Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Dead Djinn in Cairo

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.

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bel017's review

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medium-paced

Very heavy on world building. As a short story I would have appreciated more plot and less detail.

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madarauchiha's review

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adventurous medium-paced

3.0

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️

I think I'd love this if I could stand steampunk. The setting was great, the writing fantastic, I don't care for the steampunk, but I enjoyed the plot nonetheless.

I really did hate the whorephobia though, stop shitting on sex workers you assholes.

content warnings
medium suicide, body horror,

major gore, murder, death, gun violence, body horror, unreality, anti sex worker sentiment, whorephobia,

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ellekhupe's review

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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

3.0

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horizonous's review

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adventurous dark 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

4.0

I'm already in love with Fatma, who looks like this (https://abload.de/img/1239031e1jf8.jpg) in my head

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elk_'s review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In 'A Dead Djinn in Cairo,' P. Djèlí Clark creates an intriguing murder mystery set in a fantastical Cairo that is populated by angels, djinns, and ghouls.
The story follows Fatma el-Sha’arawi, an investigator, as she tries to unravel what appears to be a suicide. But things aren't adding up in this case and as she begins to probe further, she finds that much more may hang in the balance than she previously thought.
Despite it's short length, Clark creates a fully fledged world for the reader to step into. Populated by fantastical beings and helmed by a bad-ass investigator in a crisp suit, it's hard not to instantly be pulled into the world. An intriguing mystery that unravels more of the world as Fatma delves deeper into what happens, creates the perfect balance of world-building and story. I am so excited that there are more in this series. Though the story itself fits well into the novella length, there is clearly so much happening in the world that I can't wait to explore it further.

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northcoastwanderer's review

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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