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awesomeeallyson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
I would have never in a million years guessed that this was a debut novel. Everything about this book is so intricately woven and expertly written. The characters are all fully fleshed out, flaws in all. It’s easy to get emotionally invested in the main characters and their decisions and their relationships with each other. The world building is so detailed, i felt like I was watching a movie the entire time. And the magic system! I loved the jinn and their world and magic and how they had relics and their spirits. It’s just all so interesting.
The story does start a little slow. You get a lot thrown at you almost immediately and it’s a bit jarring. But stick with it a few chapters and you very quickly get sucked in. I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s got red-herrings and plot twists that I truly did not see coming. The middle of the book gets a but long, but there’s still a lot happening plot wise that even when I felt like it was dragging I was still super invested. I guess it was more of action fatigue where I was looking at how much had happened and how much was left and wondering what I still had to face.
But overall I put the book down and just sat there in awe. Easily going to keep going with the series because the cliff-hanger in this book is real.
The story does start a little slow. You get a lot thrown at you almost immediately and it’s a bit jarring. But stick with it a few chapters and you very quickly get sucked in. I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s got red-herrings and plot twists that I truly did not see coming. The middle of the book gets a but long, but there’s still a lot happening plot wise that even when I felt like it was dragging I was still super invested. I guess it was more of action fatigue where I was looking at how much had happened and how much was left and wondering what I still had to face.
But overall I put the book down and just sat there in awe. Easily going to keep going with the series because the cliff-hanger in this book is real.
gogglor's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
A little slow getting started, but once it does it’s an amazing adventure. The twists are twisty, the emotional payoffs are earned, the characters are multifaceted, the relationships formed are meaningful. Will absolutely come back for books 2 and 3.
emmk's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lj99's review against another edition
4.0
4.75 stars. I absolutely loved this book. Found family is easily my favorite trope but the way that Chelsea Abdullah did it here was so so incredible. It wasn’t cheesy and they All immediately loved each other, they were a family because they needed to survive and it was so so incredible to watch this growth and journey. This is especially true in looking at Mazen and his character growth. He started a coward but grew to be such a great man with such a good heart but plagued by death and loss. I LOVED the way she wrote these powerful female characters, but also the soft male. Absolutely amazing look at racism and gender roles in this incredible story and I cannot wait for the next books. There is so much potential in this series and I am SO excited for it.
rustbeltredux's review against another edition
4.5
I honestly can’t believe that this is a debut novel. The prose, the characters, the twisting plot all speak of an author well past their first effort. I can definitely see why this is so well liked and I’m anxiously awaiting the next in the series.
kaivalry's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jenhurst's review against another edition
2.0
This really read like a debut. I’m interested enough in the story to see where it goes, but I really hope the author improves as it progresses.
princessmeg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise but it gets bogged down in its own narrative way too often. There are long stretches of setting a mood where little actually happens, and jumping from POV to POV makes the timeline a little wobbly in places.
There were so many times when I felt like scenes were repeating themselves (how many times are we going to get trapped underground, exactly)? And the constant misleads/reveals/half-truths from literally everyone, but especially Qadir (sp? I listened to the audiobook), ended up being more frustrating than intriguing.
Overall, this narrative would have benefited greatly from being about 20% shorter, a feat it could have easily achieved by cutting out the repetition.
There were so many times when I felt like scenes were repeating themselves (how many times are we going to get trapped underground, exactly)? And the constant misleads/reveals/half-truths from literally everyone, but especially Qadir (sp? I listened to the audiobook), ended up being more frustrating than intriguing.
Overall, this narrative would have benefited greatly from being about 20% shorter, a feat it could have easily achieved by cutting out the repetition.
lenaoknihach's review against another edition
5.0
Mladá dívka Loulie, známá jako Půlnoční obchodnice, hledá vzácné magické předměty, které pak na trzích prodává. Společnost ji dělá džin Kádir. Někdy s ní drží krok v lidské podobě, jindy jí odpočívá na rameni jako ještěrka.
Hlavní hrdinka je sultánem donucena, aby mu našla kouzelnou lampu, s mocí ukrytou uvnitř by se stal nepřemožitelným.
Na nebezpečnou výpravu se vydává Loulie se svým osobním strážcem, sultánovým synem a jednou loupežnicí. Kapitoly se střídají hned ze tří pohledů a u žádného z nich se nebudete nudit.
Zloděj hvězdného prachu je inspirovaný příběhy Tisíce a jedné noci. Vůbec nevadí, pokud vám Ali Baba a čtyřicet loupežníků nic neříká. Vsadím se, že Aladina znáte všichni a pokud se vám aspoň trochu líbí hraná nebo animovaná verze, jděte do toho.
Začetla jsem se téměř okamžitě a rychle se do příběhu ponořila. Romantická linka mi vůbec nechyběla, měla jsem plnou hlavu džinů, magie, arabské kultury a nádherně vykresleného světa se skvělými hrdiny.
Nepatrné náznaky romantiky se tu objevují, takže věřím, že se jí více dočkáme ve druhém díle.
Já si knihu neskutečně moc užila. Je krásně graficky zpracovaná a mapa samozřejmě nesmí chybět. Ve druhé polovině jsem se vůbec nezastavila, je tu hodně akce a zvratů a já byla napnutá až do konce.
Jestli už máte dost upírů, víl, vlkodlaků a nevím, čeho všeho ještě, pusťte se do této dobrodružné fantasy série. Nebudete litovat.
#spoluprace @knizniklub @knihkupectvi_luxor @laser_nakladatelstvi
Hlavní hrdinka je sultánem donucena, aby mu našla kouzelnou lampu, s mocí ukrytou uvnitř by se stal nepřemožitelným.
Na nebezpečnou výpravu se vydává Loulie se svým osobním strážcem, sultánovým synem a jednou loupežnicí. Kapitoly se střídají hned ze tří pohledů a u žádného z nich se nebudete nudit.
Zloděj hvězdného prachu je inspirovaný příběhy Tisíce a jedné noci. Vůbec nevadí, pokud vám Ali Baba a čtyřicet loupežníků nic neříká. Vsadím se, že Aladina znáte všichni a pokud se vám aspoň trochu líbí hraná nebo animovaná verze, jděte do toho.
Začetla jsem se téměř okamžitě a rychle se do příběhu ponořila. Romantická linka mi vůbec nechyběla, měla jsem plnou hlavu džinů, magie, arabské kultury a nádherně vykresleného světa se skvělými hrdiny.
Nepatrné náznaky romantiky se tu objevují, takže věřím, že se jí více dočkáme ve druhém díle.
Já si knihu neskutečně moc užila. Je krásně graficky zpracovaná a mapa samozřejmě nesmí chybět. Ve druhé polovině jsem se vůbec nezastavila, je tu hodně akce a zvratů a já byla napnutá až do konce.
Jestli už máte dost upírů, víl, vlkodlaků a nevím, čeho všeho ještě, pusťte se do této dobrodružné fantasy série. Nebudete litovat.
#spoluprace @knizniklub @knihkupectvi_luxor @laser_nakladatelstvi