Synopsis
Neither here nor there, but long ago…
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that can revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artefact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.
Review
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah is the first book in The Sandsea Trilogy. It draws on the stories of One Thousand and One Nights and sweeps you into the world of Jinn, magic, and the desert.
I was lucky enough to borrow the review copy of The Stardust Thief from Books a Plenty before its release and was very excited to dive into this new fantasy world. I have said it before and will no doubt say it again, but I am in love with reading new fantasy that draws on myths, folklore, and tales from parts of the world that I have not grown up learning about or that aren’t commonly seen in commercial fiction. And The Stardust Thief did not disappoint.
It took me a while to read and get into this story. It has those classic elements of epic fantasy: a lot of world-building and a slower plot. However, once I was caught up and understood all the information, I got lost in it.
The world is interesting and captured my imagination. I have yet to travel to anywhere vaguely resembling a desert, so I find it quite fascinating to read books set in one. Beautiful descriptions paint a great picture and bring the world to life. The world in The Stardust Thief also feels complete and three-dimensional, as it has its own belief systems and mythology, adding that layer of realism to it.
You can tell that this is a debut novel. Some elements made this very obvious to me, such as how some of the plot moments, dialogue, and situations come about. I think this is something that grows and improves over time.
Each of the characters is unique and interesting, with different backstories and personalities that draw you into their stories. You want to get to know them, like them, or hate them.
Some plot twists I didn’t see coming kept me on the edge of my seat and reaching for the book. I will admit there were some things I saw coming from early on and others that had me questioning how the characters couldn’t just figure it out. It seemed pretty apparent to me.
I cannot wait to read the next two books in the Trilogy once they arrive on shelves. If you are looking for a New Adult fantasy book drawing on mythology, which we don’t always get to see, this one is for you.
