what story it was. I like retellings better when I get a chance to observe how the new story has evolved from the original one.
☠ The book has some B&W illustrations. They were a bit too simplistic for my liking, but my bigger issue was that only a couple of illustrations depicted key scenes. The rest were all incidental graphics, which didn’t add much to my experience.
A part of me feels like this might still work better in the target market, where this book would be perceived as an exotic, Asian-origin fantasy retelling. But to someone with desi blood, this felt like a vague representation of our rich culture.
As the summer vacations are going on, I caught hold of my in-house middle-grader, who enjoys magical stories, to read and vet this book. I was hoping to get a more accurate opinion from the right target audience. To my disappointment, she abandoned this book after reading 35%, calling it “too boring.” Yup, she’s harsher than I am, and by now, a pro at DNFing. *deep sigh!*
Looking at the other ratings, mine is clearly an outlier opinion. So I guess I would still suggest you give this a try. As long as you expect a mostly generic story without hoping for any retelling or genuine South Asian feels, this might still work better for you.
2.5 stars. (Rounding down, because the in-house MG boss wasn’t impressed.)
My thanks to Pan Macmillan, Macmillan Children's Books, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Aya and the Star Chaser”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
April 23, 2024
3.5 stars (4 stars as a standalone; 3 stars based on the tags in the blurb)
One Liner: An entertaining read
Aya has always been fascinated by the stars. But she doesn’t expect to get struck by one! However, she discovers that the star somehow gave her magical powers, and Aya needs to use these to defeat the evil Abnus. Can Aya learn to control her magic and fight Abnus?
The story comes in Aya’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I think it helped that I went into the book without rereading the blurb. I forgot it was supposed to be some sort of retelling and read it as a standalone piece.
The book starts slowly but picks up pace after the first quarter. The relationship dynamics between Aya and her mother and Aya and her friend are very good. We can see Aya’s situation and empathize with her. We (adults) can also see her mother’s point.
Silver, the horse, is a sweetheart. He has a lovely role in the book.
The setting, Alferra, could be any small town. There are Islamic elements, but not so much that the readers will be confused. In fact, the story has a global appeal rather than belonging to a specific region. I liked this aspect (since that’s how I write).
But the blurb called it a retelling of a Bengali folklore and promoted it as some South Asian myth-based piece. Except for the ‘bhootni', which you can call a scary ghost, there really isn’t anything South Asian (or whatever it means). The skin tone alone wouldn’t be enough, IMO.
I also don’t know which folktale has been retold (I tried to find it but couldn’t). So, I can’t say which elements of the original were used and how different the book is from the inspired source.
My brain kept changing Abnus to Anubis. I wondered what Abnus meant and googled to find that it is a Persian name meaning ebony. This shouldn’t be an issue for other readers (but if you are like me, knowing the meaning will help. Think of it as ebony).
The book has elements of danger and action in the last section. It can be a bit scary for little kids, but it is not a dark read. Aya is ten, so kids of her age are likely to feel the way she does. I wouldn’t call it a gothic read, either.
A couple of reveals are easy enough to guess. The kids will enjoy it, though. I wish we had a few scenes of Aya learning to control and utilize her magic. That would have made the climax even better. Still, we have a HEA and a sweet ending, so all ends well.
The illustrations are cute and in black and white. They tend to mess up the formatting on Kindle. I went through the PDF on the computer and liked it much better for the illustrations.
To summarize, Aya and the Star Chaser works better as a standalone than a retelling or a region-based book. Let it have a more universal appeal while retaining the Islamic elements of the characters.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #AyaAndTheStarChaser
One Liner: An entertaining read
Aya has always been fascinated by the stars. But she doesn’t expect to get struck by one! However, she discovers that the star somehow gave her magical powers, and Aya needs to use these to defeat the evil Abnus. Can Aya learn to control her magic and fight Abnus?
The story comes in Aya’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I think it helped that I went into the book without rereading the blurb. I forgot it was supposed to be some sort of retelling and read it as a standalone piece.
The book starts slowly but picks up pace after the first quarter. The relationship dynamics between Aya and her mother and Aya and her friend are very good. We can see Aya’s situation and empathize with her. We (adults) can also see her mother’s point.
Silver, the horse, is a sweetheart. He has a lovely role in the book.
The setting, Alferra, could be any small town. There are Islamic elements, but not so much that the readers will be confused. In fact, the story has a global appeal rather than belonging to a specific region. I liked this aspect (since that’s how I write).
But the blurb called it a retelling of a Bengali folklore and promoted it as some South Asian myth-based piece. Except for the ‘bhootni', which you can call a scary ghost, there really isn’t anything South Asian (or whatever it means). The skin tone alone wouldn’t be enough, IMO.
I also don’t know which folktale has been retold (I tried to find it but couldn’t). So, I can’t say which elements of the original were used and how different the book is from the inspired source.
My brain kept changing Abnus to Anubis. I wondered what Abnus meant and googled to find that it is a Persian name meaning ebony. This shouldn’t be an issue for other readers (but if you are like me, knowing the meaning will help. Think of it as ebony).
The book has elements of danger and action in the last section. It can be a bit scary for little kids, but it is not a dark read. Aya is ten, so kids of her age are likely to feel the way she does. I wouldn’t call it a gothic read, either.
A couple of reveals are easy enough to guess. The kids will enjoy it, though. I wish we had a few scenes of Aya learning to control and utilize her magic. That would have made the climax even better. Still, we have a HEA and a sweet ending, so all ends well.
The illustrations are cute and in black and white. They tend to mess up the formatting on Kindle. I went through the PDF on the computer and liked it much better for the illustrations.
To summarize, Aya and the Star Chaser works better as a standalone than a retelling or a region-based book. Let it have a more universal appeal while retaining the Islamic elements of the characters.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #AyaAndTheStarChaser
March 30, 2024
3.75 stars
I absolutely loved Radiya Hafiza’s Rumaysa duology, so I had high hopes for this book – and overall I did enjoy it, even though I don’t think it quite lived up to the author’s earlier work!
This is a lovely little story about family and courage, and I love that the core of it is really Aya’s relationship with her mother. I think a lot of middle grade readers will relate to her frustrations at the secrets her mother is keeping, and the themes of beginning to wonder who you really are.
I would say this is the kind of middle grade that’s intended for children and may not necessarily work for adults – mainly because it’s extremely generic, in the sense that absolutely nothing that happened was a surprise to me. Honestly, I would expect an intelligent middle grade reader to be able to predict the ‘twist’ fairly easily too, but equally I don’t necessarily thing that’s a bad thing, and just because a book is predictable doesn’t negate the value in the themes and characters!
The main thing that didn’t work for me in this book was the pacing. We’re 50% through the book before the plot really gets going, and I felt Aya learned to use her powers far too easily! At one point, I felt certain there would need to be a sequel to allow enough time for everything that needed to happen, but there isn’t: we get to the final standoff and Aya suddenly has full control of her powers and is able to defeat the Big Bad almost instantly, despite having had no real training or practice. [This feels like Not a Spoiler because, again: entirely predictable!] Maybe I’ve just read too many books like this, but it just rang hollow to me to have everything wrapped up so easily!
Still, overall a very sweet and beautifully illustrated little tale, and I probably will be getting this for my sisters to read at some point.
I absolutely loved Radiya Hafiza’s Rumaysa duology, so I had high hopes for this book – and overall I did enjoy it, even though I don’t think it quite lived up to the author’s earlier work!
This is a lovely little story about family and courage, and I love that the core of it is really Aya’s relationship with her mother. I think a lot of middle grade readers will relate to her frustrations at the secrets her mother is keeping, and the themes of beginning to wonder who you really are.
I would say this is the kind of middle grade that’s intended for children and may not necessarily work for adults – mainly because it’s extremely generic, in the sense that absolutely nothing that happened was a surprise to me. Honestly, I would expect an intelligent middle grade reader to be able to predict the ‘twist’ fairly easily too, but equally I don’t necessarily thing that’s a bad thing, and just because a book is predictable doesn’t negate the value in the themes and characters!
The main thing that didn’t work for me in this book was the pacing. We’re 50% through the book before the plot really gets going, and I felt Aya learned to use her powers far too easily! At one point, I felt certain there would need to be a sequel to allow enough time for everything that needed to happen, but there isn’t: we get to the final standoff and Aya suddenly has full control of her powers and is able to defeat the Big Bad almost instantly, despite having had no real training or practice. [This feels like Not a Spoiler because, again: entirely predictable!] Maybe I’ve just read too many books like this, but it just rang hollow to me to have everything wrapped up so easily!
Still, overall a very sweet and beautifully illustrated little tale, and I probably will be getting this for my sisters to read at some point.
![Profile Image for Nigella [Semi-Hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1741366775p8%2F132795844._SX200_SY200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Want to read
December 28, 2023From the synopsis:
Nura and the Immortal Palace meets South Asian myths and legends in this fairytale based on Bengali folklore that puts brown girls centre-stage, from the author of A Fairytale.
Ooooffff（￣。。￣）✨
Nura and the Immortal Palace meets South Asian myths and legends in this fairytale based on Bengali folklore that puts brown girls centre-stage, from the author of A Fairytale.
Ooooffff（￣。。￣）✨
December 12, 2025
Most people probably don't read as much Islamic rep fiction as I do. Add in I'm an adult reading MG, who consistently shares thoughts on books that fit a slim criteria, and the result is I'm nitpicky and hard to please. But, because I read a lot of a very small niche genre, the stark contrast to books with Islamic representation done well, compared to those done poorly or somewhere in the middle is hard to ignore. This 213 page book has an all Muslim cast, but has very little Islam, and what is there is terribly presented. It has one Assalamualaikum, one mention of salat, a reference to shoes worn on eid, and the mother sings Quran. Yes the characters wear hijab, but it is only ever called a headscarf, so while the pieces are there they don't add up to much, which I predict leaves Muslim readers disappointed and non Muslim readers chalking it up to more pointless details that serve as filler, and provide no real fleshing out of the characters on the page. I forced myself to read it, the desire at page 12 when stars and meteors are used interchangeably to dnf was strong, and to the book's credit, I was mildly rewarded with the last 65 pages or so being slightly better written. The plot holes, repetition, inconsistencies, the reliance of the mother simply refusing to answer the daughters questions, and overall surface level of the book makes it regrettable, but can I see young readers that love quirky characters, balls, royalty, and happily ever afters enjoying the read? Yes. And being there is nothing blatant in the book that would warrant you not letting them dive in, you can take my criticisms with a grain of salt, or stardust.
SYNOPSIS:
Aya and her mother, who is "stern with a big heart" live in kingdom of Alferra. Her father has been gone for seven years, she doesn't even know his name, as Aya and her mother, Jannah, have a strained relationship. Aya loves the ocean and the night sky and dislikes school, the only friend she has is Naznen, and on the night of the Perseids meteor shower the two girls meet in the middle of the night to watch the sky. One star (is it not a meteor?) hits Aya and give her powers: she can shoot fire and cry flowers. Desperate for answers Aya and Jannah head to the Somerfest Ball at the palace to meet a seer. When they do they learn of a prophecy and the remainder of the book is Aya and her mother running away to avoid the prophecy, before Aya reluctantly has no choice, but to face the villain, and thus see the prediction through. I don't want to spoil spoil it, but there is an Evil queen and demons of sorts with red eyes referred to as bhoots, and a battle that takes place in true fairytale format before the happily ever after occurs.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I do like that Aya is strong and determined, her strength however, is undermined by her sickness, sleepiness, and lack of determination to find the answers her mother refuses to give though, which is unfortunate. The biggest problem with the book is the writing quality just isn't great. Even the religious representation aside. Why have a whole conversation about wearing matching clothes to the ball between Aya and Naznen for Jannah to gift Aya a gown of a different color and no mention of wanting to match with her friend revisited. Why have Naznen sneak through the window just to have Aya go through the door using the spare key under the mat? Why mention a strange lady at school dismissal, that is never explained? Why is everyone scared to be out because people are missing, just to have Naznen alone, show up with Aya's homework? I could go on and on, the book brings things up and then dismisses them using them to be page filler it seems. So many details do not provide insight in to the story or the characters or the setting, they are just random fleeting observations.
I didn't like that the prince is described as having a "lover," there are better less abrupt identifiers that could have been used, or perhaps in British vernacular it isn't as pointed as it is in the US. I also didn't love that they bowed down to the Evil Queen Abnus. This highlights a place where an Islamic lens would have fleshed out that the characters are Muslim, not wanting to bow, as we bow to Allah swt alone, but perhaps being struck and forced. Other easy inclusions of Islam would be seeing the meteor shower and saying SubhanAllah, being so sick from the star hitting you and asking Allah swt to heal you, asking Allah swt for strength in a dozen scenarios the book presents. Duas before leaving the house with people going missing, it really seemed blaringly absent given the nature of the book to not have little sprinkles woven in, yet it halts the story early on to have those labels noted. It definitely could have used some polishing to make it part of the story or characters or taken out all together.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I wouldn't rush out to buy this book for your school, library, or home book shelf, but if you have it, there is no need to remove it. There is not enough Islam nor literary value. There is not even enough character development or details to show the change in the mother-daughter relationship to foster conversation. One page they claim they have no secrets when the mother and her secrets is the bulk of the backstory, to the next page where the mother simply discloses all the letters and answers that Aya needs to move forward.
FLAGS:
Lying, sneaking out, scary evil villains, disowning, abandonment, disobeying parents, death, killing, prophecy, fortune tellers/seers, magical powers, abuse, imprisonment,
SYNOPSIS:
Aya and her mother, who is "stern with a big heart" live in kingdom of Alferra. Her father has been gone for seven years, she doesn't even know his name, as Aya and her mother, Jannah, have a strained relationship. Aya loves the ocean and the night sky and dislikes school, the only friend she has is Naznen, and on the night of the Perseids meteor shower the two girls meet in the middle of the night to watch the sky. One star (is it not a meteor?) hits Aya and give her powers: she can shoot fire and cry flowers. Desperate for answers Aya and Jannah head to the Somerfest Ball at the palace to meet a seer. When they do they learn of a prophecy and the remainder of the book is Aya and her mother running away to avoid the prophecy, before Aya reluctantly has no choice, but to face the villain, and thus see the prediction through. I don't want to spoil spoil it, but there is an Evil queen and demons of sorts with red eyes referred to as bhoots, and a battle that takes place in true fairytale format before the happily ever after occurs.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I do like that Aya is strong and determined, her strength however, is undermined by her sickness, sleepiness, and lack of determination to find the answers her mother refuses to give though, which is unfortunate. The biggest problem with the book is the writing quality just isn't great. Even the religious representation aside. Why have a whole conversation about wearing matching clothes to the ball between Aya and Naznen for Jannah to gift Aya a gown of a different color and no mention of wanting to match with her friend revisited. Why have Naznen sneak through the window just to have Aya go through the door using the spare key under the mat? Why mention a strange lady at school dismissal, that is never explained? Why is everyone scared to be out because people are missing, just to have Naznen alone, show up with Aya's homework? I could go on and on, the book brings things up and then dismisses them using them to be page filler it seems. So many details do not provide insight in to the story or the characters or the setting, they are just random fleeting observations.
I didn't like that the prince is described as having a "lover," there are better less abrupt identifiers that could have been used, or perhaps in British vernacular it isn't as pointed as it is in the US. I also didn't love that they bowed down to the Evil Queen Abnus. This highlights a place where an Islamic lens would have fleshed out that the characters are Muslim, not wanting to bow, as we bow to Allah swt alone, but perhaps being struck and forced. Other easy inclusions of Islam would be seeing the meteor shower and saying SubhanAllah, being so sick from the star hitting you and asking Allah swt to heal you, asking Allah swt for strength in a dozen scenarios the book presents. Duas before leaving the house with people going missing, it really seemed blaringly absent given the nature of the book to not have little sprinkles woven in, yet it halts the story early on to have those labels noted. It definitely could have used some polishing to make it part of the story or characters or taken out all together.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I wouldn't rush out to buy this book for your school, library, or home book shelf, but if you have it, there is no need to remove it. There is not enough Islam nor literary value. There is not even enough character development or details to show the change in the mother-daughter relationship to foster conversation. One page they claim they have no secrets when the mother and her secrets is the bulk of the backstory, to the next page where the mother simply discloses all the letters and answers that Aya needs to move forward.
FLAGS:
Lying, sneaking out, scary evil villains, disowning, abandonment, disobeying parents, death, killing, prophecy, fortune tellers/seers, magical powers, abuse, imprisonment,
May 1, 2024
I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
AYA AND THE STAR CHASER is another enjoyable novel from Radiya Hafiza that feels like a fairy tale for lower middle grade readers.
Unlike RUMAYSA, this tale is not based on any (western) traditional fairy tales, but has all the magic, undoubtedly evil villains, and royals of a fairy tale. It draws heavily on Bengali culture and folklore, with the monstrous bhoots as the terrifying creatures stalking Aya.
I really liked reading a middle grade fantasy where a parent was both alive and very active in her daughter's life. Aya gets into all sorts of trouble but her mother is around and trying to protect her, even if Aya doesn't always appreciate it. Aya gets to go on her journey with her mother, rather than having to go find her. I just really liked seeing a book about a parent and child facing danger together.
The book is illustrated by Kaley McKean. There are a few larger drawings of specific moments to help bring it to life as well as small details, like leaves, scattered throughout. Illustrations make a book more visually interesting as well as helping the imagination to picture what's going on.
AYA AND THE STAR CHASER is another enjoyable novel from Radiya Hafiza that feels like a fairy tale for lower middle grade readers.
Unlike RUMAYSA, this tale is not based on any (western) traditional fairy tales, but has all the magic, undoubtedly evil villains, and royals of a fairy tale. It draws heavily on Bengali culture and folklore, with the monstrous bhoots as the terrifying creatures stalking Aya.
I really liked reading a middle grade fantasy where a parent was both alive and very active in her daughter's life. Aya gets into all sorts of trouble but her mother is around and trying to protect her, even if Aya doesn't always appreciate it. Aya gets to go on her journey with her mother, rather than having to go find her. I just really liked seeing a book about a parent and child facing danger together.
The book is illustrated by Kaley McKean. There are a few larger drawings of specific moments to help bring it to life as well as small details, like leaves, scattered throughout. Illustrations make a book more visually interesting as well as helping the imagination to picture what's going on.
March 7, 2024
I recieved an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
I absolutely loved the Rumaysa duology by Radiya Hafiza so was incredibly excited to read Aya and the Star Chaser. This book was just as wonderful in terms of it's characters, world-building and evocation of the fairy tale kind of story. I absolutely loved Aya as a main character and the way she came to terms with her star powers - I think the way she came to use them and understand was paced perfectly for the story. I also absolutely loved how the Robin Hood story was briefly pulled in when Aya and Jannah were in Al Bahr (I also really enjoyed the little cameo that happened in the town too - so exciting to see when an author is having all their stories take place in one world). I just thought this was such a beautiful, wonderful book - exactly what I expect from Radiya Hafiza, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I also adored the illustrations by Kaley McKean - they really added to the beautiful imagery the prose created.
I absolutely loved the Rumaysa duology by Radiya Hafiza so was incredibly excited to read Aya and the Star Chaser. This book was just as wonderful in terms of it's characters, world-building and evocation of the fairy tale kind of story. I absolutely loved Aya as a main character and the way she came to terms with her star powers - I think the way she came to use them and understand was paced perfectly for the story. I also absolutely loved how the Robin Hood story was briefly pulled in when Aya and Jannah were in Al Bahr (I also really enjoyed the little cameo that happened in the town too - so exciting to see when an author is having all their stories take place in one world). I just thought this was such a beautiful, wonderful book - exactly what I expect from Radiya Hafiza, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I also adored the illustrations by Kaley McKean - they really added to the beautiful imagery the prose created.
May 6, 2024
There was lots to enjoy about this story. I particularly enjoyed the star magic aspect, but we didn’t get to see Aya really explore using them. You could tell this story was grounded in folklore and I loved those elements. The place and landscape were really clear and I thought the cultures of these fictional places was beautifully evoked.
I think this story might show why so often in children’s books, the main character is separated from the adult caregiver. Here I felt a lot of fun elements were missed because we had to follow her around with her mother being overprotective, taking away some of Aya’s narrative agency.
I think this story might show why so often in children’s books, the main character is separated from the adult caregiver. Here I felt a lot of fun elements were missed because we had to follow her around with her mother being overprotective, taking away some of Aya’s narrative agency.
August 17, 2024
This is a lovely story about family and courage and believing in yourself, and I love that this is a story about Aya’s relationship with her mother. Aya is a character that many readers will be able to identify with. MG books are usually perfect for both adults and children , but this is more aimed at the younger audience. But I still loved it.
There is a lot of build up to the twist and word building which is lovely.
I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
There is a lot of build up to the twist and word building which is lovely.
I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
December 22, 2024
Absolutely loved the story of aya.
I am astounded at how the author captivates her readers attention from the first page itself and how the reader gets mesmerized by the magical world building of the story.
There's no doubt that I'll be getting my hands on every work of this author.
I am astounded at how the author captivates her readers attention from the first page itself and how the reader gets mesmerized by the magical world building of the story.
There's no doubt that I'll be getting my hands on every work of this author.
Read
November 25, 2025I missed the humor of Rumaysa, but an accessible 4th grade fantasy
April 12, 2024
I am big fan of reading about the ancient myths of different cultures from around the world and always have been, I love reading retellings too, it is fascinating to see how the story appears to others, where their imagination takes them with their interpretation. And I feel the authors of these stories, from so many hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, would be pleased to know their stories still resonate, still inspire storytelling. The myths of India are not stories I am overly familiar with, and I don’t imagine many young readers are either which is why Radiya Hafiza’s latest book, Aya and the Star Chaser has been such a treat to read. Her last two books were fairytale inspired; this one is too but it also takes inspiration from Bengali folklore. Entwined with her story are South Asian myths and legends, it is steeped in fantasy, and she has chosen to put brown girl’s centre-stage in the magical world that she has created. The whole is beautifully illustrated by Kaley McLean whose black and white illustrations evoke wonder.
Aya has always been fascinated by the stars, you could say that she is drawn to them for it has been this way for as long as she can remember. She knows it is not a passing phase for her. Although this draw to the stars is magical, fantastical even, her imagination has never run wild enough for her to consider any form of interaction with them. And so it is that when she is struck by a star and discovers she has developed powers beyond her control she is as bewildered as all those around her. We soon learn that this new-found power was not accidental, that star was destined to strike her for her new powers are very much needed. The evil Abnus has taken over the region of Alferra in search of power and Aya learns that as a result a great darkness is coming. She must learn how to control her new powers and use them to keep her friends and family safe. This is not the only challenge she faces however for there is also a prophecy, one that foretells she may be the only one who can defeat this darkness… A beautifully compelling fantasy adventure.
I write reviews for Armadillo Children's Books and this one appeared in my weekly newsletter, Postbag Picks, in March 2024.
Aya has always been fascinated by the stars, you could say that she is drawn to them for it has been this way for as long as she can remember. She knows it is not a passing phase for her. Although this draw to the stars is magical, fantastical even, her imagination has never run wild enough for her to consider any form of interaction with them. And so it is that when she is struck by a star and discovers she has developed powers beyond her control she is as bewildered as all those around her. We soon learn that this new-found power was not accidental, that star was destined to strike her for her new powers are very much needed. The evil Abnus has taken over the region of Alferra in search of power and Aya learns that as a result a great darkness is coming. She must learn how to control her new powers and use them to keep her friends and family safe. This is not the only challenge she faces however for there is also a prophecy, one that foretells she may be the only one who can defeat this darkness… A beautifully compelling fantasy adventure.
I write reviews for Armadillo Children's Books and this one appeared in my weekly newsletter, Postbag Picks, in March 2024.
March 10, 2024
We loved this delightful book, there was something for us all to enjoy. My youngest Grandaughter loved the illustrations and said that they helped her to 'see the story in her head'. My older Grandaughter enjoyed the references to other books and stories comparing it to 'popular cultural references just like in the best movies'. Myself, I just enjoyed the plot, characters and the pace of the story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews