Rep: Indian rep, religious rep (Muslim, Sikh)

TW: bullying, mention of terrorism

This story had the potential to be so good. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. There are two perspectives shown here: one is Amina and the other is her nephew, Omar. I found Omar’s POV to be vastly more interesting than Amina’s; he showed such vulnerability and I could connect with his struggles. Amina’s POV was bogged down by far too much research talk. I also didn’t like her judgmental personality, and that combined with her inability to behave responsibly and rationally was just too much for me. The premise spoke about Islamic representation, but there were barely any mentions of Islamic practices and I was disappointed. Apart from Omar, there was nothing I truly enjoyed about this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forest Avenue Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 Stars.

The Royal Abduls is a fantastic book about trying to fit in when everything is turning against you. Although the story focuses on two main characters, Amina and Omar, the main character is really the family. The Royal Abduls deals with family and cultural identity, racism and xenophobia, and religion. Koya brings the reader into the family as they grapple with every-day life. There is definitely a lot going on in the book and often it was hard to keep up with the story, but Koya did a great job of developing the story. Definitely suggested for anyone who loves a good family drama!

I loved this book so much ! The characters were endeering, the MC is a strong woman who stand up for herself. I loved the relationships and how we see the expectations Amina's faily sets on her. The book discusses a lot of themes so interestingly. My favourite part was the link between Amina's scientific research on "hybrid zones" (+ the talk on how hydrids can be the survivors and evolve in a new and strong branch) and how it applied to Omar's situation of double culture. Omar is an hybrid of sorts (he's of indian and "american" descent). HIs identity is center stage in the book.
This review is all over the place but lemme tell you something clear : you should defenitely pick up this book !

I very much enjoyed reading this beautifully written narrative. This was a fascinating account of the true cost of anti-muslim sentiment. It was provocative and intense and I absolutely loved it.

OK... I had such high expectations for this book, but unfortunately, it was a total let-down. As I understood from the book summary, this was supposed to be a story about identity, Islam, and culture. Instead, I found characters who drink alcohol, eat pork, don't believe in God, know nothing about their culture! The only thing they have is Islamic names and serious issues! Amina was a total "feelings suppresser" and keeps shutting her thoughts out. The family was destroyed and distanced, and that is the opposite of what most standard Asian families are. I don't want to rant more about it 😤
But if you are looking for a great story about divorce, bullying, and shattered families, then this is it. But if you were tempted like me by the book summary, then... Just don't fall in this trap OK?

Final evaluation: 2 stars

2.5 maybe?

It wasn't bad enough to force me to quit reading, but it wasn't good enough to be enjoyable. Just blah.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

First of all, I did go into the book expecting the characters to be Muslim. From the names, I did think that. However, discovering that Amina was an atheist was not actually a problem. The book was slightly all over the piece but perhaps that reflected the inner turmoil and confusion that the characters were going through. I found it very interesting that the narration switched between Amina and Omar. It made for interesting reading to read between Omar who is trying to find his way as a young boy caught between many different identities and Amina who is older and somewhat successful but is still having those struggles. I found Amina to be fascinating as she represents that struggle of wanting to live life on her own terms but still being bound by the same cultural restraints even if she doesn't recognise it.

I would have liked Mo's character to be given a little more nuance. It felt that only after the big event happened to me we find out more about it and his own struggles.

Overall, I felt like the book did a good job of explaining the struggles of being caught in a post 9/11 world as a person of colour and what that means.

Ramiza Shamoun Koya’s debut novel, The Royal Abduls is a family story about an Indian-American boy named Omar, his parents, his aunt, his grandparents, and his friends. At the same time, it tells a story of modern day America and the search for identity by 2nd and 3rd generation South East Asians when confronted with Islamophobia and racism four years after 9/11.

Koya does a remarkable job of developing the story line. She plays with the narrative structure and perspective successfully, of telling the story from the points of view of both Amina and Omar. In some ways they're far more similar than either realize. They are both lost and struggling to find their identities and way in the world.

An important read for fans of contemporary multicultural fiction.

Ramiza Shamoun Koya’s debut novel is an emotional portrayal of a Hyderabadi American Muslim family and the struggles they face in post-9/11 America. The characters are lovingly drawn, and the conflicts they deal with never felt inorganic. The story is primarily told from the perspectives of Amina and her nephew Omar.
Amina is a post-doc in Biology who has recently taken up a new post in Washington, D.C., the city where her brother lives. Through Amina, we get an insight into how insidious sexism in the workplace manifests itself. This is especially evident with Amina’s colleague Anjali and her too-friendly relationship with their boss Chris. Amina herself feels like she is in a rut, having just left a long-term relationship and not really in love with her new job. As someone looking to pursue biology at a Master’s level, I must say that Amina’s experience with her position was not encouraging to me. But I applaud the author for not sugarcoating anything, but still giving us a sense of how Amina first fell in love with biology and her continued love of field work.
Omar is the son of Amina’s brother Mo and his white wife Marcy. The family is fairly disconnected from their Hyderabadi roots, but because Omar is perceived by others to be Indian and/or Muslim depending on the situation, he naturally comes to have an identity crisis. I felt the author’s portrayal of Omar to really capture what it is like to feel lost at such a young age. With his parents caught up in their own problems and a huge gap in his knowledge of his family history, Omar begins to turn to Amina for guidance. But Amina’s own issues with commitment make her somewhat unreliable for him.
Throughout this, the realities of being Muslim in 2000s America, or really just having Muslim names, blows out of proportion situations that should have been brushed off. An incident with a knife ends up having undue consequences for Omar, and the author clearly shows the Islamophobia in the punishment and the bullying that led Omar to it. The author also did a great job of portraying how Omar’s disconnect with his Muslim and Indian heritage leads him to being more confused about how people treat him. He is trying to come to understand what it means to be perceived as Muslim even when he is not religious and has no one to guide him. The novel’s last section is set in India, and without going into too much detail, I was relieved that the author deftly portrayed the differences and similarities between the character’s life in India and the US. The threat of a majoritarian government has yet to come into fruition in India, but the author clearly shows how othering it is to be perceived as Muslim even there. India is not the homecoming the character may have thought it would be, but it still represents an important stage in the character’s development.
The author’s choices when it came to presenting the family’s culture and various elements of desi culture was thought provoking. For one thing, it is unusual to see a Hyderabadi Muslim family claim Hindi as their ancestral language. But I thought it was a bold choice to have the characters state misconceptions about different aspects of desi culture because they genuinely believed them. Omar, for example, believes initially that Hindus are more Indian than Muslims. Amina at one point gives a definition of desi to mean being of Indian heritage, when the term applies to some other South Asians as well. For a desi reader like myself it was easier to parse out the misconceptions from what was actually true, but it could lead to some non-desi readers believing these misconceptions.
Despite a somewhat unorganized start, I found that this novel built up emotion very well, so that by the end I was absolutely gripped by these characters’ stories. This portrait of a family struggling to stay together was incredibly moving. This is a book that skillfully balances heartwarming lighter moments with heartbreaking darker ones.

The Royal Abduls by Ramiza Shamoun Koya
4.5/5
I thought that this novel was so different than anything I have read before. I have read stories about people of other cultures trying to find a place in another country, but I have never read a story about an Indian-American like myself struggling to find their place in the world. There are many sentiments in this novel that I felt personally, especially with Amina and Omar both not having a huge connection to India and all the while trying to connect to their cultural heritage. I thought that this was a great novel that explored the ways that living as a brown person in America changed immensely in the post 9/11 world.

I really enjoyed seeing the aunt-nephew relationship of Amina and Omar develop. There were many tragic incidents that occurred throughout the novel and I felt a bit disappointed by the abrupt ending, but this only made the book feel more realistic. Overall, I thought this was a great and relatable portrayal of how it feels to be torn between two cultures and countries.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Forest Avenue Press for this e-book.

Amina, an American biologist of Indian descent, just moved to DC. In the middle of family and work issues, her nephew's curiosity about India, as well as her complicated romance, she has to make the best decisions. One of them is about a job opportunity in India.

My curiosity about how muslim live in America, with the Islamophobia, led me to choose this book. The blurb is very promising. After reading about half the book, the main character turns out to be an atheist. The only muslim in this book is a woman wearing burqa. Well, I was quite disappointed.

Although the plot is slow, the characters and world building are satisfying. The conflict is what kept me reading to the last page. But, I can't quite enjoy the 'hybrid moth' part.

Overall, 3 stars.
I received the free digital copy of this book via Netgalley.

The book reveals its story through the perspective of two characters - Omar and her chachi Amina. As the names suggest, they are Muslims, better to say their ancestors were Muslims coming from India. Now they live in America. The book shows a glimpse of life in America with the Muslim tag and brown skin.

Omar is an eleven year old boy. An adorable child asking questions about this and that. A child who wants the answer behind the color of his skin. Who doesn't have much friends like others and like to live in his imagination.

Amina is a scientist, a workaholic. Never bothered by emotional strings. Her work defines her. Both the stories got along as the pages turned.

I liked Omar's part more. Maybe because I loved this boy who also reminds me of some complexity I myself faced in my childhood. Many times, the words of the "adults" can't make sense to Omar. I liked how a child's head and imagination are sorted in this book. On the other hand, Amina's story reflected a person's dilemma who wants to be free from any attachment but never really feel free in her mind.

Few things confused me. When Amina was seeing the photo album of her family, her mother was wearing red powder on her hair part. Was she Hindu, or was this a flaw of writing... These things are very minor, but they disturb the reality of the fiction.

The notion of "hybrid zone" in this book amazed me. Behind the scientific researches on hybrid zone of moths, it reflects a greater hybrid zone where humanity gets along hand in hand with every caste and color.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me the e-book. It was a nice read for the last few days.

Thank you, Netgalley and Forest Avenue Press for providng me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Royal Abduls By Ramiza Shamoun Koya is a fantastic book that portrays the islamophobia, anti-muslim sentiment, and bigotry against people of color post 9/11 America in a realistic fashion. I had this book on my TBR for the longest time and I am glad I finally got around to reading it. This is a very important book and deals with a lot of social and political issues prevalent to this day. My first impression on reading the synopsis was that it was going to be about a practicing Muslim woman's experience and her struggles in the post 9/11 climate. But reading on I realized that the family had a Muslim background but had forfeited their faith a long time ago. While the anti-muslim sentiment is what shapes the story and propels it forward in a lot of ways, the fact that they were not even practicing Islam was disconcerting. I want to reiterate the fact that this is not the story of Muslims or an Own Voices representation of Muslims. This is the story of the experiences and struggles faced by a second-generation Indian American family in the US. Going into the book knowing this will help you enjoy it and not be confused by the actions f the characters that contradict the faith. The story is told from the two main character's perspectives. One is an Evolutionary Biologist Amina and the other is her young nephew Omar. These perspectives help build the story and take us on a journey through their lives where they each grapple with family situations, racism, islamophobia, prejudice, and workplace tensions. While Omar strives to blend in and live a normal life a young boy with brown skin and a Muslim name, Amina deals with workplace tensions, love life problems, and family issues. I enjoyed reading this book and following Amina and Omar as they navigated the reality of being brown and having a Muslim name in the US. The wide array of topics that can be used for discussion from this book are so many and I am glad I was able to see the problems through Amina and Omar's viewpoint. If you enjoy literary fiction that talks about some of the more serious social topics and tackles subjects like anti-Muslim sentiment, cultural heritage, assimilation of people with ethnic backgrounds to avoid prejudice this will be a good read for you. I gave the book 4.5 stars and I highly recommend checking it out. Keep in mind this is not a story about Muslims, but people who came from a Muslim background who don't practice the faith and are living a secular lifestyle.

oh,you guys. this book. perfection. utmost perfection.
being an indian myself,reading about an indian muslim family in a post 9/11 america,it just hit close to heart. there were moments i just wanted to put down the book and weep.
the writing,the story,the FEELS...ahh guys just read it okay.
sorry for this mess of a review. i still need time to get over it.
this is why we should read more ownvoices. these books get us.

I thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book with a tear or two in my eyes...  The story is compelling, quietly gripping.  An evolutionary biologist, Amina, studies hybrid moths.  This metaphor is found in her own identity as a nonreligious Muslim Indian American as well as her biracial nephew's identity. It's a tension from internal forces and from external ones, esp a post 9-11 America.

The book alternates between Amina's story and her nephew's. The tone for Omar is pitch perfect; he's eleven and struggling at school. He longs for answers to many questions. He's curious and smart but too young to navigate the world around him. He's aching for a foothold  For Amina, the tone is brusque and I would say stiff; she's struggling too...almost collapsing within herself. She's aching for an escape or a landing, but perhaps both. This book is a coming-of-age for both characters. 

I found their stories haunting and intimate. The third-person perspective didn't work as well for Amina. She was unreachable although understandable and perhaps forgivable.

The Royal Abduls is a story about finding yourself and being true to who you are. There are three generations of Abduls, an Indian, Muslim family originally from Hyderabad India, Amina is a scientist who decides to move from California to DC to closer to her brother and nephew, Omar. The story follows Amina and Omar over the course of the year Amina spends in DC.

It is four years since September 11th and now 12 year old Omar is having trouble know who he is. A mixed race boy with a Muslim name has to confront racism at school and questions about if he is really Indian. Both Omar and Amina discover how they fit in in both their homes and the greater world.

This book was very different than most family sagas or even Indian-centric stories. I would definitely recommend it and wish I knew what happened after it ended.

This was a pretty nice and multicultural read. I think it lacked some "wow" factor, but it was enjoyable and a perspective we don't see very often.

The Royal Abduls is about a Indian family grappling with change in a post-9/11 world. This book presented many important issues, especially being "brown" in a post-9/11 world. The story begins with Amina moving to DC, escaping her long-term boyfriend and his unrequited expectations in the relationship. She accepts a research position which allows her to be closer to her brother, Mo, and his wife, Marcy. They have an 11 y/o son, Omar. He is a bit of an odd ball to begin with, but the political climate certainly does not make his life any easier. People (including adults) struggle with separating him from the radical Muslims in the Middle East. He definitely struggles throughout the course of the book, including with his identity/heritage, fitting in, death - the kid did not have it easy. And then there is Amina, who has her own share of struggles. She has trouble making lasting connections, her family, her career, and her new boyfriend, Prakash.

My biggest issue of the book was with the sections written from Omar's point of view. I expected to pick up a book of literary fiction / contemporary fiction, and these felt like they were intended for more of a YA audience. I found myself speeding through the Omar sections, as they seemed a bit juvenile and more childish language. I understand was likely the intent to make the perspective seem more authentic, but I just did not really enjoy it. I much preferred reading in Amina's perspective. For me, this is why I knocked it down one stars.

I also thought the book might have been more impactful if it focused on one or two main issues instead of dabbling in so many separate issues. It seemed like most of the issues that are introduced were a bit surface-level, and the effort to include those could have been redirected into really rounding out one or two main issues instead.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this book. All in all, I would say this is a promising debut novel.

I was kind of back and forth on this book. There were parts that I was really into and there were parts where I'd completely lost interest. I think it's because it jumped all over the place and tried to combine a lot of elements into one novel - post 9/11 sentiment towards Muslim/Indian Americans, Indian expectations of family, independent Indian woman who is happy being alone, marital struggle, alcoholism, retracing roots/connecting with heritage, racial difference in school as a kid, workplace sexual harassment, gender roles in the workplace, drunk driving, death of a family member, single mother workload, kid perspective of having divorced/separated parents.... oh my gosh there's more, but that's enough for me to write. Do you see what I mean? There's just a lot going on in this book and I think it would have been a better read if the author had narrowed the focus a bit.

That being said, I actually did enjoy the main character a lot. It was easy to relate with Amina - a strong female who enjoys her work and wants to make decisions based on her own wants and needs and not the expectations placed on her by her family. I would honestly get angry FOR her when her parents or brother or sister-in-law just expected her to stick around to suit their needs. I understand that family helps each other out, but it seems like they were constantly putting unrealistic expectations on Amina (and not expecting other family members to do anything!) and I'm glad she was independent enough to back away each time.

Let me tell you - I was prepared to give this book zero stars if Amina made some different choices towards the end. I did not want to go through this book rooting for her to be completely let down and I'm happy to say I wasn't.

Overall, I enjoyed the book enough, but there was a lot going on. I think it would have been more impactful with a narrowed focus. Too much going on made it feel like some ideas were coming out of nowhere and weren't necessary to the actual story.

Thank you Net Galley and Forest Avenue Press for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this book, but it kinda dragged on for a while. I didn't rate it lower because usually 1s and 2s actually make me upset to read. I think there were just too many superfluous details. For example, all of the details of Amina's scientific research that doesn't really add to the central plot of her and Omar's relationship. Omar, a 12-year-old boy who has an interest in finding out the Indian side of his family tree, is dealing with bullying at his schools in a post-9/11 world.

I just think most of the characters fell flat and weren't very likable except Omar. And it didn't talk about their Muslim experiences much. I also just took a particularly disliking to Omar's white mom, Marcy. Both of Omar's parents are not great, but it just felt like a situation where Marcy shouldn't known what she was getting into marrying and Indian man and having a brown son.

It didn't really make me feel much of anything; I didn't care a lot about the characters except Omar, but I also don't think it was bad? So I'm split down the middle.