Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Darius the Great Deserves Better

Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

13 reviews

mconant's review

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.5

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bladelikesbooks's review

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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

Like the first book Darius is still going through a lot. Darius has to deal with a lot of complicated teenager feelings while also worrying about his family’s financial position, grieving his grandfather, maintining a long distance friendship, still dealing with bullies, and dealing with a boyfriend who wants more from him.

I love Darius as a character so much and i could easily read 10 more books about him. Khorram gives such a real presentation of teenage depression and regular teenage life. I really enjoyed the narration too! I literally don’t have a single bad thing to say about either of these books. I also really appreciated the inclusion of crisis lines at the end of the book.

Representation - Asthma (MC); Bahá’í (SC); Bisexual (LI); Black (BGCs); Depression (MC/A); Fat (MC); Gay (MC); Iranian (SC); Iranian American (BGC); Iranian/Persian American (MC); Korean American (BGC); Muslim (BGC); POC (SC); Queer (SC); They/Them (BGC); Trans MTF (SC); Sapphic (SCs)

TWs/CWs - Bullying; Death of a Loved One; Discrimination; Fatphobia; Homophobia; Islamophobia; Mental Illness; Racism; Weight Talk

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mswarning's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

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

4.25

I preferred the first book with Darius exploring Iran and his Iranian heritage. This sequel lagged for me with a lot of tea and tea tasting.

Read for Whateverathon 2022 for host fave (first book in the series), continue a series, and borrow a book.

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yoursupremereads's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.5

The follow up to Darius The Great Is Not Okay is a great sequel. Khorram has continued to flesh out Darius's trademark nerd/weeb tea loving charm through this new installment. But has given him a new boyfriend and a potential future love interest in the form of an old childhood bully. This story explores not only residual trauma from bullies, but from the passersby who stood around and let the bullying happen. This story also did a good job of investigating personal growth and understanding one's boundaries when entering a new relationship. And how sometimes your first "love" might not even be that, and that's okay. Khorram also fills Darius's world with characters that are multi-faceted just like him, making his new crush for a previous bully all the more interesting. Also, fully appreciate Khorram giving Darius queer grandmothers, while adding to that one of them being a transwoman. Chef's kiss.

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ok7a's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.25

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imstephtacular's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

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anxiousnachos's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Trust Adib Khorram to write a book that makes me look like a fool - I was literally talking to someone just yesterday about how I felt like I had completely outgrown YA contemporary as a genre and then BAM, I decide to finally pick up the Darius sequel and of course it is amazing. There’s something about Khorram’s writing style and voice that I find so special and emotive, and the way he so accurately portrays what it’s like to live with depression, even when not in the midst of a depressive episode, is fantastic. Add in one of the best father/son relationships in YA, some soccer gays, and I am completely sold.

Content warnings: depression, bullying, homophobia, Islamophobia, sexual content (including being pressured into sexual activity), terminal illness, death of a grandparent, grief

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decklededgess's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

trigger warnings: depression, suicide mention, homophobia, racism, bullying, transphobia mention, body dysmorphia, fat shaming, sexual content mention, refugee mention, death of family member, cancer mention, grief

I didnt expect the second book to hit has hard as the first one did but here I am driving to work crying over the last few chapters.

Such an incredible duology and a strong follow up to a stunning first book.

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tyyne's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A nice YA story. The nerdy references were fun but got repetitive. Somehow got more boring as it went on, which was a bummer.

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taelights's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.0

First of all I need a third book so badly. If we do not get book three I will be deeply disappointed. Also I need Darius x Sohrab to be endgame because they are the couple I want and need.

This series is so beautiful. The themes of family and friends are so wonderful and make me so emotional. I loved seeing Darius' relationship with his father strengthen as a result of the events of last book. I loved seeing all the themes explored in this sequel - family, Darius being gay and exploring his feelings for boys, body image, boundaries in romance and with sex, and mental health.

I honestly hated both of the possible love interests in this story and think neither of them should be with Darius. Landon was a selfish asshole who kept trying to guilt trip and pressure darius into sex every other chapter. Darius would keep saying no and that he wanted to take things slow and that he wasn't ready to lose his virginity yet. So it was just really annoying that he kept bringing up sex and trying to pressure Darius in pretty much every interaction they had. Including once

in his grandmothers' car right after a memorial service for Darius' grandfather which was really icky to me.

Then Chip is also a horrible option. Bully to lovers is literally the worst trope ever to me. So, ex-bully and current friend with a crush on Darius was just not it. Especially seeing as Chip is still best friends throughout the book with Darius' other bully who is still actively bullying him and calling him homophobic and racist things. Even if Chip is no longer the one bullying Darius and being prejudice against him it doesn't change the fact that 1) he did it in the past and 2) that he is still best friends with a racist homophobic bully. He never defends Darius despite seeing the way his friend treats this boy he claims to like and he's always making excuses for the bully as well. So in my opinion he didn't actually change and is still just as bad.

And no, him finally defending Darius in literally the last chapter doesn't make up for it especially because it was only after Darius had an argument with him about it.

Anyways please give me book 3 and also make Darius and Sohrab get together in it thanks.

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