Unfortunately, though I was excited for this one, this book just did not hit for me. I love a story about different cultures, particularly in a youth perspective, but this was the strangest story I have ever read. There was one scene that was so graphic and disturbing, and I am truly not sure even now why it was happening or what purpose it served. This was the final straw for me - I had to give up on it. I was also looking forward to learning more about the Muslim faith and how that faith is seen from a teenage perspective, but the main character says openly early that his family is not religious at all, so this line of interest was also squashed early. Overall, characters did not feel fully developed or explored, so I did not feel connected to them. Even if the religious and cultural aspects of his life were not explored, this book could have been saved by more complex character writing and more interesting plot points - but alas, it did not.