"Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die." Evan paused. "And if I can't change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff."

"Our kingdom was once beautiful, but now the towers are everywhere. They say that Queen Rapunzel has lost her mind--and I believe them. Before, I might have felt sorry for her, but now I just fear her. I fear the sound of her soldiers pounding at the door, demanding that I be taken away. I fear the towers." Years after the original tale of Rapunzel took place, the kingdom--left to the grief-stricken Queen after her husband's death--is falling apart. People live in constant fear of the many terrible towers across the land, built by her Majesty's decree to imprison any who dare question her. Bird's nothing but a girl from the north, but when someone she cares about is taken by the mad Queen's soldiers, she'll stop at nothing to save them. With nothing but her friends, a sled, and a mind full of songs, she sets out to get rid of the towers, once and for all. DISCLAIMER: this is a retelling of the *ORIGINAL FAIRY TALE* by the Brothers Grimm and has no connection to Disney's version whatsoever. DISCLAIMER PART II: I wrote this book when I was 15 and am still in the middle of huge revisions that I haven't posted here yet! Please feel free to read, but keep in mind this is a work in progress. :)

Their sympathy had worn off and I was back to how I started, except I no longer had my husband beside me. I thought the niqab (face veil) would protect me like it used to, make me look like I fit in with everyone else. But the little person holding my hand gives it away. His beautiful dark skin and short frizzy hair shows that he’s different. They see us as different and they don’t like it. - Born and brought up in the west with a Pakistani father and Palestinian mother, Esha’s never been liked by her extended family in Pakistan. But they remained polite until she went on to do something never seen in her father’s Pakistani village. She married a black man. To make matters worse, Esha and her husband, Isa, move to Pakistan so Esha can teach the less fortunate in the little village her father was brought up in. His passing caused her great grief and she wanted to feel closer to him. But they never accepted her. Yet, Esha refuses to move away and is adamant on raising her son alone in her father’s old house.

Life is full of hardships but one thing is for sure, if you remember Allah, you will never be alone. "...And He (Allah) is with you wherever you are..." (Qur'an 57:4) This story is inspired by many aspects of Islam such as fitrah (Innate belief of Allah), the purpose of life and how one can find peace. "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (Qur'an 13:28) Hope you enjoy it! More than anything I hope you benefit from it.

As a Muslim girl, marriage is one of Safia's biggest dreams. All her life she kept herself pure for her faith and her future husband. Although having never had experienced love, and occasionally doubting whether she will, Safia feels herself growing impatient being single. She then sends her family to search for 'the one.' Trusting her family, she decides to say yes to the first person her family finds for her. She believes she will get married and face all her problems with her husband by her side. Is it really as simple as that? Yusuf feels a void in his heart. He tries to deny it, but he knows his mother's not proud of him. He knows she wishes he could be a little more modern like his brother. He wanted his family to find him a wife while he could focus on his deen (faith), but his idea of a wife clashes with his mother's. Seeing that his family were struggling to find him someone he likes, he decides to take matters into his own hands. But is he rushing into decisions without thinking?