I don’t actually know where to start with talking about Hope Ablaze. Wow… I guess I can start at the beginning: I’ve not read any Muslim immigrant in America stories before. I have read a few books from South Asian/South Asian immigrant in America lenses, but as with most places in the world, South Asia isn’t only one race/ethnicity/language group, so Nida’s Pakistani Muslim immigrant point of view was wholly new to me. I think this book should be required reading. Period. Having a background in literature, this book would be wildly beneficial to anyone studying post-colonial criticism; I read it as an allegory of cololinzers taking indigenous art–without spoiling too much, Nida’s poetry is entered into a contest without her consent. But outside of literary critique, this story is so important for its representation of Muslim American life, especially post 9/11–and yes, while that was over twenty years ago now, its impact is still lasting in everyday American life.

Moving away from the above themes, on a writing level and surface of the story level, Sarah had me hooked from the start–I lately have had a hard time getting into text-based books as I become more addicted to audiobooks and the versatility they provide to my reading schedule. But Hope Ablaze set the stakes so high, the pace so consistent, and the writing so fluid that I had a hard time putting it down and only did when I absolutely had to do something else! Furthermore, the poems interspersed that gave us further insight into Nida’s mind and emotions could stand on their own in a book of poetry, or even as a novel in verse because there are times in the story when the poem before or after a scene actually gave us the plot of a preceding or following event.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book were the various grey areas and moral ambiguities and the fact that the end doesn’t give us a “clean” solution, as life is truly messy and this story portrays LIFE. And yet, there was also this lovely magical realism subplot that I was not expecting and added a bit of je ne sais quoi that peppered the plot with literal color (iykyk).

This book is the kind of book I want to scream about from rooftops and make everyone read, so yes, 5 stars, easily. Sarah has definitely become a new favorite author of mine, especially when considering her addition to the anthology My Big, Fat Desi Wedding that I also loved!

Really enjoyed this story and the characters! It was surprisingly easy 5 star read and I’ll definitely be recommending it to my followers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

In Sarah Mughal Rana's debut novel, high-school senior Nida is shocked to find that she's won a poetry contest ... that she never entered. Worse, her poem talks about her experience being frisked by the police under the watchful eye of a Senate candidate.

With her uncle in prison for an act of terrorism he didn't do, her father gone back to Pakistan, and goats occasionally wondering through their flat, Nida's life is already full of heartbreak and conflicting emotions. When her poem brings the national news to her door, she feels in turmoil--and all the worse, no longer feels like she can write.

What I liked about this novel:
1. It goes back and forth between prose and poetry, which felt super appropriate for a novel where poetry plays such a big part.
2. It's an own voices story about Pakistani immigrant culture, being Muslim in America, and the narrator's faith that not even her mother always understands.
3. It doesn't back away from hard juxtapositions and truths. The political candidate is a Democrat, so Nida and family are faced with the issue of supporting a party that vocally hates them or a candidate who obviously is Islamaphobic and hurts Nida personally.

What I didn't like as much:
1. The magical realism element felt a little disjointed and like it didn't really fit.
2. The author tried to attack A LOT of issues in one book. For a YA novel especially, it's a lot.

The author is very young (still in college), and there are places I felt like that was obvious. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future and seeing how it matures! She has a phenomenal, fearless voice ... much like the one Nida finds in the course of Hope Ablaze.

The story was easy to drag a reader along for the ride. The characters were all thought out very well and didn't seem flat. The main character was a bit repetitive with her wishy-washy thinking at times. It was kind of bizarre that the red string kept on popping up without any in-depth explanation until the near ending of the book which was kind of confusing at times as to what the string was supposed to represent. Overall, the book had an interesting premise that delivered and the writing style was OK. You can tell that this was written by a first-time author, but this author will improve with time.

In light of the fact that St.Martin's Press is refusing to provide actionable items on how they plan to prevent harm to their readers and reviewers due to racism and islamaphobia, I will not be reviewing this title in solidarity with the marketing boycott that has been put in place.

spectacular, excellent, tearjerker. thanks for the arc! i would recommend it. deeply discusses racism and islamophobia, both blatant and ingrained sions. thanks for the arc

Honestly, I really wanted to like this book. It is so important and I love to support debuts, but ultimately it felt not edited enough and needing more work on the plot

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana tells the story of Nida, a teen who enjoys writing poetry and participating in a Muslim-only poetry group. When one day she is illegally frisked while walking near a rally, including having her hijab removed in front of a political candidate who claims to support Muslims. The experience is understandably traumatic for her and she works through the trauma by writing her poetry, including naming the politician. When someone close to her submits her poem to a competition without her permission, the candidate fights her for defamation and soon Nida's family is in the media spotlight leading to a number of uncomfortable, and potentially unsafe situations. Told through a blend of narrative and poetry, Hope Ablaze is a beautifully crafted and thought-provoking story that reminds readers of the importance of speaking up for yourself and your community, holding people in power accountable for their actions and the therapeutic value of writing down your thoughts and feelings, even if you're the only one who reads them. For me the only downside was that I am not a huge fan of poetry, but I could appreciate the use of poetry in this context.

While aimed at a YA audience, I think adults would enjoy this book and all readers can benefit from the messages sent. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher stmartins press wednesday books for giving me the chance to read and review this book ahead of its pubdate: March 2024.

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.

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️