Reviews

I spent the majority of the book frustrated with the characters. I didn’t enjoy any of them. The world building felt very incomplete and things were just happening and never being referenced again. Why was the dad so powerful? When did she dispose of Rami’s body? Who killed Layla? Was Rami a villain or nah? Maybe it would have benefited from multiple POVs. I was anticipating more of a payoff from the ghouls. Someone mentioned this being inspired by persephone and demeter but I’m not familiar with the story so all and all everything she did felt unnecessary and selfish.

cscjanni's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lulustjames's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna sounded like such a beautiful concept. The writing is beautiful, as are the stories told within by jinn Nadine. While it was a lovely read, it did fall a little flat for me toward the end but that might just be due to who I am, or am not to be more specific.

First, I want to say that when I first heard about this book, my expectation had been that this would be almost like an Orphic type tale. That something horrifically tragic happened that should not have and we’d have to traverse through the Underworld, completing numerous tasks before leaving hopefully victorious. That is not what this was and that’s okay! I still really enjoyed it, despite it being so different than what I imagined. The Jinn Daughter is incredibly prose heavy. There is dialogue, there is action, but most of it feels like a lot of exposition. We follow Nadine telling us things instead of seeing them for ourselves. She tells us the stories. She tells us of her relationships. And, while I enjoyed it because I got to learn little stories within the greater one, it might not be for everyone.

This was honestly sitting at a solid 4 stars for the majority of the story. It faltered, unfortunately, at the end. Without getting into spoiler territory, I felt incredibly let down. It seemed liked there was so much trouble and work for it all to be for nought. When I said the ending fell flat for me because of I am or am not, I meant because I am not a parent. I think that a mother might view the ending differently or might rate this higher. I’m not sure.

If you’re looking to expand your reading, The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna is a beautifully written story that features numerous little tales within. It is also fantastic for those looking to read more on the relationship mothers have with daughters, the sacrifices made and the fury at having being the recipient of that sacrifice.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. //

laurelthebooks's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-paced

A gently woven story about the push and pull of motherhood, all set against lush descriptions of death, magic, and the stories that make up the worlds of those around us.

krxxtxn's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

More...