Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

47 reviews

prrttyodd's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Outing

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Bullying

Minor: Toxic friendship

solaria's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Very fun and adorable! Loved the character development. The characters all had flaws, especially Nishat, but they were called out and dealt with. Wish it described more than specifically told things, but the rest of the book made up for these moments. Loved the exploration between Nishat and Priti, and just thought it was a very enjoyable book. Love some sapphic fiction wherever it presents itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Outing, Lesbophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Religious bigotry

kayden__reads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Homophobia

Minor: Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship

tetedump's review

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Racism

bendersreads's review

challenging funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Outing

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, and Religious bigotry

lzzz004's review

hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing and Racism

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, and Biphobia

sonia_'s review

emotional lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Such a great book! After reading Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating I loved it so much I went to go see what other books Adiba Jaigirdar had written, and I am so glad I did. The Henna Wars is a academic rivals to lovers young adult wlw romance that deals with many heavy subjects such as: racism, outing, homophobia (specifically lesbophobia), bullying, and religious bigotry; despite the subject matter, it still managed to stay relatively lighthearted. As a lesbian in a religious household, Nishat's story hit me really hard, it is first time I've seen a accurate portrayal of  "new-age" religious homophobia (not outright hatred, but the idea of "hate the sin love the sinner") , and I think that this gives this story a more realistic feel. I absolutely love the Bengali culture that was shown in this book, as well as the discussions of cultural appropriation. I think that diversity in literature is a super important thing, and as a white woman I don't think that I would have learned this much about Bengali culture if not for Adiba Jaigirdar's books. 

I highly recommend reading this book, it's a pretty quick read and if you have a afternoon to spare there's no excuse not to read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Racism

justreaditem's review

emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book definitely brought the information surrounding henna and where it comes from. Nishat loves art, and it really shows throughout the book. You could really feel how hurt she was that her family were ashamed of her sexuality. Considering she is Bengali, but also Irish, you’d think that her family would be a little bit more accepting. Flavia comes across as a really selfish person. I wasn’t really a fan of her throughout the book but I did like that she was pushing Nishat out of her comfort zone. 

I really liked the element of culture appropriation that was threaded throughout the book. I think it brought a simple realness and honesty to the story. It’s so easy to take elements of a culture that you like and just use them as you wish. But without understanding and respecting where it comes from, it can cause a lot of pain and make life even more difficult for those from that culture.

The end was sweet and I like how it wrapped up. I can’t wait for the author’s next book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Islamophobia

deideo's review

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Islamophobia, Outing, Racism, and Religious bigotry

sammyreadsshit's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Bullying, and Religious bigotry