A sumptuously imagined middle eastern fantasy whose star is the world itself, replete with rich descriptions of foods, materials, and lore. The story is specifically set at the dawn of the 19th century, but doesn't engage with that. Bog standard plot and characters that could be set anywhere and any time, despite clear intentions on both fronts. In a genre with little need for more generic pseudo medieval european fantasy, the value here is in the set dressing.