by Samiha Hoque (Author), Hasan Altaf (Screenplay by), Aini Arts (Designed by)
In fantasy Afghanistan, twin princesses must save their kingdom from an invading army.
Princess Khurshid and Princess Maashid are the eldest daughters of a Pashtun king and a Sunni Hazara queen. When their younger sister, Arghawan, is kidnapped by an invading army, Khurshid sets out to find her while Maashid and her father prepare for war. The princesses soon come face-to-face with animosity from outside and within. In partnership with Al Majarra Studios, RISING SUN is a beautifully illustrated story of family, prejudice, and love that reclaims the Muslim narrative.
Author Biography
Samiha Hoque is a Bangladeshi-American writer, editor, and co-founder of the independent publishing house Shaherazad Shelves. She is a two-time Climate Justice Fellow at the University of Maryland and holds a B.S. in the Earth and Environmental Sciences with an English minor. Samiha is the author of the picture books A Country of Beautiful People (2023) and Brave Is the Tiger (2026), both of which are inspired by her Muslim Bengali upbringing. She is also author of Rising Sun: The Graphic Novel. She resides in Brooklyn, New York, where she was born and raised.
