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samanthalove's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
afantasysky's review against another edition
4.0
The Stardust Thief was a jam packed magical story with gorgeous descriptions. I loved the atmosphere and the different stories woven in throughout the book. The world building often leads to a combination of morbid and beautiful imagery which I found really interesting.
In a world where jinn are hunted, Loulie finds and sells forbidden magical relics with the help of her jinn bodyguard Qadir. When found by the sultan she's forced into a quest to find a powerful magical lamp. We also follow the point of view of Mazen, one of the Sultan's sons who has lived a very sheltered and protected life and Aisha, a jinn hunter who is one of Mazen's brother's forty thieves.
It's a book full of both jinn and humans hellbent on revenge which leads to the characters getting into lots of perilous situations and all the while having secrets they need to keep from eachother. The book moved quickly and I was very much engrossed by the plot. The chapters are pretty short and easy to read and I had fun getting through it. Not that it's a fun frolic, it's dark, creepy and painful at points but also made me laugh at others.
My main issue with the book was I saw a bunch of marketing advertising it as "found family". That led to me to expect a certain vibe that I don't think was actually there, except in the relationship between Loulie and Qadir. Outside of that, the group dynamics fell a little flat for me. I kept waiting for them to talk and get to know eachother. It did have some good moments between the characters but I kept wishing to spend more time on character development and less running from one problem to the next.
In general though, I did really enjoy it and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In a world where jinn are hunted, Loulie finds and sells forbidden magical relics with the help of her jinn bodyguard Qadir. When found by the sultan she's forced into a quest to find a powerful magical lamp. We also follow the point of view of Mazen, one of the Sultan's sons who has lived a very sheltered and protected life and Aisha, a jinn hunter who is one of Mazen's brother's forty thieves.
It's a book full of both jinn and humans hellbent on revenge which leads to the characters getting into lots of perilous situations and all the while having secrets they need to keep from eachother. The book moved quickly and I was very much engrossed by the plot. The chapters are pretty short and easy to read and I had fun getting through it. Not that it's a fun frolic, it's dark, creepy and painful at points but also made me laugh at others.
My main issue with the book was I saw a bunch of marketing advertising it as "found family". That led to me to expect a certain vibe that I don't think was actually there, except in the relationship between Loulie and Qadir. Outside of that, the group dynamics fell a little flat for me. I kept waiting for them to talk and get to know eachother. It did have some good moments between the characters but I kept wishing to spend more time on character development and less running from one problem to the next.
In general though, I did really enjoy it and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out ⭐⭐⭐⭐
aphrael's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
Quite a lovely book. A lot of literal deus (ex machina) but the characters were increasing and had interesting relationships to each other anyway. I like that the main character was sassy and careful and lonely all at the same time.
amenon07's review against another edition
4.0
If you approach this with the mindset that it will be similar to YA fantasy (which is what I did), it is a very enjoyable read that deserves a solid 4 stars. It falls flat as an adult fantasy novel - the plot nor the characters really have the required complexity, in my opinion.
thekayles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
hibsdontlie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
this took me 6 months to finish bc i have fomo and refuse to dnf books. there’s a lot i couldn’t care less about but more of the enby ifrit pls.
princessnata's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
I went into this thinking it was a standalone for some reason and I do think that might have affected my judgement.
Overall I felt the book was way too long. So much happened but it felt like nothing happened. I think a lot of scenes could have been cut because they felt repetitive and like they were not moving the story forward.
Around the 60% mark I stopped feeling so invested in the story and some of the characters I didn’t care for much like Aisha and the Queen of dunes.
I did enjoy Mazen’s character development. He was probably my favorite POV.
I also enjoyed Loulie and Qadirs relationship. Their dynamic is very strong.
My favorite part of the book was probably the tales in between.
I’m not too interested in picking up the sequel unless I hear really good reviews to pique my interest again.
Overall I felt the book was way too long. So much happened but it felt like nothing happened. I think a lot of scenes could have been cut because they felt repetitive and like they were not moving the story forward.
Around the 60% mark I stopped feeling so invested in the story and some of the characters I didn’t care for much like Aisha and the Queen of dunes.
I did enjoy Mazen’s character development. He was probably my favorite POV.
I also enjoyed Loulie and Qadirs relationship. Their dynamic is very strong.
My favorite part of the book was probably the tales in between.
I’m not too interested in picking up the sequel unless I hear really good reviews to pique my interest again.
salema's review against another edition
4.75
I loved everything about this book with the exception of Loulie’s infatuation with Ahmed. The true love story seems to between Louie and Qadir and her ability to long for a relationship with someone she knows would absolutely murder the last family she has left was an odd choice to me. Otherwise I have absolutely no complaints. I can’t wait for the sequel. The characters have all been flushed out nicely and I am interested to see what kind of storyline Hakim gets.
deathisaunicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5