I'm sorry to say that this book was just poorly written right from the start. The plot was confusing, the characters were all over the place, and the poetry that was supposed to be a big part of the story was just not well written at all.

DNF at 17%. I tried this in both print and audio just could not do it. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters or plot points. I was bored. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana. It was an absolutely incredible read. The prose was engaging, the poetry both inspiring and heartbreaking. While I can't personally relate to what Nida went through (as a white christian in the US), her turmoil, her relationship with her peers and family, and her struggles finding herself amongst it all is utterly relatable.

While the dash of magical realism kind of confused me at first, I ended up appreciating it after finishing the book. It allowed for an even larger connection to family and community, as well as gave her more 'context' when decision making... but it did throw me for a while there.

Definitely recommend this book!

I was really excited to read this as a fellow South Asian but I was immediately hit with storylines that left me confused and I eventually DNF. This book read like it was literally set right after 9/11, not now (which is when it is set). While I can believe there are characters like the main character in this book, it felt like the story relied on stereotypes which really hurts to say - I know many Muslim Pakistani girls, many of whom are my friends, and I could not see any comparison between them and Nida.

I kept trying to give this a go and even read through some reviews but I think that ultimately backfired and convinced me to not continue reading. One review justified my absolute confusion at a goat roaming around their apartment before slaughter - I could believe this if this took place in the countryside but not in a metropolitan city.

Also, I absolutely do not think this should be compared to All My Rage - feels like it only is because both have a Pakistani girl in the US…that’s not enough.

I really liked what the author was trying to do: addressing how Islamophobia within the U.S. carceral system has affected Muslims negatively, especially poets after 9-11 who got labeled "terrorists", and how Islamophobia is present within both U.S. political parties even if democrats aren't as brazen as Republicans. She does this through the eyes of a young Pakistani American high school student, Muslim, and poet who gets (unconstitutionally) frisked as she is trying to pray and accidentally finds herself outside of a Democratic political candidate's rally. As she tries to seek justice, she gets further entrapped in stereotypes against Muslims played up by the media especially after they find out her poet uncle is in prison for "terrorism." Luckily, she has her community and local Poets' Block to cheer her up and remind her who she is and where she comes from.

However, some parts of the story felt a bit heavy-handed and, like editing could have gone a bit deeper. The magical realism felt like it came out of nowhere instead of working with the story in the first third. The flashback to her ancestors was especially abrupt and not deep enough to be meaningful or otherwise threaded into the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC, all thoughts my own.

Hope Ablaze is not an easy book to read. I find books dealing with racism to be hard and it’s probably because it hurts me when characters hurt - yes, I’m that person who cries at commercials (chuckle). Sarah Mughal Rana makes you feel everything that Nida is feeling, even the blue thread.

I love the poetry that runs throughout the book. It is powerful and full of truth. It slams with an impact and I bet the audio is amazing. I can hear Nida in a jam now and how the crowd would be responding.

The author gives us a character to root for and stand with as she finds her voice to speak loudly with. I love Nida and even the crazy goat. The secondary characters define Nida just as much as her pen does. Hope Ablaze is everything you want a young adult novel to be and so much more. I love it.

Hope Ablaze is honestly a very hard book for me to review. I'm a 40 something year old white woman (not the target YA audience). I can't necessarily relate to the characters (back to the whole being a white lady in the US). I have never been treated the way Nida, a young Muslim woman was throughout this book. I can tell you that there were so many moments when I was reading that I felt anger at the injustice of it all. I think it was a great representation of how both US political parties can be problematic. And that the fact we have a two party system leaves huge gaps. There are major groups of people in the US who don't feel represented because of this system.

Books like this remind me why i love and cherish reading. I appreciate being given the opportunity to learn through reading this fictional, yet highly plausible story. I guess where I have a hard time with this book is that I really wanted to throw the book across the room quite often. I didn't like feeling so hopelessly mad and it made me want to stop reading. But otherwise, i found tremendous value in this story and hope this author keeps on writing because I'd read her next one!

This was a really important story and one I was very happy to see represented in the publishing world. The author used poetry and weaved it into a really heartbreaking, hot button topic.

I was slightly taken aback by the magical realism the book. It took away from the story for me. I was distracted by the “magic” and lost some of the heart of the story.

I also had some difficulties getting through the poetry sections as I found them lacking but maybe I just don’t appreciate poetry the right way.

Beyond that, the relationships are special and the injustices are horrible but the characters are inspiring. I found the voting section at the end particularly relatable and frustrating. While it had some faults, I think for a Young Adult novel it is a strong story.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I find this review very difficult to write. I also find this book difficult to rate - so I'm leaving it right in the middle at 3 stars.

There is definitely a group and voice for this book. There are strong themes here and it will make people both uncomfortable but also push them outside of what they know. There is magic realism that, while I found it jarring, I think others will appreciate the nuance it added to the story. There are also parts in the book with poetry. Although I don't read a lot of poetry, it can work as a great medium to tell really deep feelings without the mess of a lot of words. Sometimes the message is just as much what's said as what isn't. Again, while I didn't love it, I think it worked well as a overall part to the story and I appreciated breaking up the parts it was placed in.

But this is a deeply personal story from the author. And, although this is fiction, there are experiences that are very real, similar but with different characters, tied around politics, religion, racism and violence. This isn't a space I feel comfortable making an opinion on, telling someone how they feel isn't okay or isn't "right." All I can do, I believe, is be a witness to this story. To absorb the words, take them in, and then move forward knowing a new perspective, new information. It makes me want to seek even MORE information, so that I can be as informed and as knowledgeable as possible. I'm glad I read this story. It was moving and sad but also a good reminder.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Overall I enjoyed reading this, there was a moment that made me emotional and I realized I had actually grown more attached to the characters than I expected. It’s always a pleasant surprise when that realization just creeps up on you - at least I’m always left feeling like hmm wow, you did the job.

The story took an unexpected turn when there was an element of magical realism that added a new layer of intrigue (this is why I avoid book blurbs and summaries as much as possible, so I can be pleasantly surprised).

This was, in some ways, a coming of age story that did a good job at weaving in commentary on identity, family, community (the good and the bad), Islamophobia and what it means to stand your ground and uphold your morals and beliefs. It makes for a timely read too considering the currently global political climate!

Oh and the food! Like sheesh…I think I was only a few pages in before Sarah’s writing had me craving Pakistani food.

I will say there were two drawbacks for me, though they did not detract from my overall reading experience, for the most part.

1. The dialogue and some of the character reactions/conclusions sometimes felt… abrupt.
2. Somewhere along the middle it got a little repetitive before it started to pick up and progress more.

This is a powerful story that shines a light on Islam0phobia and the impact words can have. I loved the interspersion of poetry written as letters. I think this is something that is a must read in the culture that we live in.

I liked the premise of this book, with the main inciting incident being interesting and not something I’ve read in YA before. The ensuing conflict was also engaging and made me want to keep reading. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the poetry woven throughout, and the magical realism piece (which I first mistook for a metaphor that hit just a little too hard on the nose) didn’t work for me. Good social commentary and rep, but just missed the mark from being great!

A powerful and timely story of racism and the hate that fear breeds for the Islamic community. I really appreciated the highlighting of racism within both Republican and Democrat parties when it comes to Muslims and we have to work to change it person by person. The poetry was phenomenal and really captured how young people can harness their power to fight for change.

*4.5 Stars*

This was really good. I loved the whole red thread thing and the spoken word. I was really enthralled and I could not stop reading. I really enjoyed the audio and the narrator, I read it so fast thanks to it.
It was truly maddening and it filled me with such righteous anger at times but also made me hopeful. The poetry was so interesting, I really enjoyed it. And the islamophobia talks were very necessary.
It was simply a great debut and I'm looking forward to more by this author.

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana
Genre: young adult
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧡Muslim rep
🧡The importance of your voice
🧡Poetry
🧡Commentary on racism and racial bias
🧡Young adult
🧡Character development
🧡Family and culture

I loved Nida, a Pakistani teen, poet, and our main character. Her emotions jumped off of the page, especially through her poetry, which gave us a deeper look into her inner thoughts. This book may be YA, but it’s so much more! Nida has so much strength and resilience.

This book reminds me of why it’s so important to read diversely all year long. This book opened my eyes to a point of view I didn’t know much about. It tackled racial biases, family relationships, finding and using your voice, and viewing politics through a critical lens. It also made me look deeper into my biases.

The imagery in this book was powerful as well. The feeling of being silenced and not having control of the narrative was uncomfortable but honest.

Some content warnings include: unfair treatment from police and others in a position of power, incarceration of a loved one, death of a loved one, racism (specifically Islamophobia).

Thank you to Wednesday Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. Hope Ablaze is out now!

I am so incredibly proud of Sarah for this incredibly poignant and beautiful story about a Muslim girl navigating her way though political and social trials (with a sprinkling of magic in the air)! This is a must read for everyone!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC!

Full RTC

The premise and topics of this book are extremely powerful. We continue to need more books, especially for the YA audience, about Islamophobia and its intersection with politics. Nida is a character with so much potential, that I wish I would have been able to see grow into her agency even more. With poetry as a centerpiece of the change-making of the novel, I wanted to be moved by the poetry more, but there was a directness that could appeal to a lot of readers.

We expect this book to be about rights violations. The inciting incident is an illegal frisking, after all. But it's much more than that. The question of rights is almost incidental. Instead Nida's story is a question of voices. When we speak up. Who influences and controls when we speak. And the dilemma of standing up versus fitting in. These are complex questions with no clear answers which can make for a challenging read. If you're someone who likes a clear-cut plot, maybe look elsewhere. But if you want to weigh opinions and discuss choices, give this one a read.

thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital arc to review! This book is out NOW. Go grab a copy!!

Do I think Nida writes well enough to win an award? Not really. Do I think Sarah Mughal Rana writes well enough to win an award? Yes, absolutely. For me, the poetry wasn’t the best part of this book even though it was portrayed as the main focus. I really liked the themes of family and overcoming struggle. The relationship between Nida and her mother was possibly my favorite part. It was so well written and explored, and I feel like they both grew realistically as they learned how the other truly felt. This book did also make me cry, and I don’t cry often when reading. This is a really strong and enlightening read. I highly recommend 🔥🧡

In solidarity with the SMP Boycott I will be withholding my review for this title (which I was given prior to the boycott) until SMP acts on the following:

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian influencers, authors and readers, in addition to supporting their BIPOC influencers, authors, and readers.

This is not a reflection of the author personally, nor is it a call to boycott buying this particular book. And this star rating is a reflection of how much I enjoyed the book.