rorareads55's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Suicide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Violence
surdiablo's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Interesting short-story about a detective and her investigations, relating to djinns and otherworldly entities, located in a steampunk Cairo in the 1910s. Considering the page count, it was a rather well-written, self-contained story for the most part. The world-building or the setting itself was the strongest point, the plot itself is interesting enough ( maybe a bit predictable but that's not necessarily a con ) and the characters were alright but didn't have much depth. Apparently it's part of a series of short-stories with a full-blown novel at the end so color me intrigued nonetheless!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Blood
anni_swanilda's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Death, and Gun violence
wilybooklover's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Very interesting worldbuilding and characters, especially for such a short story. I am intrigued!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
librarianmage's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Suicide, and Gun violence
gothnailcare's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Suicide, and Gore
Minor: Cannibalism, Xenophobia, Body horror, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Classism
magicshop's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“Djinn. Ghuls. Sorcerers. Never had to worry about this in my grandfather's day.”
i read this very quickly, and not just by virtue of its short length.
you should read this book if...
- you want a quick shot of inspiration (that's what it did to me as an artist at least — i want to draw every single object and creature described in this book now)
- you value worldbuilding above all else. honey, you've got a storm comin'
the good
- worldbuilding grabbed me by the throat and bled me dry
- likable main character (completely ymmv of course, as with most opinions about fiction, but i liked her candid and matter-of-fact personality despite the stereotypes i'll mention in the bad section)
- interesting exploration of religion, if not very in-depth due to being so short. i hope to see more of this in the rest of the series.
- badass lesbians!
the bad
- main character is a "woman in a man's world," which is an old and tired trope in my opinion
- mc's sidekick is pretty boring, though he's probably meant to be so at least in part to make her shine in comparison
the complicated
- main character gave me nonbinary/gnc vibes with her whole get-up and attitude toward her society's treatment of gender, but it's not confirmed in any way. had it been so i would probably have bumped it up to a slightly higher rating.
- plot was quite interesting but definitely overshadowed by the worldbuilding. not really a negative per se but could've been even better to elevate this beyond its already impressive caliber.
i'm glad i read this little story and i think it's very rereadable as well; i'll keep it close for whenever i need some fresh character design inspiration, cause damn. he did that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Gore
calybe's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I listened to the audiobook version of this which was really atmospheric and well done. The worldbuilding is amazing and easy to get absorbed into, and the characters are all fascinsting. Since this is a short story, it was more like an introduction to the characters but we don't really get to know them in depth, and this story definitely leaves you wanting for more. It was enjoyable, although the ending felt a bit rushed. The mystery unravelled really smoothly, and it was a delightful story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
bel017's review
medium-paced
Very heavy on world building. As a short story I would have appreciated more plot and less detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Death