Hope Abalze tells the story of Nida who uses her poetry to express her feelings about what she is going through and the things happening around her. She comes from a long line of poets, but her family members have stopped sharing or even writing poetry because it can be dangerous and they want to protect the people they love. Nida uses her poetry though and when it is shared without her knowing it leads to trouble with an elected official's campaign and has many more repercussions that come with it. She struggles to deal with these repercussions and we see that through the story from the hardships she goes through and what her family and community go through as well. This book was eye-opening and made me think more outside of my community and how just one little thing can get blown out of proportion in the media. We've been seeing a lot recently with how one little thing becomes a week-long story in the news. It's a lot and it is a good reminder to take a step back and look at what really matters and the people that are being potentially harmed because of these stories.

- Friendship and Family
- Poetry
- Faith
-Misunderstanding

3.5 stars

I was expecting a heart-breaking, tear-jerking book and while it made me tear up a little it didn't deliver like I hoped. I chose to read Hope Ablaze because of the comparison with The Poet X, and while it came close to it, and had some poems that were so thought-provoking, I didn't enjoyed it as much.

Following the aftermath of 9/11 and the rise of islamophobia this book made me so angry for both the protagonist and her family, especially with the political climate nowadays this book feels so relevant, my issues come with the magical realism, and the rituals that were in the story, in my opinion it took some of the seriousness of what was happening, the story was already giving so this just felt unnecessary and disrupted the flow of the story.

Still, I think this is a book that while it is not one of my favorites I would still recommend.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange of a honest review.

This book was heart wrenching and such an accurate portrayal of being Muslim in the western world. Having your words used against you, being the victim of profiling and having to vote for the "lesser evil" are all aspects Muslims can relate to. Sarah's debut was fantastic and I can't wait to see what she puts out next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

This was an enchanting and an eye opening read. The writing was so beautiful.

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana. Pub Date: February 27, 2024. Rating: 5 stars. All the stars for this wonderfully executed novel focused on topics of racism, immigration and family through the power of voice. The young girl in this novel is a niece to an uncle who was wrongfully incarcerated during a time of war. She is a young poet who unfortunately was frisked at a Democratic rally which inspired her to write about the politician. What happens afterwards is a whirlwind in which her words go viral. She has to balance being a young woman, her Muslim faith/community, her familial obligations and her own personal thoughts and feelings about what it means to be a Muslim in America. I found this novel really well done, eye opening and full of heart and truth. Such an important novel for everyone to read. Thanks to #netgalley and #wednesdaybooks for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

All My Rage meets The Poet X in this electric debut that explores a Muslim teen finding her voice in a post-9/11 America.


Thank you Wednesday Books & Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I read the first 75 pages of this book and I decided to DNF it. It’s an interesting story but I don’t like the writing style.

“I never saw myself in books, shows, nor movies. If I saw a Muslim on TV, it was a villainous stereotype or worse, a girl being coerced to take off her hijab for the sake of the show’s romantic plot. If I saw brown characters, I saw a caricature of a monolith representing South and Central Asia.

I was set on writing a book that gave readers a glimpse into a story of one girl as she navigates a world so set against her. Through touches of speculative magic, I wanted to write about the diversity and beauty of Pakistan without idealizing its flaws, mistakes, and tragic history.” - Authors Note

HOPE ABLAZE by Sarah Mughal Rana is such a beautiful, YA novel. A teenage girl wearing a hijab is wrongly detained and frisked and she begins to fight back through sharing her story and her poetry.

I loved the poetry woven through; I think really helped solidify our main character’s voice and gave us her internal dialogue in such a beautiful and raw way. It’s spoken word - so listening to the audiobook was especially fantastic for these sections.

While it felt slightly long for me at almost 400 pages, it tackled so many issues like: women’s rights; the attacks (physically and otherwise) on women who wear hijabs; ethnocentrism and Islamophobia; and so much more.

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

Book: Hope Ablaze

Author: Sarah Mughal Rana

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Muslim Pakistani MC, Muslim Pakistani characters, Syrian characters, Christian Syrian character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, poetry

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Genre: YA Contemporary

Age Relevance: 14+ (religion, racism, islamaphobia, terrorism, police brutality, animal death, violence, gun violence, death)

Explanation of Above: The Islamic religion is shown proudly throughout the book. There are scenes of racism and islamaphobia. Terrorism is mentioned and police brutality is shown and mentioned. There is an animal death mentioned (slaughter of a goat). There are scenes of violence and a shooting is mentioned. There is some death discussed in the book.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece - the poet that will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option. When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be. With a touch of magic and poetry sprinkled throughout, Sarah Mughal Rana's Hope Ablaze is heartbreaking, often funny, and ultimately uplifting, not only celebrating the Islamic faith and Pakistani culture, but simultaneously confronting racism and Islamophobia with unflinching bravery.

Review: This was such a good read. The book revolves around Nida who is following in her uncle’s footsteps of becoming a poet. Following a racist incident led by a political figure, Nida writes a poem about the incident which gets leaked. The book follows Nida as she navigates the insane racism and terrorism following the incident as well as discovering how the poem got leaked. The book was very impactful and honest in showing how the USA treats Muslim citizens. The book features some good poetry as well, so it’s great for people who like slam poetry in books. The book had great world building and character development as well.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book was that it was a bit repetitive in places and there were some spots where I was like “eh… is that necessary?”. But overall I did think that the book was good.

Verdict: It was thought provoking. Highly recommend.

Sarah Mughal Rana is an amazing author and I want to meet her someday! She inspired me to study abroad and Hope Ablaze is incredible. I hope to see more readers read it and her future books!

Wow, this book was amazing! First of all, the fantastic Muslim representation was, well, fantastic! I loved the characters and getting to know them, and the poetic elements were so cool. The only thing that didn't work for me was the magical realism bit, but other than that, I very much enjoyed this book and I think everyone should read it at some point!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Hope Ablaze is a powerful debut that expertly weaves the personal and political, capturing the struggles of a young Muslim woman in a post-9/11 America. Nida’s journey of self-discovery and the weight of her family's legacy create a compelling narrative that resonates deeply. The exploration of her voice through poetry is beautifully portrayed, and the impact of her viral poem serves as a pivotal moment that challenges her identity and expectations. The infusion of humor and magic adds a unique flair, making the story both poignant and uplifting. While the pacing occasionally feels uneven, the themes of resilience and courage shine through, making it a memorable read that bravely confronts stereotypes and celebrates cultural identity.

Hope Ablaze is ideal for fans of All My Rage. It’s a touching book that readers will adore. I genuinely loved it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review previously withheld in solidarity with the St. Martin Press reviewer boycott. All opinions are my own. 

Hope Ablaze was another of those books that I requested while glancing briefly at the premise and thinking it sounded great, but not being aware of how hard it would end up hitting, even knowing the book would tackle Islamophobia. But given the state of the world as I write this (even if the world will hopefully look at least marginally different when this review sees the light of day?), I felt a lot of feelings while reading this. 

The book follows Nida, who is an incredibly relatable protagonist.. She lives with a single mother and her sister, and I felt for her as she struggled with the feeling that her mother preferred her sister to her. There’s also the additional factor that her uncle is a poet who was wrongfully incarcerated and deemed a “terrorist.” She too is a poet, and while it’s a form of expression she uses in her activism, it’s also one she uses to explore her internal and familial issues too. 

I appreciate the way the book explored the myriad ways, beyond the obvious, that Islamophobia pervades our society. While there are some very obvious and large-scale incidents, there are the more subtle, yet equally insidious. 

And one of the most intriguing for me was the wider political focus, with Nida’s initial form of protest being a poem dedicated to a Democratic Senatorial candidate after an illegal frisking. This is in line with the broader themes, and comes full-circle by the end of the book, with the arrival of the election that was anticipated throughout. The bittersweet truth about having to choose between the lesser of two evils when neither has your best interests at heart rings particularly true in this election year, when our two primary choices for President are a former President who, among other issues, attempted to ban immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, and an incumbent President who has largely been supportive of Israel. 

And while, if this review has gone up, the issues that have led to the boycott will have been resolved, but it’s ludicrous to me how little regard SMP had for authors like Rana with their actions. 

This is a fabulous book, and I’d recommend it to readers who are interested in hard-hitting contemporaries, especially those centering Pakistani-Muslims.

Although a difficult read, especially during this climate of rising islamophobia, this was an empowering story of a young muslim woman finding the power of her voice. I was rooting so hard for Nida, and I'm definitely excited to read what Sarah Mughal Rana writes next.

This was a beautifully written book. I feel like this should be required reading especially now when Islamophobia is running so rampant in this world. I was so moved by all the poetry in this book, that they will stay with me for a very long time.

This. Now that the boycott is over, THIS is the first book from SMP that I want you to read. Hear my words: this one is important. I consider it an honor to have been sent an ARC of this on @netgalley back in January.

If you wanted to scream and burn the world down reading All My Rage, or The Poet X, this one is for you.

What absolutely blew me away:

🔥The way Hope Ablaze addresses the systematic oppression of the Muslim people, and especially hijab wearing women was heartbreakingly poignant. Every moment of police violence or moment with a slimeball politician made me want to put my fist through a wall. The way this violence splits both familial relationships and friendships as people desperately try to find their own balance of keeping themselves safe while still trying to raise their voices, was devastating.
🔥 The poetry and prose in this is spellbounding. There is a rhythm and choice in the words that digs deep under your skin. It's been months and I still regularly think about specific sections of this book.
🔥 Rana's use of magic to embody Nida's trauma after her experience with police brutality was simply brilliant. The idea of one mentally or metaphorically being "trapped" and unable to continue with the things they love after a traumatic event (either due to fear of the consequences or feeling like they literally are paused in time) being turned into a literal spool of yarn that binds Nida's mouth from speaking her poetry, physically stopping her hands from writing a single word, was an amazing way to help someone visualize trauma that hasn't experienced it. The magic also really added to the story's "this is bigger than us, and our time here" feeling throughout. I was so pleased with how her curse ended up healing some relationships she thought were truly broken forever.

I could go on about this book being a MUST read forever. Move it up your TBR immediately and continue to squash Islamophobia in every corner you see it rear it's ugly head.

Hope Ablaze is out NOW!

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

Sarah Mughal Rana's *Hope Ablaze* is a powerful and poignant coming-of-age story that delves into the complexities of identity, faith, and the pursuit of one's dreams. Nida Siddiqui, a young Pakistani-American poet, finds herself at a crossroads as she grapples with the expectations of her traditional family and her own aspirations for a life beyond their cultural boundaries.

Rana skillfully weaves together themes of Islamophobia, family dynamics, and the transformative power of poetry. Nida's journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring as she navigates the challenges of being a Muslim woman in America while striving to find her own voice. The novel's exploration of cultural identity and the search for belonging is both timely and relevant.

While the novel tackles heavy themes, Rana infuses the story with moments of humor and hope. The supporting characters, particularly Nida's supportive grandmother and her rebellious cousin, add depth and complexity to the narrative.

*Hope Ablaze* is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary young adult literature. It is a powerful and uplifting story that celebrates the human spirit and the resilience of the human heart.

An interesting diaspora work exploring the home life and external struggles of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood dealing with racism, religious persecution, and betrayal. This book was eye opening, but also thoroughly confusing. I followed the basic plot easily enough, felt the righteous indignation and empathy flow from the pages, but then the magical realism sneaked up and I went right past it.
Overall, I think this is a great debut novel that offers a lot to the discussion about the mixed cultures that truly make up America.

Hope Ablaze is Sarah Mughal Rana's debut YA novel. Written in the vein of I Am Poet, Hope Ablaze is a must-read book for young adults. Set in a post-911 America, Hope Ablaze follows Nida as she navigates the political landscape of Islamaphobia and the Pakistani diaspora. It is an important perspective and a critical view of the world Nida has found. The storytelling is broken by poetry which I thought was a unique narrative choice and added to the autonomy and power of Nida: a way for Nida to use her voice. Nida's relationships between her parents, her friends, and those in her community were also interesting and added value into Nida's character growth.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc and a chance to review this book.