Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

4 reviews

dalek_caan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

I really enjoyed this book. It was unpredictable, imaginative and very well told. I found myself very engaged with most of the characters and enjoyed how each of the characters in the split perspective narrative had their own distinct voice. I would definitely recommend this book and anxiously await the publication of the sequel.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cookiecat73's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book wasn't 100% my thing, but I have incredible respect for the author. The world and magic was cool and interesting, and character development was really well written, but it was the plot that blew me away. The twist were really well done and way they tied everything together was brilliant. It also gave you all the pieces you needed to figure things out for yourself (and it was incredibly satisfying when I did) whilst also providing explanations for anyone who didn't figure it out yet, but in a way that wasn't beating you over the head with it or talking down to the reader, it just felt like the characters figuring it out themselves.

Personally I had no real interest in the romance/crush aspects, and some of the torture/violence was a bit much imo, but my biggest issue was the fake-out deaths. If it was just Aisha's I wouldn't have much of an issue because there were still consequences, but Mazen and Qadir's I don't think serve any real purpose, and they made threat later on feel hollow for me. In general there are a lot of times where people sustain what should be serious injuries, but then they just recover? It made me feel like the characters would just be fine whatever happened, which made any times where there was meant to be danger and threat feel less meaningful and more hollow. Thankfully the plot and twists were really really interesting and well done, so I still was invested in the book, but I think if maybe those 2 deaths weren't there and some of the injuries either didn't happen or had more consequences I would have enjoyed it more
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Chelsea Abdullah had some good ideas here, but in the end, this novel left me slightly confused and underwhelmed.

First, to the good stuff. I liked how Abdullah intertwined the best-known Arabian Nights stories into her tale, incorporating
Scheherezade, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and I'm sure there were many more stories woven in that I was unfamiliar with
. The first hundred pages or so The Stardust Thief are snappy and pacy in style, and I was thinking "oh, this is going to be a cracking good story."

It wasn't long after our narrators - Loulie, Mazen and Aisha (as well as Qadir) - set out on their journey (not a spoiler as it's in the official blurb) that I started to get confused. It was still incredibly gripping to read - but I was no longer as invested as I was in the beginning.

So what went wrong? For me, it was a number of things. A few plot holes which I couldn't rationalise to myself.  Too many convenient escapes where someone or something turned up at just the right moment. The characters felt too thin and weren't developed enough to make me care about them. I was confused about jinn lore and exactly how the magic worked. And I think it was too long, with twist upon twist until it became impossible to keep track of who knew what and when.

In conclusion, a strong start and some clever ideas, but the worldbuilding and character development left a lot to be desired.



Expand filter menu Content Warnings

booksthatburn's review against another edition

Go to review page

Given that this is pulling from the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights, I like how this blends between having those stories be events that already happened, things happening now, and stories the characters are telling. I generally dislike stories where characters spend a lot of time lying to each other, especially when coupled with disguises, so I wasn't sure if I'd like this one. Unfortunately I was right and I'm not enjoying it, so I'm stopping.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings