A review by whenimreading
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I know for a fact I cannot articulate how amazing this book was but I will try. The writing was absolutely beautiful and lyrical, it engulfed me in this magical hazy blanket from the beginning. I didn’t understand the connections between all the characters at first but it honestly didn’t matter, I enjoyed everything that was happening on the page between all the tenants and Sana’s internal struggles. 

Following fifteen year old Sana after she and her father move into Akbar Manzil and the strange things that keep happening there. The magical realism and recollections from the point of view of the djinn created a wonderful and tragic mystery, by the third part the waterworks just wouldn’t stop for me. As Sana uncovers the mystery of Akbar and his young wife Meena Begum, left behind in diaries and love notes to each other, she begins to understand her own grief. 

I highly recommend the audiobook creatively narrated by Soneela Nankani, bringing the characters to life with their accents and inflections, great to follow along for pronunciations!

Haunting, mysterious, tragic, and I loved every moment, even the slightly spooky ones. ❤️

10 stars ✨ a top 2024 favorite and it’s January 14th