Amira & Hamza Duology

 

Over the past few weeks, I read the Amira & Hamza duology by Samira Ahmed. This fantasy series is about the summer adventures of Amira Majid, a 12-year-old girl, and her younger brother, Hamza. In the first book, The War to Save the Worlds, Amira and Hamza are at the Medinah Temple in Chicago with their parents to observe a rare super blue blood moon eclipse when they drop al-Biruni's Box of the Moon while fighting over it. Suddenly, the box is activated and everyone except the siblings are under a sleep spell. Making things worse, a chunk of the moon has broken off and is heading toward Earth. At first, Amira and Hamza have no idea what is really going on, but then they are whisked off to a mystical land called Qaf by two jinn, who reveal that the siblings are the Chosen Ones and play a role in an ancient prophecy. On a journey in which they confront terrifying jinn, devs, and ghuls, they have to find and defeat Ifrit, a terrible and cruel dev, in order to prevent the moon from breaking completely apart and releasing what's trapped within.

In the second and final book, The Quest for the Ring of Power, it is now the last weekend before school starts back up. Since their journey to Qaf, the summer has been peaceful and ordinary. Hamza desperately wants to go on one last adventure, though, to check out Palmer Castle in Jackson Park and hopefully battle a ghost. When Amira rejects his invite and Hamza decides to go alone, Ifrit's father, Ahriman, kidnaps him to find the three pieces of Suleiman's oculus that will reveal the location of the Ring of Power after the parts are brought together and placed in the Star Axis. With the help of Aasman Peri, a friend from Qaf, Amira goes on a country-hopping adventure to save her brother and obtain the Ring of Power before Ahriman does.

I absolutely adored Amira & Hamza from the very beginning. I totally related to Amira's interest in astronomy and science and Hamza's interest in superheroes and science fiction. The pop culture references were so much fun and I thought Hamza was hilarious. Like Amira, I also have a younger brother, so I know how they can sometimes be annoying, though. While reading, it was fascinating learning about fantastical creatures from Persian mythology and real life historical figures who lived in the Middle East. The world-building was amazing! Most of all, I enjoyed the adventure and how Amira and Hamza had to get past their differences and work together as a team to defeat their foes. There were so many heartwarming and emotional scenes in addition to action sequences and plot twists and it was easy to root for the siblings, especially when Ifrit and Ahriman were so dastardly. Some of the creatures were quite scary, too, although my favorite, a simurgh, really saved the day in the first book. I also really liked the three-eyed winged horse that Hamza named Zendaya after the actress. There was one moment in the first book that was really devastating, but a reveal in the second book did help me accept the loss. The last thing I'd like to mention is how thrilled I was when Amira and Hamza had to go to the Louvre in Paris for the third part of the oculus because I had been there just two years ago. I don't blame Amira for being so excited to see the Winged Victory because I was, too. Both books include an author's note and a further reading list at the end. Overall, the Amira & Hamza duology is an excellent fantasy series, and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who enjoys fantasy based on mythology.