Orbit kindly sent a copy of The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah in exchange for an honest review.
‘Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book weaves together the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.
Neither here nor there, but long ago . . .
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.’
WHAT I LIKED
- well developed and unique main characters
- action packed and attention grabbing plot
- unique writing style
- a modern take on the One Thousand and One Nights
Loulie is a unique and enjoyable main character, and her personality and worldview are interesting and exciting to read. The magic system was unlike anything I’ve read about before, and it made the reading experience that bit more entertaining.
The book features a Djinn character, a magical lamp, storytelling, strong characters, and sensitive characters.
If you’ve been following me on line for any length of time, you’ll know that One Thousand and One Nights is one of my favourite folk tales, so reading a modern fantasy novel which took inspiration from it was really exciting.
Have you read The Stardust Thief? Let me know what you thought in the comments!