Scan barcode
A review by gigireadswithkiki
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a really cute read but I'm not a huge fan of how the love interest spent 70%+ of the book being a cultural appropriator and monetizing off of appropriating Bengali culture (and then the next 20% just letting her "close" cousin be a cultural appropriator without saying a single thing). This particular storyline was resolved as well as it could have been, I suppose, but either way, it was aggravating to watch Nishat continuously pine for Flavia. I will also add that it felt like China experienced zero real consequences for her actions. It felt like the book continuously stressed how the school's "zero tolerance" policy is nonexistent, without anything being done to change this? And for a book centered around a Catholic school, the academic aspect felt a bit like an afterthought sometimes.
In terms of the character development, I felt that Nishat felt like a pretty static character throughout the story, with most of the secondary and tertiary characters experiencing growth around her as a means of developing the plot; not the worst characteristic for a main character to have, but it wasn't my particular cup of tea.
On the other hand, I do think this story really pulled together a tough, yet heartwarming, coming out story in a Bengali family, with strong character relationship development between Nishat and each of the members of her family. This combined with Adiba Jaigirdar's excellent writing style really helped push this book's rating up severely for me, so overall, I have qualms about some of the themes and story choices, but I did have a good time reading.
In terms of the character development, I felt that Nishat felt like a pretty static character throughout the story, with most of the secondary and tertiary characters experiencing growth around her as a means of developing the plot; not the worst characteristic for a main character to have, but it wasn't my particular cup of tea.
On the other hand, I do think this story really pulled together a tough, yet heartwarming, coming out story in a Bengali family, with strong character relationship development between Nishat and each of the members of her family. This combined with Adiba Jaigirdar's excellent writing style really helped push this book's rating up severely for me, so overall, I have qualms about some of the themes and story choices, but I did have a good time reading.