Reviews

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

bethany6788's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Nida is a poet who is inspired by her uncle. Her uncle is currently in prison, wrongfully accused of terrorism. She is in a public park and goes to pray, and she is illegally frisked by officers. Her poetry letter to the senator who stood by and let it happen goes viral.

I really loved this one. It was a gorgeous, difficult book to read. Audio was definitely the way to go, as there are intermingled poems here with the story. You could feel the emotion dripping from the narrator’s voice. I loved how poetry brought the generations together even as it also tore them apart. The family history was amazing. 

There were so many great lines in this one too about family, hope, love, and loss. 

It truly was a beautiful book and I will be thinking about it for a long time. Incredibly well written and emotionally vulnerable. 

littleredmacks's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

dounia_1999's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

loriming's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

2.5

kellymarcella's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense 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? No

4.25

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

What a book! I didn’t know too much to expect from this book, but this was wonderful and touching.The characters and feelings and setting were so real and raw. This novel shows how difficult life can be, and how resiliency is not easy. Would highly recommend this one.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

bookswithbrandywine's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

katie_l21's review against another edition

5.0

This is a beautiful, moving, and emotional story of a Muslim American high-schooler who undergoes an illegal stop and frisk, condoned by a Senate candidate.
I absolutely loved this story, and the use of poetry letters throughout was a unique twist! I loved the writing and am looking forward to reading more from Sarah Mughal Rana!

kansas_b's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

5.0

chelseakado's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5