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Retalation #2
Accused: A Retalation Novel #2
The Retaliation Saga continues in Accused...
An easier and more peaceful life seemed to be destined for Ahmed and Tashera when they left Washington, DC and entered Georgia Atlantic University. But when Ahmed is accused of a crime that he didn't commit and begins to be tried in the media, his popularity plummets, his self-esteem suffers, and his dreams of playing college basketball disappear.
Meanwhile, there is a serial rapist on campus who has been attacking freshman girls at record numbers and forcing them to keep silent. As Tashera learns about the girls, she begins to close in on the rapist. But is the attacker too crafty to be caught? Will the state prosecutor ignore key evidence to instead focus on the fame that comes with convicting a high profile basketball star?
Tashera is beyond stressed as she divides her time between trying to find enough evidence to clear Ahmed while at the same time stopping the rapist who roams the campus of Georgia Atlantic. Ahmed and Tashera's journey into a new life away from home is more challenging than they ever thought that it would be.
An easier and more peaceful life seemed to be destined for Ahmed and Tashera when they left Washington, DC and entered Georgia Atlantic University. But when Ahmed is accused of a crime that he didn't commit and begins to be tried in the media, his popularity plummets, his self-esteem suffers, and his dreams of playing college basketball disappear.
Meanwhile, there is a serial rapist on campus who has been attacking freshman girls at record numbers and forcing them to keep silent. As Tashera learns about the girls, she begins to close in on the rapist. But is the attacker too crafty to be caught? Will the state prosecutor ignore key evidence to instead focus on the fame that comes with convicting a high profile basketball star?
Tashera is beyond stressed as she divides her time between trying to find enough evidence to clear Ahmed while at the same time stopping the rapist who roams the campus of Georgia Atlantic. Ahmed and Tashera's journey into a new life away from home is more challenging than they ever thought that it would be.
- GenresYoung Adult
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2014
25 people want to read
About the author
Yasmin Shiraz
17 books61 followersYasmin Shiraz is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls as well as The Blueprint for My Girls in Love. She is an empowerment speaker and program developer who has delivered programs and keynotes based on her books.
She is the author of the ALA's Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection, Retaliation. She has spoken at over 100 colleges nationwide on topics such as empowerment, black history and hip hop culture.
She is an award winning film director as her film, Can She Be Saved? won 4 film awards including Best New film.
When not writing books, she produces documentaries for her company, Still Eye Rise Films.
She is the author of the ALA's Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection, Retaliation. She has spoken at over 100 colleges nationwide on topics such as empowerment, black history and hip hop culture.
She is an award winning film director as her film, Can She Be Saved? won 4 film awards including Best New film.
When not writing books, she produces documentaries for her company, Still Eye Rise Films.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 7, 2014
Loved this book. A few people who are inspiring. together really make a difference. A wonderfully written story. Tashera is a determined girl Ahmed, well I'm smitten. Can't wait for book 3
March 8, 2014
Yasmin Shiraz’s ACCUSED is a Young Adult novel focusing on the issue of date rape. Tashera Odom is a freshman at Georgia Atlantic University when she begins volunteering with a local sexual-abuse support group called “STOP” (“Students Tired Of Predators”). The stories told by the women in the group sound eerily similar – someone on campus has been drugging women and raping them, leaving them without any memory of the assault. When Tashera’s boyfriend Ahmed Warner is accused of rape by a high school student, she is determined to clear his name and find the guilty party.
Tashera is a wonderful character. It’s obvious from the early pages of the story that this is the second book in which this character has appeared. The first (RETALIATION) apparently details what happened to Tashera when she and her brother were living in Washington, DC. Tashera was brutally attacked by a gang of three girls, leaving her bitter, angry, and determined to never become a victim again. That’s why she is so drawn to the women she meets at STOP, and so dedicated to finding out who is terrorizing the women on campus. She’s not perfect, and she allows her anger to get the best of her from time to time (at one point she comes close to attacking a girl who is dancing with her boyfriend). But ultimately, she is strong and self-reliant and willing to do anything and everything in her pursuit of justice. She fights for her boyfriend, who has been wrongly accused of rape, for the women in STOP, and for herself as she works through her own Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. As one of the detectives describes her, Tashera is “a victim’s advocate pit bull in training.”
It’s just too bad Shiraz doesn’t put that same kind of depth and detail into the novel’s villain. There’s no doubt in this novel who the “bad guy” is – in the book’s prologue, nineteen-year-old rich kid Brandon Royal is planning to date-rape a girl from his high school class. Brandon is your quintessential psychopath, plotting ruthlessly to drug and rape every girl he meets. There isn’t one thing about the guy that isn’t evil, which makes for a pretty simple story. But the issue of date rape is more complicated than that, and it’s too easy to define Brandon as psychotic or evil. By not developing Brandon as a real flesh-and-blood character, Shiraz loses some of the impact of what could have been a much more gripping and meaningful story. Brandon just felt too much like the cartoonish villain in Lifetime movies, a guy whose only purpose in life is to abuse women. I wanted to know more about him, to understand more about what motivates him, and to recognize him as a human being (as hard as it is to admit, men who rape women – especially in a “dating” situation – are human; they are not demons).
ACCUSED does address an issue that is becoming ever more important, especially on college campuses. And I do recommend it for teen readers. Shiraz includes a very helpful section at the end of the novel with information for teens on date rape, date rape drugs, and how to avoid becoming a victim. Note to parents: while this is a novel that deals with a very difficult sexual subject matter, there is no graphic sex or violence portrayed in the story itself. Shiraz makes an effort to avoid any prurient sexual details, keeping the emphasis on Tashera’s efforts to fight for justice. There is also no inappropriate language, which is unusual in books like this. Shiraz has a knack for writing in the voice of teen characters without having to resort to obscenities. Bottom line ACCUSED is a good read that addresses a serious and important issue for young adults. Had her villain not been so one-dimensional, it would have been fabulous. As it is, it’s an important and worthwhile YA novel.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this book for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
Tashera is a wonderful character. It’s obvious from the early pages of the story that this is the second book in which this character has appeared. The first (RETALIATION) apparently details what happened to Tashera when she and her brother were living in Washington, DC. Tashera was brutally attacked by a gang of three girls, leaving her bitter, angry, and determined to never become a victim again. That’s why she is so drawn to the women she meets at STOP, and so dedicated to finding out who is terrorizing the women on campus. She’s not perfect, and she allows her anger to get the best of her from time to time (at one point she comes close to attacking a girl who is dancing with her boyfriend). But ultimately, she is strong and self-reliant and willing to do anything and everything in her pursuit of justice. She fights for her boyfriend, who has been wrongly accused of rape, for the women in STOP, and for herself as she works through her own Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. As one of the detectives describes her, Tashera is “a victim’s advocate pit bull in training.”
It’s just too bad Shiraz doesn’t put that same kind of depth and detail into the novel’s villain. There’s no doubt in this novel who the “bad guy” is – in the book’s prologue, nineteen-year-old rich kid Brandon Royal is planning to date-rape a girl from his high school class. Brandon is your quintessential psychopath, plotting ruthlessly to drug and rape every girl he meets. There isn’t one thing about the guy that isn’t evil, which makes for a pretty simple story. But the issue of date rape is more complicated than that, and it’s too easy to define Brandon as psychotic or evil. By not developing Brandon as a real flesh-and-blood character, Shiraz loses some of the impact of what could have been a much more gripping and meaningful story. Brandon just felt too much like the cartoonish villain in Lifetime movies, a guy whose only purpose in life is to abuse women. I wanted to know more about him, to understand more about what motivates him, and to recognize him as a human being (as hard as it is to admit, men who rape women – especially in a “dating” situation – are human; they are not demons).
ACCUSED does address an issue that is becoming ever more important, especially on college campuses. And I do recommend it for teen readers. Shiraz includes a very helpful section at the end of the novel with information for teens on date rape, date rape drugs, and how to avoid becoming a victim. Note to parents: while this is a novel that deals with a very difficult sexual subject matter, there is no graphic sex or violence portrayed in the story itself. Shiraz makes an effort to avoid any prurient sexual details, keeping the emphasis on Tashera’s efforts to fight for justice. There is also no inappropriate language, which is unusual in books like this. Shiraz has a knack for writing in the voice of teen characters without having to resort to obscenities. Bottom line ACCUSED is a good read that addresses a serious and important issue for young adults. Had her villain not been so one-dimensional, it would have been fabulous. As it is, it’s an important and worthwhile YA novel.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this book for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
March 31, 2014
Guilty until proven innocent...
In Accused author Yasmin Shiraz allows readers to catch up with two of our favorite characters from Retaliation. Tashera and Ahmed have both left the gritty DC streets behind in their collegiate pursuit. Ahmed is one of the up and coming stars of the basketball team and Tashera is adjusting well to college life at Georgia Atlantic University. All of that changes when Ahmed is accused of the unthinkable. Tashera never doubts Ahmed's innocence but the university does especially when there's pressure from the media due to the high profile nature of the case.
Yasmin Shiraz does an excellent job exposing some of the dangers of college life from underage drinking to date rape marking her YA novel as informative and much needed. Not only were those issues examined but what also garnered much needed attention was the criminal justice system and the media's rush to vilify our youth when they are merely accused of a crime and not yet proven guilty. The broaching of theses often overlooked issues makes Accused highly recommended reading.
Final Rating 4.25 Stars
Delonya Conyers
ARC Book Club Inc.
In Accused author Yasmin Shiraz allows readers to catch up with two of our favorite characters from Retaliation. Tashera and Ahmed have both left the gritty DC streets behind in their collegiate pursuit. Ahmed is one of the up and coming stars of the basketball team and Tashera is adjusting well to college life at Georgia Atlantic University. All of that changes when Ahmed is accused of the unthinkable. Tashera never doubts Ahmed's innocence but the university does especially when there's pressure from the media due to the high profile nature of the case.
Yasmin Shiraz does an excellent job exposing some of the dangers of college life from underage drinking to date rape marking her YA novel as informative and much needed. Not only were those issues examined but what also garnered much needed attention was the criminal justice system and the media's rush to vilify our youth when they are merely accused of a crime and not yet proven guilty. The broaching of theses often overlooked issues makes Accused highly recommended reading.
Final Rating 4.25 Stars
Delonya Conyers
ARC Book Club Inc.
March 20, 2014
I will start by saying that I have never known anyone who was sexually assaulted, raped or accused of it. So for me I thought when I started reading this book that would make it harder for me to understand. But I never felt that way reading it - the author took me on a journey that I did not expect - through the mind of a serial rapist/sociopath while at the same time showing me the heartbreak and despair that he wrought on his victims. Brandons utter lack of compassion, empathy or anything even closely resembling humanity is astounding and is what makes this book so great! He thinks he is invincible. Ahmed and Tashera are an awesome couple and you can feel the love between them even after Ahmed is accused of rape. The way that Zia's family responds to her situation is unbelievable but is something that could actually happen in todays society. The entire book is so realistic no matter how much you don't want to believe it could happen. All in all I would give this book 5 stars without a doubt - I couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 sittings because it was so superb!
September 1, 2016
Worth a read, a great book about how a girl manages to save her boyfriend from certain accusations and supporting people around her. I like how the book goes at a pace that is easy to follow yet not boring.
The story centers around a guy who was drugging and raping girls, video taping the incident and blackmailing the poor things. This is known from the beginning, but when Ahmed was taking the blame, Tashera took charge to clear his name.
Truly a captivating read for those who like a nice detective work story without a mystery.
The story centers around a guy who was drugging and raping girls, video taping the incident and blackmailing the poor things. This is known from the beginning, but when Ahmed was taking the blame, Tashera took charge to clear his name.
Truly a captivating read for those who like a nice detective work story without a mystery.
May 1, 2014
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
Accused is an interesting novel that offers an intriguing perspective on rape and sexual abuse. The book had its ups and downs, but overall it was an inspiring, thought-provoking read.
Tashera and her boyfriend, Ahmed, start college this year. I haven’t read the first book, so I missed out on some background story relating to both characters, but nevertheless, I could understand the characters and their behaviors quite well. Tashera joins a support group, STOP, which helps victims of abuse. However, when Ahmed gets accused of rape by a high school student, Tashera is put in a difficult position. She’s convinced Ahmed didn’t do it, but if she wants to prove his innocence, she has to find out who did.
Both Tashera and Ahmed make for interesting characters. Tashera is stubborn, intelligent, relentless in her pursuit of what she perceives to be justice. She stands up for others, and for goals she believes in. Ahmed is a less developed character than Tashera, but it was still interesting to see how he acted to the false accusations.
The story matter is thought-provoking, the writing is good, the characters are decent, but if I had to point out a flaw, it would be the villain. We meet the villain early on – Brandon, a psychopath who has close to no personality at all. He’s not all that developed as a character, and he comes across as very one-dimensional, as if he’s just there for the sake of acting as the villain. It would’ve been more interesting had Brandon not been depicted as an evil monster, but as a real person, someone who has feelings, no matter how messed up they are.
Nevertheless, the topic was interesting, and the story enjoyable. The book is ideal for teens, because of the issues it addresses. Even though date rape is the common thread throughout the book, there are no graphic scenes, so it should be safe for youngsters to read.
Accused is an interesting novel that offers an intriguing perspective on rape and sexual abuse. The book had its ups and downs, but overall it was an inspiring, thought-provoking read.
Tashera and her boyfriend, Ahmed, start college this year. I haven’t read the first book, so I missed out on some background story relating to both characters, but nevertheless, I could understand the characters and their behaviors quite well. Tashera joins a support group, STOP, which helps victims of abuse. However, when Ahmed gets accused of rape by a high school student, Tashera is put in a difficult position. She’s convinced Ahmed didn’t do it, but if she wants to prove his innocence, she has to find out who did.
Both Tashera and Ahmed make for interesting characters. Tashera is stubborn, intelligent, relentless in her pursuit of what she perceives to be justice. She stands up for others, and for goals she believes in. Ahmed is a less developed character than Tashera, but it was still interesting to see how he acted to the false accusations.
The story matter is thought-provoking, the writing is good, the characters are decent, but if I had to point out a flaw, it would be the villain. We meet the villain early on – Brandon, a psychopath who has close to no personality at all. He’s not all that developed as a character, and he comes across as very one-dimensional, as if he’s just there for the sake of acting as the villain. It would’ve been more interesting had Brandon not been depicted as an evil monster, but as a real person, someone who has feelings, no matter how messed up they are.
Nevertheless, the topic was interesting, and the story enjoyable. The book is ideal for teens, because of the issues it addresses. Even though date rape is the common thread throughout the book, there are no graphic scenes, so it should be safe for youngsters to read.
July 10, 2014
Review by Tammy
Yasmin Shiraz has delved into the reality of date rape drugs. This novel has ever aspect that is possible when your partying in high school or college and are too busy having fun to pay attention to your surroundings. Unfortunately, as seen in the book, this can happen to anyone. It's not all black and white every time. We're shown what can happen when someone is so obsessed with getting everything they want, they'll do anything to get it.
Brandon is obsessed with winning. He'll do anything to get what he wants and he will go to great lengths to succeed. Ahmed and Tashera were hoping things would be easier for them after high school. When Ahmed is accused of date rape, Tashera takes it upon herself to find the evidence to save him of this wrongful accusation. Tashera has no easy task because these girls don't remember much from their attacks, nor will they willingly come forth. It seems like a no win situation.
The real life scenarios aren't always easy to stomach, but they could happen to anyone. It's sad, but true. I didn't read the first book in this group, but I will definitely read it. Having a teenage daughter, I think this book would definitely scare them. But in a realistic manner. They need to know that anything in that book is truly possible.
Yasmin Shiraz has delved into the reality of date rape drugs. This novel has ever aspect that is possible when your partying in high school or college and are too busy having fun to pay attention to your surroundings. Unfortunately, as seen in the book, this can happen to anyone. It's not all black and white every time. We're shown what can happen when someone is so obsessed with getting everything they want, they'll do anything to get it.
Brandon is obsessed with winning. He'll do anything to get what he wants and he will go to great lengths to succeed. Ahmed and Tashera were hoping things would be easier for them after high school. When Ahmed is accused of date rape, Tashera takes it upon herself to find the evidence to save him of this wrongful accusation. Tashera has no easy task because these girls don't remember much from their attacks, nor will they willingly come forth. It seems like a no win situation.
The real life scenarios aren't always easy to stomach, but they could happen to anyone. It's sad, but true. I didn't read the first book in this group, but I will definitely read it. Having a teenage daughter, I think this book would definitely scare them. But in a realistic manner. They need to know that anything in that book is truly possible.
December 30, 2015
A didactic and wooden tale about a boy who’s accused of rape. Ahmed and Tashera have recently moved from Washington DC to Georgia to attend college. Ahmed is a good basketball player and has been receiving a lot of attention from girls and the press. Another player on the team, Brandon, is jealous of the attention he’s getting. Oh, and Brandon’s a sociopath who rapes girls after drugging them. So Brandon sets Ahmed up and frames him for rape. Tashera is determined to prove her boyfriend is not guilty, so she does some investigating.
This book was maddening on so many levels. The characters aren’t well developed or well rounded and only seem to exist to push the didactic writing. There is absolutely no nuance to this book - everything hits the reader over the head with its frustration at the justice system.
This book was maddening on so many levels. The characters aren’t well developed or well rounded and only seem to exist to push the didactic writing. There is absolutely no nuance to this book - everything hits the reader over the head with its frustration at the justice system.
August 30, 2014
I was sent this book for review and found it to be an interesting and worthwhile read. It tackles an emotive subject - date rape - and is seen through the minds of both sides of the coin, but also the attitudes of everyone involved.
The wrongly accused battles against the trial by media, while the perpetrator revels in his glorious deeds.
A realistic look at the dangers of being a teenager (or yet any age), especially how easy it is to obtain drugs and 'do what you want'.
A good strong voice within the wilderness of growing up in this dangerous modern world.
The wrongly accused battles against the trial by media, while the perpetrator revels in his glorious deeds.
A realistic look at the dangers of being a teenager (or yet any age), especially how easy it is to obtain drugs and 'do what you want'.
A good strong voice within the wilderness of growing up in this dangerous modern world.
December 19, 2014
Ms. Shiraz has done it again with Accused. She took the subjects of date rape and assault and placed them at the forefront of a conversation. For some this will make it easier to speak about. These are topics that our young men and women face daily on college campuses all around the world. Something that I love about all of Ms. Shiraz's work are the questions located in the back after book. Even if you don't participate in a book club, they tend to make you think about the subject matter as more than just another novel, but also on a social level and I love it.
July 9, 2014
This is not my favorite YA novel I've ever read. The characters are overly simplistic, and the plot reads a bit like an episode of Law & Order: SVU. Still though, it deals with an important and underrepresented topic (date rape), and features a strong heroine. Though I didn't love it, I think my students might.
April 30, 2014
Trigger Warning: This book contains a rape storyline
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews