Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Children's books, Travelogue

The Excellent Adventures of Hubie and Honey by T. J. Mueller : A Lesson in Courage and Connection

​We all have grand aspirations, but it’s often our own inner voice of fear that becomes the biggest discouragement. “The Excellent Adventures of Hubie and Honey” illustrates this meaningful concept perfectly. In just thirty-nine perfectly written pages, this small book imparts timeless wisdom to budding minds, crafting a beautiful narrative about overcoming one’s own insecurities and fears through meaningful and supportive relationships. 

This is far more than a simple story; it’s a guide to believing in oneself and understanding that every dream is achievable.​The book excels in its ability to present these profound life lessons within a well-paced and engaging narrative. The literary structure is certainly one of its greatest strengths; the author has skillfully organized the tale from beginning to end, using correct, evocative words that never hinder the story’s flow. The incidents are introduced at regular intervals, maintaining an even pace that keeps young readers thoroughly engrossed. It’s rare to find such a perfectly constructed piece of children’s literature that feels both effortless and meticulously crafted.

​The story centers on the unlikely duo in the Walker’s garden: Honey, the Italian greyhound dog, and Hubie, the worldly pond frog. Their friendship is founded on the thrill of adventure, fueled by Hubie’s incredible tales of his travels outside the garden’s boundaries. Honey’s great desire to see the outside world becomes a powerful illustration of dreaming big, but it is Hubie’s presence that provides the crucial spark of right guidance. This scenario beautifully conveys how important it is to circle yourself with friends who uplift your mindset and give you the courage to take the first step.

​The ensuing journey is an eventful trek that teaches children the necessity of helping each other in need and the pure joy of having fun together. No matter how daunting the world outside the garden may seem, the duo shows that if you are perseverant enough, nothing can stop you from reaching your goals. 

​Apart from the compelling narrative and its inherent moral value, the book is a visual delight. The vivid and beautiful illustrations certainly add another layer of depth, making the journey resonate even more strongly with the reader. 

Overall, “The Excellent Adventures of Hubie and Honey” is a well-written and well-meant book, a must-read for children and adults alike who need a reminder that adventure awaits just beyond their comfort zone.

Rating: 5/5

Amina Thajudeen non-fiction, Poems

The Sound of the Broken Wand|Review

Blurb

Award-winning singer and songwriter Tiki Black blends her multicultural assets to create intricate lyrics and memorable music. Tiki now bares her soul with her first book, The Sound Of The Broken Wand, a beautifully written collection of poems and a unique accompaniment to her sophomore album. The artist weaves the wealth of her experience into each line, celebrating the magic of human emancipation, as it breaks the spell of survival and allows us to experience the infinite possibilities of life. 

My review

‘My existence was in question
Was I human? Automaton?
To rise above this condition
I needed emancipation.
They set me free in tight borders
Deemed me unique within the mould
They said me safe in that terror
And afraid of my own person.’

The Sound of Broken the Wand by Tiki Black is a collection of poems and one essay that reflects on every aspect of human life from birth to death and everything in between. The six themes that are used in the book are the blood, the cage, the mirror, the crown, the shoe, and the wand. The author meditates on each of these themes and the poems reflect those deep thoughts. They talk about life, death, love, refuge, power, debt, journeys, magic, reflection, and much more. The striking characteristics of these poems are they all carry pure raw emotions – the unadulterated, painful, and unacceptable part of our lives. These poems are sharp questions aimed at us. Why we are afraid to break the spell and get out of this survival mode? A single moment of bravery can grant us a lifetime of infinite possibilities.

To break this spell, we have to touch the uncomfortable side of our inner self. The one side that we hide from everyone. The one face you are afraid to show. The one side you don’t want to claim as yourself. But it is yours and you have to accept it. Deniability doesn’t serve you. Rather, accepting one’s dark side will result in liberation.

We all have moulded our faces to be in line with what is socially acceptable. But what if the true freedom lies in breaking this spell and embracing who we are? The world will be truly a better place if everyone accepts their uniqueness and encourages others the same. Tiki Black’s poems are a bold reminder of this fact.

What I loved most is the thoughtfulness of these poems. Each poem touches our minds in the deepest way possible. They present unique questions to us. Answering these questions opens new dimensions of our character and mind. At this stage, these poems are slowly transcended to the genre of self-improvement.
I really loved the multidimensional facet of these poems. Really enjoyable and thought-provoking read!

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, non-fiction, Self-Help

Your Marketing Content Planner Guide by Izabela Cottle | Review

Title: Your Marketing Content Planner Guide: 8 Steps to Supercharge Your Content Plan and Build a Social Media Strategy that Sells

Author: Izabela Cottle

Pages: 100

Genre: Business, Marketing

My review

Content marketing is the driving force of a business. If there are no customers then there will be no business. Converting an audience into potential buyers needs effective strategies. Being a sought after marketing strategist, the author, Izabela Cottle draws her wisdom from years of experience to this book. This is a concise summary of effective, foolproof, battle-tested tactics. Because of that, I find these techniques, believable, practical, and most importantly converting.

This book mainly addresses small business owners and entrepreneurs. It gives a thorough knowledge of content planning, execution and monitoring. But you can still learn a lot if you are an experienced marketer. Because the author has written very valuable and unique content that actually drives the sales. These strategies analyse our business to the core. It gives a structured and proper content framework focusing on the audience.

Marketing is now all technology-driven. Making your mark on every social media platform is a game-changer. But every platform is different and we have to customize our content to tackle down these algorithm-driven platforms. First, we have to identify our business goal. It is important to decide where to go before starting the journey. The next step is knowing your audience and creating the content. But creating content is inseparably related to monitoring and analyzing its performance. This is the most important part of a strategy. Most authors don’t stress this part. But here, the author explains this part in detail.

This 8 step content planner creates a full circle. We can easily repeat the process by changing our goal in the first step. With new data, we can customize this strategy accordingly. Undoubtedly, this is an all-in-one solution for content marketing.

One of the best features I found in this book is simplicity. The author explains A-Z details with utmost clarity, without giving any chance to raise doubts in between. But this is not a book with theoretical concepts. It is an implementation plan. This unique feature separates this one from others.

The completeness of this book is fascinating. The author has left no stones unturned. A must-read for everyone who wants to learn or innovate their marketing skills.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young-Adult

Songs From The Other Side by Robyn Bernstein | Review

Newly orphaned, Jayne reads her father’s physics notebook to comfort herself. The journal is filled with private lectures and hand written theories. These writings mirror the darkly restrictive circumstances unfolding in Jayne’s life, but also foresee the chance encounter with Jonah, another science nerd who may guide her through her grief. Despite the punishing judgment inflicted by Aunt Pauline, a religious zealot and Jayne’s new guardian, Jayne believes the contents of her father’s journal provide secret messages for her, encouraging her and Jonah to enroll together in a science contest that takes place in New York City. Jayne and Jonah’s friendship grows as they begin to plan their escape, hoping to win prize money for proving the science of salvation. But is Jayne willing to betray the lessons in the journal when they no longer align with what she and Jonah ultimately intend to do? Only Jayne can decide if new love is worth the risk of losing her last connection to her Mom and Dad

Title: Songs From The Other Side

Author: Robyn Bernstein

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 254

My review

What a story this is! A heartwarming young-adult romantic drama. But, I must not tag this as a cliche romantic drama. It will be an injustice to the story and the beautiful storytelling efforts of the author. This tale is more about the depth of emotional bonds between parents and children.

Jayne is a newly orphaned teenager who is trying to find solace. She tries to find some peace by reading her father’s journal. A chance encounter with a fellow science nerd, Jonah opens a new realm of aspirations for her. Will she able to find hope and meaning, once again in her life?

Death is always an uninvited guest in our life. Its unexpected visit shatters our deep-seated bonds beyond repair. Grief is one of the hardest emotion to surpass. Especially when someone walks away without saying goodbye. Then the people who are left behind with the curse of memories has to find the answers to thousands of questions by themselves. Even then we can’t know anything for sure. The author has conveyed these raw emotions perfectly through words. It is not easy to pour these complex emotions into words. But we can clearly feel the pain Jayne is having, as we read through. This clearly shows the talent and craft of the author.

I really liked Jayne’s character. She finds her comfort in music and science. She shows maturity beyond her ages. Her hopeful outlook is one of the best element in the story. Because of that, I really loved the climax. I like the warriors who never bows to their circumstances. She is an ordinary character with extraordinary grit.

Every scene is scripted flawlessly. The author explains every minute detail with utmost clarity. Her vivid description paints the exact picture of every scene. She only introduces characters or their interactions after this description. Reading this tale is like watching a steady paced movie by frame-to-frame.

The strength of this story lies in its originality. The plot is really unique. We can easily relate to this story. But telling a relatable story without being overdramatic is another level of the game. The author has proved her abilities beyond doubts here.

Overall, this is a very well-written story. I highly recommend this one.

Rating:5/5

Purchase here: Amazon.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fantacy, Fiction, Young-Adult

Truth or Love (Whispering Willows #9) by Diana Dawn| Review

After hundreds of years, the villagers have found Snow and Lily’s mother Liz in the mine, and she has made herself at home in the Willows. After the big “blowout”, Lily has left the Willows through the mirror, just missing her mother’s grand entrance. But unbeknownst to Lily, Thomas has gone after her. Will he be able to find her and reconcile their love? Snow has left her prince, Mitch, and moved in with ‘King’ Edward. But is it really Snow, or is something more sinister going on? ‘Truth or Love’ is the ninth book in the Whispering Willows series.

Title: Truth or Love (Whispering Willows #9)

Author: Diana Dawn

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 98

My review

A real page-turner in the Whispering Willows series!

Truth or love is undoubtedly the most exceptional book in this series. The ninth instalment is literally mindblowing. Diana Dawn has changed the course of the whole story in this one. She introduces some shocking revelation from the first chapter itself. Willows is under the magic spell and we cannot believe anyone or anything at all. Every character is under suspicion. The author has used this uncertainty to weave an element of mystery in the story. She introduced twists at unpredictable instances and they all made the story even more interesting.

The one character I look forward to meeting again was Liz. Her motherly affection added a refreshing touch to the life at Willows. The best feature of Book 9 is, the author gives equal space to all the characters. The strained relationships of Snow, Mitch, Edward, Lily and Thomas were explored with equal importance. The author even narrates the two stories, one in the Willows and one in the Kingdom, parallelly. The atmosphere in the Willows is much better now. Everyone is working towards a common goal, finding Margurite and save Willows from her evil tantrums.

The narration is at its absolute best here. The story never drags and it keeps a fast- pace from the beginning. So many things happen in each chapter and it is very hard to anticipate what will happen next.

As always, the story ends in a cliffhanger. But this time, the author introduced a novelty in that too. I was quite sad at the quick turn of events in the last chapter. But I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Memoirs, non-fiction, Travel memoir, Travelogue

My China Dream: What I learned from teaching in China by Scott A Morrill

A humorous story of a lawyer’s journey of discovery in the Middle Kingdom. Follow along with his and his wife’s experience teaching young, impressionable Chinese university students western ways as they learn about China and eastern ways. Pandas, certificates and Red Stamps are staples of Chinese society, but the people, food and culture is what won them over.

Title: My China Dream: What I learned from teaching in China

Author: Scott A Morrill

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 236

My review

My China Dream by Scott Morrill is an eloquent memoir reminiscing the time author and his wife spent in China. It all started when they got an unexpected offer to consider teaching positions at Zhejiang University in China. Accepting this offer means, leaving the comfort and safety of home and travel to an unknown country with zero knowledge in their language. Ultimately he decided to take a break from his soul-squishing law practice and bring a sense of novelty and adventurous spirit to his life. Moving to China, a country that has surrounded by a fair share of prejudices and speculations in the western world were not easy. But their experience in China proved them all wrong.

This is a unique blend of emotions. It is heartwarming and humorous at the same time. For someone who lived almost all of his life in the modernized western world, China offers quite a big cultural shock at the first instance. But soon they have accustomed to its ways, thanks to the people who welcomed them with big hearts. The Eastern world is completely different by all means. The government, law, ethics, educational system, culture, faith…everything has its difference. But I really liked the author’s perspective towards them. He looks into this new world with an open mind and enthusiasm. His positive outlook on life is quite evident from the beginning of the book. He keeps this attitude throughout the book.

One of the best features of this memoir, which I liked most is its impeccable narration. The author has narrated every bit of his experience with utmost honesty. It is flawless and captures the emotions behind the words very easily. He included his thoughts, beliefs, frustrations and everything else which made his China dream a blend of sweet and sour. This memoir will make you laugh, excited and sad at times. But, it will certainly leave you with a big smile in the end.

Purchase link: Amazon.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Erotic fiction, Fantacy, Fiction, Young-Adult

Blooms of Nooky by Amercia Morris | Review

Meet Ebony “Duchess” Brown A beautiful young lady who’s ambitions take her from Buffalo, New York to New York, New York to pursue her dreams of becoming the next top fashion designer. During Ebony’s pursuit to have it all she meets Keith who unexpectedly forces her world to take a turn for the worse and interrupts her plans. Through this upset, she meets Nathan ‘Mr. Daddy” Stern whom she feels rescues her and places her back on track, part of her Journey leads her to work part-time at “Blooms of Nooky” which is a Flower Shop run by Gigi who is responsible for giving her an internship at a World recognized Fashion Magazine.
Blooms of Nooky is not your average flower shop in the Big Apple, and once you find out why you may be questioning your spouse’s intentions and allow you to have a new passionate pleasure for Nooky the next time they bring you home a Bouquet of Flowers

Title: Blooms of Nooky

Author: Amercia Morris

Pages: 145

My review

Blooms of Nooky by Amercia Morris is a perfect slice of creativity that invites you to experience a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Meet Ebony, an ambitious girl who aspires to be a top fashion designer. She moves to New York to pursue her dream. But certainly, life has some other plans for her. She has to overcome many hurdles on the way to make her dreams a reality.

I was quite familiar with the style of writing of the author through her previous work ‘Planet Nooky’. Although both stories are entirely different from one another, they possess one single most common feature- a strong female lead which drives the story. Ebony undergoes a full transformation in this book. Her naive and innocent nature transforms into a more polished, intelligent and strong charismatic personality. The author never fails to surprise her readers with an original plot. Blooms of Nooky is the best testimony to this fact.

If you are too innocent in the world of greed, you will certainly become a puppet in unknown hands. But once you realised your true power, it will only a matter of time, you can turn the tables. Ebony realised this by experiencing the hardest struggles and unknown emotions. But the path to self-discovery is essentially liberating. Since the climax offers the scope for a sequel, I hope we can visit a new set of adventures sometime soon.

One of the strongest features of this book is its storyline. The author added an element of mystery and suspense to it. This creates different shades in the main characters. We don’t know who is right or wrong. We can only see things from the viewpoint of Ebony. So the layers of this story yet to be unveiled. Looking forward to reading more books from the author.

Rating: 5/5

Purchase link: Amazon.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Fantacy, Young-Adult

The Mine’s Eye (Whispering Willows #8) by Diana Dawn| Review

It appears that Lily’s secret is out. How will Thomas react, especially after the horrifying truth that Ben revealed about Rumple? Plus, the villagers’ plan to trap Margurite has failed. Will they be able to use their newfound discovery in Margurite’s spellbook to their advantage? Perhaps the answer lies deep in the mine. And can Mitch and Snow move past their recent tragedy and find the happiness they so desperately seek? ‘The Mine’s Eye’ is the eighth book in the Whispering Willows series.

My Review

Title: The Mine’s Eye (Whispering Willows #8)

Author: Diana Dawn

Pages: 92

Genre: Fantasy

The Mine’s Eye is the eighth instalment of the fairytale retelling, Whispering Willows series. The story continues from where it was left in the book 7, Deceptions. This series is turning to be one of the best ones, I ever read. Because I thought it will end in book 7. But the author skillfully crafted and diverted the whole story to a new direction. One of the best feature of this series is, each book offers something new. Novelty is the key that turns the wheels of the Whispering Willows series.

Book 8 is entirely different from the previous ones, both in the sense of story and storytelling. Mitch and Snow are in an emotional turmoil that might cost their happiness entirely. They were a perfect couple, but not anymore. They have to face a mountain of tragedy and the strength of their relationship is truly put to the test. The same goes with Lily and Thomas. They don’t know whom to trust. The Willows is not a peaceful place anymore. People with hidden motives are ruining the happiness there. They will not stop until they get what they want.

I loved the way the author is turning the story. Because she is crafting a meaningful and in-depth relationship between the protagonists. Also, these twists brings new chapters to the main story too. The deceptive and evil nature of people always creates problems. But only then, the true character will get exposed. The author has now separated Lily and Snow’s story. Because they both have their own destinies to fulfil.

There are many questions left to be answered. I’m eagerly waiting to read the next part.

Rating:5/5

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, Erotic fiction

Lustful but spiritual by Mike M Luster | Review

In this novel, you will meet Mike, a massage enthusiast. He seems to be always struggling to overcome his lust. He wants to be faithful but he can’t deny his desires to fuck another woman. He is spiritual by nature but on the other hand, his physical need for sexual satisfaction seems to be dominant. However, deep inside him is his great passion to change for good… Love him for his kindness to women. Hate him for his being unfaithful. But one thing for sure that someday he will spiritually evolve and might lead a new spiritual organization.

Title: Lustful but spiritual

Author: Mike M Luster

Genre: Erotica

My review

Lustful but spiritual by Mike M Luster is a perfect wild ride of erotic romance. Mike is a realistic character. He is good at heart because he understands his infidelity. He knows his weakness but he is unable to control it. Wherever he goes this lust quickly direct him to the earliest opportunity of pleasure. These adventurous endeavours has now reached a level that threatens the stability of his family life as well.

What makes this novel an exceptional piece is, its strong and realistic narration. The story doesn’t rush into anything. The author consciously crafts emotional connections between the characters first. This way he justifies the actions of the protagonist to a certain extent. Also, this gives a strong framework which he can turn into any directions at any given time. This unpredictability along with the adventurous nature of Mike is a perfect combination for an erotic drama. He refuse to surrender his innate nature. This way he lives every day to fulfil his desires.

A very good pleasure read indeed.

Read this novel here: inkitt.com

Amina Thajudeen Book Review, supernatural, Thriller, Young-Adult

Dessa-Secrets of the Inferno: Shadowland Saga 3 by Andreya Lombardi| Review

The sibling fugitives have taken shelter in a small elfin village in Dyonegar to rid themselves of their criminal titles. But even though these primitive people care little about their high-class counterparts and political conflicts, trouble still seems to trail down the Hargann path. While Syreene trains to tame her demon in secret with a skilled elemental inn keeper Hongue, Cabil secludes himself in his own private mission, starting with rescuing Desonna from the dirty hands of Dread, his prior prison warden.

After discovering she kept his only son Renthal a mystery for eight years, Cabil feels compelled to settle a long feud with the princess of Khorgathe and establish his place in his son’s life. Little does his family know, Cabil also holds another agenda.


A wicked trade of flesh for flesh—Cabil needs to decide who is more important in this tragic tale he calls his life. His deal with the devil draws close, the deadline marked red on his calendar. Guilt tosses his alliance, but the good doctor helps him make a necessary, but risky compromise.

In this, he manages to resurrect his undead mother, but at the cost of his friends and family. Trust becomes a sudden issue, centering ex-militant Cabil as the bad guy. And when things turn vile, Syreene is suddenly struck with having to make a terrible decision, one that may cost her her life.

Title: Dessa-Secrets of the Inferno: A Dark Fantasy Thriller Series (Book Three) (Shadowland Saga 3)

Author: Andreya Lombardi

Genre: Dark fantasy

Pages: 248

My review

Dessa: Secrets of the Inferno by Andreya Lombardi is the third instalment of Shadowland Saga. In this book, the journey of Syreene and Cabil from unknown to known continues. I have read the first two books in this series. So I had a fair idea about the story and the storytelling capabilities of the author. After reading this instalment, I must say I admire more her, for bringing this book series to this world.

Andreya picks up the story from where she ended the second book. It was ended in a cliffhanger, so the first chapter was the explanation of that suspense. In this book 3, the author is more focused on unveiling the secrets of Cabil rather than Syreene. She has established the significance of Syreene in the previous one. Now the role is reversed. But their story is not the same. Cabil is gambling the fate of his family and loved ones here.

He was always portrayed as a strong and courageous warrior. But as the author digs deep into his emotions and character, another side of him is slowly unveiled in front of us. Besides the protagonists, I felt that the author also gave much space to the stories of supporting characters too in this one. Because they all have a much bigger role in the life of Syreene and Cabil now.

Book 3 is more focused on the action part of the story which is quite fascinating. They are fast-paced scenes and we can witness the extent of powers of Cabil and Syreene. The flawless narration literally painted every action sequences in front of my eyes vividly. The author deserves full credit for these amazing storytelling skills.

After calming the storm, the author again ended this book at a cliffhanger. But in this time the twist was unpredictable. I have no clue what will be the story of the next book. Because Syreene is all by herself at the end. She has to find a way to complete her mission. What an exciting adventure that will be!

Rating: 5/5