Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Stardust Thief

From the second I started the first chapter I was immediately obsessed. The storytelling is genius and so brilliantly written, I could not put it down.

Six of Crows inspired chaptering, with each one written through the perspective of a main character. Heavily inspired by A Thousand and One Nights in the best way. The worldbuilding was gorgeous and descriptive, I loved the characters and the quests. The stories within the story - the history of this fantasy world which shapes and deepens your understanding of characters.

I am one for enjoying when heroic quests go awry and everything goes wrong and good lord did things go wrong for the characters. Many times. Betrayal, heartbreak, loss, pain, old foes, new foes, deceit. It all very much happens in this action-packed story and at times it is brutal.

I am very interested in seeing how this trilogy plays out, however, as this book ended in an interesting way. Not on a cliffhanger as such, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens after this.

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writteninmagic's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

3.5

The world-building was well-written. My favorite parts were the tales of the Jinn and other characters; they added complexity to the characters, especially to the magical beings. There was a variety of magic throughout the story, and I liked that there were limitations to the powers.

The characters were okay. I didn't feel particularly attached to them. On another note, the instance where a dangerous and powerful item was left behind because a character supposedly forgot about it (even though they were highly aware of some of its powers) made little sense.

While the journey for the characters was long, the book also felt longer than necessary. At times, especially in the middle of the story, it felt like it was dragging along. Several things are left unanswered by the end. With all that said, I'm interested enough to give the second book a read.

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stargazer_ley's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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? Yes

3.5

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. :)

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cookiecat73's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book wasn't 100% my thing, but I have incredible respect for the author. The world and magic was cool and interesting, and character development was really well written, but it was the plot that blew me away. The twist were really well done and way they tied everything together was brilliant. It also gave you all the pieces you needed to figure things out for yourself (and it was incredibly satisfying when I did) whilst also providing explanations for anyone who didn't figure it out yet, but in a way that wasn't beating you over the head with it or talking down to the reader, it just felt like the characters figuring it out themselves.

Personally I had no real interest in the romance/crush aspects, and some of the torture/violence was a bit much imo, but my biggest issue was the fake-out deaths. If it was just Aisha's I wouldn't have much of an issue because there were still consequences, but Mazen and Qadir's I don't think serve any real purpose, and they made threat later on feel hollow for me. In general there are a lot of times where people sustain what should be serious injuries, but then they just recover? It made me feel like the characters would just be fine whatever happened, which made any times where there was meant to be danger and threat feel less meaningful and more hollow. Thankfully the plot and twists were really really interesting and well done, so I still was invested in the book, but I think if maybe those 2 deaths weren't there and some of the injuries either didn't happen or had more consequences I would have enjoyed it more

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.75

I am a member of the Official Qadir Fan Club for reasons what the hell and oh my god.

I had an inkling I was going to love this book, and I pushed it off for so long out of fear I wouldn’t love it, but then I read it and became OBSESSED with it. Now I can’t wait for the sequel, which won’t come out until November, so I’m sorta devastated.

I love Mazen and Loulie and Aisha and and and!! I’m really loving what the author did for Aisha’s story arc. It was amazing to see her transformation. Truly though, I felt like every character was transformed by the end in a monumental way. I really enjoyed that they all grew together.

Another thing I loved was the storytelling within the story. It was nice to step out of the actual narrative briefly to hear Mazen’s stories. I

I also enjoyed the magic system. I was mesmerized. All the plot twists were great, and that ending! I finished this book and just stared at the page in shock. I need book 2!!! And Omar’s secrets?? Omg??

Lastly, Qadir and Loulie’s relationship!!! I love them!!!! They love each other so much!!!! I love that they love each other without being in love. Platonic love is important too!!

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thecatconstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.25

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Lots of adventure and twists. I do think it dragged at times while going too fast at others. Can’t wait to read the next one!

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

This. Was. Everything. Fans of the City of Brass Trilogy I have found our newest obsession. This was AMAZING. I’m literally speechless. So this is the end of the review. READ THIS BOOK.

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