Hollow Fires Review

A powerful, gripping YA novel about the insidious nature of racism, the terrible costs of unearthing hidden truths, and the undeniable power of hope, by New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed. Perfect for fans of Sadie and Dear Martin.

Safiya Mirza dreams of becoming a journalist. And one thing she’s learned as editor of her school newspaper is that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and not let personal biases affect the story. But all that changes the day she finds the body of a murdered boy.

Jawad Ali was fourteen years old when he built a cosplay jetpack that a teacher mistook for a bomb. A jetpack that got him arrested, labeled a terrorist—and eventually killed. But he’s more than a dead body, and more than “Bomb Boy.” He was a person with a life worth remembering.

Driven by Jawad’s haunting voice guiding her throughout her investigation, Safiya seeks to tell the whole truth about the murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs.

This gripping and powerful book uses an innovative format and lyrical prose to expose the evil that exists in front of us, and the silent complicity of the privileged who create alternative facts to bend the truth to their liking.

General Impressions

I requested "Hollow Fires" because I liked the cover and synopsis but in all honesty, I didn't go into it with many expectations after DNFing another of the author's earlier books. I thought at best this would be an enjoyable YA read and at worst another DNF, that would put me off Samira's books for good.

I've been trying to write this review for more than two weeks and even now, I know I won't be able to do it justice or to what it made me feel. This was the most wonderful, heart-wrenching book I've read in a while. I knew it was going to be a 5-star rating for me before I reached the twenty-page mark

"Hollow Fires" is a fictional story, but sadly based on plenty of real-life cases. Reading this book I felt heartbroken for all the news pieces I recognized in it, and so thankful the one I recognized the most, had a different wedding. Safiya is an awesome main character and I loved that her strength and wisdom did not come at the expense of the people around her but that she was surrounded on all sides by loving, smart, supportive people from her parents, to her friends. At the same time, I was equally thankful that the author did not shy away from presenting her readers with the uncomfortable truths that come with living as a person of colour in a world that rewards whiteness.

Everyone, absolutely everyone should read this book.

Thank you to Atom and Little Brown Books for kindly sending me a copy.

Rating: 5/5