Reviews

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

niamhyjay's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious 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

4.25

thread_pages's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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? No

4.5

it's a fantastic read. I had so much fun from the first to the last page! The suspense lasted throughout the whole book which made it so addictive. 

gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition

4.0

A quick summary of this book would be "a murder mystery set in steampunk, alternate history Cairo with magic". Normally, steampunk isn't my thing, but this novel did it in a way that isn't focused on the more annoying elements. This is the first novel by this author. There are definitely moments when the writer's inexperience shows: one info-dump comes to mind. Also, at first, it seemed to me like it had a bit of "progressive checklist" going on: queer, not gender-conforming woman of color... check! However, overall it is well done. The characters were more than just checklist items, the plot is engaging, and the mystery, while not great, was good enough. There was one plot element that I was disappointed wasn't resolved (as far as I can tell), but the book was still enjoyable and worth reading.

timinbc's review against another edition

5.0

What everyone else said. Action-filled, with a mystery to solve and lots of interesting characters.
Already we've come to expect work of this quality from Clark, and this shows he can handle that expectation.

katjacatbeans'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? It's complicated

5.0

The queerness of this book is absolutely pristine. The attention to Fatima's suits & Hadia's hijabs as fashion and individuality and in Fatima's case queerness is phenomenal. 

The storytelling is exquisite. The world building is a delight. I only called one of the plot twists before it was revealed, and then only by about 5 minutes. 

aribrand's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

ivoreads's review against another edition

4.25

Amazing from start to the near end. Ending became very predictable and a bit of a let down. Each fighting scene was so extremely well described that it felt like a 10/10 action movie, but there was no 'big endgame fight' in that manner. Also, it became quite clear near the end that this would be no gutwrenching ending, so I never felt the stakes were high. Apart from the ending, this is a definitive 5/5 with its worldbuilding, descriptions, humour, puzzles, creativity and so forth. Thank you for such a wonderful read

dfarrell627's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

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? No

4.0

8ekka's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75