Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed

25 reviews

megdye487's review

dark hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

Moderate: Child death

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? No

4.5

Honestly, the main reason this book is so heartbreaking is because 1) it's based on a true story, and 2) it's something you could see happening today. In fact, it's something you see happen in news a lot. Ahmed's writing is lyrical, descriptive, and emotional. It lends itself to this story, and Safiya's and Jawad's voices just make it all the more haunting.

I think the additional of the facts, lies, and alternative facts at the beginning of each chapter added that journalism element to the story and emphasized the main themes. This is definitely a heavy book, so know that going in. It's not something you read to escape, but something you read to help make these voices heard.

The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because I do think the big reveal was easy to spot about halfway through the story. I'm not sure if that was intended or not, and there are definitely some readers who might not see it coming. All in all, if you're looking for a dark thriller about getting justice for those without voices, I'd definitely recommend this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Kidnapping

Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Blood

lettuce_read's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

reneethebookbird's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Hollow Fires has arrived in the wake of the Trump era, in an environment of rampant misinformation and media bias, of white supremacist violence and “affluenza.”  This story follows Safiya, a Desi Muslim scholarship student and journalist-in-training at a private Chicago high school.  As editor-in-chief, she writes a social justice column for the school newspaper, but, as part of the school’s attempts to cover up a series of racist incidents in the community, she is being censored by the administration.  When a neighborhood Muslim boy goes missing, Safiya must race to piece together enough evidence to connect the dots and convince the police to do something, putting her own safety at risk.  Ahmed’s thriller illustrates diversity within Muslim communities, portrays the reality of police incompetence, and explores the nuances of modern white supremacy and hate crimes, for which there is no justice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, and Murder