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shaziareads's reviews
125 reviews
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, and Rape
Minor: Child death
Good Intentions by Kasim Ali
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Good Intentions features Nur, our anxiety ridden main character who has been hiding his relationship with Yamina, a black Muslim, from his traditional Pakistani parents--for 4 years.
Although Nur's perspective can be frustrating to read at times, I did have to consistently remind myself that in his mind, revealing his relationship could potentially cause issues with his parents. And this may not make sense to a lot of readers, but I'm sure it will strike a chord with desi readers, particularly any that may be in "secret" interracial/interreligious/queer relationships. And it also brings up the very real issue of racism in Muslim communities, whether they acknowledge it or not.
There is another character that is mentioned in the book, and although not directly featured, is Nur's good friend Imran. Imran is a gay Muslim, and throughout the book, goes through his own struggle with coming out to his family and dealing with the aftermath. He also mentions his perspective of being queer but still identifying as a Muslim - and I think that's so important. Being gay is another topic that is so taboo in many communities, but queer Muslims do exist. And having this representation of a character who is gay but still identifies with his religion is so great. It shows that these individuals do not need to choose one identity over the other.
Overall, I think this book was okay with its Muslim representation. It wasn't great, and I know a lot of Muslims tend to hate when the representation features characters that are not practicing. And yeah, it does kind of suck to have these characters depict a group of people. But at the end of the day, it's a realistic representation. And representation does not mean this is a role model, or someone to look up to. It's just one pov out of a larger, diverse group that is filled with many different cultures and views.
I'd give this book a 3.5, rounding up for Goodreads.
Although Nur's perspective can be frustrating to read at times, I did have to consistently remind myself that in his mind, revealing his relationship could potentially cause issues with his parents. And this may not make sense to a lot of readers, but I'm sure it will strike a chord with desi readers, particularly any that may be in "secret" interracial/interreligious/queer relationships. And it also brings up the very real issue of racism in Muslim communities, whether they acknowledge it or not.
There is another character that is mentioned in the book, and although not directly featured, is Nur's good friend Imran. Imran is a gay Muslim, and throughout the book, goes through his own struggle with coming out to his family and dealing with the aftermath. He also mentions his perspective of being queer but still identifying as a Muslim - and I think that's so important. Being gay is another topic that is so taboo in many communities, but queer Muslims do exist. And having this representation of a character who is gay but still identifies with his religion is so great. It shows that these individuals do not need to choose one identity over the other.
Overall, I think this book was okay with its Muslim representation. It wasn't great, and I know a lot of Muslims tend to hate when the representation features characters that are not practicing. And yeah, it does kind of suck to have these characters depict a group of people. But at the end of the day, it's a realistic representation. And representation does not mean this is a role model, or someone to look up to. It's just one pov out of a larger, diverse group that is filled with many different cultures and views.
I'd give this book a 3.5, rounding up for Goodreads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Homophobia
Time Zone J by Julie Doucet
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
Rave by Jessica Campbell
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
already familiar with campbell's other work (see: XTC69), i was expecting this to be a quick and silly read. although there are some fun elements in rave, jessica campbell dives deeper in this comic dealing with a 15 year old christian girl discovering - and questioning - her sexuality.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry