Diversity Spotlight Thursday a weekly meme created and hosted by Aimal at Bookshelves and Paperbacks. Every week, the goal is to come up with one book in each of three different categories: a diverse book you have read and enjoyed, a diverse book on your TBR, and one that has not yet been released. 

I had so much fun writing last week’s Diversity Spotlight and I’m even more excited about this week’s post.

Book I have read

City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

POC main character

In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn’t exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill’s personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it.

With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother—and why—keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller.

A diverse YA thriller set in Kenya? SIGN ME UP.

I loved this book so much. It was fast paced, had amazing writing, and complex characters.
This book grabbed me from the very first line and never let me go. I was so hooked and I never wanted to put this book down.
I really loved the concept of City of Saints and Thieves. It was unlike anything I’ve read before and was so exciting. It’s rare that a book will keep me reading past 10pm but I was reading this book until midnight. The writing style was wonderful. City of Saints and Thieves is one of the best written books that I’ve read in a long time.
I loved the characters, especially Tina. She was so fierce and has a ton of character development. Her determination was inspiring.
Overall, I loved this book so much. It was such a wild ride and I never wanted it to end. This book has everything. Diversity, character development, an amazing setting, a great cast of characters, and a thrilling plot. I can’t think of one bad thing about City of Saints and Thieves and I can’t  recommend it enough.

Book on my TBR

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a little over a year now. I really wanted to read it but it wasn’t until recently that I started to take a real interest in non-fiction. I’ve seen a few people say that this book has a really cool look at Pakistani culture and I love being able to read about places I’ve never been, learn about cultures that are different from my own,  and see new perspectives. I have a feeling that I Am Malala will teach me a lot.

Book releasing soon

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

POC main characters

In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price…

Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Expected publication: March 7th 2017

I don’t know if it’s cheating for me to pick The Bone Witch for my book releasing soon because I’ve already read it but the other books I wanted to choose are all releasing in the fall. But I really enjoyed The Bone Witch even though it was a little confusing at times.  loved the writing style and concept so much. Everything seemed very well thought out and very detailed. I really liked the alternating narratives and the world building was really cool. There is some info dumping here and there but it wasn’t terrible. I really liked all of the characters. They were all well written and developed.