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a_chickletz's review against another edition
4.0
I have been really, really hoping to get a ARC - so THANK YOU NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this before it drops.
Those who are looking for a new series after the Daevabad trilogy MUST pick this up when it drops! A completely different story with a thief and the world of djinns, ifrits, and madrids.
Lets talk about characters: I LOVE Loulie al-Nazari! She is a badass girl with sadness, humor, rage, and compassion. Her and her djinn, Qadir, are a perfect team. He loves her - platonically - as like a father and a friend, though she is a human, and she him. Though she comes with her own past which is known to him, his is unknown to her. We figure it out as the story goes on and you absolutely feel for both characters.
Mazen was one who took a bit of work to get me to enjoy and figure out. He is a sheltered, weak prince (not by fault of his!), and he longs to be someone different and have adventures like that of Loulie and Qadir. By plot, he gets that opportunity but it comes with unintentional baggage and a loss of identity. By the end of the book, I was happy to say that there IS hope for him and that I can see him becoming a hero by the end of the trilogy!
Finally, there is the wild-cat theif / djinn slayer, Ayesha. I absolutely loved her character arc throughout this and I can't wait to see where her story goes in book two! She has quite a path and a lot of interesting thoughts bouncing around in her head on what road to take on said path.
The plot is full of nods to the tales of Arabian Nights and other folklore regarding Djinn. Djinn are hunted and either killed or harvested for their blood (their blood has healing powers). The amount of secrets and twists in the story had me anxiously reading faster than my brain could keep up with my eyes.
If you enjoy stories with interesting characters, secrets, magic, and of course, finding ones-self, this is a great book to a very interesting trilogy! Book two soon, please! :D
Those who are looking for a new series after the Daevabad trilogy MUST pick this up when it drops! A completely different story with a thief and the world of djinns, ifrits, and madrids.
Lets talk about characters: I LOVE Loulie al-Nazari! She is a badass girl with sadness, humor, rage, and compassion. Her and her djinn, Qadir, are a perfect team. He loves her - platonically - as like a father and a friend, though she is a human, and she him. Though she comes with her own past which is known to him, his is unknown to her. We figure it out as the story goes on and you absolutely feel for both characters.
Mazen was one who took a bit of work to get me to enjoy and figure out. He is a sheltered, weak prince (not by fault of his!), and he longs to be someone different and have adventures like that of Loulie and Qadir. By plot, he gets that opportunity but it comes with unintentional baggage and a loss of identity. By the end of the book, I was happy to say that there IS hope for him and that I can see him becoming a hero by the end of the trilogy!
Finally, there is the wild-cat theif / djinn slayer, Ayesha. I absolutely loved her character arc throughout this and I can't wait to see where her story goes in book two! She has quite a path and a lot of interesting thoughts bouncing around in her head on what road to take on said path.
The plot is full of nods to the tales of Arabian Nights and other folklore regarding Djinn. Djinn are hunted and either killed or harvested for their blood (their blood has healing powers). The amount of secrets and twists in the story had me anxiously reading faster than my brain could keep up with my eyes.
If you enjoy stories with interesting characters, secrets, magic, and of course, finding ones-self, this is a great book to a very interesting trilogy! Book two soon, please! :D
bookbabe_jazzie's review against another edition
4.0
One thing about me if I love books that I feel come to life while I’m reading. This book did just that with the amazing world building, the constant action, and the twist and turns.
I am definitely so excited to continue the journey with book two when it comes out.
I am definitely so excited to continue the journey with book two when it comes out.
aliciasrealm's review against another edition
4.0
Loulie al-Nazari, better known as the Midnight Merchant, makes her living selling illegal magic alongside her jinn bodyguard. When she rescues Prince Mazden from a deadly situation, the sultan learns of her talent for finding magic. He directs Loulie to locate a legendary ancient lamp, sending his older son, Prince Omar, and Aisha, one of his forty thieves, along with her. But things are not as they seem, and secrets come to light as the four encounter magical beings and old enemies.
This epic fantasy adventure takes inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights, featuring jinns, magic, and a prince in disguise. Legends are woven into the story, the world is well crafted, and it's an impressive debut.
There is some humor, lots of adventure, and fantastic characters. This is definitely not a romance, focusing more on platonic found family relationships. I especially loved the relationship between Loulie and Qadir. Mazden's character arc was great. Most chapters are very short so the POV changes constantly.
The length and pacing of this novel dragged it down a notch. As the story moves between three POVs, it sometimes felt repetitive hearing about the same event through the lens of three different characters. Especially near the end, I felt that the story could have been a lot tighter, but instead there were lots of pages that slowed down the exciting parts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!
This epic fantasy adventure takes inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights, featuring jinns, magic, and a prince in disguise. Legends are woven into the story, the world is well crafted, and it's an impressive debut.
There is some humor, lots of adventure, and fantastic characters. This is definitely not a romance, focusing more on platonic found family relationships. I especially loved the relationship between Loulie and Qadir. Mazden's character arc was great. Most chapters are very short so the POV changes constantly.
The length and pacing of this novel dragged it down a notch. As the story moves between three POVs, it sometimes felt repetitive hearing about the same event through the lens of three different characters. Especially near the end, I felt that the story could have been a lot tighter, but instead there were lots of pages that slowed down the exciting parts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!
mattielinbright's review against another edition
5.0
i feel like five stars isn’t enough for this book. I LOVED IT SO MUCH OMG.
hollyn_middle's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
evargo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
wolfdaystar's review against another edition
Great book, I just ran out of time and had to return it to the library. I will read it at a later date.
bookishbunnyb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
theantisocialslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
this was so fun!! I read this as a buddy read with my friend for our channel and i’m so glad i did. A fun adventure story that did kinda drag a little (as most do) but with great characters and a very intriguing ending: will be continuing the series!!