Reviews with content warning for Violence - Zara Hossain Is Here

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

9 reviews

courtknee__vn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book really made me stop and think about my privilege how much I don’t have to think about daily being a white woman. Being in Texas, I see a lot about immigration and I’ve always thought it was so unfair that immigrants and people of different ethnicities and religions have to deal with so much discrimination on a daily basis but really diving into that experience from Zara’s perspective made me see it even more and it broke my heart and made me so angry. It’s not fair that she had to wake up every day with the weight of so much on her shoulders and constantly had to be on guard because of so many cruel people. I obviously don’t have the words to really express how important this book is but I think it’s such an eye opening and important read for every single person. Very very highly recommend!!

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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3.75

What I most liked about this book were Zara as a character and her loving and mutually supportive relationship with her parents. I really loved how they were written. I also especially enjoy books where I can't predict what's going to happen next, and that was definitely the case with this one.

As far as my critiques, most of the characters did not feel especially developed. What activities does Priya enjoy? Why does Zara like Claire other than that Zara finds her pretty and they are both queer? At the end of the book, I didn't have a clear idea of how to answer those questions. Even with Zara, we open the book with her training in martial arts, but that barely gets brought up again after that first scene, despite the fact that she's been involved with it for most of her life.

Moreover, there were some plot points that were introduced but never really went anywhere. For example,

what happened with Maria after Zara intervened in the bullying and intimidation that was happening? It's implied that she might talk to the principal about how she was bullied, but we never hear about her after that incident. I was thinking she might become friends with Zara and her crew

. The ending felt rather abrupt, too.

There were also several instances where the characters acted as mouthpieces for the author's beliefs, sounding like they were reading Wikipedia pages about the DREAM Act and immigration reform. Although I agreed with what they were saying (fuck borders), I imagine there could have been a more organic way to present these ideas in the characters' own voices.

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susanknights's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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

4.25

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venetiana's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

This was so good. I especially love how it didn't latch onto the "easiest" solution. The purpose of this book is definitely not to assuage white guilt, and I really appreciate that.
Also, very lovable characters, great writing, and funny too.

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smillas_tales's review against another edition

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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? No

3.0

This book offers a view into the uncertain situations many immigrants find themselves in, and It’s a heavily political and family-oriented story! It also explores the intersectionality of race, religion and sexuality, and while it isn’t a new favorite, I really enjoyed my time with it!

This story focuses on a lot of important topics, and I loved how none of the issues were sugarcoated! I also really liked the casual queer representation, as there isn’t made a big deal of Zara’s sexuality. I also appreciated that her safety as a queer woman as well as a woman of color and a Muslim was discussed, as these intersectionalities aren’t often explored this thoroughly in YA literature.

While I loved many aspects of this book, the execution was lacking. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, as I found the dialogue to be somewhat awkward, as well as the descriptions to be lacking. I never got a clear picture of any of the characters or their surroundings, which is something I need to really get enveloped in a story. The ending was also really rushed, and I lacked a more comprehensive conclusion.

Additionally, the romance just didn’t work for me. The reader is told that Zara and Chloe like each other, but not actually shown why. We don’t get to see them connect, and it’s very insta-lovey, which I can’t stand. It’s definitely a sub-plot though, so don’t let it keep you from reading this!

Although it isn’t a new favorite, I do highly recommend this if you’re looking for a YA contemporary with a political focus and great queer representation!

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laureliz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.0

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starryorbit12's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense fast-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

4.75

Zara Hossain is Here in a short, fast-paced novel filled with intention on every page. The struggle and injustice that Zara and her family go through are core of this novel showing how government processes can often further victimize already hurt and marginalized people. It shows just how much immigrants have to fight no mater how many years they have been in the country and how fight rarely every ends.Zara, her friends, and family shine and the book never shies away from the ugly true of what they have been through and continue to go through waiting 14 years for their green cards to finish processing. The social commentary is spot on, and this a short read that could be finished in one to two sitting making it work the read if your on the fence. I do appreciate the optimistic but not perfect ending as well. It felt realistic without use realistic as way to be overly grim-dark or angsty.

This is also F/F romance with a bisexual lead and lesbian love interest. While the representation is great, the conversation on homophobia is a little shallow in places.

The novel focus more on Chloe, the love interests, homophobic Christian family than the implication of what could happen to Zara if she moves back to Pakistan and is outed. I do like the Zara family was supportive though. Not even Zara thinks about to as debates going with her family, she thinks more on not being with Chloe than the implication of what being with women could mean for her there. It only briefly touched on that although her parents may miss their family that they may lose by them anyways if they find out Zara is bisexual.

In comparison to the other themes, the homophobia and romance felt tacked on. Zara and Chloe were cute, and I love the way they are able to communicate and be each other's rocks when bad things happen. It just the harder LGBTQ+ topics the book approached fell flat.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring 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

4.5

This book was wonderful. I feel like Zara went through so much in a short time and learned a ton and really developed. I enjoyed the explorations other characters went through as well. I loved how supportive her parents were of her and how they defied the stereotypes about Muslim parents and queer children.

I also really liked Zara's relationship with Chloe and how open it was! So cute!

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citymouse's review against another edition

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3.5

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