The Great Peony: Safina Cameron by Jannah Bayyan
The Great Peony: Safina Cameron (Pretty Publications) flips the script on racism and discrimination, imagining a world where dark-skinned people thrive in High Society, while light-skinned people make up the lower class with less access to resources and education. Jannah Bayyan has crafted a fascinating piece of speculative literary fiction about a young woman fighting against the expectations of her society.
A “MORAL” WORLD DIVIDED
This first installment of The Peony Chronicles series follows Safina “Sophy” Cameron. Born into the more affluent of two factions that formed after the Great War of 2023, Sophy lives a life of privilege, where marriage is not only encouraged, but considered to be the highest accomplishment.
The goal of marriage is to preserve the bloodline and maintain the brown complexion that all members of High Society possess. Marriage between factions is frowned upon because the light-skinned members of the lower class — called the unbred — are scorned by the ruling class. This is due to the color of their skin, their ancestors’ role in the Great War, and immorality that stems from their lack of devotion to religion. High Society, however, prides itself on following a non-traditional practice of Islam that prioritizes justice and morally upright behavior.
Sophy believes marriage should be sacred, not a business deal with the goal of furthering the divide between the two societies. In a world where she cannot marry for love, her choice is to not marry at all. Sophy prefers her own autonomy over the constrictions of High Society. That is until she meets the man that makes her second guess everything. There is only one problem — he is one of the unbred.
VIVID CHARACTERS WITH COMPLEX FLAWS
High Society’s most revered members are as important to the story as Sophy. Each of them maintains complicated feelings about their own engagements, romances and marriages. They hold views on the world — both how it is and how it should be — often conflicting with one another’s stances. Each character’s personality and individuality shines through, creating compelling conflicts for Sophy to face.
One of the largest points of contention among the characters is the existence of the unbred, and the discrimination they face. Sophy makes it her mission to befriend one of the two unbred women in her class whose education has been sponsored by High Society. The same fire of rebellion that Sophy senses in herself, she senses in Destiny. Quickly, the two grow close, and Sophy becomes certain that her family and her society are wrong to discriminate against these people just because of their skin color and their circumstances.
When Marcus, a handsome and mysterious unbred man, saves Sophy’s life, their forbidden romance is ignited. But when Sophy’s eldest brother is attacked by an unbred stranger, everyone around her is quick to question Marcus’ loyalties.
SPECULATIVE FICTION MEETS FORBIDDEN ROMANCE
Jannah Bayyan encourages readers to imagine what a world divided by skin color might look like, and to consider the metaphor it holds for our own world. She brings her characters into debates — on desire, morality, privilege and the pressing issues of their society. Can a society that prides itself on being “moral” actually have immoral ideas? Sophy Cameron certainly thinks so, and through determination, intellect and love, she plans to prove her society wrong.
The Great Peony: Safina Cameron is a great read for anybody who wants to immerse themselves in a star-crossed-lovers romance, with surprising moments of danger lurking on the next page. Reminiscent of speculative fiction like Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman and sharing themes with Mohsin Hamid’s new bestseller The Last White Man, this novel will make you ponder the topics of race, class and discrimination that continue to be pressing in our society.
The Great Peony: Safina Cameron is available for purchase on Amazon as a paperback and an ebook, and at Barnes and Noble.
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