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A review by katlib
Nura and the Immortal Palace by M.T. Khan
5.0
Somehow I went into Nura and the Immortal Palace expecting a High Fantasy, with little to no trace of our world, so when it opens in Pakistan tackling child labor, global systems of capitalism, and the cycle of poverty right from page one I was astonished and delighted. To make things better, both the fantastical and surreal world of the jinn as well as Nura's hometown are vividly written, drawing me into both equally.
Nura is a wonderful protagonist whose flaws spring the plot into motion and whose heroism kept me turning page after page. Her best friend Faisel is a well-crafted foil to her, shy where Nura is brash, cautious where Nura is daring. The jinn also steal the show, from the sinister doubles to the more friendly jinn of the Hotel.
But what Khan does best of all is use fantasy to critique complex unjust social systems. As I said at the beginning of this review, this is the kind of book that fantasy-lovers will flock too and learn about exploitation, child labor, and more broadly the dangerous nature of continuous consumption under capitalism.
A fantastic debut and I am so excited to see what Khan writes next!
Nura is a wonderful protagonist whose flaws spring the plot into motion and whose heroism kept me turning page after page. Her best friend Faisel is a well-crafted foil to her, shy where Nura is brash, cautious where Nura is daring. The jinn also steal the show, from the sinister doubles to the more friendly jinn of the Hotel.
But what Khan does best of all is use fantasy to critique complex unjust social systems. As I said at the beginning of this review, this is the kind of book that fantasy-lovers will flock too and learn about exploitation, child labor, and more broadly the dangerous nature of continuous consumption under capitalism.
A fantastic debut and I am so excited to see what Khan writes next!