Rumaysa: A Fairytale

Three interlinked fairytales form the heart of this sparkling story, all reimagined in fresh and exciting new ways. It opens with the Rapunzel story, adapted to become the tale of Rumaysa, spirited away and locked in a high tower by wicked witch, Cordelia. A prince arrives to rescue her but by then Rumaysa has already made her escape, weaving a hijab long enough to reach the ground and climbing down it to freedom.  With newly discovered magical skills and a magic necklace passed on by the prince, Rumaysa next finds herself helping Cinderayla, oppressed by a wicked step-mother and longing to go to the ball. Again Radiya Hafiza makes the story her own, so that by the end we feel sorry for the step-mum, despite her cruel behaviour, while Ayla has decided that the prince isn’t nearly as nice as he seemed at the ball and far too much of a snob to marry (even if she was old enough). The final story is another adaptation, this time of Sleeping Beauty, in which the sleeping princess is stolen away by a dragon, rescued by Rumaysa and returns home realising that, if you want to govern people properly, it pays to make sure you know them and understand how they live their lives. Hafiza puts a definite 21st century spin on the stories and the last thing any of these girls want is a husband, but it’s refreshing and welcome too that the central characters are Asian and the setting a glorious mix of magic and South Asia. Full of humour and charm, and a real page-turner too, this fairytale retelling is highly recommended.