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rubyredders's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
What a great story. I know this is part of a series but even self contained as it is what great world building.
The characters are all a delight. Fatma just trying yo do her job and somehow her mystery solving suit wearing cane swinging self is rizzing up Siti - certified baddie. Aasim was also there - I kid I kid he entertained me by being such an ‘in my day!’ Type of old man hahaha
The mix of history and magic weaved together surprisingly well. It didnt feel like it was lore dumping at any point. Just a case of as things appear Fatma puzzles them out using context clues that do relate to the world as is.
Cairo at the turn of the 20th century makes for such a unique take on the magical realism genre where modern day and [insert US location here] tends to dominate. I will definitely be looking into the rest of the series in future
The characters are all a delight. Fatma just trying yo do her job and somehow her mystery solving suit wearing cane swinging self is rizzing up Siti - certified baddie. Aasim was also there - I kid I kid he entertained me by being such an ‘in my day!’ Type of old man hahaha
The mix of history and magic weaved together surprisingly well. It didnt feel like it was lore dumping at any point. Just a case of as things appear Fatma puzzles them out using context clues that do relate to the world as is.
Cairo at the turn of the 20th century makes for such a unique take on the magical realism genre where modern day and [insert US location here] tends to dominate. I will definitely be looking into the rest of the series in future
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Cursing
emily_mh's review
adventurous
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
4.5
I’m so impressed by this novella! Standing at less than 60 pages, Clarke managed to incorporate imaginative world-building, memorable characters, and a speedy investigation. I was so pleased with the steampunk, alt-history Egypt this story took place in. It was cool learning about the inventor who changed the course of history by bringing the supernatural to earth. The world-building was wholly tied into the mystery, which sought to strengthen both. The mystery itself was the perfect level of complexity for such a short novella, and thankfullly our MC detective actually DOES detectieve work - nothing falls into her lap. As our MC, Fatma was great, being incredibly capable without the tiresome ego, and dynamic due to the references to her past. The SCs were also interesting, ranging from a gun-slinging acolyte to literal angels.
I always think that the-world-is-ending stakes play out a little shallowly in a novella, and unfortunately this was also the case here. However, it didn’t hugely impact my enjoyment or the impression of quality this story gave. I’m picking up the next novella straight away!
Rep: sapphic Muslim Egyptian MC, sapphic Sudanese-Egyptian LI
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Body horror, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, Colonisation, Vomit, Blood, Sexism, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: thefthorizonous's review
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
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Sexual content
◦ Sexual content = Prostitution
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