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drridareads's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded to 3
Seeing someone like yourself represented in book is no big deal for a lot of people. But this is my first book a Muslim protagonist.
Like a lot of people, I was worried about how Islam would've been represented. Fortunately it was pretty good.
The discussed some issues like judging people and others faced my Muslims in both Muslim and non-muslim societies.
I really liked Janna wasn't perfect. We aren't. We too get crushes even on non-Muslims. We get carried away by looks too sometimes. We're normal people.
So Janna a Muslim girl has a crush on Jeremy a non-Muslim. Which is all fine. Except that behaviour is stalkerish. She hasn't said hello to the guy yet but seen his house on google maps? Unacceptable.
I feel like the author tried to encooprate so much stuff into a book for some sort of checklist. I felt like some parts sensitive like sexual harassment weren't played out that well. Personally I feel like when going through this I cannot simultaneously have a crush, specially if that guys is the assaulter's friend. It just felt very jumpy between Farooq and Jeremy. And after this just some funny YouTube video cannot make you feel good.
I did however like the idea of Niqabi Ninjas. Got disappointed when I didn't find it on YouTube :/
Seeing someone like yourself represented in book is no big deal for a lot of people. But this is my first book a Muslim protagonist.
Like a lot of people, I was worried about how Islam would've been represented. Fortunately it was pretty good.
The discussed some issues like judging people and others faced my Muslims in both Muslim and non-muslim societies.
I really liked Janna wasn't perfect. We aren't. We too get crushes even on non-Muslims. We get carried away by looks too sometimes. We're normal people.
So Janna a Muslim girl has a crush on Jeremy a non-Muslim. Which is all fine. Except that behaviour is stalkerish. She hasn't said hello to the guy yet but seen his house on google maps? Unacceptable.
I feel like the author tried to encooprate so much stuff into a book for some sort of checklist. I felt like some parts sensitive like sexual harassment weren't played out that well. Personally I feel like when going through this I cannot simultaneously have a crush, specially if that guys is the assaulter's friend. It just felt very jumpy between Farooq and Jeremy. And after this just some funny YouTube video cannot make you feel good.
I did however like the idea of Niqabi Ninjas. Got disappointed when I didn't find it on YouTube :/
alyshaofavonlea's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
4.0
This! It had the potential to be a 5 star read but the ending let me down a bit. But still amazing and important read
fai_aka's review against another edition
5.0
I’m going to start recommending this book to everyone especially Muslims teenagers haha.
It’s the real portrayal of the struggle of a muslim teenage girl, and it teaches about Islam in a subtle way.
We need more books like this!
I want “Niqabi Ninjas” to be reallll
P/s:
It’s the real portrayal of the struggle of a muslim teenage girl, and it teaches about Islam in a subtle way.
We need more books like this!
I want “Niqabi Ninjas” to be reallll
P/s:
Spoiler
Even though I wished I could read what happened to Farouq after Janna told her family about him.dominicangirl's review
dark
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? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
bookish_burrow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
bear_miya90's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.75
jazairia's review against another edition
4.25
TW: sexual assault // attempted rape
4.5
an absolute delight! i cannot believe this is sk ali's debut novel and i cannot wait to get my hands on my own physical copy.
the story follows janna a young american hijabi in the wake of her sexual assault. janna is a teen going through different kind of ordeals; the aftermath of her parents' divorce, a muslim egyptian mother and a non religious indian father, her non muslim friends not understanding her faith or why she's wearing the hijab, her muslim friends not being open to her hanging out with (or have a crush on) non muslims, all the while dealing with her friend's cousin farooq who's oh so pious and yet tried to rape her.
4.5
an absolute delight! i cannot believe this is sk ali's debut novel and i cannot wait to get my hands on my own physical copy.
the story follows janna a young american hijabi in the wake of her sexual assault. janna is a teen going through different kind of ordeals; the aftermath of her parents' divorce, a muslim egyptian mother and a non religious indian father, her non muslim friends not understanding her faith or why she's wearing the hijab, her muslim friends not being open to her hanging out with (or have a crush on) non muslims, all the while dealing with her friend's cousin farooq who's oh so pious and yet tried to rape her.
“it's only me to face everyone. just me, janna yusuf, insignificant nobody, whose sole redeeming feature is being friends with fidda noor, aka fizz, of the famously pious noor family. a family that boasts about fizz's only male cousin: a quran memorizer, a beacon of light for all youth.”
while faith is an important part of who she is, it doesn't define janna's whole person. she's a teen like everyone else, worrying about her appearence, falling in love and how her muslim identity falls into all of that.
in spite of dark themes being some major topic addressed, ali managed to narrate a story brimming with hope, love, friendship, wit, faith and overcoming assault. it's a book that speaks to muslim readers but also those who have very little (or zero) knowledge of islam, sk ali effortlessly conveys bits and pieces of insight which won't leave you feeling overwhelmed but still help you grasp the general dogma of islam.
i do felt like the ending was a bit rushed or cut short, i wish we had a few more chapters to depict how everything went down for farooq and how her story unfolds
all in all, a beautifully empowering and authentic story, i am overjoyed i finally picked it up my tbr <3
“i shake off allthe feeling of ickiness he creates in me, every bit, and it rolls off like it's oily gunk. and then i stop. [...] i stop because it's gone.
the disgust i feel at me is gone. the gunk of self-blame dissolves to leave just me standing there.”
and i hope, for anyone going through any kind of assault or harassment, to know that you're not alone and just like janna, will have friends, family or professionals you can count on to talk to and eventually manage to overcome the situation you're in.
...
(haven't proofread my review please bear with any grammatical errors or typos and keep in mind english is not my first language)
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault