The Stardust Thief

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.