The Stardust Thief

As soon as I saw this book being talked about on Twitter, I was intrigued. And I fell in love with that gorgeous cover on first sight. So it was never in doubt that would read this one and I was so happy when I got the arc. And since it's been a while since I've read a fantasy novel, I decided to go with this one and then couldn't even sleep without finishing it.

Indian mythological stories like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana may have had the most influence on me, but the stories from A Thousand and One Nights were also a part of my childhood in one form or the other and I was delighted that we were gonna get a fantasy novel inspired by these lovely stories. And wow the author delivers. The world she creates is vibrant and alive and so beautifully described, that I was left in awe. As the characters marveled at the new landscapes they encountered on their journey, I could feel their wonder, their perilous journey through the desert almost felt palpable because I could feel the heat and sand, and I could also cherish along with them when they found a small oasis in between. I think it's also been a while since I read a fantasy which was mostly a journey and I was excited to be on this ride, though the author immerses the characters and us in numerous horrors and life threatening situations. The pacing is perfect, with the conflicts interspersed with small moments of joy or contemplation, but there's also a thread of grief throughout because everyone has lost someone. It really kept me hooked from the first page and I didn't wanna stop.

And themes the author weaves through the story are very subtle but can't be missed. Through the centuries old conflict between humans and the jinn, the author weaves a narrative of power struggles, oppression, prejudice and mass murders. As oral storytelling is an important component of A Thousand and One Nights, the author uses that framework to give us small stories as interludes where we get to know tales of human heroes and dangerous jinns and the legendary wars between them. But then when we are confronted with fragments of actual memories from the jinn, the characters along with us are left to question who is in the right and who is in the wrong - is everything that we've been told as history true or is it just the narrative that is needed for those in power to grow more powerful. We get to experience how beautiful the oral storytelling tradition can be and how it connects people across divides and provides them respite from their daily struggles, but we also see how these same stories can be changed and exaggerated over the years to keep up a false narrative and encourage more oppression. It was very interesting to see the author navigate the issue from both sides and letting us decide for ourselves who the true culprits are.

As wonderful as the world building and story is, the characters equally complement them. Loulie or the Midnight Merchant or Layla is a mysterious figure in the Night Market who is famous for trading forbidden jinn relics. She is someone who has been shaped through the terrors she encountered in her childhood and now wants to be able to live her life on her own terms. She shows a very tough and fierce exterior but she is also a young woman who just doesn't want to show vulnerability and thinks she has to stand alone if she wants to survive. Hers was an interesting character progression, where she goes from an independent person to someone who is forced to take up a quest along with reluctant partners and she learns many truths and lies along the way that cut deep into her heart, but she also learns that sometimes it's ok to ask for help.

She is ably supported in all her adventures by her jinn bodyguard plus father figure Qadir. Theirs is a relationship built on adversity and grief and both of them are reluctant to bare their souls to each other, but there's also a deep trust between them. While Loulie gives him a purpose in life when he is running away from his past, Qadir also gives her a life that serves as an escape from her grief and protects her in any way he can. Their relationship is tested throughout the book with secrets and reveals and it might feel like on the brink of shattering, but it's really too strong and wonderfully written.

Mazen on the other hand is a prince, probably even a favorite of the sultan, but he is struggling to live in the confines of the gilded cage created by his father. He strives to be free and has a wanderlust to travel around the world, and is also a gifted storyteller who would love to carry forward his mother's tradition. But he is also someone who is scared of confrontation, unwilling to question things even when he knows they are wrong, and is most comfortable when is not being himself - but we see him gradually learn to be brave in his own ways, realize more truths about the world he inhabits and decide whose side he ultimately wants to be on.

Aisha took me a while to connect with. She is also someone who suffered a major loss but that has made her into a singularly determined killer and thief. She trusts her leader and is unabashed about hating the jinns but as she is forced to go on the journey with the rest of the characters, she gets confronted with a lot of information that makes her question everything she knows, and she is forced to decide what all will she do to survive and where does her true loyalty lie.

We also have multiple interesting side characters who don't have too much page time but nevertheless leave impressions. Omar is very easy to loathe right from his first appearance and my hatred for him only increased as the story went, but the author even managed to make his arc more than just a one dimensional villain. We also meet a few of his side kicks who are equally cruel and horrible. And then there are the bookish and sweet Hakim, and the suave and charming Ahmed who were there for just a few pages but are unforgettable.

Huh !!! I've written too much, haven't I?? But what to do, I loved this debut and I couldn't shut up. It has everything I could ask for in an epic fantasy - inspired by some of my favorite childhood stories, gorgeous world building that feels so alive, an engaging plot full of quests and dangers, characters who you love immediately, and the power of storytelling as an art and as a tool woven through the whole narrative in an intricate manner. Definitely a contender for being my top favorite of the year and I can only hope the wait for the sequel isn't too long and excruciating.

I read 25% and then the final three chapters in the hopes of spiking my interest to go back and pick up at 25%. Sadly it did not.

I liked the world, but the writing was... entirely stripped of complexity. Nothing complicated about the plot or the characters. The dialogue felt flat (but maybe that's a writing disconnect for me, I don't know). A very, very easy read. I would probably rec this to an adult someone learning English but not wanting to read children's stories. I mean that in a good way.

But for me? Not my thing at all.

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

For a debut novel Chelsea knocked this out of the park. I have never read One Thousand and one Night but now I want to so I can see what inspired this wonderful novel. I felt like I was in the desert with everyone partaking in the journey they were on. Chelsea's character development was great, and there were characters that grew on me as the story went on.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book and I look forward to the rest of this series and anything else Chelsea writes.

Thank you to Orbit and NG for an early copy. 

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the story, the characters...!! I can't believe it ended how it did and I have to wait until November for the sequel LOL The events that build upon each other one after another kept me going, except a bit towards the end, then I went full speed to get to the ending, haha. Qadir is my favorite character, but all of them are my favorite for their personalities and the strengths they bring together. Qadir and Loulie's relationship with one another throughout the book was lovely. Despite being human and jinn, they kept going.. but that ending, ahhhh ;-; Excited for book two!

This debut is inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.

The Midnight Merchant and her jinn companion find magical relics and sell them to the highest bidder.
Stories of a magical lamp with a jinn trapped inside have reached the sultan. Whoever has the lamp can command the jinn to do his bidding. Who better to retrieve the lamp for him than the infamous Midnight Merchant.

I loved the mythology. These characters are fantastic. Some to love and some to hate. This is a great story and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

Highly recommended from a friend. Man, am I glad he did. It's so nice to see fantasy in a fresh world, with a fresh take. I loved the way that magic works in this world, and I am a sucker for lore, which the series has in spades. I'm looking forward to the next installment so I can get even more of my fix. I don't wanna say too much, as I don't wanna give anything away, but I need more Jinn in my life!

Stardust Thief is the first of a new trilogy by debut author Chelsea Abdullah that is out on the 17th! This book is inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, which was great because it's a source that I have little familiarity with.

The book follows three POVs: Loulie al-Nazari is a notorious merchant who sells illegal artifacts with the help of her Jinn bodyguard. Mazen is the second son of the Sultan and the son of a famous storyteller, and Aisha, a member of the Forty Thieves that serve Mazen's older brother. When Loulie is captured by the Sultan and forced to find a powerful, ancient Jinn artifact, these characters have to band together to survive.

I really liked this book! I enjoyed all three characters, but especially Loulie and her bodyguard Qadir. I listened to the audiobook and each POV had a different narrator and it was fantastic. I felt each character was distinct and I really liked their growth and their interactions throughout the book. I wish Aisha had gotten more of a story, though.

I also really enjoyed the setting. Abdullah did a fantastic job with making this world feel very distinct and cinematic; I always felt like I could picture whatever scene was happening without being bogged down by descriptions. In this world, Jinn are hunted and killed because their blood makes the desert grow and so areas that are more lush have had more Jinn killed there. So Qadir has to remain a secret and I think all of the magic, reveals, and worldbuilding done by Mazen's POV was well done.

The negative I'd have for this book would be inconsistent pacing. I felt the beginning was absolutely gripping and the last third was fantastic (I especially loved the ending), the middle was a bunch of overcoming random obstacles and then going somewhere else with more obstacles. It's admittedly part of the trope, but could have been cleaner. The plot was a bit too straightforward for all the meandering in the middle.

But this is still a great debut and I will absolutely be continuing this trilogy. Check it out!

First, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

In this book, Loulie and her jinn bodyguard, Qadir, search the desert for magical artifacts to sell for a steep price. One day, after saving one of the prince's lives, Loulie ends up on the Sultan's radar. He recruits her to go with his oldest son out to the lost city of the jinn and find a particular artifact that he will then use to wipe out all jinn. What follows is an adventure of friendship and love and loss and adventure that is so enthralling.

Guys, I really loved this book. I went into it without many expectations, and I was swept away. The setting was so magical and fully captivated me from the beginning. Abdullah's ability to make me feel present in this world was incredible. The plot was medium paced. There were a few points where I felt like the pacing was a little off. However, they weren't so egregious that I thought the book was bad.

The real star of the show was the characters. I am dying for the second book just to spend more time with these characters. They were so well developed and so unique, and all of their interactions together felt so real. Qadir and Loulie's relationship was beautiful, and I loved every minute we had with them together. I liked that there wasn't any overt romance to the story. Normally I love a good romance, but this book felt like it didn't need it yet.

Overall, an incredible book. I think you should all preorder it.

TW: alcohol, assault, attempted murder, blood, death, emotional abuse, fire, gore, murder, skeletons, violence

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think, ultimately, this is a very good book that just wasn't for me.

I'm a character reader, and even though the characters felt well-rounded, they had very little agency. That's not to say that they're not active. They're always doing things and the story moves at a pretty good clip. The problem is that everything is always happening to them. The whole story is: an obstacle gets in their way, and they have to figure out how to make it through. I will say that the obstacles matter to the overall plot, you couldn't just skip past one and keep reading. But they only occasionally lead to any character growth. Also, even though they have different motivations, all the characters on the quest more-or-less get along. There are some surprise twists, but since they're done as twists, they don't add tension during the middle of the book.

All of that said, I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and magic in this book. The jinn and the lore around them are super interesting. The way that the humans and jinn have different lore about the same events is a nice touch. I won't say more because spoilers, but the there are a lot of reveals about the jinn and their magic, as well as about the sultan and his wives, and that did not disappoint.

Overall, I liked the story, but every time I put it down I struggled to pick it up again.

It took me a long time to really get into this book; I was more than a third of the way into the story before I really got hooked. But once I did, secrets were revealed, and then more secrets were revealed, and I couldn't stop reading.

Loulie is the Midnight Merchant. Assisted by her jinn bodyguard, Loulie looks for, finds, and sells old magical relics. One day she meets Mazen, a prince in disguise, not permitted to leave his home, and the adventures begin.

The world of the jinn was completely fascinating. Now I'm longing for book #2...and the author has made it clear that the sequel won't be published until at least 2023.

3.5 stars

Really strong beginning and ending but it definitely slowed and meandered a bit in the middle.

I really loved the setting of this book, as well as the history/mythology/lore of the jinn. The descriptions of the towns, souks, oases and palaces were rich and immersive but I felt it was a bit lacking in the characters. I liked Mazen and Qadir, but couldn't connect to Loulie and disliked Aisha, I could have done without her chapters entirely.

I'm intrigued by that ending enough to carry onto the next book.

I was thinking of giving it four stars, but then - I f-ing love it! Why not 5 :-D

The next book is supposed to be published this year. sigh
Well... now I have time to read other books :-D

When I had only 100 pages left, I yelled at my husband: “But... but... he is going to kill him, and what about her, is she a jinn, is he a jinn, is he even his son? How can she tie up all the threads in just 100 pages?” She tied up the threads in the last 30 pages. Except... it's a cliffhanger. :-D I HAVE to read the next book!

The stories based on Middle-Eastern folklore have become quite popular lately. Chelsea Abdullah at least comes from the right background and knows what she talks about.

Wanted to read it solely for the Arabian inspired story but ended up loving this book! Loved the setting, loved how the stories were implemented into the main story – they were so fun to read. But most of all, I loved the characters, their growth, their interactions, and their journey. They were so much fun to read about, felt so fleshed out and I was extremely invested throughout. Was tough to choose my faves but in the end it has to be either Mazen or Aisha (and their interactions together!!). I thought that since the book is so thick, it will surely have moments where the story will start to drag or become dull but I was not bored at any moment and was delighted to have more of the world to read about before it ends. Can't wait for the sequel, honestly don't know how i will survive the wait (i probably won't...).

I saw a reviewer say that this was an inferior version of the Daevabad trilogy...and I think that is absolute garbage. First, this is a fast-paced, more plot-driven story inspired by One Thousand and One Nights and following three characters: a thief who travels with a Djinn, a Djinn hunter, and a prince. Second, the setting may feel somewhat similar (I mean given the history and region of inspiration shocker) but that's it. Aside from it clearly being a different book, author, themes, etc., Daevabad is more about being ingrained in the culture and political machinations of the Djinn, while this one feels very rooted in the plot and more like a fairytale come to life. Not that there's no character development, there is and there's trauma too that the characters navigate.

I really enjoyed this. It felt epic, urgent, and high-stakes, and I love adore Djinn stories and fairytales. I think if you like Daevabad you will like this and vice-versa, but just don't expect a 1:1, they're different books! Even though I gobbled this one up at a time when I was having trouble with audiobooks, I was feeling some fatigue towards the end, like, “oh we're still going and I have 25% left.” It doesn't quite end on a cliffhanger but you clearly have to keep reading the next book to get to a resolution.