A review by lucielockettreads
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

4.25

This book is the first instalment in a proposed trilogy, with the second instalment releasing March 2025 so it’s fair to say that there is more to come yet. 

one cannot know the outcome of a journey if one is not brave enough to take it.

This is an inviting story set in the deserts, I have seen it was inspired by Arabic stories that I am not accustomed to so I cannot judge these stories but I can say the author does a fantastic job of world building, I could see the deserts and all the areas encountered! The mythical Jinn were exciting and shrouded in mystery just as any godlike creatures should be! The Midnight Merchant is wonderfully complex character and I think that Chelsea does a good job at slowly revealing the twists and turns related to her backstory. 

My main issue with the story is the pacing, we build very slowly to exciting things and then the pace is slowed again, which again I have seen other viewers mention. I think as a beginner still in the fantasy genre this is a good read because for people like me its not heavy on the pacing and you can read it slowly and indulge, but more seasoned fantasy readers may find issues. There is a lot left up in the air by the ending its not as much of a bad cliffhanger as you would expect and I think come 2025 I may read the second in the series.