A review by augustharper
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

3.0

I like the concept of this book. I also love that the main character is nonbinary and that there is a lot of other queer representation in the story. However, this story is less than 200 pages long, and while the blood magic system and political unrest between the different nations are intriguing, this story would have been stronger if the world-building was more developed. I wanted so badly to dive deeper into this world, but only so much can be accomplished in a short novel. I believe this story would work better as an adult high fantasy in the 400-500 page range.