Aicha

3.75 ★— The Moroccan myth of Aicha is one I wasn’t familiar with before starting this book, so I went into it intrigued and curious about how a flesh-eating, man-killing folkloric figure would be portrayed. Set against the Portuguese occupation of Morocco, Aisha is a young woman who grows up with the......more

For a cover and a premise that is so stunning, I am very disappointed. This is inspired by the Portuguese occupation, Conquest of Ceuta, and the Moroccan myth of Aicha Kandicha. Aicha is the daughter of a blacksmith and the secret leader of a Moroccan freedom-fighter. Her sister is given a large part......more

thank you netgalley & orbit for the eARC—all thoughts are my own! ✦ publication date: march 24, 2026 the story follows young woman named aicha who lives in morocco when the country is ruled by the portuguese empire. her father is a freedom fighter, and aicha has grown up seeing her people suffer. she......more

Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a chance to review this arc!! Aicha is a solid epic fantasy debut that I solidly recommend. I was sincerely glued to this book. Every time female rage is mentioned - I’m mostly a bit wary because I always feel that it’s not well represented. But this one......more

3.5 stars. Minus the explicit sex scenes, this was a little too older YA/NA for me (easy to read, concepts aren't convoluted, ideas aren't too complex, etc.) But despite that, I absolutely loved the Moroccan rep and enjoyed my time reading this novel. I don't read a lot of books from this region, so t......more