Aicha - Review

I received the physical, digital, and audio copies from Orbit Books & Hachette Audio via NetGalley. All reviews are my own.

I love a good feminine rage story. Many books highlight women’s frustrations, but not many follow through with fully unhinged revenge. Often, the women come to a moral agreement because of love, children, or because they do not want to become the monsters their agitators expect them to be. But in Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui, we finally get a bad FMC who pursues vengeance without remorse.

"The Portuguese flag has been planted across Morocco, its empire ruling with an iron fist. But eventually, all empires must fall.

Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, was born for battle. She has witnessed the death of her people, their starvation and torture at the hands of the occupiers, and it has awakened an anger within her. An anger that burns hot and bright, and speaks to Aicha's soul.

Only Aicha's secret lover Rachid, a rebellion leader, knows how to soothe her. But as the fight for Morocco's freedom reaches its violent climax, the creature that simmers beneath Aicha's skin begs to be unleashed. It hungers for the screams of those who have caused her pain, and it will not be ignored."

I have been on a roll with using audio as my main reading format, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I requested that credit. The book is narrated by Sarah Slimani and runs for 10 hours and 8 minutes. This was my first time experiencing Slimani’s narration style. Her voice would suit any Scheherazade tale and others like it. She has a quality that makes you sit by the fire and listen as she weaves a story for hours on end. I noticed she’s featured in other books I own, such as The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones and The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell. I’ll definitely be checking in with her talent.

Aicha is a Historical-inspired Fantasy about a young rebel woman fighting for the rights and protection of her people against the Portuguese occupation of Morocco during the 16th Century. The story itself takes place eight days before the siege began, building the legend in the making of how she became folklore. Aicha was a girl whom her father knew would be a problem the day she was born. The fire in her eyes and the sinister undertone in her blood made her one of the most fearless women of her time. Trained to be a freedom fighter with her older sister by their father, the secret leader of the rebellion, Aicha longs for the day she and her family can be free. After years of watching the Portuguese, led by Commander Duarte, torture and kill those who oppose them, Aicha’s internal simmering rage finally unleashes the sinister thing that dwells inside her.  

I liked that the story did not focus solely on the rebellion and the avenues it took to reach the siege. We get to see Aicha and how she operates in her tumultuous timeline. We witnessed love, indifference, competition, a cheeky, strong-willed personality, and the softness of being with her friends in the small moments of reprieve. We see her confront injustice and fiercely defend herself and her family. And it doesn’t help that there’s a powerful force helping direct her anger to those who were stupid enough to piss her off. This thing inside her is what made me a fan of Aicha’s character. Talk about fuck around and find out! The fantasy element here mostly takes the form of a mysterious, almost supernatural force or spirit that fuels Aicha’s rage and empowers her actions, blurring the line between intrusive thoughts and reality. This element is subtle at first but grows into a major influence by the end, adding an extra layer of tension and ferocity to Aicha’s journey. I liked that the story didn’t lean too heavily into the Fantasy portion for most of the tale. Even though it played a big role in the end, it felt like Bouazzaoui wanted to focus on Aicha, the human, alone, before the turn of events.

One thing that annoyed me about Aicha was that she often complained about not being given larger roles compared to her sister’s assignments. In typical little sister/sibling fashion, Aicha always felt she was treated differently because of her age. So much so that she came across as reckless in her decision-making, which negatively affected those around her. At first, these actions made her seem childish, but she quickly grew out of them and recovered through smarter actions. For example, after one disastrous mission in which her impulsiveness put her friends in danger, Aicha listened to her sister’s advice and began planning with the team rather than charging ahead alone. Later in the story, when given the opportunity to seek revenge on someone who betrayed her, she paused and chose a path that balances justice with the greater good. Watching her reflect, learn from past mistakes, and take responsibility for her actions made her growth feel satisfying and real.

Since I am currently in the mood for historical fiction, you know I had to figure out what the connection was between Aicha and real life. The story Aicha is based on a Moroccan folk figure, Aicha Kandicha. Kandicha is said to be part seductress, part Djinn who haunts men near water at night. It is said her appearance is that of a beautiful woman, but she quickly transforms into either a half-snake or a half-mammal with hooves to kill off the unsuspecting men. Kandicha’s lore was used as a cautionary tale to scare children into behaving better. There is also another story, very similar to the one Bouazzaoui portrayed, of a young woman who used her beauty to trick and kill men from the Portuguese army. She was considered the ambassador of the Djinns and one of the first recorded resistance fighters in Moroccan history. She even donned the name La Condessa because of the success and fear she had in slaughtering the soldiers. After her con was found out, her entire family was executed, along with her husband, and it is said she went on a murderous spree until her death. We can see where Bouazzaoui got her inspiration from.

Another character in the story, a real-life figure, is Commander Duarte, whom the Portuguese called "Portuguese Achilles". His real name, Duarte Pacheco Pereira, invaded the Maghreb region early in his career, marking it as the starting point of “finding” Brazil and terrorizing India. The more you know.

Overall, I rated this book 4-stars. I liked it! You don’t know how many times I have looked for books about feminine rage and watched the characters hesitate. Not with Aicha! And for that, this book is staying on my shelves. The pacing did drag a bit in the middle, as I did catch myself drifting, mostly because there was a lot of setup and background details that slowed the action. But the book is also a quick read, so it was nothing to refresh the chapters to catch what I missed. If you like books like For She is Wrath by Emily Varga and The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears, Aicha is the book for you!

Aicha is available now!

#ThelittLibrarian #Review #HistoricalFantasy