REVIEW: Soraya Bouazzaoui’s debut blends Moroccan folklore with colonial-era history

JEDDAH: In “Aicha,” Soraya Bouazzaoui, a British writer of Moroccan heritage, turns to one of Morocco’s most enduring monster myths to craft a historical fantasy epic exploring the immense love and consuming rage that coexist under colonial occupation. Set in 18th-century Morocco during the Portuguese occupation of a coastal citadel, “Aicha” follows its titular heroine, the daughter of blacksmith and freedom fighter Fouad who teaches her to forge weapons and fight.

Raccontata daarabnews.com