The facinating focus on Arabic cultures is a pleasant change of pace for me, however I found myself wanting a glossary to define certain terms. While context provided some measure of assistance, I would have preferred actually having the information (Google is exactly helpful when I don't know what I'm trying to find.) That said the characters and story were compelling and I found myself constantly having to mentally update my theories. It was overall a good book that I'm glad I purchased and I am looking forward to getting the next volume. :)

If you enjoyed the Daevabad Trilogy, then you’ll no doubt enjoy this. Similar setting, but with different magical twists and characters. I enjoyed the weaving of the 1001 nights of Scheherazade as a background/history. The story was a bit slow to build, but rushed to the end. I’m now wanting to read the next in the series…