Interesting story featuring a Middle East setting and a Canadian who has to adjust to having her freedom restricted so she can fit in. ( )

I got this from Netgalley a week or so ago. I have never heard anything about it, but it looked very interesting.

Emma, the main character is pretty likable. A couple times, I thought she whined too much. Also, she made some bad decisions. However, she developed throughout the story, which was good. She had a backbone, and she didn't just stand there while people yelled at her.

Mustapha was a pretty good love interest. It seemed like it sped up a bit too much, at the end. Overall, though, he was cool. He didn't react like a typical YA love interest and just forgive everything Emma did.

The plot was a basic plot. There was no major surprises.

An Infidel in Paradise was a simple book to understand. I loved the setting in the Middle East.

Find this review and more at http://www.thereadingobsession.blogspot.com ( )

Life is rarely easy or convenient for a 16-year old girl, but Emma's life is more difficult than most. Her father left her mother for another woman in Manila so her mother, a diplomat, moved the family to Pakistan. Emma is faced with making new friends and learning about a new country. Again.

Teenage angst is magnified in a restrictive Muslim country, and as a Canadian used to freedom of movement, Emma finds it difficult to adjust. Added to her personal drama is regular lock downs due to unrest in the city of Islamabad, and the attention of a drop dead gorgeous guy who has an arrangement with a beautiful Pakistani girl who has attitude in spades. But newcomers are common in the international school and she does make friends.

This book gives us a new life style, one of international travel and adjusting to the culture of where one finds oneself. Emma even has an opportunity to make a difference when she discovers children rummaging through the garbage outside her compound. Much to her surprise she learns that many children support their family in this manner and she joins the beautiful Aisha who tries to give them a little education.

Emma is shaken out of her self absorption after she leaves her little sister alone in the house to attend a party. Fighting breaks out and she and her friends risk their lives so she can get back to her sister.

This was an interesting view of how a North American is out of her element and has to conform to the mores of the community for her safety. ( )

An Infidel in Paradise is a really unique story – one I definitely enjoyed. While I had my issues with it, I thought overall it was a well-done debut. It’s eye-opening and engaging.

Full review to come! ( )

I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It is an easy and decently enjoyable read, but I felt like the characters acted very clichéd sometimes and that they were a little too predictable. Also, I feel like at times it moved just a little to fast, to the point where some parts seemed jumpy. I think if the pace had been slowed down just a tad I could have gotten a better sense of what was going on and maybe then the characters could have been built up a little better. It was different than my usual choice of books though, and I liked the idea of the story. I look forward to reading more books by this author! ( )