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.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the eARC of this striking and eye-opening novel! I was instantly hooked on the premise and the inclusion of mixed media throughout. I had no idea just how powerful it would end up being, however. This book challenges the racist ideas of a post 9/11 America and brings us a strong female character to strike that rebellious flame within us all to fight oppression whether you're a Muslim, a woman, or any other victim of American propaganda and the patriarchy. The narrative shines a light on how even the quietest of voices can have a life-changing impact.

We are introduced to Nida, who is a poet-- following in the footsteps of her uncle. Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh was wrongfully sent to prison during the 'war on terror', and Nida has never felt safe since. Nevertheless, she lives life rather peacefully until one day she gets frisked illegally at a democratic political rally. This prompts her to take her frustration and anger and turn it into a work of art. However, what was meant for her eyes only spirals out of control and reaches much more attention than she was expecting. In the aftermath, she loses her love of writing and must find her voice again while figuring out the person she wants to be-- and not just the one she had become to fit in with her family.

This book deals with a lot of serious and pressing issues that still permeate our country. Even so, it is filled with so much heart and moments of levity that it is not overwhelming while getting its point across. I think it is a rock-solid debut novel, and one that touches on the state of the world today. You can't turn on the news recently without seeing the awful things that are happening overseas, and that really hasn't changed much since 2001. If you're feeling like your voice doesn't matter, that you can't be the change you wish to see in the world-- read this book. It will invigorate you no matter your background or beliefs.

thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars.

I wish I hadn't delayed reading this because it truly is a masterpiece. It's told with both prose and verse as the main character deals with her life being turned upside down after a poem goes viral that tells how a prominent political candidate illegally frisks her.

I also enjoyed how this novel didn't leave anything covered up. There are descriptions of imperialism and colonialism and failure of the united states and blatant racism and islamaphobia and a litany of things for readers to unpack. Some of it will probably not be understood by readers who haven't explored real history or unpacked, e.g., hegemonic war and the impacts it has. It also talks a lot about the Partition.

Overall, I enjoyed this and it did make me cry.

I got an ARC of this book.

It wasn't a bad book. I really liked parts of it. The assault the MC faced early in the book made me gasp. Nothing else really lived up to that moment though. So I was left feeling like the book was dragging, even though it wasn't. So much happened, there were so many feelings. I should have loved this, but it just didn't really hit home.

I ended up liking the idea of the book more than the book itself. This is probably on me and not the book itself though. It has been hard to read lately, so please give it a try. The cover is gorgeous and the messages are important.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It was told in a very new and interesting way. The prose and the writing were just so entertaining to read. It’s the first time I read a book told partly in verse, and I thought it worked quite well for the story.

The story follows poet Nida as her poem accidentally goes viral and she loses the ability to write poetry. I think this will stay in the hearts of a lot of people. Writers and Muslims will definitely see themselves in the story and relate to it.

I think overall it was a very good book told in a unique way. I personally don’t like books too so in verse, but I did quite enjoy those parts here.

This is a hard book to rate because it just felt so personal and relatable in a lot of ways — being a Pakistani Muslim in North America who grew up here post-9/11, a lot of it felt familiar. So many aspects of Nida’s story felt relatable and it was so strange to actually read about a character and a family that reminded me so much of my own. I think the author has a very bright future because her writing is authentic to her experiences, engaging, and insightful.

This was an absolutely incredible book, not to mention debut! I was immediately hooked and ended up speeding through this book even faster than I originally expected. Both the prose and the poetry is beautifully written, just adding to the incredible story being told. Sarah Mughal Rana takes a level of reality and adds some magical realism to tell the story of a Muslim teenage poet and what happens when her poetry goes viral. I think it provides a lot of nuanced characters and stories while also making clear both the vile behavior of white authority figures and the rich history of poetry within the main character’s family and community. The relationships explored throughout the book, familial, platonic, etc. were so engaging and gave even more heart to the overall story. It’s absolutely worth the read and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

It’s hard to pinpoint any specific element that made this book such an incredible read, and this is partially because of how everything came together to craft the story. The beauty of Pakistani culture and the Muslim community that Nida lives in aren’t erased by the highlighting of racism and Islamophobia that they face, as well as the historical obstacles her family has had to face. The reality that this book is set in also felt so timely with the discussion of elections and politicians and bigotry on both sides. I think this book is hopeful, just like the title indicates, but I also think it’s made stronger by the setting of reality that forces the reader to be aware of reality within fiction.

While I knew what plot to expect going into this book, I didn’t expect all the complex elements that the story wove together. I truly enjoyed reading this book, even as parts of it were undeniably hard topics. I think that HOPE ABLAZE is an incredible book to read at any time, but I also think that it’s worth reading now especially.

Nida is a high school senior, she’s thinking about mostly typical high school things. Except for the fact that she’s trying to get her uncle who is wrongly imprisoned free. Her uncle has always been there for her and is the one who passed on his love for poetry to her.

Then one day on her way home she is stopped by the police outside of a political candidate’s campaign and frisked and forced to remove her hijab. She is changed by this moment. The political candidate says he’s a democrat and Nida thought he should have been supportive of her Muslim community but really he showed that he was just another Islamophobic, spreading false narratives.

She writes her anger in a poem, which is later, somehow unbeknownst to her, entered into a poetry contest.

All fine and dandy until the political candidate sues her and the media turns her words against her and now she’s being called a terrorist just as her uncle had been before her.

I liked Nida and really felt like I learned a lot from her POV. At times, the book felt a little dragged on. The ending while I see why we had to go through that, definitely took a turn in the last 15%.

Thank you to the author Sarah Mughal Rama, publishers Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of HOPE ABLAZE. All views are mine.

Trust is a greedy thing, like gifts. You expect it but you never give it. I stopped trusting my pen and tongue. But the pen also stopped trusting me. Loc.1114

HOPE ABLAZE by Sarah Mughal Rama perfectly illustrates the overwhelming racism Pakistani people often experienced in the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks. Mughal Rama really focused on communicating the emotional experiences of the main character, Nida. There were a few inconsistencies, but despite these, I found it a compelling read. My favorite thing about the book was the poetry, dispersed in sections throughout the story. In the narrative, the poems were often spoken word pieces being performed by the main character. So I read them aloud to myself and found them to be very beautiful! I definitely recommend this book to readers who are interested in Muslim characters, Muslim women characters who wear hijab, and oppression experienced by Muslims in the US in the wake of 9-11.

By the time the guards left, I was shivering in the open sunlight. Only one thought coiled tight in my chest. A terrifying thought. I wish I wasn’t Pakistani. I clenched my teeth tight, to keep them from chattering. I wish I could be someone else. I hated the thought, but I couldn’t banish it. Loc.251

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I really love the sections of poetry. We really get the fmc's voice in these section, which helps us connection. So personal and intimate.

2. I love the threads element. (No spoilers!)

3. This book offers such good insight into how government and media work together to construct a successful propaganda machine.

4. I read some criticisms of the poetry, but I disagree. It's beat poetry, spoken word, and if you read it aloud or listen with a screen reader, the poetry is beautiful.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I'm not really a fan of how this book unfolds conflict. The fmc seems to have tension with every single person she comes into contact with. I makes for a fuzzy plot.

2. This book is quite didactic. The topic is important, and handled differently I would be so bored and feel as though the text were hounding itself. The whole "interview" is just a huge chunk of dialogue; not good reading.

3. The magical realism element is so random. Only the first scene with it held any urgency. I think the book would have been better without it.

Rating: 🧕🧕🧕.5 / 5 women's rights
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Feb 23 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
⁉️ revolutionary stories
👧🏾 identity stories
👭🏽 teenage girl friendships
🗣 spoken word poetry

This is a beautiful debut about a Muslim girl in a post 9/11 America. The was Rana touches on racism and Islamophobia is raw and real. I think this book could be a classic.

The perspective of a Nida, a Muslim teen navigating a post-9/11 world, is very needed. Sarah Mughal Rana's book gives voice to an experience that is so often ignored, especially when it comes to the aftermath of 9/11. Some of the poetry was a bit repetitive, which lost some of its emotional impact. Regardless, it's a book I'll be recommending to my students - especially those who loved Poet X.

I love the way the main character is defiant and pushes through so much trauma with the help of her art . I am very disappointed to see almost no promo for this book by the imprint . The only promo I have seen is from the author .
I hope bipoc muslim teenagers find this book and I hope it gives them hope.

Thank you netgalley for the arc .

3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for this ARC.

This one wasn't really for me, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. I rarely read books about Muslim folks, so it was good to have some diversity in my reading and to learn more about a different religion/culture than what I'm familiar with and used to reading about. It was also nice to read a character's point of view who isn't thrilled (understatement) with the state of American politics. Of course this is fiction, and I usually shy far away from political books, but it's always nice to read a point of view that isn't often talked about but is still important to be shared.

Unfortunately there were a lot of things in this book that I wasn't a huge fan of, but I don't think it was the author's fault...I think this is just a very different type of book than I usually read and therefore had more things that I didn't like. For example, I wasn't a fan of the poetry and I thought sometimes it was cheesy; however, in general, I don't like poetry very much. My biggest complaint is that I thought Nida's voice was really young in this book, and I wouldn't have put her at 18 years old. There was a lot of frustration and anger, and while sometimes I liked Nida's thought process about the things going on, I still wish it would've been deeper. Lastly, I didn't like the magical realism at all; it felt out of place and random, and I think there were better ways that could've been done.

I'd recommend this to YA readers who enjoy books about politics/social justice, poetry, or are looking to learn more about Muslim people's culture and religion.

Unfortunately, Hope Ablaze was just fine for me. For teens who haven’t read many similar books, this would likely be eye-opening, thought-provoking, and enjoyable, but I’ve just read a lot of other books that have told similar stories and done it better (authors like Elizabeth Acevedo, Mariama J. Lockington, Abdi Nazemian, Safia Elhillo, and more). Comparing a book to anything by Elizabeth Acevedo is a huge risk, and for me the writing, especially the verse, just didn’t live up to that comparison. I do think stories like Hope Ablaze are really important, but as we’re thankfully beginning to get more and more diverse YA stories, publishers and editors need to push for books that offer a unique voice. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Wow, this book will leave you with so many emotions and they’re all beautiful. It will give you a whole new look at what Muslims in America have/still are going through after 911. This book will explore the Muslim community, the racism that they endure, islamophobia, American politics and learning to accept oneself.

This book was so beautifully written. I loved the poetry that was mixed into the book, it really helped to understand what Nida was feeling at the moments in her life. I enjoyed how the author really shined a light on the injustice the American Islamic people lived afterwards and how they’re still learning to deal with the actions. I thought learning about the Pakistani culture and a little about their history really helped me to connect with the injustice of it all but to also see the wonderful story that Rana brought to us in this book.

I thought the closeness of the community that Nida lives in was beautiful, everyone is so caring and willing to help out each other at any cost. I loved that the older generation and the younger generation rallied together to help Nida with her wishes at a poetry rally. Also, the ending when they went to vote, I loved how the author explained the thoughts of the people running and how sometimes you must go with the lesser evil one to see a brighter future.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

nida is a teen poet who feels pressured to fill the shoes of her uncle, who was wrongfully incarcerated under terrorism charges. after nida is illegally frisked at a political rally, she writes an angry letter to the politician, expecting it to come across nobody’s eyes except her own. however, someone submits this letter to a poetry competition, and suddenly, nida has gone viral overnight. after this, she loses the ability to write, and has to learn how to balance this with the expectations of her family, community, and herself.

this was a beautiful book exploring community, racism, islamophobia, american politics, and more. i enjoyed the writing in this book, especially the poems interspersed throughout. i feel like the poems were a good way to more deeply get to know nida.

i highly recommend this book and i’m looking forward to what sarah mughal rana writes next.

The author included Nida’s poetry between many of the primary chapters of the book, which was both a positive and negative thing. I enjoyed the poetry as it was a good way to provide Nida’s inner thoughts as well as some background to her life and events in the book. However, there was a lot of it included, and especially towards the middle and end of the book it drastically slowed down the plot and began to detract from the reading experience. The writing also became rather repetitive, especially with Nida’s inner dialogue. These aspects negatively impacted the pacing of the work and my interest in it.

There was an aspect of magical realism included that just didn’t fit with the rest of the book. It felt like it appeared out of nowhere and wasn’t really explored until well into the book. Even then, the exploration and explanation still left me wanting much more from this aspect, or realistically, for it to not have been included at all.

This book contains some powerful themes relating to finding your voice and inner strength. While these were explored through things that happened, the growth never became apparent in Nida’s character. I wanted so much more from her growth and expected her to blossom by the end but was left wanting more. The remaining characters were too copy-and-paste for me to find them relatable or for them to contribute to the read in a positive way.

I was sure going into this YA read that I would rate it quite highly, but there were too many places where the book was lacking for me to rate it higher and it was a struggle to finish this one. With some tightening up (editing), more development of characters, and deeper exploration/incorporation of the themes, this book could excel. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

An important and potent voice, Sarah Mughal Rana delivers a YA full of family and identity while asking hard questions that continue to impact many minorities today. A must read for coming of age YA readers of all backgrounds!