Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

37 reviews

chaptertraveller's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed this book, but it did have a few flaws for me. I adore Arabian inspired fantasy (shoutout to the Daevabad trilogy) and was super exited when I found this at Waterstones one day on a whim. I got around to starting it a couple of weeks ago, and found the world and main character Loulie and her companion Qadir (very small spoiler)
(non-romantic relationships between a woman and her ancient magical companion FOR THE WIN)
to draw me in with their initial descriptions and imagery and interactions. That said, after the first couple of chapters I felt there was a serious lull of content that prevented me having that 'omg i need to keep reading' feeling so it took me ages to get through it. The second half though? LOVED IT - the adventure, the new characters, the action scenes, the new places, the gender flexibility... I loved the subtle inspirations from folklore throughout that still felt independent of and a fresh take on those stories as opposed to another predictable retelling.

Overall, whilst i really loved many elements of the book, there was just something missing for me. Maybe it was the writing style, it feels YA in a sense but not in the nicely fast-paced way or in terms of content (I have no idea if that makes sense, like idk how to explain this take??), or maybe I didn't love it as much as I wanted to just because it didn't give me that feeling of 'I need to stay up until 3am reading because it's just SO GOOD' and ended up taking me just over two weeks to finish (double what it usually would).   

However, I will probably read The Ashfire King when it releases and if you love these kind of stories, definitely give it a go!
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angeldevoursliterature's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

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dalek_caan's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this book. It was unpredictable, imaginative and very well told. I found myself very engaged with most of the characters and enjoyed how each of the characters in the split perspective narrative had their own distinct voice. I would definitely recommend this book and anxiously await the publication of the sequel.
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stargazer_ley's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

3.5

The facinating focus on Arabic cultures is a pleasant change of pace for me, however I found myself wanting a glossary to define certain terms. While context provided some measure of assistance, I would have preferred actually having the information (Google is exactly helpful when I don't know what I'm trying to find.) That said the characters and story were compelling and I found myself constantly having to mentally update my theories. It was overall a good book that I'm glad I purchased and I am looking forward to getting the next volume. :)
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cookiecat73's review against another edition

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

4.0

This book wasn't 100% my thing, but I have incredible respect for the author. The world and magic was cool and interesting, and character development was really well written, but it was the plot that blew me away. The twist were really well done and way they tied everything together was brilliant. It also gave you all the pieces you needed to figure things out for yourself (and it was incredibly satisfying when I did) whilst also providing explanations for anyone who didn't figure it out yet, but in a way that wasn't beating you over the head with it or talking down to the reader, it just felt like the characters figuring it out themselves.

Personally I had no real interest in the romance/crush aspects, and some of the torture/violence was a bit much imo, but my biggest issue was the fake-out deaths. If it was just Aisha's I wouldn't have much of an issue because there were still consequences, but Mazen and Qadir's I don't think serve any real purpose, and they made threat later on feel hollow for me. In general there are a lot of times where people sustain what should be serious injuries, but then they just recover? It made me feel like the characters would just be fine whatever happened, which made any times where there was meant to be danger and threat feel less meaningful and more hollow. Thankfully the plot and twists were really really interesting and well done, so I still was invested in the book, but I think if maybe those 2 deaths weren't there and some of the injuries either didn't happen or had more consequences I would have enjoyed it more
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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

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georgiagirl1315's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.75

I am a member of the Official Qadir Fan Club for reasons what the hell and oh my god. 

I had an inkling I was going to love this book, and I pushed it off for so long out of fear I wouldn’t love it, but then I read it and became OBSESSED with it. Now I can’t wait for the sequel, which won’t come out until November, so I’m sorta devastated. 

I love Mazen and Loulie and Aisha and and and!! I’m really loving what the author did for Aisha’s story arc. It was amazing to see her transformation. Truly though, I felt like every character was transformed by the end in a monumental way. I really enjoyed that they all grew together. 

Another thing I loved was the storytelling within the story. It was nice to step out of the actual narrative briefly to hear Mazen’s stories. I

I also enjoyed the magic system. I was mesmerized. All the plot twists were great, and that ending! I finished this book and just stared at the page in shock. I need book 2!!! And Omar’s secrets?? Omg??

Lastly, Qadir and Loulie’s relationship!!! I love them!!!! They love each other so much!!!! I love that they love each other without being in love. Platonic love is important too!!
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kimmag92's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

This was recommended to me by my library and it was a solid recommendation. The Stardust Thief is Chelsea Abdullah’s debut book and I thought it was good. I have never read a fantasy book set in the Middle East and/or Middle Eastern culture and it was refreshing to read fantasy not set in medieval Europe. At the heart of this book is grief, found family, and how the stories we tell ourselves and each other impact us and those around us. Overall, I’m excited to read the sequel when it’s released later this year.
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kirstenf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

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