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bronwyn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Torture, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
shadon's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
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? Yes
2.5
I picked up this book on a whim, solely because a brown-skinned hijabi is on a gorgeous purple cover. It caught my eye immediately. I didn't bother to read the plot, I just glanced at it and bought it. I thought I would dislike this book more than I did. I hated and loved an equal amount of things, but they balanced out in the end.
I like the writing, It's quick and fast-paced and while it's simplistic, that works for the better most of the time. It was a very easy read and I flew through it. I like the glimpses of the world and the setting we got, especially the hot-air balloons which you can tell was the author's favorite thing to write about. I mostly liked our two main characters, though neither of them were very good people and were deeply flawed. Their friendship was sweet and I enjoyed their interactions, and Jacob's story was at least somewhat compelling. Khadija felt more stagnant, she doesn't do much and most things manage to go her way. She faces very little challenge and never goes through the complex struggles that Jacob does. I loved the first two chapters, especially Khadija's which were never topped. I thought the action scenes were good, the conflict and pace kept me reading and I mostly finished because I wanted to know how it would end.
Okay, I think the basis of this book is lame. What if white people experienced racism? :O No way! I know the point was to frame it the other way to highlight just how awful (and ridiculous? absurd?) it is in the "real world," but whenever it was discussed, I just felt myself cringing or rolling my eyes. I couldn't take it seriously when the 'hari' were telling the brown-skinned, head-scarf-wearing people they couldn't understand prejudice or racism. That they were never oppressed so they couldn't understand. What? Whose idea was that and why did it go beyond a first draft?
The worldbuilding ranges from barebones to awful. There is no map and nothing is described once and beyond a basic level. The 'hari' are oppressed because they tried to invade and conquer Ghadea. Okay? How long ago was that? How were they defeated beyond the sun beating them down and being unsuited to the environment? Who segregated them into slums? What stopped them from going home? Nothing is told to us after the initial explanation. The brown people hate the white people, they do awful things to them and that's that. No more questions and no more context.
Every character, outside of our main characters and like 2 other people is one-dimensional, stereotypical, and flat. I couldn't describe any of them and I just finished reading the book. Every brown Ghadean is just a stereotype of a man believing that women should stay invisible in their bedroom, be quiet, have children, and die. The 'hari' are granted far more nuance. There are very few exceptions to this! And the ones that we get have three pages of screen time and two sentences of dialogue. I thought the main romantic relationship was okay, but it felt incredibly unnecessary. It felt like the author had no idea what to do to add more time and just shoved it in there. I didn't hate it, but did we need to have it at all? There were 3 chapters of bonding and then they just kissed. I guess?
The ending is also rushed. There is no resolution to anything, most people are still prejudiced, and nothing is resolved. Overall I think this started well but mellowed out in the middle, ran toward an unearned finishing line and fell flat on its face. More time needed to be spent on literally every aspect as nothing felt like it had much time to breathe.
I like the writing, It's quick and fast-paced and while it's simplistic, that works for the better most of the time. It was a very easy read and I flew through it. I like the glimpses of the world and the setting we got, especially the hot-air balloons which you can tell was the author's favorite thing to write about. I mostly liked our two main characters, though neither of them were very good people and were deeply flawed. Their friendship was sweet and I enjoyed their interactions, and Jacob's story was at least somewhat compelling. Khadija felt more stagnant, she doesn't do much and most things manage to go her way. She faces very little challenge and never goes through the complex struggles that Jacob does. I loved the first two chapters, especially Khadija's which were never topped. I thought the action scenes were good, the conflict and pace kept me reading and I mostly finished because I wanted to know how it would end.
Okay, I think the basis of this book is lame. What if white people experienced racism? :O No way! I know the point was to frame it the other way to highlight just how awful (and ridiculous? absurd?) it is in the "real world," but whenever it was discussed, I just felt myself cringing or rolling my eyes. I couldn't take it seriously when the 'hari' were telling the brown-skinned, head-scarf-wearing people they couldn't understand prejudice or racism. That they were never oppressed so they couldn't understand. What? Whose idea was that and why did it go beyond a first draft?
The worldbuilding ranges from barebones to awful. There is no map and nothing is described once and beyond a basic level. The 'hari' are oppressed because they tried to invade and conquer Ghadea. Okay? How long ago was that? How were they defeated beyond the sun beating them down and being unsuited to the environment? Who segregated them into slums? What stopped them from going home? Nothing is told to us after the initial explanation. The brown people hate the white people, they do awful things to them and that's that. No more questions and no more context.
Every character, outside of our main characters and like 2 other people is one-dimensional, stereotypical, and flat. I couldn't describe any of them and I just finished reading the book. Every brown Ghadean is just a stereotype of a man believing that women should stay invisible in their bedroom, be quiet, have children, and die. The 'hari' are granted far more nuance. There are very few exceptions to this! And the ones that we get have three pages of screen time and two sentences of dialogue. I thought the main romantic relationship was okay, but it felt incredibly unnecessary. It felt like the author had no idea what to do to add more time and just shoved it in there. I didn't hate it, but did we need to have it at all? There were 3 chapters of bonding and then they just kissed. I guess?
The ending is also rushed. There is no resolution to anything, most people are still prejudiced, and nothing is resolved. Overall I think this started well but mellowed out in the middle, ran toward an unearned finishing line and fell flat on its face. More time needed to be spent on literally every aspect as nothing felt like it had much time to breathe.
pmorewood's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
ofcyborgsandink's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
uncommonloon's review
I'm really picky with YA nowadays, and this just didn't tick all my boxes -- it seemed competent, but a little generic. Also, the reverse racism threw me for a loop and I'm not sure I want to read more about that.
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
3.5
Khadija wants nothing more then to fly away in a hot air balloon to freedom, away from her Father's expectations that she marry and stay home being docile. She finally has enough and jumps on an hot air balloon that is floating off. She soon finds that freedom is much more different then she imagined, as her world view and beliefs are questioned when she meets Jacob, a hāri. Hāri are treated like dirt in this country, after a failed attempt at takeover many years ago. Their light skin and hair make them stand out, and they are forced to live in slum conditions and beg for work and food that no one wants. This book follow very strong themes of extremism, terrorism, and the different choices people will make when pushed to the brink. Reverse racism is a heavy topic used in this book, and while other didn't like it, I thought it was very well done. Sometimes it takes having the roles reversed for people to understand the absurdity of their bigotry and racism. So many characters were raised with certain beliefs and twisted racism shoved down their throat, they don't know any other way. Khadija wants freedom, she wants to be able to make her own choices and not be forced to marry. I love how the hot balloon represents that, and when she finally runs away and gets one she has absolutely no idea what to do with herself. All the different characters in the book While the writing style wasn't for me, and it wasn't a book that I can say I loved, I can say it is one of those books that is important to read.
The magic system and how the author depicted Jinn was really interesting, and I found the whole concept really cool. There are several different ways that the abused people in the book seek rights and a voice, some do it through peaceful protests, while others take a more extreme and violent approach. We get to see the consequences of their actions and how it impacts innocents around them.
The Cover
The cover is one of my favorite things about the book, and what initially made me want to read. It's absolutely gorgeous and one of the best covers I've seen this year hands down. I love how the flames seem to lick up around Khadija, while she sternly gazes at the viewer. The colors work so well, bold and stylized just enough to give it character without taking away from the composition. The title font works so well, not just in the illustration, but it matches the tone of the book perfectly. The little blurb at the top does get lost a bit with the chosen font, but I do still like it.
Jacket illustration © 2023 by Hanifa F. Abdul Hameed Jacket design by Keirsten Geise
The magic system and how the author depicted Jinn was really interesting, and I found the whole concept really cool. There are several different ways that the abused people in the book seek rights and a voice, some do it through peaceful protests, while others take a more extreme and violent approach. We get to see the consequences of their actions and how it impacts innocents around them.
The Cover
The cover is one of my favorite things about the book, and what initially made me want to read. It's absolutely gorgeous and one of the best covers I've seen this year hands down. I love how the flames seem to lick up around Khadija, while she sternly gazes at the viewer. The colors work so well, bold and stylized just enough to give it character without taking away from the composition. The title font works so well, not just in the illustration, but it matches the tone of the book perfectly. The little blurb at the top does get lost a bit with the chosen font, but I do still like it.
Jacket illustration © 2023 by Hanifa F. Abdul Hameed Jacket design by Keirsten Geise
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Islamophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and War
kellioneill's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Pretty good writing; decent diversity; and the concept of balloon travel was so fun and cool. The rest of the book fell flat though. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters or the plot, which took a direction I did not expect or particularly enjoy after reading the blurb. It felt much more educational (regarding bigotry) than I expected, and was heavy handed in doing so. Maybe a young teen would enjoy it more than I did. There’s an author’s note at the end explaining what she hoped to achieve with this story, and I do think she succeeded. It just wasn’t done in an engaging way.