Loved this! The author is such a craftsmen at detailing an intricate and vibrant world. Every little atmospheric point, no matter how small brought the world to life in a way I can only compare to watching something on the big screen. The magic was charming and deep-rooted in history and lore. I loved that this author spent so much time developing such rich world-building because even though this is only one book, it felt like it had the makings of an entire series. (I think he has other standalone set in this universe with some of the characters) 

It starts as a murder mystery set in a historical fantasy Cairo (1912)  the pacing is exciting at first. I agree with some of the other reviews that there is a bit of stagnation in the middle. But the wonderful and lovable characters are the shining star. As well as the alluring world and rich history. 

My main complain would be however that I predicted the plot twist wayyyy too early. I think writing mysteries is fickle because if you want to achieve a true jaw-dropping reveal, you realllyyy gotta keep the reader in the dark and the author gave us quite a lot of info to figure it out ourselves. Red herrings and misdirection is also vital and unfortunately the misdirect was incredibly obvious which did take me out of the book a bit because Fatma wouldn’t have been fooled so easily imo. 
But other than that, a fantastic story!! Will definitely be reading more of this author’s works.