This is such a clever retelling of the Leopold and Loeb case. Perfect for teens who want to feel their anger has purpose. It's a moving book and a very propulsive read.

Albeit moderately predictable ending, this is a profound novel that illustrates fear mongering, Islamophobia, and the diversity amongst Muslims. Well written, easy, profound read.

"Hollow Fires" by Samira Ahmed is a compelling and impactful young adult novel that explores themes of identity, activism, and the power of raising one's voice against injustice. Ahmed's storytelling prowess shines as she crafts a tale of resilience, empowerment, and the complexities of fighting for change. The book's relatable characters and thought-provoking plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with teens and young adults. Ahmed skillfully navigates the emotions of standing up for one's beliefs, the challenges of confronting systemic issues, and the strength of community and solidarity, adding depth to the narrative. "Hollow Fires" is a powerful reminder that even in the face of adversity, individuals have the capacity to ignite change and inspire others, leaving readers with a sense of empowerment and a renewed commitment to making a difference in their own communities and the world at large.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

🎒This YA contemporary, mystery thriller follows the story of Safiya, a student journalist as she tries to uncover the truth behind the brutal death of a fourteen year old Iraqi boy, Jawad Ali.

🎒This book kept me up all night and after reaching a certain point in the book, I refuse to put it down. Joke's on me because I found myself weeping. Aside from the fact that I was highly emotional by the time I read it, the narration and character portrayal was done so well that their pain passed through the pages and hit me- a sad, sensitive reader desperate for an escape.

🎒Please be cautious of the content warnings. It's a captivating yet emotional story to read but an important one as well.

You can read my full review on my blog! Check my stories for the review link and swipe to read the full synopsis.

Ahmed's story about Jawad that mirrors the tragic & violent loss of Bobby Franks is one powerful way that fiction can teach us about history. The way the different elements are interwoven into the story (newspaper article clippings, interviews, news segments, Twitter posts) along with Jawad's little passages were incredible. It reminds us the way white supremacy has its feet in every facet of life and those folks hide in plain sight. I did guess the plot twist way before it was revealed but I don't think that took away from the story. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani & Amin El Gamal who were excellent!!!! Overall and excellent well researched and deeply personal narrative of a real story, a real boy whose life was taken too soon by people with so much hatred in their hearts. A lot of the anger that Safiya was feeling against the school principle, the cops, media, government felt so familiar to the ways in which my community has suffered from violent authority figures and misrepresentation in media and when there was a nod to those names and stories I cant ever forget it was appreciated & in the end whether the verdict is guilty or not we understand that there is never truly any justice when a life is lost.

Hollow Fires is a YA mystery/thriller perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Diana Urban, and Karen McManus. And unlike the previous authors I’ve mentioned, it also has a great deal of important social commentary, particularly about racism and Islamophobia. The story follows a senior in high school named Safiya who seems to feel like she is being haunted by the ghost of a missing 14 year old boy named Jawad. Jawad’s disappearance (and subsequent murder) is largely ignored or misunderstood by both the public and the police, leading Safiya to take things into her own hands. As hate crimes continue to plague both Jawad’s family and Safiya’s school, Safiya learns that she may be closer to solving the case that she would prefer.

I thought that this was a great book for the young adult audience that it was intended for as long as the readers haven’t many thrillers as the villain is very predictable. So predictable in fact that I kept hoping I was wrong and that the author had pulled one over on me, but alas. The style of writing was enjoyable and kept my attention throughout. The story is not told in a linear fashion, however, so make sure to pay attention to the dates at the top of each chapter. I made the mistake of not reading them at first (because I’m lazy) and had to go back early on to get my events straight.

I will say that I found this book very triggering, particularly as a woman of color. Basically every. single. page. has an instance of someone (youth and adults alike) being absolutely disgusting. It is chock-full of graphic racism, islamophobia, and white nationalism. These are important topics to be discussed, particularly with the impressionable youth who can easily be manipulated and groomed into white nationalism online, but can definitely be overwhelming for someone who has repeatedly seen this in their everyday lives. I would highly advise that anyone who wants to read this check out the trigger warnings listed above.

“Hollow Fires” by Samira Ahmed

I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but I wanted to write down my impressions before they flew away like a plastic grocery bag on the wind.

This book hurts. It is painful to read about racism. It should be. It is painful to try to understand the minds of those who will hate others simply for existing. Hate enough to kill.

Ahmed’s books are always powerful. They invoke a deep emotional heartbreak and outrage. Her writing echoes current events so it is that much more potent. This particular book didn’t grasp me, at first, like the other books of hers that I have read. That said, I am deeply engrossed in it now.

Jawad is missing. (Dead). He is cold. His words unheard. He has no peace. His parents have no peace. He is alone. Will someone find him? Will they bring him home?

Saifya is the editor in chief of her high school paper. She is smart, strong, and refuses to back down and let the “experts” handle Jawad’s disappearance. Jawad knows that the truth will kill her, but will she hear him before it’s too late?

This book asks us to consider what racists really look like, what kinds of people are capable of acts of cruelty and violence. It looks at both blatant hate and subtle cruelty, motivated by jealousy and a sense of privilege. These ideas are on full display and perhaps could have benefited from a little more subtlety. If it encourages discussion with young people it's worth reading, it just might not be my first choice.

I liked so much about this book. Safiya is a strong and powerful bad ass main character and Jawad is absolutely precious. I liked the multiple formats used to tell the story, as well as the disjointed timeline. I also loved the connections to real life: the boy who was arrested for bringing a clock he made to school, the rampant racism, white supremacy, and islamophobia that defined the a trump presidency, and references to a true crime case that I can’t give details on or it will ruin it (knowing certain details ruined a major twist for me. Curse you, true crime podcasts!!!!). I think some of it went on a bit too long and maybe the terrible acts safiya witnesses werewere restated a bit too many times, but overall? Fantastically tragic book.

Here are some reasons you should give this book a chance:

🌗 Talks about the insidious nature of racism
🌗 Goes over the evil the exits in this world
🌗 Bending the truth to their liking
🌗 Shines light on horrific topics with sensitivity

HOLLOW FIRES by Samira Ahmed (Internment) is sure to spark discussion. This young adult novel would be an excellent choice for literature circles and book clubs. Ahmed utilizes different types of text (news articles, media transcripts and interviews) plus two primary narrators to describe events surrounding the tragic disappearance of a young boy in Chicago. His name is Jawad Ali who at 14 used recycled materials to create a jet pack costume for Halloween and was subsequently arrested because a teacher thought it might be a bomb. Sadly, this part of the story parallels real world events. The second voice is that of Safiya Mirza, Editor in Chief of her high school newspaper, The DuSable Spectator. She is a crusader, but also is portrayed as a typical teen worried about friendships and a budding romance. Together with friends, Safiya investigates Jawad's disappearance and battles disinterest and outright hostility from authority figures in law enforcement and her school administration.

In 2019 Samira Ahmed wrote a piece for School Library Journal which challenged Librarians to "Use Your Power;" she said in part, "I'm asking you to examine the role we adults play in creating such a brutally unfair world for our children and to do what you can to change it. It starts with a conversation. It starts with challenging yourself." Ahmed supports powerful conversations by beginning HOLLOW FIRES with definitions for Facts, Alternative facts, Truth, and Lies and then adds provocative examples before each chapter like Lie: "What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what’s happening" (Trump, July 24, 2018); Truth: "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final and most essential command." (George Orwell, 1984); Fact: "Truth is stranger than fiction." HOLLOW FIRES received starred reviews from Kirkus ("An unconventional murder mystery takes a sharp look at racism and Islamophobia in America") and Publishers Weekly. Here is the publisher's discussion guide:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/HollowFires_BookClubGuide.pdf

Other relevant links:
Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-year-ago-ahmed-mohamed-became-clock-boy-now-he-cant-escape-that-moment/2016/08/02/2b8650be-484b-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html
School Library Journal article:
https://www.slj.com/story/samira-ahmed-writing-and-reading-in-the-trump-era-opinion

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

Based on true stories, Ahmed gives us a story about a group of teens in Chicago while also tackling the depths of racism and how kids get indoctrinated into extremist groups. Mainly driven by Safiya Mirza, editor of her private school's paper, who is one of the few scholarship students making her way among the rich and privileged biding her time until graduation so she can really pursue her dreams of becoming a journalist. Safiya is desi, and two of her best friends are people of color. So when their paper is hacked, and their school is targeted by white supremacists, they decide to try and figure out who did it. Tied into this is also the story of a 14 year old Iraqi teen, Jawad Ali, that was accused of bringing a bomb to school, and who has gone missing. Safiya and her friends begin to wonder if all these events are tied together... but Safiya doesn't know just how close she is to the truth.

HOLLOW FIRES is told in alternating points of view between Safiya and Jawad with news articles and interviews sprinkled in throughout. This formatting was both interesting and distracting... at times I find it hard to get into the flow of reading. And while I easily guessed who the "big bad person" was almost from the start, I don't think Ahmed ever intended for readers to not easily pick them out. It was kind of the point.

There's a slight magical element to this novel, bur that doesn't detract from the story. This isn't a happy read, but it is a very powerful one that shines a light on how white supremacy impacts the lives of teenagers... and how it can be just as dangerous in youth as it is in adults. These acts of violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color aren't just coming from adults, they are coming from teens and children who are being manipulated and radicalized.

I purchased a copy of HOLLOW FIRES for my Teen Room collection at the library and I hope teens read this and spend some time thinking about the bigger message Ahmed is writing about.

Samira had me in my feelings from beginning to end...a few pages in, my eyes were leaking and I felt a way about it...even though my feelings were completely wrecked, I loved this book (as I have her others) and I didn't want to put it down! I so appreciate how Samira doesn't shy away from the hard topics and she doesn't make it so heavy that you feel like you're wadding through it but not so light that she could be making a mockery of it. She got me good with the plot twists AND the future moments. Seriously, Samira is a genius and I will always sing her praises!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Hollow Fires

Author: Samira Ahmed

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Iraqi American Muslim character, Desi American Muslim MC, Muslim characters, Queer characters, Jewish character, Pakistani Muslim character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, contemporary, thriller, race, white supremacy

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Genre: YA Thriller Mystery

Age Relevance: 14+ (death, kidnapping, murder, violence, gore, rape, terrorism, racism, bullying, micro aggressions, white supremacy, police brutality, antisemitism, sexism, islamaphobia, religion, language, climate change)

Explanation of Above: The book involves death and a murder of an Iraqi American child. Kidnapping is mentioned, violence is shown with fights and mentioned in various ways, and gore is briefly shown and mentioned in the form of vomit and blood. The word rape is used in the book, but nothing like that happens. It’s just a thought of what might have happened. There are a lot of tough subjects that are covered in the book, including a lot of racism and micro aggressions, extreme islamaphobia, terrorism and hate crimes committed by white people, and white supremacy shown and dog whistles mentioned. There are also instances of Donald Trump being quoted in the text. There is some showing of police brutality against Muslim characters and there are mentions of antisemitism and sexism. The Islamic religion is shown in this book and the book beautifully describes some of the practices and customs of the religion. There is minimal cursing in the read. There is one mention of climate change.

Publisher: Little, Brown

Pages: 416

Synopsis: A powerful, gripping YA novel about the insidious nature of racism, the terrible costs of unearthing hidden truths, and the undeniable power of hope, by New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed. Perfect for fans of Sadie and Dear Martin.

Safiya Mirza dreams of becoming a journalist. And one thing she’s learned as editor of her school newspaper is that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and not let personal biases affect the story. But all that changes the day she finds the body of a murdered boy.

Jawad Ali was fourteen years old when he built a cosplay jetpack that a teacher mistook for a bomb. A jetpack that got him arrested, labeled a terrorist—and eventually killed. But he’s more than a dead body, and more than “Bomb Boy.” He was a person with a life worth remembering.

Driven by Jawad’s haunting voice guiding her throughout her investigation, Safiya seeks to tell the whole truth about the murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs.

This gripping and powerful book uses an innovative format and lyrical prose to expose the evil that exists in front of us, and the silent complicity of the privileged who create alternative facts to bend the truth to their liking.

Review: I absolutely loved this work. It made me both sad and angry, but gave me strength to fight for a better tomorrow for my BIPOC friends. The book discusses injustice in the legal system and corruption/injustice in the education system at length. The more and more the book went on, the more my heart broke. I wanted to punch so many people in this book because of the hurt they inflicted on so many children due to the adults racist agendas. The book is very raw and it demands that you listen and it does so good to show how white supremacists and lazy attitudes toward racist behavior have led to a huge issue in society today, especially in America. The book also did good to juxtapose famous quotes that alt-right politicians and others, one specifically being Donald Trump, have said to what the truth actually is. The character development was well done, the world building was superb, and I could just go on and on and on about every aspect of this book and how we should be dissecting it for study on how well it describes the increasing attitudes of today’s world. This book should definitely be taught in Literature or Social Studies classes.

The only tiny issue I had with the book is that because it’s in mixed media format and told in a flashback manner sometimes that it’s sometimes hard to remember which is the past and which is the present due to both of those times only being a year apart.

Verdict: I highly recommend you read this book so we can learn what behaviors we need to look for to protect children from the dangers of white supremacy and the alt-right.

Everyone go and read this book immediately.

It’s heartbreaking, real and ugly.

Firstly, the writing. My soul is still recovering. Didn’t expect Jawad POV but loved it. Samira Ahmed played with my emotions so bad.

Next, characters. Safiya was relatable and so unapologetically Muslim. She was just a teenager with big dreams who believed in justice. And Jawad was just a kid who wanted to live his life in peace.
I actually think the person I’m most mad at is the teacher because she was just an ignorant racist.

And oh! The Myslim rep was amazing. The characters are unapologetically Muslim, I never got the sense that they were being made more ‘Western’.
I think this is one of the first Muslim books I’ve read where characters frequently say things like ان شاء الله (If God wills) and Alhamdulillah (all praise is to God)

Now, everybody go read this, by royal decree of me. I swear, it’ll change your life.

Thank you to @tbrbeyondtours and @sam_aye_ahm for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another powerful read that brought out many feelings for me. There definitely needs to be more books like this out there. I highly recommend picking this up to read.

Once I started reading I could not put this down. I was instantly hooked. I should warn that there are quite a few trigger warnings in the book such as islamophobia, racism, bullying, anti-semitism and nazi ideologies, physical violence, kidnapping, and murder.

The book begins on June 2023 when Safiya discovers Jawad’s body and then it works its way to the beginning of the story (2022) but it also jumps back to 2023.

Hollow Fires is told from two points of view, Safiya (a high school student) and Jawad (a 14-year-old 9th grader). Safiya wants to be a journalist when she is finished school. She works in the school newspaper at an elite prep school in Chicago which she attends on a scholarship. She is a Muslim with Indian immigrant parents. She is outspoken and is targeted for her opinions by not only students but by the administration at her school.

Jawad is a Muslim son of Iraqi immigrants. He attends a public school in Chicago. Jawad wants to be an inventor and this is how the story opens. Jawad loves to create things from recycled parts/pieces and he is thrilled with his latest creation of building a jet pack for his Halloween costume. He is so thrilled that he wears it to school the next day. The only thing his English teacher jumps to the conclusion is that it’s a bomb and quickly phones the police without waiting for an explanation of what it is. Jawad is handcuffed and taken to the police station. Where once again no one wants to listen when he tried to tell them what it really is. Jawad is treated like a criminal and ends up with a new nickname of Bomb Boy. From there, things don’t get better. Jawad was an innocent boy who was murdered for this misunderstanding.

Although Jawad and Safiya don’t know each other she is compelled to bring justice to his family and for everyone to remember him. She knows there is more to this story than the press and police are saying. Can she solve this mystery and bring justice to Jawad?

One of the things I loved about Hollow Fires is that Samira tells it like it is in the book from the heated political climate that hit the US these past few years to alternate facts, facts, and the truth. Samira weaves real-life events into the story effortlessly.

Added to the storyline are text messages, articles, transcripts of voice mails, interviews, and news reports.

I know after reading this that I definitely want to pick up a finished copy to reread this. There are some aspects I want to see how it’s done in the book. I know I will be annotating as I read this again.

Reviewed for Blog Tour:
Hollow Fires is the first book I read from Samira Ahmed. I am so impressed and touched. I am really thankful to TBR and Beyond Tours for inviting me to participate on the tour, because I got the chance to review such an important book!

Hollow Fires was really impactful for me, a Muslim woman. The themes of Islamophobia and racism that the book explores is truly heartbreaking. I don’t think I can ever express how much power this book holds. It a must read for EVERYONE. Safiya and Jawad’s story made me feel all kinds of emotions – anger, sadness and just… disappointment because of how a 14 year old was treated. He was just fourteen. There were moments in the book when I couldn’t stop crying because I just felt so helpless ~  the story became so real to me.

The mystery aspect was so perfectly executed too! Samira Ahmed is such a talented author, her writing style drew me in from the first page, and the story gripped my attention until the very last page. After the book ended, I felt like there was a hollow space in my heart.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Go read the book ASAP, bookworms.

When I saw the email for the blog tour for Hollow Fires I was so intrigued and had a feeling that this book was going to be an absolutely belter of a read judging by the synopsis.


Literally after reading the prologue I was getting the biggest 5 star feels ever and I kept reading and reading. I stayed up to 4 am finishing off the book it gave so many emotions from actual sobbing my heart out to actual disbelief.

Samira literally has a master piece on her hands. The story was current, it had two very strong POVs, it was obvious that she had researched the story thoroughly. Last thing I want to talk about are the twists and turns and boy oh boy Samira put the pedal to the metal on them which meant I kept sacking off my TBR so I could read some more then I would forget I needed to go to bed.

This book needs to be read in schools and in homes and should be talked about. I am now going to auto buy Samira's books an read those I have already got. I am giving Hollow Fires 5 stars but it deserves many many many more stars

Absolutely gutted by this amazing piece of story telling. Samira Ahmed seamlessly blends true crime, immigrant story, teen angst and current event, weaving a tapestry of heartache and heroism that inspires and enlightens.

Safiya is navigating her life as well as she can, attending a prestigious private school on scholarship, pursuing her dream of being a journalist on her school paper and maybe even falling in love for the first time when her world is rocked by the disappearance of a young, Iraqi boy from her neighborhood. Suddenly, pieces of the last year begin spiraling into what only she seems to see as an escalation of hate crimes, and maybe murder. The one person who is pushing her to find answers? The murdered boy only she can sense. Can he help her to see the truth before it's too late?

I marveled at how Ahmed drew me into Safiya's life and Jawad's death. Truly masterful story telling, spanning past and present, using first person narrative, real and imagined news and police interview and media commentary. I was transfixed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.