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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
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
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
readingelli's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Blood, Gore, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Murder and Death
kaela_readsnwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Stardust Thief is paced well with both action and time for reflection. Each dangerous encounter is meaningful in that it reveals aspects of the characters’ natures and their stories. The storyline is as much about the past as it about their current quest to find the lamp and we gradually build a fuller picture of it as the plot progresses.
The story is told by three different points of view, Loulie, Mazen and Aisha and this works well as each character has their own individual stance when it comes to the quest and loyalties. I felt engaged with each character and the switches in points of view were easily marked by separate chapters and they flowed well from one perspective to another. Overall, the characters felt well-rounded for the most part, each having flaws and their own backstory to explain their behaviour and attitudes.
My only comment on characters would be that it might have been nice to have Qadir’s point of view included as well. As the only non-human in the group, he could have given some insight into the jinn but perhaps this was omitted to build the mystique around that particular character.
A nice addition to the book, were the inclusion of folklore tales which were tied to different points of the story. Much of the mythology appears to be inspired by stories from Arabian Nights, or at least this is where I recognised it from. Despite these aspects being familiar, they felt fresh and novel in their retelling.
Downfalls:
I only have two criticisms when it comes to the novel. Firstly, though the quest was for the lamp, we don’t get to the point of reaching the lamp until quite far on in the book. At one point, I realised I had only a few chapters left and yet we still hadn’t come across it. Compared to the richness of the other adventures in the book, the discovery of the lamp felt slightly lacking and rushed.
My second criticism, to me feels like bit of a plot-hole. The protagonist and her companions take several arduous days to reach the Sandsea, which included two rest stops for recuperation and to restock provisions. However, somehow the antagonist and their followers manage the same journey, in at most, a couple of days. Whilst I could wave my hands over this section and say ‘Magic!’, I feel like the reader deserves a proper explanation for the sudden translocation of not just couple but a multitude of people. I really hope this is something that is addressed in the sequel rather than just left open to the reader’s own conjecture (which to me would feel a tiny bit lazy).
The Ending:
Whilst the ending did leave on somewhat of a cliff-hanger, I didn’t feel in anyway disappointed that the story was not completely wrapped up in a fancy magical bow. Not all questions were answered but I felt enough was revealed to satisfy the reader. It is very much left open for a sequel and the fate of some of the characters will not be known until the next book.
In conclusion:
Overall, I found ‘The Stardust Thief’ an incredibly enjoyable read and was gripped by it from start to finish. In fact, I was so engrossed I finished the book in three days, which for me is pretty fast and I have to admit I was rather sad when I ran out of pages. The previous criticisms, though bugged me slightly, were not detrimental in any way to overall enjoyment of the book and I sincerely hope Chelsea Abdullah keeps writing and brings us more.
The story is told by three different points of view, Loulie, Mazen and Aisha and this works well as each character has their own individual stance when it comes to the quest and loyalties. I felt engaged with each character and the switches in points of view were easily marked by separate chapters and they flowed well from one perspective to another. Overall, the characters felt well-rounded for the most part, each having flaws and their own backstory to explain their behaviour and attitudes.
My only comment on characters would be that it might have been nice to have Qadir’s point of view included as well. As the only non-human in the group, he could have given some insight into the jinn but perhaps this was omitted to build the mystique around that particular character.
A nice addition to the book, were the inclusion of folklore tales which were tied to different points of the story. Much of the mythology appears to be inspired by stories from Arabian Nights, or at least this is where I recognised it from. Despite these aspects being familiar, they felt fresh and novel in their retelling.
Downfalls:
I only have two criticisms when it comes to the novel. Firstly, though the quest was for the lamp, we don’t get to the point of reaching the lamp until quite far on in the book. At one point, I realised I had only a few chapters left and yet we still hadn’t come across it. Compared to the richness of the other adventures in the book, the discovery of the lamp felt slightly lacking and rushed.
My second criticism, to me feels like bit of a plot-hole. The protagonist and her companions take several arduous days to reach the Sandsea, which included two rest stops for recuperation and to restock provisions. However, somehow the antagonist and their followers manage the same journey, in at most, a couple of days. Whilst I could wave my hands over this section and say ‘Magic!’, I feel like the reader deserves a proper explanation for the sudden translocation of not just couple but a multitude of people. I really hope this is something that is addressed in the sequel rather than just left open to the reader’s own conjecture (which to me would feel a tiny bit lazy).
The Ending:
Whilst the ending did leave on somewhat of a cliff-hanger, I didn’t feel in anyway disappointed that the story was not completely wrapped up in a fancy magical bow. Not all questions were answered but I felt enough was revealed to satisfy the reader. It is very much left open for a sequel and the fate of some of the characters will not be known until the next book.
In conclusion:
Overall, I found ‘The Stardust Thief’ an incredibly enjoyable read and was gripped by it from start to finish. In fact, I was so engrossed I finished the book in three days, which for me is pretty fast and I have to admit I was rather sad when I ran out of pages. The previous criticisms, though bugged me slightly, were not detrimental in any way to overall enjoyment of the book and I sincerely hope Chelsea Abdullah keeps writing and brings us more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
littlewishling's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Abdullah creates a rich and wonderful world that I can’t wait to dive back into. It’s full of characters that feel so alive and real. I loved every word of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Genocide