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ienbdri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Child death, Medical content, Blood, Murder, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Slavery, Homophobia, and Rape
boba_n_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This gorgeous novel takes readers on a fantastical journey throughout the djinn world in the Middle East: Daevabad. Told through two perspectives, one insider and one outsider, you slowly learn more about the politics and racial tensions between the different tribes of djinn and the half-breed shafit.
Tensions run high, and allegiances will be tested as both POVs learn to navigate the world of Daevabad. Everything is not as black and white as it seems. Who can they trust? And how can they tell what is right?
You will absolutely fall in love with this world and the characters who inhabit it. I’m immediately picking up book two because I have to know what happens right now.
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Grief, Trafficking, and War
Minor: Rape
hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Blood, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual content, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Child death and Rape
ericageorge91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking, Classism, Alcohol, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape and Child abuse
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I tackled this book as part of a book club (Lighthouse Library thicc bois :) ). It wasn't something I had heard of before that. It starts off set in Cairo with a young woman of unknown origin who is a theif, swindler and survivor, and who has a mysterious healing talent and the ability to understand languages, which she hides to avoid people thinking her a dangerous witch.
Her world is upended when she utters some words of power while doing a faith healing scam, and unexpectedly summons something to her. This leads to her and a big scary soldier guy on the run from murderous ghouls and ifrits. She learns of the world of Daeva and Djinns and journeys to find sanctuary in a magical hidden city, all the while being hunted and tracked by mysterious forces and magical creatures.
Having read a children's translation of the Persian epic Shahnameh, some of the creatures and names were familiar to me. I did keep wondering if Nahri's uncle had an epic warhorse called Rakhsh. I find that I clearly have a lot more grounding in the myths of the Pacific Islands, the Mediterranean, Europe and the British Isles, and need to read more mythic stories from other parts of the world. This story weaves together myth from many places in Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, South and East Asia. Thematically it pits Tradtions, family, individualism, duty, and survival together in a story that sets up a world that I feel is yet to be explored and played in. That's quite a big book for an intro!
The main character is antiheroic. She is a thief, a liar, and a con-artist. She is used to not having a lot and needing to swindle what she can, and so she is out of her depth when she is cast into a palace with opulence at all turns. She is under no illusions that everyone has their own agenda, and that appearances are often skin-deep. It can make for slippery footing as you try to come to grips with a story where there are centuries of history, of alliances and rivalry.
As far as the elemental magic goes, it's generally coherent. The story has some curiosities but non of the "surprises" are overly so. I'm interested to wade into the world and see a little more.
Graphic: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, War, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexism, Vomit, Blood, Classism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infertility, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Excrement
Minor: Dementia, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Bullying, Cancer, and Abandonment
insidiousturtle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Self harm, Blood, and Genocide
Moderate: War and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
brynalexa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Hate crime, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, War, Child death, Torture, Medical content, Violence, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Slavery, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child death and Rape
geometricsun's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Gore, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, and Murder
foxonabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
🧞♀️
Review: This has been on my TBR for over a year since I bought the trilogy with a Kobo gift voucher I’d received. I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to finally read it because I didn’t know how much I needed a book inspired and influenced by the Middle Eastern culture until I’d read this.
🧞♀️
The world building is great, the characters are well rounded and the plot is not short of any action, twists or turns. I did feel like sometimes things or a character’s mood/motive shifted a little too quickly, but that’s just a minor detail.
🧞♀️
The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because at points you could tell that this book wasn’t written by someone from the Middle East, and that broke the immersion for me. Though there is no denying that this is very well researched and clearly a labour of love, and I may be more sensitive to these things because of my own background 🤷🏽♀️
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Classism, Kidnapping, War, Medical content, Slavery, and Violence
relin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Medical trauma, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Grief, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Murder, Medical content, and Genocide
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Hate crime, War, Outing, Alcohol, Cursing, and Self harm
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, and Xenophobia