Lists

2019 Releases by Muslim Authors

Adiba Jaigirdar Dec 12, 2018

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Adiba Jaigirdar

Staff Writer

Adiba Jaigirdar is an Irish-Bangladeshi writer, poet, and teacher. She resides in Dublin, Ireland and has an MA in postcolonial studies. She is currently working on her own postcolonial novel and hopes that someday it will see the light of day outside of her computer screen. Twitter: @adiba_j

View All posts by Adiba Jaigirdar

In 2018, we saw some brilliant book releases by Muslim authors. These included both debut authors and more established authors. They included books featuring Muslim characters and experiences, along with those that didn’t. In 2019, we have many more books by Muslim authors to look forward to. Here are a few of them.

The Kingdom Of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty

The long-awaited sequel to the lush and exciting The City Of Brass is finally out in January 2019! This Islam-inspired historical fantasy is filled with magic, djinn, and court politics. After the events at Daevabad, Nahri is trapped in her gilded cage inside the city under the watchful eye of the king. Ali has been exiled and must fight off assassins while struggling to keep a terrible secret about his family under wraps. But there is tension brewing as a new century approaches and Daevabad prepares to celebrate. And a threat that nobody could have anticipated.

We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Set in a world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt The Flame follows Zafira – a hunter who must roam the cursed forest disguised as a man in order to feed her people – and Nasir – a prince bound to assassinate those who defy his father, the king. Zafira sets off to hunt down a lost artifact that could save her people, while Nasir is sent to find the artifact and kill its hunter. But the prize they seek might turn out to be more dangerous than they could have anticipated.

The Weight Of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

Set during the 1969 Kuala Lumpur race riots, this novel is a historical fiction that explores a complicated time in history with nuance and care. Melati Ahmad is a typical 16-year-old – except she believes that there is a djinn inside her who convinces her that her mother will die unless she completes rituals of tapping and counting. But when brewing racial tensions in Malaysia give way to the outbreak of violence, Melati is separated from her mother. She must navigate a divided Kuala Lumpur, brewing with hate and prejudice, in order to find her mother.

Love From A to Z by S. K. Ali

S. K. Ali’s sophomore novel is a love story set in Doha, featuring two Muslim teens. After being suspended from school for standing up to an Islamophobic teacher, Zayneb is sent to Doha to learn to be nicer. Adam is headed to Doha, where he must keep his recent diagnosis a secret from his family. Resigned to playing roles with others, can Adam and Zayneb be true to themselves with each other?

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a place that was recently ravaged by a tribe of djinn who slaughtered its entire population – except Fatima and two other humans. Under a new king, Fatima is protected. But when a powerful djinn dies, Fatima is changed in ways she can’t begin to understand.

Internment by Samira Ahmed

Internment is set in the near-future of the United States where Layla, and her family are forced into an internment camp for Muslim Americans. With the help of new friends in the camp, along with her boyfriend on the outside, Layla is determined to fight for her freedom and begins to lead a revolution.

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

Set during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, The Bird King follows Hassan – a mapmaker with the ability to draw maps of places he’s never been to – and Fatima – a concubine in the royal court of Granada. When the Spanish monarchy sees Hassan’s gifts as a threat to Spanish rule, Fatima and Hassan must escape and travel through Spain with the help of a jinn.

A Deadly Divide by Ausma Zehanat Khan

A Deadly Divide is a new thriller featuring detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty. After a shooting at a mosque in Quebec, the police apprehend a young Muslim man helping the wounded but release the priest found with a weapon in his hands. When Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty set out to investigate what looks like a hate crime, they find a community that is divided because of fear and suspicion.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

Sana Khan is a cheerleader and a straight-A student. Rachel Recht is an aspiring film director ready to create her masterpiece. She thinks she’s found the perfect star in Sana. The only problem is that Rachel hates Sana because of a misunderstanding from their past. This promises to be an adorable and amusing novel about two determined young girls falling for each other.

Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the anticipated fifth book in Mafi’s acclaimed Shatter Me series. When Juliet discovers that Warner has been keeping secrets about his identity from her, she feels the darkness within her growing stronger and threatening to push her over the edge.

Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin

Tameika is an African American girl who loves musical and dreams of starring in one as a princess one day. But she fears that having brown skin and a plump frame might keep her from her dreams.

Yasmin In Charge by Saadia Faruqi

In 2018, we were introduced to the clever, curious, and creative Yasmin in Meet Yasmin! In 2019 we’re due to spend more time with Yasmin and her family and friends in Yasmin In Charge as Yasmin takes charge of some difficult situations, and tries to solve them with her clever and creative thinking.

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana has a difficult time living up to her conservative Bengali Muslim parents’ high expectations. When she’s caught kissing her girlfriend, her parents are devastated. They steal her away to Bangladesh where she’s caught up in a whirlwind of tradition. Rukhsana must find a way to fight for her ability to love who she wants, without giving up her family.

The Battle by Karuna Riazi

This is a companion novel to Riazi’s brilliant debut The Gauntlet. The architect from The Gauntlet is determined to get revenge of the Mirza clan. When Ahmad, now twelve years old, receives a gift from his big sister Farah, he couldn’t be more excited. Called The Battle of Blood and Iron, it looks to be a cross between a video game and a board game. But when he and his friend open the game, time freezes in all of New York. Now it’s up to them to beat the game and save the world.

All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney

This is a coming-of-age novel about a young Muslim American teen who must come to terms with what it means to be Muslim American in this day and age.

Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

This is a modern-day Pride and Prejudice featuring two South Asian Muslim protagonists! Ayesha has had to set aside her dreams of being a poet for the practical job of teaching – which she hates. She doesn’t want the kind of arranged marriage that her cousin Hafsah is juggling proposals for. But when she meets Khalid, a conservative, traditional guy, she’s irritated by how much she is drawn to him. An engagement between Hafsah and Khalid takes both Ayesha and Khalid by surprise – and has them wrestling with what exactly they want, and how they feel about each other.

The Light At The Bottom of the World by London Shah

In the year 2099, the world is submerged a thousand feet under the ocean. In this world, sixteen-year-old British Muslim Leyla loves to race in her submersible. But then her papa is arrested and she must use her skills to save her papa. She must participate in the London Submersible Marathon for a chance to save him.