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xtsukix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
For a debut novel this book had a fascinating and original story, one that I think many people would enjoy. I will say that the characters despite effort felt quite flat, which I imagine will improve the more Abdullah writes, she pulls off the whole “detached grouchy untrusting” character scheme a little too well, where it seems to bleed into every character in the book.
The start was a little boring, and this book took me forever to get through but I do blame that partially on my reading slump. I think I’d give the second book in the trilogy a read when it does come out :) Qadir is definitely my favourite character and I would love to see more of him.
The start was a little boring, and this book took me forever to get through but I do blame that partially on my reading slump. I think I’d give the second book in the trilogy a read when it does come out :) Qadir is definitely my favourite character and I would love to see more of him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Grief, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture, Gore, and Child death
elizabeth_lepore'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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
asipofcozy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-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
3.75
I could not for the life of me figure out what I wanted to rate this book. I yanked between a 3.75 and 4 star for the last hour and still my mind is warring with me.
The Stardust Thief is a story filled with magic, stories, flawed characters, and betrayal. I mean what more could a girl want. I instantly fell in love with the worldbuilding and the magic system. I felt immersed in the stories that were being told, and it was almost like I was transported into the world when everyone gathered to listen to the old storytellers.
We end up following the POV's of Mazen (the prince), Aisha (the thief), and Loulie (the merchant). There is nothing I love more than flawed characters that struggle with their inner beliefs and views of the outside world. It makes the story all that more enjoyable. Even when Mazen's naive characteristics drove me up the wall, I still enjoyed reading about his struggles of family duty and want of adventure. These flaws also make for great character develoment and complicated characters - which is a big win for me.
Where my rating debate comes in is the writing style and how the book reads. This is labeled as an adult, yet reads and comes across as YA. I wanted more intricate adult fantasy descriptions and in-depth knowledge behind the magic system that most adult fantasy's give. However, The Stardust Thief is lacking in this aspect. While I enjoyed the fast pacing plot and the quick action that had me turning the pages. I wanted those moments of deep imagery, especially in a world that is colorful and full of jinn and magic.
Given that, I still can't wait to pick up the next book when it releases.
The Stardust Thief is a story filled with magic, stories, flawed characters, and betrayal. I mean what more could a girl want. I instantly fell in love with the worldbuilding and the magic system. I felt immersed in the stories that were being told, and it was almost like I was transported into the world when everyone gathered to listen to the old storytellers.
We end up following the POV's of Mazen (the prince), Aisha (the thief), and Loulie (the merchant). There is nothing I love more than flawed characters that struggle with their inner beliefs and views of the outside world. It makes the story all that more enjoyable. Even when Mazen's naive characteristics drove me up the wall, I still enjoyed reading about his struggles of family duty and want of adventure. These flaws also make for great character develoment and complicated characters - which is a big win for me.
Where my rating debate comes in is the writing style and how the book reads. This is labeled as an adult, yet reads and comes across as YA. I wanted more intricate adult fantasy descriptions and in-depth knowledge behind the magic system that most adult fantasy's give. However, The Stardust Thief is lacking in this aspect. While I enjoyed the fast pacing plot and the quick action that had me turning the pages. I wanted those moments of deep imagery, especially in a world that is colorful and full of jinn and magic.
Given that, I still can't wait to pick up the next book when it releases.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Animal death
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and War
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Child death and Animal death
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.75
A thrilling action packed book full of jinn, magic, adventure.
When Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, saves the life of a Prince, the Sultan blackmails her into a quest to find a certain magical lamp.
Forced onto this quest is also a prince and one of his forty thieves, who lust for jinn blood, death, and relics.
This book is an incredible start for the Sandsea trilogy. The world building is amazing, the characters almost believable, some fighting scenes made me hold my breath.
I love Middle Eastern tales, and this re-telling is beautiful.
When Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, saves the life of a Prince, the Sultan blackmails her into a quest to find a certain magical lamp.
Forced onto this quest is also a prince and one of his forty thieves, who lust for jinn blood, death, and relics.
This book is an incredible start for the Sandsea trilogy. The world building is amazing, the characters almost believable, some fighting scenes made me hold my breath.
I love Middle Eastern tales, and this re-telling is beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Blood, and Confinement
kkarinh's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
If you enjoyed the Daevabad Trilogy, then you’ll no doubt enjoy this. Similar setting, but with different magical twists and characters. I enjoyed the weaving of the 1001 nights of Scheherazade as a background/history. The story was a bit slow to build, but rushed to the end. I’m now wanting to read the next in the series…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Murder, Racism, and Hate crime
emilyh's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I quickly grew fond of our main protagonists and enjoyed their growth throughout the story. Aisha especially turned out to be a thoroughly fascinating woman and I look forward to learning more about her in the future. The plot was exciting and kept me hooked and speeding through the pages. I'm extremely excited to see where the sequel takes us after that adrenaline filled cliffhanger ending.
My only criticism is that there was so much plot that I started forgetting the information given to me in the early stages of the book (notably: the reason for their desert quest and Hakim's existence).Because so much of the book was set in the desert, I didn't realize initially that the first desert ruins they ended up in were not the city beneath the Sandsea they were looking for, which caused some confusion on my end until I realized the truth. But otherwise I was very pleased with my time spent reading this story!
My only criticism is that there was so much plot that I started forgetting the information given to me in the early stages of the book (notably: the reason for their desert quest and Hakim's existence).
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Death
thecheryl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What an adventure! The Middle Eastern setting does not disappoint. I found this story almost too polished, which is why I couldn't hand it a full 5 stars. But if you're into that style then this book will be perfect for you!
**Contains gore, violence, and profanity.
**Contains gore, violence, and profanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Gore
katieimre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, and Death of parent