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kumaio's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.5
In Cairo, Djinn live among humans, work with them. Fatma el-Sha'arawi, first and youngest woman special investigator with the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities investigates the murder of 24 members of a secret occult Brotherhood full of influential figures.
This is fascinating as it poses the question of oppression, corruption, and police violence from the other side. Fatma works for the authorities and the come-again prophet is sowing discontent and strife, yet is supported by the public and appears to be speaking the hidden truth.
Per usual, Clark offers relevant and poignant commentary on gender, expectations, and foreign relations. He highlights the historical significance of foreign men committing theft. Pilfering what they would from other lands and make themselves a new power.
There are strong characters and fascinating steampunk world-building. Whilst not a five star as I hoped for, this was a riveting read!
“Usually the secrets we keep deep down, ain't meant to hurt other people," he said. "Not saying they won't, but not through intentions. Those deep secrets, we hide away because we're afraid what other people might think.
How they might judge us, if they knew. And nobody's judgment we scared of more than the one we give our hearts to.”
I would recommend reading the two novellas first!!
This is fascinating as it poses the question of oppression, corruption, and police violence from the other side. Fatma works for the authorities and the come-again prophet is sowing discontent and strife, yet is supported by the public and appears to be speaking the hidden truth.
Per usual, Clark offers relevant and poignant commentary on gender, expectations, and foreign relations. He highlights the historical significance of foreign men committing theft. Pilfering what they would from other lands and make themselves a new power.
There are strong characters and fascinating steampunk world-building. Whilst not a five star as I hoped for, this was a riveting read!
“Usually the secrets we keep deep down, ain't meant to hurt other people," he said. "Not saying they won't, but not through intentions. Those deep secrets, we hide away because we're afraid what other people might think.
How they might judge us, if they knew. And nobody's judgment we scared of more than the one we give our hearts to.”
I would recommend reading the two novellas first!!
neevh's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
debthebee's review against another edition
4.0
⛔ Content Warning | Violence, injury and death, racism and colorism, misogyny, slavery.
⚠️ Spoiler Alert | This review does not include any major spoilers, but if you want to keep the plot completely a mystery before you read this book, skip the second section.
⭐Overall Rating & Book Introduction | 4.2/5 stars
This book was a strong 4/5 star read for me, mostly because I was mesmerized by the world that Clark has created. Although the plot revolves around a murder investigation, his 1912 steampunk Cairo also explores racism through the relationship of humans towards magical beings. These supernatural beings were recently released back into the Eastern world by al-Jahiz and even though they made Egypt a political superpower, humans can't comprehend their powers and then try to use laws to control them out of fear - which is a great parallel to real-world racism. The second thing I liked is that the story is dynamic and plot-driven, so aside from a few lengthy descriptions of the place or politics to set the stage at times, it kept my attention quite well. The third thing I liked is that the book features numerous strong female characters. They are not all necessarily deeply developed, but they exist and that's already something when you look at the majority of fantasy works.
⭐Plot & Structure | 4/5 stars
As mentioned, this book is plot-driven and dynamic, where the investigation of the mysterious murder of a full room of cult members just keeps moving forward and getting disentangled. Detective-style stories are not my usual go-to genre, so mixing this with a steampunk magical world was a win, where the interesting world made up for any possible shortcomings or predictability of the story itself. I didn't find it as predictable as some other reviewers, but they might be more experienced in detective stories than me. I liked how the culprit was portrayed and disagree with some reviews that claim that their motivation was not sufficiently backed up, because I am sure that the way it was proclaimed by the culprit themselves made quite a strong statement towards misogyny - and I think that flew over the head of some of the reviewers. I do agree with the critique of some other reviewers that the book could have been a bit shorter, as Clark displays much more compact and streamlined writing in his short stories, which made this book seem like a collection of interconnected short stories where the transitions might not be the smoothest.
⭐ World-Building & Magic System | 5/5 stars
The world-building is the strongest aspect of this story and it is what will get most readers interested to pick up the book and then get them hooked. Even though there is a hint at a richer world of supernatural beings, you might have suspected from the title that the djinn are the most influential for the plot. Several kinds of djinn are introduced, but besides them, some beings that call themselves angels are the only other beings significantly influencing the storyline. I like how there's just a little hint towards different beings with magical abilities in other parts of the world as well that the extent of their magic is not fully explained to the reader - which adds a nice touch of mystery and excitement, as you're never sure how much you truly know.
⭐ Character Development & Relationships | 3/5 stars
I love Fatma and Siti and their queer relationship, but I must agree with the other reviewers that Fatma falls a bit flat as a main character and that character development is the weakest aspect of Clark's writing. Siti and the relationship do grow throughout the story, but Fatma somehow stays where she was at the start. I also disliked the side of her that tried to be masculine, especially how she declined to accept her partner in the beginning - although this could be interpreted as a critique of misogyny as well, where women have to behave more man-like to be accepted in society. My other critique would be that there are parts where many characters are introduced at once without immediate clarity of their role in the story in a way that seems a bit unnatural and forced. I think this could have been a bit more thought through and weaved into the story better.
⭐ Writing Style & Pacing | 4/5 stars
I listened to this book using TalkBack and following the information-dense parts by direct reading, so with this approach, the pacing was ok for me. The writing style is good and the pacing dynamic most of the time, but there were several times where long descriptions slowed down the pace and created a stark disbalance that I did not particularly like. Perhaps information could have been sparkled throughout the story in a more gentle way.
⭐ Personal Enjoyment | 5/5 stars
No matter some drawbacks, the world and the plot were captivating for me and I enjoyed the steady road to discovering who the bad guy was in this book.
⚠️ Spoiler Alert | This review does not include any major spoilers, but if you want to keep the plot completely a mystery before you read this book, skip the second section.
⭐Overall Rating & Book Introduction | 4.2/5 stars
This book was a strong 4/5 star read for me, mostly because I was mesmerized by the world that Clark has created. Although the plot revolves around a murder investigation, his 1912 steampunk Cairo also explores racism through the relationship of humans towards magical beings. These supernatural beings were recently released back into the Eastern world by al-Jahiz and even though they made Egypt a political superpower, humans can't comprehend their powers and then try to use laws to control them out of fear - which is a great parallel to real-world racism. The second thing I liked is that the story is dynamic and plot-driven, so aside from a few lengthy descriptions of the place or politics to set the stage at times, it kept my attention quite well. The third thing I liked is that the book features numerous strong female characters. They are not all necessarily deeply developed, but they exist and that's already something when you look at the majority of fantasy works.
⭐Plot & Structure | 4/5 stars
As mentioned, this book is plot-driven and dynamic, where the investigation of the mysterious murder of a full room of cult members just keeps moving forward and getting disentangled. Detective-style stories are not my usual go-to genre, so mixing this with a steampunk magical world was a win, where the interesting world made up for any possible shortcomings or predictability of the story itself. I didn't find it as predictable as some other reviewers, but they might be more experienced in detective stories than me. I liked how the culprit was portrayed and disagree with some reviews that claim that their motivation was not sufficiently backed up, because I am sure that the way it was proclaimed by the culprit themselves made quite a strong statement towards misogyny - and I think that flew over the head of some of the reviewers. I do agree with the critique of some other reviewers that the book could have been a bit shorter, as Clark displays much more compact and streamlined writing in his short stories, which made this book seem like a collection of interconnected short stories where the transitions might not be the smoothest.
⭐ World-Building & Magic System | 5/5 stars
The world-building is the strongest aspect of this story and it is what will get most readers interested to pick up the book and then get them hooked. Even though there is a hint at a richer world of supernatural beings, you might have suspected from the title that the djinn are the most influential for the plot. Several kinds of djinn are introduced, but besides them, some beings that call themselves angels are the only other beings significantly influencing the storyline. I like how there's just a little hint towards different beings with magical abilities in other parts of the world as well that the extent of their magic is not fully explained to the reader - which adds a nice touch of mystery and excitement, as you're never sure how much you truly know.
⭐ Character Development & Relationships | 3/5 stars
I love Fatma and Siti and their queer relationship, but I must agree with the other reviewers that Fatma falls a bit flat as a main character and that character development is the weakest aspect of Clark's writing. Siti and the relationship do grow throughout the story, but Fatma somehow stays where she was at the start. I also disliked the side of her that tried to be masculine, especially how she declined to accept her partner in the beginning - although this could be interpreted as a critique of misogyny as well, where women have to behave more man-like to be accepted in society. My other critique would be that there are parts where many characters are introduced at once without immediate clarity of their role in the story in a way that seems a bit unnatural and forced. I think this could have been a bit more thought through and weaved into the story better.
⭐ Writing Style & Pacing | 4/5 stars
I listened to this book using TalkBack and following the information-dense parts by direct reading, so with this approach, the pacing was ok for me. The writing style is good and the pacing dynamic most of the time, but there were several times where long descriptions slowed down the pace and created a stark disbalance that I did not particularly like. Perhaps information could have been sparkled throughout the story in a more gentle way.
⭐ Personal Enjoyment | 5/5 stars
No matter some drawbacks, the world and the plot were captivating for me and I enjoyed the steady road to discovering who the bad guy was in this book.
layallyourbooksonme's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so I really enjoyed this and I would have given it a 5 if I could remember what happened. I remember some bits and pieces but not enough which means that the story wasn't super memorable for me... I do love P. Djèlí Clark's writing in general and would love to read this again to see if I do actually like it as much as I felt like I did.
rwatkins's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. Overall: 2.5/5 (13.5/25)
*Review Disclaimer*
I had not read the novella that introduces this world or many of the characters before reading AMOD. This has likely skewed my score more negatively in Characterization (If you already knew the characters, they may be stronger for you than my perception from reading just this book alone. Also, with the author already establishing many of these characters previously, he may have purposefully done less character building in this book, given that work had already been done elsewhere). I do not think this affected my scoring of the other categories. I didn't know this was an expansion on a novella before I starting reading it.
This was an Egyptian, steampunk detective mystery with a romance subplot and new partner/buddy cop tropes. If you like Djinn, automatons, detective stories or magical police procedurals, then give it a try. The detective story itself was lackluster, and characters were flat. There is still a lot of fun to be had through the setting, feminist message and adventure aspects. If plotting, consistency and strong characters are musts, though, then skip it.
Minor Spoilers below.
Plot: 2.5/5
Like most murder mysteries, it starts with a murder. The mystery unfolds from there as the detective, her new partner, and her lover all follow leads to figure out the villain. The new partner gives some typical buddy cop moments. The love interest adds a romance subplot.
The magical mass murder made for a great hook at the start.
Unfortunately, the mystery elements fell apart after that. Unraveling the mystery involved being told to go somewhere, witnessing something or get some information, then get told to go somewhere else. Repeat this until the end. It made for a very repetitive and stale mystery plot. It isn't boring, however, because cool things do happen. It's just the plotting itself that became redundant. Every time a robot messenger showed up with directions to the next plot point I rolled my eyes.
The romance was more connected to the plot than I expected. A decent amount of time is dedicated to the romance. I'm not the target audience for romantic fantasy, so for me it was okay.
The new partner and buddy cop portions were typical, with a feminist touch.
Characters: 2.5/5
Fatma is the main character, a detective assigned to the case. She's a horrible detective, though, and I don't understand how she's a specialist in investigating magic crimes. She doesn't seem to know a lot about magic, she's not particularly perceptive, she's ill-equipped in arresting magical beings. And yet her department treats her like the best detective there is. She lets the bad guy escape at least three times, has to constantly be told where to go next, doesn't do any real detective stuff at all. I'm just confused how she got this job and why she still has it.
Siti is her lesbian lover, with mysterious powers and claws. Outside of her role in the romance and plot, she doesn't have much dimension to her. That said, I did like how she was connected back to the plot in a few different instances. These twists landed for me and added to that fun factor that helped lift my enjoyment of this book.
Hadia, the new partner with a thousand cousins and ultra-feminist, seems better informed about the magical world and more perceptive than Fatma. She was interesting.
The supporting characters are fun, but mostly one-note, there for a single purpose, and that's it.
Setting: 3/5
The historical world with added magic was great.
The steampunk motifs were awesome.
The Egyptian, Arabian and African inflections were fantastic. However, there were some uses of dialogue where I couldn't understand because there weren't any context cues, such as repeated exclamations in Arabic. Luckily, I live near Dearborn, Michigan, so I have easy acessability to friends versed in Arabic. I even asked a stranger in my favorite reading spot, a local coffee shop, to ask for help in clarity with translating/inflections when I needed it. Some readers will not like the level of included terms they may need a translator for and may not have such readily available resources.
The magic and mysticism, including magical creatures, magical peoples and magical artifacts were exciting to read about. Cultural stories, superstitions and beliefs all added flavor to the story.
The only thing holding back the setting score for me was a lack of consistency in the rules established. In one chapter, it is told that djinn cannot talk about something, but the very next chapter breaks that rule. This kept happening, breaking down any consistency just to keep including exceptions to rules that were just established. It wasn't done in an artful way and just made it difficult to understand the rules of the world.
Style: 2.5/5
Prose is a bit simplistic but pacing was fast, linear, and easy to follow.
I've already criticized the plot/character issues with Fatma being reactive and inept, which were choices I didn't enjoy.
There are instances of applying today's social politics to the historical world of the past, which broke immersion. These feminist stances worked for thematic exploration but were a bit blatant and heavy-handed, hurting style in their execution.
Themes: 3/5
Feminism drives the messaging in this book, with powerful female characters dealing with the inept and self-important men around them. This takes on multiple angles through multiple characters.
Police presence as a weapon of the wealthy and at odds with the poor is presented as a potential theme but quickly abandoned and left underdeveloped.
Cultural appropriation, colonial theft, racism, unequal treatment of women, slavery. A lot of heavy themes touched on but not quite delved into.
After reading Ring Shout, I expected more depth from Clark, as he is an author not afraid to tackle the social issues of the times and doing it in a more meaningful way.
*Review Disclaimer*
I had not read the novella that introduces this world or many of the characters before reading AMOD. This has likely skewed my score more negatively in Characterization (If you already knew the characters, they may be stronger for you than my perception from reading just this book alone. Also, with the author already establishing many of these characters previously, he may have purposefully done less character building in this book, given that work had already been done elsewhere). I do not think this affected my scoring of the other categories. I didn't know this was an expansion on a novella before I starting reading it.
This was an Egyptian, steampunk detective mystery with a romance subplot and new partner/buddy cop tropes. If you like Djinn, automatons, detective stories or magical police procedurals, then give it a try. The detective story itself was lackluster, and characters were flat. There is still a lot of fun to be had through the setting, feminist message and adventure aspects. If plotting, consistency and strong characters are musts, though, then skip it.
Minor Spoilers below.
Plot: 2.5/5
Like most murder mysteries, it starts with a murder. The mystery unfolds from there as the detective, her new partner, and her lover all follow leads to figure out the villain. The new partner gives some typical buddy cop moments. The love interest adds a romance subplot.
The magical mass murder made for a great hook at the start.
Unfortunately, the mystery elements fell apart after that. Unraveling the mystery involved being told to go somewhere, witnessing something or get some information, then get told to go somewhere else. Repeat this until the end. It made for a very repetitive and stale mystery plot. It isn't boring, however, because cool things do happen. It's just the plotting itself that became redundant. Every time a robot messenger showed up with directions to the next plot point I rolled my eyes.
The romance was more connected to the plot than I expected. A decent amount of time is dedicated to the romance. I'm not the target audience for romantic fantasy, so for me it was okay.
The new partner and buddy cop portions were typical, with a feminist touch.
Characters: 2.5/5
Fatma is the main character, a detective assigned to the case. She's a horrible detective, though, and I don't understand how she's a specialist in investigating magic crimes. She doesn't seem to know a lot about magic, she's not particularly perceptive, she's ill-equipped in arresting magical beings. And yet her department treats her like the best detective there is. She lets the bad guy escape at least three times, has to constantly be told where to go next, doesn't do any real detective stuff at all. I'm just confused how she got this job and why she still has it.
Siti is her lesbian lover, with mysterious powers and claws. Outside of her role in the romance and plot, she doesn't have much dimension to her. That said, I did like how she was connected back to the plot in a few different instances. These twists landed for me and added to that fun factor that helped lift my enjoyment of this book.
Hadia, the new partner with a thousand cousins and ultra-feminist, seems better informed about the magical world and more perceptive than Fatma. She was interesting.
The supporting characters are fun, but mostly one-note, there for a single purpose, and that's it.
Setting: 3/5
The historical world with added magic was great.
The steampunk motifs were awesome.
The Egyptian, Arabian and African inflections were fantastic. However, there were some uses of dialogue where I couldn't understand because there weren't any context cues, such as repeated exclamations in Arabic. Luckily, I live near Dearborn, Michigan, so I have easy acessability to friends versed in Arabic. I even asked a stranger in my favorite reading spot, a local coffee shop, to ask for help in clarity with translating/inflections when I needed it. Some readers will not like the level of included terms they may need a translator for and may not have such readily available resources.
The magic and mysticism, including magical creatures, magical peoples and magical artifacts were exciting to read about. Cultural stories, superstitions and beliefs all added flavor to the story.
The only thing holding back the setting score for me was a lack of consistency in the rules established. In one chapter, it is told that djinn cannot talk about something, but the very next chapter breaks that rule. This kept happening, breaking down any consistency just to keep including exceptions to rules that were just established. It wasn't done in an artful way and just made it difficult to understand the rules of the world.
Style: 2.5/5
Prose is a bit simplistic but pacing was fast, linear, and easy to follow.
I've already criticized the plot/character issues with Fatma being reactive and inept, which were choices I didn't enjoy.
There are instances of applying today's social politics to the historical world of the past, which broke immersion. These feminist stances worked for thematic exploration but were a bit blatant and heavy-handed, hurting style in their execution.
Themes: 3/5
Feminism drives the messaging in this book, with powerful female characters dealing with the inept and self-important men around them. This takes on multiple angles through multiple characters.
Police presence as a weapon of the wealthy and at odds with the poor is presented as a potential theme but quickly abandoned and left underdeveloped.
Cultural appropriation, colonial theft, racism, unequal treatment of women, slavery. A lot of heavy themes touched on but not quite delved into.
After reading Ring Shout, I expected more depth from Clark, as he is an author not afraid to tackle the social issues of the times and doing it in a more meaningful way.
bratzdoll444's review against another edition
5.0
First off i’d like to say that P. Djeli Clark, is a beautiful writer. the atmosphere, character building, the mystery! Well done!
I really enjoyed all of these characters but i will truly cherish Fatma, Siti, and Hadia. seriously he’s created such beautiful, smart, talented, and strong women in this book. I really enjoyed the setting, and the investigation aspect. Clark has such a unique way to create intricate details into this story that is completely mind blowing.
I also loved the relationship between fatma and siti, it felt so precious, i just love them. i felt bubbly and light when i read their conversations with each other. their just perfect and so cute!
I really did love this book! it took me a little bit to get into, but when i finally did i was very happy with the result!
I really enjoyed all of these characters but i will truly cherish Fatma, Siti, and Hadia. seriously he’s created such beautiful, smart, talented, and strong women in this book. I really enjoyed the setting, and the investigation aspect. Clark has such a unique way to create intricate details into this story that is completely mind blowing.
I also loved the relationship between fatma and siti, it felt so precious, i just love them. i felt bubbly and light when i read their conversations with each other. their just perfect and so cute!
I really did love this book! it took me a little bit to get into, but when i finally did i was very happy with the result!