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strugglecity's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia and Slavery
ko_rax's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In A Master of Djinn, the reader accompanies Agent Fatma and her colleagues as she unveils the surrounding mystery around the murdering of a brotherhood dedicated to al-Jahiz. The story is set in 1912's Cairo, Egypt, and stuns with the appearance of mighty djinn, mechanically winged angels, powerful spells and dangerous artefacts.
First: I love, love, love Fatma's impeccable style. I got so jealous that I was debating on buying myselfsuits , as well. I also appreciated her professionality and always enjoy rational minds...and this is where my liking for her ends. As someone on Storygraph here has mentioned before, it did not feel to me as if Fatma had some kind of rooting, in a sense? Any goals, aspirations or ideals, at least not implicitly written out, except for obvious conformity with law, given that she is a working government official. The novel is quite plot-heavy, and I would have loved to see more insight on Fatma as a character, especially since she seemed to be the protagonist, despite her colleague Agent Hadia, who seemed more of a sidekick .
My favourite aspect of this novel is its world building and how it was embedded well in its historical setting. P. Djèlí Clark spent a great time researching to turn scenes this vivid, and the unwritten rules in this magical setting bore no loopholes. It felt as if I was transported to Egypt - and I have never been to Egypt, ever - and familiarised enough with the setting to see the plot pick up as well without being overwhelmed. Also appreciated the imperialist undertones and implications in many interactions among characters.
Towards the end, however, I felt the developments a little rushed, aside from uneven/imbalanced pacing throughout the whole novel. It was intriguing to me to seepower dynamics questioned and negotiated among the djinn and the Nine Ifrit Lords , and at the same time, the Nine Lords , who were portrayed as very mighty ended up not meeting my expectations there. I like to believe it to be social commentary, or a thought experiment of what would happen when clichéed glory is not the desired endgame .
Lastly, I lovethe sapphic romance with Siti here. It was a nice touch on top of it and did not distract from the objective of the plot.
As someone who rarely dabbles in steampunk and is more into historical fiction and/or fantasy, this was a nice read for me. I have interest, though faint, in more stories set in this universe and will seek out other works of P. Djèlí Clark set in this universe, eventually.
To close it off with a quote I liked in particular:
First: I love, love, love Fatma's impeccable style. I got so jealous that I was debating on buying myself
My favourite aspect of this novel is its world building and how it was embedded well in its historical setting. P. Djèlí Clark spent a great time researching to turn scenes this vivid, and the unwritten rules in this magical setting bore no loopholes. It felt as if I was transported to Egypt - and I have never been to Egypt, ever - and familiarised enough with the setting to see the plot pick up as well without being overwhelmed. Also appreciated the imperialist undertones and implications in many interactions among characters.
Towards the end, however, I felt the developments a little rushed, aside from uneven/imbalanced pacing throughout the whole novel. It was intriguing to me to see
Lastly, I love
As someone who rarely dabbles in steampunk and is more into historical fiction and/or fantasy, this was a nice read for me. I have interest, though faint, in more stories set in this universe and will seek out other works of P. Djèlí Clark set in this universe, eventually.
To close it off with a quote I liked in particular:
"Usually the screts we keep deep down, ain't meant to hurt other people, [..] Not saying they won't, but not through intentions. Those deep secrets, we hide away because we're afraid what other people might think. How they might judge us, if they knew. And nobody's judgement we scared of more than the one we give our hearts to. Besides, everybody got secrets. Even you, I'm betting."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, and Slavery
emily_mh's review
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? No
5.0
I was absolutely thrilled, 100% of the time, to be reading this book. It literally felt like I was Fatma and Hadia’s cat sidekick (which they don’t actually have in the story), rubbing my paws together after investigating a lead and asking “where to next, ladies?” I was just enthralled. I absolutely adored the alt-history, steampunk, supernatural Cairo the novel’s events are set in. You’ve got mechanical, thinking buildings, airships and aerial trams, secret bars, and in the midst of it all, a Ministry that is trying to keep all hell from breaking loose (literally). What is so compelling is that general knowledge of the existence of magic and its spread in society only happened 40 years prior to the events of the novel; it is still super new to everyone and not everything is known, so this Ministry doesn’t really know what it’s doing or what it’s up against - kind of like the reader!
I also loved the characters. Our MC Fatma is this prodigal agent who is super capable and practical, and goes around wearing outlandish English suits. She’s in a relationship with SC Siti, who is this unpredictable, confident woman with some mysterious otherworldly powers. Fatma is assigned a partner at the Ministry, Hadia, who is steadfast, passionate, and kind. Fatma’s development is about her relationships with Siti and Hadia; in the former they aren’t communicating well, while Fatma wants nothing to do with the latter. Both relationships end in a much, much better place than they began.
The fault with this book lies partially in some lines of cliche dialogue, and occasionally some clumsy world-building (”I think it’s X!” “X? You mean [insert exactly what X is here]”), that perhaps indicated the level of craft could have been improved overall. But it mostly lies in the fact that Clark could have introduced more suspects and hidden the perpetrator better, as the writing of the clues was heavy-handed for an adult mystery. The combination of these factors meant I guessed who the perpetrator was very early on. HOWEVER, I didn’t guess the motive or the mechanics of their crimes, which ended up being interestingly tied into the world-building. I would say I’d rate this book 4.25 for quality (still super solid!), but overall I couldn’t rate it less than 5 stars because I enjoyed it so damn much. I can easily see this series as a whole making my top 10 of 2024 list.
Rep: Muslim Egyptian MC, Sudanese LI, Muslim Egyptian SCs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Confinement, Murder, and Death
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Misogyny, Grief, Homophobia, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Islamophobia, Vomit, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Blood, Slavery, War, Sexism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Alcohol, Ableism, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
Major: six uses of the Arabic anti-Black a-slur, self-injury, body control, mind control, blackface Moderate: two uses of the archaic anti-Black n-slur, colourism, bomb Minor: gambling, apartheid, fainting, one use of the archaic anti-Black b-slur, imprisonmentasahome's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
3.5
TL;DR: A young woman must solve a mass murder case where she discovers the supernatural is closer than she thinks. In the end, people challenge the status quo and they are not wrong when discussing the way power is distributed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Slavery, Alcohol, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Classism, Drug use, and Gore
cozyblanketbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Classism, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: War
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is an entertaining tale of three strong women in a time of casual misogyny and racism (with a hint of homophobia), when chauvinism and nationalism made life frustrating at best for anyone not an Egyptian male or wealthy white Englishman.
It opens with a chapter demonstrating Agent Fatma’s bravery and skill in dealing with an angry, powerful djinn, and goes on to give her a far more challenging assignment. She’s initially paired with an unwanted partner but very early on they work well together, with none of the squabbling common to Hollywood buddy movies. Fatma’s lover Siti rounds out the trio. The descriptions of Cairo a century ago add realism to the steampunk aesthetic.
I would probably have given this five stars but I was so frequently flummoxed by unknown words that I would really have appreciated a glossary. The words I didn’t know have to do with politics, religion, clothing, food, and magical beings. While the meaning was usually clear from the context, I spent way too much time on Google trying to find out more information.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. I’ve liked Clark’s novellas and like this full-length novel even more.
It opens with a chapter demonstrating Agent Fatma’s bravery and skill in dealing with an angry, powerful djinn, and goes on to give her a far more challenging assignment. She’s initially paired with an unwanted partner but very early on they work well together, with none of the squabbling common to Hollywood buddy movies. Fatma’s lover Siti rounds out the trio. The descriptions of Cairo a century ago add realism to the steampunk aesthetic.
I would probably have given this five stars but I was so frequently flummoxed by unknown words that I would really have appreciated a glossary. The words I didn’t know have to do with politics, religion, clothing, food, and magical beings. While the meaning was usually clear from the context, I spent way too much time on Google trying to find out more information.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. I’ve liked Clark’s novellas and like this full-length novel even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Blood, Classism, Violence, Alcohol, Police brutality, Racism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Gore
stephanielee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is set in Cairo in an alternate 1912. There is magic in this universe and Agent Fatma is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy. She is also queer and very private. She is assigned a partner, Hadia, who is just as smart but lacks the field experience Fatma has. What starts as a murder investigation becomes much more. There are a lot of non English words but those can be figured out either by googling them or using context, I didn't find them to be an issue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, and Sexism
mleiv's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Vibrant, individual characters. I identified the murderer right off, but it was one of those mysteries where it just made it better because you were heckling the protagonist for not realizing it. The humor was perfect. The ending, when she reads the Djinn Lord his crimes, lol. Loved all of it. Gonna read all the short stories now, and hope for sequels.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Classism, Violence, and Murder
kappafrog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
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? It's complicated
5.0
This. Was. FANTASTIC!! One of the best books I've read all year. I love the setting, the characters, the history, the folklore... Wow!! I want more books like this! A historian writing steampunk that centres entirely different cultures and histories than usual... I love it! Reading this felt like eating a delicious and varied meal you'd never tasted!
Fatima and Hadia made a great detective team, and I loved Siti. There were so many amazing side characters too, from a musician refugee from Jim Crow calling himself Mansa Musa, to a haughty djinn librarian, to a master of thieves feeding hungry children while keeping some wealth for herself. The world building was so rich, with so many strands woven together to make an engrossing tapestry. I'd love to see more of this world!
Fatima and Hadia made a great detective team, and I loved Siti. There were so many amazing side characters too, from a musician refugee from Jim Crow calling himself Mansa Musa, to a haughty djinn librarian, to a master of thieves feeding hungry children while keeping some wealth for herself. The world building was so rich, with so many strands woven together to make an engrossing tapestry. I'd love to see more of this world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Classism, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Body horror, Sexism, War, Slavery, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Dementia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Islamophobia, and Mental illness
styxx's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Minor: Addiction