I’m sad to say that I DNFed this at 15% after trying to read this twice. The advance digital copy is too difficult to read with the formatting - for example, ever “f” in the book is replaced with a random symbol, so it became very bothersome being pulled out of the story over and over again because of the difficulty of reading the text. I’m disappointed because this story had a ton of potential.

Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

A very intriguing study of a future where an Islamic Caliphate has taken over the United States and Patriots are suicide terrorists fighting a guerrilla war that's being lost. I've read a couple of different versions of this tale and this one in particular gives me pause. In this version the Islamic victory isn't complete which renders the District of Columbia to a war torn hell hole, barely habital and completely unrecognizable. The main character is Jamal Stone, a multi generational Muslim American who we learn is from Detroit. He goes to college and after a terrorist attack goes to work for the CIA before changing sides to embrace the Caliphate and fight for the new Islamic States of America. He goes in search of his son, lost to him seven years earlier when he went to fight on the front lines. This novel gives a bleak look at a country divided by fear and bigotry. Totally unfamiliar with little hope and resembling the original nation it came from in NO way. The frightening thing is that we're not far from this becoming realized and it was jarring to have this picture thrust into my awareness. It is unsettling enough that I'll be checking out other books by this author to discover I'd his vision foresees any better outlooks for society. A well written story that I enjoyed and would even be curious to visit again to see how the country develops. My only complaint is the editing of the ARC made it very difficult to read and required concentration to keep from confusing the narrative.

I cannot review this title in the format provided. It’s too hard to read. Please allow me another copy and I will glad read and review that one. Thank you and thank you for the opportunity.

Islamic States of America is a dystopian novel set some years into the creation of a caliphate in what used to be the USA. Homegrown terrorists somehow gained control, divided the US into several states and here we are. The protagonist lost his son in the early years of the formation, and in the present time sets out to look for him having received information that his son is out there.

As a Muslim reader, I couldn't really get into this book. Dystopian novels are supposed to be scary, nobody wants to live in that kind of world. But they usually have an element of "well that's fake" so it didn't irk me. This has an element of fake but coupled with a the fear mongering you'd get from a Fox TV show off what a caliphate would look like: everything revolves around war, kids get married at 16, sports are banned.

I tried to give this book a chance but it simply wasn't my cuppa tea.