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belle2022's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the plot in this one. The world building and characters. The culture was so rich and you could clearly see the political and cultural differences set in this world.
Khadija was such a strong relatable character. The ‘brown girl guilt’ was so strong in this book. I think a lot of brown girls like myself who would read this can really relate. She’s definitely not perfect and has her flaws but I couldn’t help but root for her the entire way through.
Jacob is the epitome of dumb teenager at times. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was trust into all this not knowing much and definitely not knowing who to trust. He went with his instincts which may have landed him in some trouble. The good thing about this is…that’s it’s realistic. In times of turmoil and distress lie he was clearly in, you aren’t always going to make good decisions especially considering he is only 15.
In a twist we’ve got the white-skinned people as the ‘oppressed’ or ‘lesser-than’ people in the book. They are known as the Hari and then you’ve got the Ghadeaens. Racism plays a bit part in the book. It’s clearly evident in the way the Hari and treated. For instance the way Jacob is treated compared to Khadija. Even though she also isn’t treated well due to being a woman. The plot was so good, it just kept getting better and more enthralling. The Jinn’s absolutely freak me out and I can’t even talk about them.
Would definitely give this a 4.5 stars, with beautiful writing that does not make this seems like a debut. Highly recommend for YA readers and older readers. Plus you’ve got so much rep in this book: south Asian characters, hijabi warriors and LGBTQ+ rep too.
Khadija was such a strong relatable character. The ‘brown girl guilt’ was so strong in this book. I think a lot of brown girls like myself who would read this can really relate. She’s definitely not perfect and has her flaws but I couldn’t help but root for her the entire way through.
Jacob is the epitome of dumb teenager at times. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was trust into all this not knowing much and definitely not knowing who to trust. He went with his instincts which may have landed him in some trouble. The good thing about this is…that’s it’s realistic. In times of turmoil and distress lie he was clearly in, you aren’t always going to make good decisions especially considering he is only 15.
In a twist we’ve got the white-skinned people as the ‘oppressed’ or ‘lesser-than’ people in the book. They are known as the Hari and then you’ve got the Ghadeaens. Racism plays a bit part in the book. It’s clearly evident in the way the Hari and treated. For instance the way Jacob is treated compared to Khadija. Even though she also isn’t treated well due to being a woman. The plot was so good, it just kept getting better and more enthralling. The Jinn’s absolutely freak me out and I can’t even talk about them.
Would definitely give this a 4.5 stars, with beautiful writing that does not make this seems like a debut. Highly recommend for YA readers and older readers. Plus you’ve got so much rep in this book: south Asian characters, hijabi warriors and LGBTQ+ rep too.
blyberry345's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ayeshahsaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
yve_ma's review against another edition
adventurous
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
2.0
cxppatee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
This was a different spin on the fantasy genre and it was very emersive and interesting to read. Intrigued to read more from Aneesa Marufu in the future
chelsealeigh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
weirdoella's review against another edition
3.0
{3/5}
Bon, bon, bon...
Je comptais a ce que ce livre soit une bonne lecture voire même un coup de coeur.
On en est bien loin !
L'idée en elle-même m'a séduite dès la lecture du résumé, sauf qu'on ne va pas plus loin que cette ébauche d'idée..
Cependant, la plume de l'autrice est agréable, fluide et légère donc ça se lit bien.
Le fait d'être plongé dans la culture orientale en prenant la mythologie et les djinns était une très une bonne idée et j'ai bien aimé cet aspect là.
Par contre, tout le reste était très bancale on a envie de frapper nos deux protagonistes qui malgré le temps passé ensemble et leur envie de changer n'en font rien.
Les 200 premières pages ne servent qu'à placer le monde et les 100 dernières sont juste de la bataille.
Bref, le rythme est a revoir, la psychologie des personnages aussi.
Bon, bon, bon...
Je comptais a ce que ce livre soit une bonne lecture voire même un coup de coeur.
On en est bien loin !
L'idée en elle-même m'a séduite dès la lecture du résumé, sauf qu'on ne va pas plus loin que cette ébauche d'idée..
Cependant, la plume de l'autrice est agréable, fluide et légère donc ça se lit bien.
Le fait d'être plongé dans la culture orientale en prenant la mythologie et les djinns était une très une bonne idée et j'ai bien aimé cet aspect là.
Par contre, tout le reste était très bancale on a envie de frapper nos deux protagonistes qui malgré le temps passé ensemble et leur envie de changer n'en font rien.
Les 200 premières pages ne servent qu'à placer le monde et les 100 dernières sont juste de la bataille.
Bref, le rythme est a revoir, la psychologie des personnages aussi.
farfetched's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
A fantastic debut novel, it leaps right into tackling racism, prejudice and discrimination. Khadija definitely got her chance to shine, and I loved that this book made a point of saying that racial discrimination is not the only kind that exists. There is a prominent transgender character who is respected by the main characters and the narrative. I never quite knew how it was going to end, or that anyone was safe until the end of the book, the action running right up until the end, but didn't feel that rushed in my opinion. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death, Blood, and Sexism
Minor: Transphobia
johanna_b's review against another edition
DNF @ pg. 189
Sadly, I won't be continuing with this book. I was enjoying it for the most part in the beginning but there were a couple things that I struggled with in this one that made me make the hard decision to discontinue it. Firstly, I was never invested in the plot and the story itself felt like nothing new. You know when you're re-watching a movie with your friends that you remember enjoying a while back, but now you just can't bring yourself to care? That's how I felt about this book. And secondly, the whole mythological side of this story was starting to become really dark. I had that twinge of doubt when the demon jinn was introduced and then when the Queen appeared on the scene and totally went psycho on the nawab, I just decided I'd had enough. Thankfully I had borrowed this one from the library so it didn't cost me anything which I'm really happy about! Not sure whether or not I'd recommend this one as the reason I stopped reading it was solely based on a personal opinion, but that said, I would be hesitant to do so. Happy Reading :)
Sadly, I won't be continuing with this book. I was enjoying it for the most part in the beginning but there were a couple things that I struggled with in this one that made me make the hard decision to discontinue it. Firstly, I was never invested in the plot and the story itself felt like nothing new. You know when you're re-watching a movie with your friends that you remember enjoying a while back, but now you just can't bring yourself to care? That's how I felt about this book. And secondly, the whole mythological side of this story was starting to become really dark. I had that twinge of doubt when the demon jinn was introduced and then when the Queen appeared on the scene and totally went psycho on the nawab, I just decided I'd had enough. Thankfully I had borrowed this one from the library so it didn't cost me anything which I'm really happy about! Not sure whether or not I'd recommend this one as the reason I stopped reading it was solely based on a personal opinion, but that said, I would be hesitant to do so. Happy Reading :)