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dragon_lion64's review
3.0
I thought this was going to be more of a romantic fantasy but turned into more of an Arabian Knights or Aladdin tale which ate not my thing.
I groaned when the djinni popped into the story because it had been such an interesting plot up until then. I almost stopped reading but kept going because of the author's unique way of mixing serious with a little humor and because I really like Zadie's character. She is a no-nonsense type of girl who speaks her mind. I'm glad I kept going.
I think Kassim is a jerk and can't see that changing but maybe he will have his misogyny slapped out of him.
I'm going to read the next book in the series.
caromalfe's review
5.0
...But... with the characters inverted. I loved the story, it was action packed and the characters were real. Zaddie it’s a heroine that takes matters in her own hands and doesn’t let anyone’s attitude to take her down for long. It’s not predictable how the story unfolds, you don’t know what will happen next, but it’s easy to identify some of the villains if you compare it to Aladdin. Well...The djinn (genie) its another matter in itself because he is not so kind as the Disney’s genie
But as I said, the main characters where inverted so the theme song of this book could well be “speechless” by Naomi Scott.
always_reading_a_novel's review
5.0
Wow! I can’t remember how I found out about this book, but I LOVED it! I didn’t know going into it that it has elements from Aladdin in it, but I was so happy to find that out because I love fairytale retellings. I was only going to read two chapters and then switch back to my library book which is due soon, but I couldn’t stop reading. My kids woke up when I was halfway through, so I had to take a break, but I kept thinking about it and reading every chance I got. I really appreciated that it is a clean story, with a great adventure, as well as fairytale elements. It’s hard to find good books like that, so I’m happy to have found this one! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
lightening_mcreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
purplebookfox's review
3.0
The same can be said with her dealings with the Jin. At their first encounter she was far smarter in her words. Then the next two times she made stupid mistakes that nearly coast her life.
aworldshapedbybooks's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Kind of reminded me of Rebels of the Sand because djinni and all. I really love djinni as fantasy characters and there really aren't enough books with them in it. As the middle child, Zadie's never had grand ambitions. When her older sister wants to run away and marry for love, Zadie helps her and takes the role future Sultana to a neighboring Sultan. The best part is the way she embraces the responsibility, she wants to be a Sultana because she wants to help people and she puts the work in to do so.
It was almost a five star read, but I would've liked a little more background into her history. Maybe a couple flashbacks of interactions with her sister? Maybe that's just me looking for a tragic backstory, she has a pretty average life other than that. It would make her seem more selfless and heroic- she isn't shallow she just hasn't had a lot of outside interactions.
I would also like some more interactions between her and Kassim, it's advertised as a fantasy romance but I'm not really feeling it yet as they haven't talked much. I like that the Vizier is a woman in power, but it's interesting how problematic she's being. It's pretty reflective of a constant theme of people who have risen in power, the need to hold back those coming from the same position as them. I'd like to go a little deeper into that rather than just framing her as a typical mean girl.
Looking forward to the next book and totally recommending it thus far!
This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot.com/
emm_enchanted's review
5.0
I'm eager to read the next book.
kasfire's review
5.0
This was quite the book. This is almost a reverse Aladdin story, but is also super unique.
Zadie is a princess betrothed to the sultan of another kingdom. However, she is not the demure princess this kingdom has been promised. Instead, she gets herself caught up in djinni, thieves, and other adventures.
I enjoyed how Zadie is not this prim and proper princess. She's so lively and opinionated that you can't help but love her. The scraps she gets herself into are quite interesting, and I'm very intrigued on where this story is going.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
prationality's review
5.0
I freely admit that it is the covers for this series that first drew me. I've Rookwood before, but I've always been wary of Aladdin inspired stories since he's a bit of the worst and I didn't particularly care about him.
Zadie however is what caught me. Self-conscious and more of a free spirit, she finds herself forced into the role after helping her beautiful, serene sister run off to marry the man she loved.
From the first moment I liked her. I liked that even though she would have preferred not to deal with it, she's found a silver lining. I appreciated her optimism and how she prepared to meet the Sultan, Kassim. Her awkwardness as she tried to do what her parents said while attempting to see if Kassim was progressive.
She was a go with the punches sort who didn't let a little thing like Kassim's sulky dismissiveness keep her from proving she could do more for the Kingdom than look like a pretty ornament.