Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - The Henna Wars

Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

84 reviews

abby_shupe's review against another edition

lighthearted 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

4.0

From the beginning, the book starting with an amazing dedication, quote, and thoughtful trigger warnings my expectations for this book were sky high. The author does a great job of introducing and incorporating Bangali culture. Prithi and Nishat’s sisterly banter is so adorable, and had me wishing I was as close as my siblings with how nice their relationship is. The author refrains from using cringy gen-Z slang I see in all too many books nowadays but still maintains the relatable aspects of being a teen in the 21st century. I did find the main character to be annoying at times, with how selfish she was. But by the end of the book she has a slight character arc, I just wish I had the opportunity to see Nishat become the less selfish person she claims that she will become. I didn’t understand half of the book and it’s references because i’m not muslim, bengali, brazilian, in ireland or understanding the ireland school system, or speak portuguese & french so to say the least there were parts in the book I was lost but if you do have a connection to any of those-that’ll help. I still loved the cute, sapphic high school romance and even though I was sometimes a bit lost I still enjoyed this book.

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mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-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? Yes

3.25

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callmeluh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I didn't expect this book to hurt so much, but I guess I should have seen it coming. With subjects like racism, homophobia and cultural appropriation, it wasn't always an easy and cute read, but I think it's why I loved this book so much.
This is such an important book, and I wish there were more like this one. Because yes : we NEED more books with a non-white queer cast.

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cheesepuppy's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wow. What a book. I love it. Very cute story about Nishat. Her little love story is so cuuuuute. Love how Nishat is so close with her sister. I also like the way this book shows appropriation and racism in every day life. I think that’s a great thing to show our teens so they understand the implications of their actions.

Note, I do wish the deadnaming in Chapter 33 could be fixed for future prints of this book. For now, I scribbled it out and fixed the name.

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ciao_potatoes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

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agentsofromanov's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

5.0

This book made me feel so many things. As a queer woman living in Ireland I felt I was able to relate to this book so much.

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justreaditem's review against another edition

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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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