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slipstream's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For some reason l thought this was a stand-alone book, but by the end it was obvious there’d be a sequel. I look forward to reading it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Injury/Injury detail
khakipantsofsex's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
literelli's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death and Murder
hasmazlom13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“I am Loulie al-Nazari, the Midnight Merchant, and I am the master of my own fate.”
I wouldn’t have picked this up if it hadn’t have been in the Fairyloot May box, but I’m so glad I did! I tend to be intimidated by adult high fantasy, but this was easy to read, had beautiful and witty writing, with nuanced characters you can root for. I think this would be a great entry to adult fantasy books if anyone was looking for one.
I adored the importance of storytelling, and the ambiguity of good and evil in this book. I also loved Qadir, Loulie, Mazen and Aisha. I hope we get to see their found family develop more and explore more of the world building as the series continues! I will definitely be continuing with this series! This book took me back to my love of stories and a thousand and one nights when I was younger.
I wouldn’t have picked this up if it hadn’t have been in the Fairyloot May box, but I’m so glad I did! I tend to be intimidated by adult high fantasy, but this was easy to read, had beautiful and witty writing, with nuanced characters you can root for. I think this would be a great entry to adult fantasy books if anyone was looking for one.
I adored the importance of storytelling, and the ambiguity of good and evil in this book. I also loved Qadir, Loulie, Mazen and Aisha. I hope we get to see their found family develop more and explore more of the world building as the series continues! I will definitely be continuing with this series! This book took me back to my love of stories and a thousand and one nights when I was younger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Cursing
maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
ninjamuse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Confinement and Death of parent
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really loved this book! The characters - Qadir is a new favourite that I am obsessed with, Loulie is amazing and relatable, Aisha is a badass, and I really like Mazen. The worldbuilding, the magic, everything was so fantastic! I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
kgeogheghan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The story is told from three points of view: Loulie - a woman who can find hidden magical items, and sells them under the title 'Midnight Merchant', with her jinn friend and bodyguard; Price Mazen - the youngest of the Sultan's children; Aisha - one of the legendary 40 thieves.
The world building in this novel is beautiful. I loved the characters, and seeing the story unfold from their different points of view, each with their own unique voice - seeing their relationships grow and change as they learn more about one another and face the journey to find the magical lamp together. Some parts of the plot felt a little obvious, but the overall story was compelling.
I thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of this book, but I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. It left me unsatisfied, with too many questions left unanswered. I didn't realize this book was part of a trilogy, so was hoping for sound resolution to the story. I also struggled slightly with keeping up with what was happening in the final scenes, as there was so many moving parts.
Overall, it's a great fantasy book, full of magic and mystery, and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The world building in this novel is beautiful. I loved the characters, and seeing the story unfold from their different points of view, each with their own unique voice - seeing their relationships grow and change as they learn more about one another and face the journey to find the magical lamp together. Some parts of the plot felt a little obvious, but the overall story was compelling.
I thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of this book, but I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. It left me unsatisfied, with too many questions left unanswered. I didn't realize this book was part of a trilogy, so was hoping for sound resolution to the story. I also struggled slightly with keeping up with what was happening in the final scenes, as there was so many moving parts.
Overall, it's a great fantasy book, full of magic and mystery, and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You know that feeling when you're reading a book, and you're so immersed in the story, and when it ends there's nothing you can think of that would have made it a better reading experience for you?
Yeah, that's this book.
We follow three different POVs: Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, who finds old relics and makes a living selling them on the black market, Mazen, the prince who longs for the adventures he hears about in stories but is stuck in the palace, and Aisha, one of the infamous forty thieves. All of the perspectives are interesting, and I never found myself wanting to skip over one of the characters so I could get more of a different one. The pacing of the story is great, even though the book is on the large side, and the stakes get really high. I had a few "oh, shit" moments while reading this. The quality of the writing is excellent too. I also loved the short stories within the story, where we get to learn more about the folklore surrounding the jinn. Overall, I'm really impressed with this debut.
All the characters quickly endeared themselves to me, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to Aisha. I loved the dynamic among them, but my favourite was always going to be the bond between Qadir and Loulie. There were so many moments that made me want to hug them, and the book. The other notable thing is the lack of romance. The only whiff of it is between Loulie and Ahmed bin Walid, a side character, but it's very slight, which was honestly refreshing, even though I liked their relationship as well.
The shining star of this book is the setting and the Arab representation. Chelsea Abdullah doesn't coddle anyone, and that made me so happy. Characters frequently use Arabic phrases, the food was familiar, the garments were familiar, and she even spells Arabic words out in the Arabic alphabet! Not to mention the hints of 1001 Nights sprinkled throughout, from references to the king of the forty thieves, to the jinn in the lamp. Even though it was a fantasy world, it felt comforting, and a bit like home.
Despite the presence of jinn in the story, there are no references to Islam in this world (although one character is named Ahmed, which is a Muslim name, but I guess that on its own doesn't necessarily mean anything).
You know that feeling when you're reading a book, and you're so immersed in the story, and when it ends there's nothing you can think of that would have made it a better reading experience for you?
Yeah, that's this book.
We follow three different POVs: Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, who finds old relics and makes a living selling them on the black market, Mazen, the prince who longs for the adventures he hears about in stories but is stuck in the palace, and Aisha, one of the infamous forty thieves. All of the perspectives are interesting, and I never found myself wanting to skip over one of the characters so I could get more of a different one. The pacing of the story is great, even though the book is on the large side, and the stakes get really high. I had a few "oh, shit" moments while reading this. The quality of the writing is excellent too. I also loved the short stories within the story, where we get to learn more about the folklore surrounding the jinn. Overall, I'm really impressed with this debut.
All the characters quickly endeared themselves to me, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to Aisha. I loved the dynamic among them, but my favourite was always going to be the bond between Qadir and Loulie. There were so many moments that made me want to hug them, and the book. The other notable thing is the lack of romance. The only whiff of it is between Loulie and Ahmed bin Walid, a side character, but it's very slight, which was honestly refreshing, even though I liked their relationship as well.
The shining star of this book is the setting and the Arab representation. Chelsea Abdullah doesn't coddle anyone, and that made me so happy. Characters frequently use Arabic phrases, the food was familiar, the garments were familiar, and she even spells Arabic words out in the Arabic alphabet! Not to mention the hints of 1001 Nights sprinkled throughout, from references to the king of the forty thieves, to the jinn in the lamp. Even though it was a fantasy world, it felt comforting, and a bit like home.
Despite the presence of jinn in the story, there are no references to Islam in this world (although one character is named Ahmed, which is a Muslim name, but I guess that on its own doesn't necessarily mean anything).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Murder