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kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.75
From the second I started the first chapter I was immediately obsessed. The storytelling is genius and so brilliantly written, I could not put it down.
Six of Crows inspired chaptering, with each one written through the perspective of a main character. Heavily inspired by A Thousand and One Nights in the best way. The worldbuilding was gorgeous and descriptive, I loved the characters and the quests. The stories within the story - the history of this fantasy world which shapes and deepens your understanding of characters.
I am one for enjoying when heroic quests go awry and everything goes wrong and good lord did things go wrong for the characters. Many times. Betrayal, heartbreak, loss, pain, old foes, new foes, deceit. It all very much happens in this action-packed story and at times it is brutal.
I am very interested in seeing how this trilogy plays out, however, as this book ended in an interesting way. Not on a cliffhanger as such, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens after this.
Six of Crows inspired chaptering, with each one written through the perspective of a main character. Heavily inspired by A Thousand and One Nights in the best way. The worldbuilding was gorgeous and descriptive, I loved the characters and the quests. The stories within the story - the history of this fantasy world which shapes and deepens your understanding of characters.
I am one for enjoying when heroic quests go awry and everything goes wrong and good lord did things go wrong for the characters. Many times. Betrayal, heartbreak, loss, pain, old foes, new foes, deceit. It all very much happens in this action-packed story and at times it is brutal.
I am very interested in seeing how this trilogy plays out, however, as this book ended in an interesting way. Not on a cliffhanger as such, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens after this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Torture, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit
cookiecat73's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Self harm, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual content
kbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This. Was. Everything. Fans of the City of Brass Trilogy I have found our newest obsession. This was AMAZING. I’m literally speechless. So this is the end of the review. READ THIS BOOK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, and Animal death
elizabeth_lepore's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah is a great debut fantasy. Abdullah seamlessly weaves together stylistic references to A Thousand and One Nights, intricate and compelling world-building, interesting political dynamics, and an exciting quest story. The characters’ relationships are well developed and their motivations clear, and Abdullah’s use of multiple POVs is effective. I’m looking forward to the sequel!
My only complaint as a reader — and it’s really just expression of personal preference — is that I really wish the characters were more morally ambiguous than they are. The protagonists aren’t perfect, but they’re straightforwardly easy to cheer for, while the antagonist is unquestionably evil: they all feel a bit ‘safe’ in terms of character development, and this combined with the plot unfolding in an entirely linear fashion leaves me feeling like I would’ve appreciated more complexity.
While written for adults, I can see this book having crossover appeal for readers who prefer/enjoy YA; the human main characters are in their early to mid twenties. Though first in a trilogy, this book also works reasonably well as a standalone, with the ending clearly leaving room for the sequel but also feeling sufficiently conclusive.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Confinement
Minor: Animal death and Sexism
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