An incredibly timely (almost prescient) reclamation of the Muslim faith, community, language, and art.

In all honesty, I could not get completely onboard with some elements of the plot and characterization (hence the three-stars), but I still respect this book for what it does. It touches upon the history of colonial meddling in Southeast Asian and the Middle East - from British rule in India, the partition of Pakistan, and more recently, the US-backed "war on terror". It fights the narrative that frames even non-violent resistance against oppressive regimes as de facto "terrorism". It reclaims the beauty and power of the Arabic language, resisting its appropriation by western leaders desperate to tie it to violence. And, most importantly, it highlights the importance of speaking truth to power and holding politicians accountable for their systematically violent policies targeting Black and brown bodies both domestically and overseas.

While I would not recommend this book to simply anyone, I think it is a powerful read that is a great jumping-off point for any older child, teen, or young adult struggling to make sense of Islamophobia in the western world.

Thank you Wednesday books and Netgalley for approving me for HOPE ABLAZE by Sarah Mughal Rana. This is a thought-provoking, poetic debut, that grapples with issues of Islamophobia and what it's like to be a young Muslim woman in America. I found the protagonist to be courageous and individual and the book wonderful.

"Hope Ablaze" by Sarah Mughal Rana left me feeling more frustrated than fulfilled. Despite my initial enthusiasm, I found myself struggling to get into the narrative, and the overall reading experience was a tedious and trying one.
The story seemed to drag on and the sluggish pace, made it hard to maintain interest. What could have been a compelling tale was lost in some overtelling. The book seemed to beat the reader over the head with its point, becoming heavy-handed and didactic. The narrative, which started with promise, devolved into a tiresome repetition that left me eager to finish rather than savor the closing chapters. Maybe this book would be better received by young adults? Unfortunately, I would not recommend it to others.

I will be withholding all reviews and promotion for St. Martin's Press titles and their imprints until the publisher addresses the concerns of BIPOC and Muslim creators who are being stalked, harassed and feel unsafe due to the actions of a racist employee.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up Hope Abalze on February 27, 2024.

This book was a stark and gorgeous exploration of a young Muslim girl's experience in America. Sarah Mughal Rana fully immersed us in Nida's world, showcasing the love of Nida's community and family during life's highest and lowest moments. Hope Ablaze radiated pure emotion from beginning to end through Nida's poetry and spoken word performances as well as her internal and external conflicts.

I loved the nuance woven into this story about America's current political and religious climate, and I can tell Sarah's done her research/spoken from her own experiences to paint such a vivid picture. Though I haven't personally walked in Nida's shoes, I felt her pain and outrage, her courage and triumph, through Sarah's words. And as a former spoken word performer, I felt Nida's poetry deep down.

Nida's family's history with poetry was absolutely beautiful, and all of the verses in this book moved me. I wish I'd listened to the audiobook just so I could hear it myself.

Political literature isn't usually my go-to, given the abundance of those issues in real life. However, Sarah's book caught my attention, prompting me to request the advance reader copy—grateful to NetGalley for making that possible.

The timing of this book's release strikes a poetic note, aligning with the real-time occurrence of its central themes. The exploration of socio-political topics like colonialism, Islamophobia, and racism, while rooted in post-9/11 America, remains remarkably relevant in our present circumstances.

4.5 Stars!
Getting into this story took some time, but once I did, it hooked me. Nida, a Muslim teenage girl in America, is part of a poetry group in her Muslim neighborhood. She writes a lot of personal poetry to express herself and cope with challenges.

The book, "Hope Ablaze," delves into Islamophobia and sheds light on how the media distorts stories, twisting words to fit their agendas. The writing is emotionally charged, with raw feelings embedded throughout the poems and situations. A subplot explores generational pain and trauma cleverly woven into the larger narrative by tracing Nida's historical roots.

While some debut author choices are evident, the potential is clear. The topic is weighty, especially for those unfamiliar with the history discussed. It's an important and thought-provoking read, particularly for non-Muslims.

The novel doesn't promise an easy resolution to Islamophobia, acknowledging its complexity, especially given the intersectionality involved. Instead, the author, Rana, raises questions about mobilizing marginalized communities against systemic obstacles. The book critiques the flaws of the two-party system within the context of racialized Muslim communities.

It's an emotional read that might require a tissue or two. Overall, it's a great book with a meaningful message, and I appreciate that it's aimed at a YA audience.

The topic and themes were incredible and so so important. They need to be screamed from the top of buildings. Unfortunately, it was just the execution that lacked for me. The first quarter of the story kept me engaged pretty well. But after that, a lot felt very drawn out and repetitive.

i’m going to start by going over content:

there was a good distinction between culture and religion. having muslims that are from different places with different cultures (pakistani, indian, american, bangladeshi, etc) is a good way to subtly do this and this author did it great

i liked the way in which the author incorporated Nida’s practicing of Islam. doing her daily prayers, reading Quran, dressing modestly, greeting people with salaam, hadith, fasting, sacrifice, etc. they were incorporated very naturally and it didn’t seem forced. the information was correct and mostly not stereotyped.

i particularly loved nidas love for prayer. saying that she saw it as a comforting embrace is a beautiful way to describe the peace that prayer can bring. also how it helped her to fall in love with Islam and understand it better.

sometimes, the portrayal of islam would become a little exaggerated. for example, this books seems to take place in an urban setting, a city or city adjacent. nida constantly makes mention to her mom bringing live goats into their home to give in sacrifice. i live in an urban setting and its not very common for this to happen. mostly a certain amount will be paid for a goat to be sacrificed in their name somewhere else. that being said, it’s not that it’s incorrect information or that it’s wrong, it’s just not super common.

i didn’t love when the author wrote that hijab is not a choice. it is so much more complex than that. it is a commandment yes, however in Islam there is not law that punishes women for not wearing hijab.

ok now let’s move on to writing style:

this point is not a specific grievance i have with this book or author, just something i’ve noticed recently. while it is very important to write about the overt racism that muslims in america face today, it is equally as important to write about the micro aggressions and subtle islamaphobia that muslims (especially hijabis) face on the daily. these micro aggressions are just as harmful and even more common. i would love to have more books be written about this topic.

my main reason for disliking this book was the overall writing style. i felt that the pacing was a little off. the first 30% of the book was so packed with intense moments. but after that, it slowed a lot. so much so that it got repetitive. Nida’s inner dialogue got repetitive, her conversations with her mother got repetitive, even her poetry would, at times, get repetitive. then, the last 15-20% of the book picked back up again with so much new information and plot being introduced.

overall, the book wasn’t bad content wise. the pacing just caused me to get a little bored halfway through. honestly, it’s probably not something i will end up rereading.

This was such an impactful, important story, especially given the political climate we are currently in. Sarah's poetry was so strong, I wish there was more of it in the book. I think the beginning was a little confusing -- I didn't quite know what was going on until like 40% into the book but when everything came together, I was speeding through so quickly because I needed to know what was going to happen. Muslim voices and stories are so important and Sarah captures Nida's so well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful emotional message! I appreciate that it's geared towards a YA audience. I adored the aspects of poetry and how that can be an outlet of inspiring others and finding your voice.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

“Hope Ablaze” by: Sara Mughal Rana

“Ubadah ibn al-Samit reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the first to be created by Allah was the pen. Allah told it to write, so it wrote all that will exist until forever.”’ Haddith
The pen of a poet writes best when truth flows from its nib. And the words of a poem affect the heart when written with the emotions, conviction, and the very soul of the poet. As a poet, we wish for our words to speak to the reader or listener precisely the way we created it in our mind. Unfortunately, added meaning is often created by readers searching for meaning, hatred found where none intended.
Nida Siddiqui is a Muslim, and a teenaged girl with the soul of a poet. It lies within her very blood. After an illegal frisking by the democratic candidate for presidency, Mitchell Wilson, Nida’s heart is broken. Who of us can handle being called a terrorist at such an age simply because of religion and bigotry? As a poet, Nida writes.
On to my analysis. I was tlucky enough to read an advanced reader copy of this book that had also happened to be on my tbr list because I’d seen a clip of the author talking about her own experiences as a Muslim woman. I am not Muslim so I don’t know what it is like to face such bigotry but this novel allows readers to visualize what it is like to experience not only hatred because of an identifiable feature of your religion, but how to feels to have your words twisted and tangled into a binding that silences your soul. It shows the depth of loss of a loved one and how good intentions can harm. I loved this novel and do still plan on adding it to my shelves. 4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this thinking this was going to be amazing, as the description seemed great. Unfortunately, I was gripped by this book, and it wasn't as strong as I was hoping it would be. I got almost 15% before realizing it just isn't working for me. I do think there will be good topics and themes discussed throughout the book for teens that need to read it, but it wasn't working for me.

This book is beautifully written. It is a novel following a Muslim high school girl who experiences Islamophobia, racism, and more. As a young Muslim girl myself I really resonated with the story that was being told.

The book was very political, which at times can be heavy, but I feel that it is very beneficial to read and learn about. It's very eye-opening, developed well, and informative.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was that the main character was a poet so we get to read a lot of different poems throughout the book. They're all very well written and it's nice to see prose and poetry in the same novel, it makes the reading experience more engaging!

I really liked the main character as a whole. Her struggle with family, friends, school, and other things all felt very real and made her a well-rounded, dynamic, human character. I also thought all the side characters added to the story and were also well-written and developed.

Overall I thought this was a really well-written book with a strong and important message, that is both entertaining and important!

I found Nida's story to be really powerful and unfortunately probably all too familiar to many Muslims. I love to read stories from perspectives that differ from my own, to learn more about the world and the variety of people who inhabit it. I enjoyed the way this story was told through both poetry and prose chapters, and I bet it would be great on audio. However, I got a bit lost in the supernatural aspects--there wasn't really so much that it pulled me out of the story, but at the same time felt like not enough to warrant its inclusion at all, so I found that to be an odd choice.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

This is a book that will heal the inner child of every young person impacted by islamaphobia.

I want every Muslim-American woman to read this book, feel the pain of the characters and connect not only with those aches but with the journey undertaken to heal.

This book was amazing! I loved the nontraditional structure with the poetry separating the chapters because I felt like I was really getting to know Nida as a more dynamic character. The book also captures very well the struggle Muslims experience in America with prejudice, discrimination, gross misconceptions, and Islamophobia. Not only that, but the exploration of familial expectations and the pulls those can have also really resonated, and it was especially powerful seeing Nida's relationship with her Amma. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and how the words gave me an even deeper understanding and different perspective on a Muslim experience.

I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. There were times when I was going to give it three stars because I felt like it needed to go through another round of edits. There were some aspects of the story that were either too sudden or needed more time to play out and be examined. I also had issues with the over-exaggerated aunties. I've seen it too many times now. Can we just get some normal brown aunties at some point? I don't like seeing these caricatures of desi aunties and uncles, because this is all people are getting. Yes, sometimes aunties are like that, but also sometimes they're just PEOPLE and I want to see that as well.

Overall, this was certainly an important story about the experiences of Muslims in a country where we should be free to believe and practice what we want, but instead are expected to take off all our clothes in the pursuit of "liberation." I also liked the discussion on politics and how neither side is on our side any longer.

I did wish the poetry had been more... poetic. The the poems just read like the story in verse, and I wanted to see more poetic verses in line with the Pakistani ghazals and all Nida was referring to in the story.