Rumaysa

by Radiya Hafiza

★★★

Review

This book is a unique story and a modern spin on three classic fairytales: Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. It contains plenty of charming settings and magical spells, and features three strong, independent female protagonists.

I love how this book includes different representations which aren't your "typical" protagonists in children's stories. The main protagonist, Rumaysa, is Muslim and wears a hijab which ends up being crucial in her escape from her tower, and Sleeping Sara may be considered "plus size", which again is a welcome change from the traditional female protagonists in fairytales. Hafiza also drops in additional cultural details such as the Eid ball, samosas, handesh and mentions of Ramadan which is a great way for children to explore cultures different to their own, or see themselves and their culture in a modern fairytale.

The story itself is cleverly written in the sense that the three main characters' stories cross over and they support each other through their own dilemmas, however it can sometimes be a bit clunky and things don't flow as smoothly as other multi-plot books. I also love an ending that ties up all of the loose ends, but found that this wasn't quite the case for this book, hence the three stars!

Despite this, I would recommend this to readers who enjoy magic and fairytales, or for those who want a simple, cheerful adventure story with strong independent female characters!

Dive Deeper

Key information

Author: Radiya Hafiza

Illustrator: Rhaida El Touny

Release Date:1st April 2021

Book type: Chapter, 218 pages, paperback

Reader level: Growing reader

Series: First of 2

Overview

A story of three fairytales intertwined, Rumaysa follows the magical journey of an independent and courageous young lady across a magical land to find her beloved parents; visiting a modern retelling of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

All her life, Rumaysa has been locked away in a tower, forced to spin straw into gold for the evil witch. She longs to leave her prison and explore the world outside and refuses to wait for a prince to save her. Luckily, she soon receives a magical necklace that can guide her across the kingdom and reunite her with her parents. There's only one problem... how will she escape from the tower?

Meanwhile, Ayla lives a happy life with her father, working together to overcome the grief of losing her mother. However, things quickly take a turn when her father dies while away on business, leaving her a slave for her new step-mother and step-sisters.

When Cinderayla's freams of going to the Royal Ball are shattered, Rumaysa appears, guided by her magical necklace, to save the day. Together, they stun the palace and charm the prince, but their cover is soon under threat and they must make a quick escape before anyone finds discovers that they were there.

Across the Kingdom is Sara, a princess who has been locked away for her own safety. But, like Rumaysa, Sara longs for an adventure beyond the walls of the palace and hopes that one day she will be free to live beyond a life of royalty. One mysterious night, Sara is stolen from the palace and hidden far, far away, trapped in a deep, deep slumber. Once again, Rumaysa discovers the sleeping princess and promises to free the young princess from her captor.

But despite her efforts to free others from their misery, Rumaysa is no closer to finding her missing parents. Was the necklace ever meant to lead her to them, or has she been led into another trap by the evil witch?