Reviews

HWJN by Ibraheem Abbas, Yasser Bahjatt

tamandua's review

2.5

interesting interpretation of Jinn and the Qu’ran but a really weird romance I don’t know how to interpret and really not well written tbh

lleullawgyffes's review

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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

3.5

kentcryptid's review

4.0

Hwjn (pronounced 'Hawjan') is a Saudi story about a young jinn who is first horrified, then fascinated, when humans move into the house occupied by himself and his family. The story moves at breakneck pace, with some great moments of humour and a lovely fairytale feel.

There are occasional odd language choices which I'm putting down to the translation and a couple of moments when the titular character's musings on women made me roll my eyes, but neither took away from my enjoyment of this very readable tale.

miekookeim's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.25

nwhyte's review

3.0

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2852001.html

Hawjan is a jinn who falls in love with a human girl, Sawsan; and wrestles with his own supernatural family and the forces of magic, at the same time mildly critiquing the structures of society in Saudi Arabia (though not much in so far as the status of women is concerned). The book was a huge best-seller, if controversial, in Saudi Arabia and the wider region, and apparently will be filmed soon. I must say I'm not a huge paranormal romance fan in normal times, but it was interesting to see the tropes adapted to a very different cultural setting.

ca6's review

4.0

الرواية مشوقة جدا ومحمسة وصعب القارئ يقفلها في مرحلة معينة ﻷن الفضول بيشجعو يقرأها ﻵخر حرف، ده غير أن فيها حكم قيمة ، بس المشكلة أن الرواية ديه صعب تتصنف كعمل أدبي ، يعني أنا شايفة أنها للتسلية مش أكتر ، يعني أنا بعد ماخلصتها حصيلتي اللغوية مش بقت أكبر ، اللغة ركيكة جدا ، بس استمتعت بقرأتها وفرحت بالنهاية ! :)

khardan's review

5.0

Estamos hablando de un libro extraño. Se trata de una obra de fantasía escrita en el mundo arábigo y sacada a la luz por una editorial de la zona. Por suerte, trajeron unos ejemplares de prueba a la LonCon y me dije, ¿cómo no vas a darle una oportunidad a un libro de djinns escrito por un árabe? Vamos, me gustan los genios, así que... ver cómo lo trata alguien que viene de esa cultura tenía que ser una experiencia única. Y lo ha sido, desde el principio hasta el final. ¿Por qué? Por muchos motivos, el primero de ellos, la lejanía cultural. El segundo, la clara muestra de cómo es la sociedad. Y otros varios de los que os iré hablando durante la reseña

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