Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

20 reviews

bubbeleh's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

A dapper butch detective in early 20th century Egypt in which Egypt is a ruling power, complete with mythical creatures. I was hooked from start to finisg

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

littlemountainchicken's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Violence and Stalking

carriepond's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

P. Djèlí Clark's A Master of Djinn is set in an alternate version of Cairo in the early 1900s in which humans and magical beings like djinn live alongside one another after the veil between the magical and mundane worlds was opened. Special Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for a governmental agency called the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, is asked to investigate the murders of members of a secret brotherhood dedicated to al-Jahiz, the man responsible for opening the veil decades before. The murderer claims to be al-Jahiz himself, returned to advocate for those oppressed and downtrodden by society, but is he?

This was a fun read-- it had magic, mystery, badass women to root for (and against). It ran a little long and felt like it could have been tightened up a bit, but I really enjoyed my time in this world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Xenophobia

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I loved the plot and pacing of the mystery. The characters were great and so diverse, but I have a feeling they’ll hit their stride more in the second book. 

Historical Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Diverse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

strugglecity's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Slavery and Xenophobia

lira_the_recluse's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

The mystery and world was compelling. I was happy to have correctly guessed the villian about half way through the book, but it was a wild ride to the end. I do feel like a few things near the end of the book were a bit rushed. Like the final few chapters had a lot of ground to cover and make up, but over all I liked the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

raptorq's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

kappafrog's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This. Was. FANTASTIC!! One of the best books I've read all year. I love the setting, the characters, the history, the folklore... Wow!! I want more books like this! A historian writing steampunk that centres entirely different cultures and histories than usual... I love it! Reading this felt like eating a delicious and varied meal you'd never tasted!

Fatima and Hadia made a great detective team, and I loved Siti. There were so many amazing side characters too, from a musician refugee from Jim Crow calling himself Mansa Musa, to a haughty djinn librarian, to a master of thieves feeding hungry children while keeping some wealth for herself. The world building was so rich, with so many strands woven together to make an engrossing tapestry. I'd love to see more of this world!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Blood, Islamophobia, Dementia, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

novella42's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

This book was beautiful, the worldbuilding was excellent, the characters were multi-dimensional, their problems and responses were believable, and Clark explored social issues with nuance. I loved so much of this book!

The story began a little slow for me because I'm not into mysteries, but by the second half I was having a hard time putting it down as the pacing built more and more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

ggwweenn1's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An excellent book. El-Attar does stunning work on the audio version. The mystery maybe goes a bit longer than I would like, but the characters are so enjoyable that finishing the book is a treat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction