“The desert sings of loss, always loss, and if you stand quiet with your eyes closed, it will grieve you too.”
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BLURB: Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population -- except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.
William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist novel
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BOOK REVIEW
You will like this if you like:
~ stories of djinns
~ magic
~ rich and immersive cultures
~ slow burn romance
To Note: standalone
Plot: 5 /5
Characters: 5/5
Writing Style: 4.5/5
Personal Enjoyment: 5/5
Overall Rating: 19.5/20
This was such an evocative read, Azad brought the world to life with the sound of the Azaan, the scents of the marketplaces and the colours of the flowing dupattas. The world building was outstanding, with every paragraph I could see the city of Noor emerging like an oasis in the desert. From the opening line I was drawn in. It was such an interesting premise that I as intrigued enough to forget the slight shiver I always get down my back every time Djinns are mentioned (curtesy of scary bedtime stories from childhood sleepovers at my cousin's house!)
The exploration of the importance of names was fascinating, as the story progresses the significance of names becomes more and more apparent.
As the story unfolded I got more and more invested in Fatima's story and the mystery of her past. The characters were fantastically well written and I loved that Fatima was blunt in her honesty, she was always making those around her uncomfortable, embarrassed or confused. Often that was Zulfikar!
Pacing of a book is so important in any book and even more so if it is a standalone, as there isn’t often enough time left to fix it further along a storyline. So if pacing is off in a standalone it is very noticeable. Thankfully the pacing in this book was spot on. This is a book of characters more so than plot, the characters thoughts, feeling and beliefs is what we focus on. Yet it does not feel stagnant at all, the plot flows beautifully and there is in fact plenty of things happening. I never felt the urge to skim to get to the next part. The characters and the plot kept me engaged from start to finish.
I feel the writing style helped in this as it is in 3rd person so we got to observe more than one character and were able to get a better understanding of the whole. The writing was really apt for the setting. It's a strange thing to say but it felt like the writing was almost poetic, and that in turn enriched the story.
At the heart of this story is a story of love; a love between a mother and child, love between two sisters, even if that bond is forged by circumstance instead of blood. The love between friends and soulmates, but most of all it is the love for a place that can only be felt by a weary traveller who has finally found his home. And it is a story of what we will sacrifice for this love.
I absolutely adored this book and would highly recommend this book to everyone and especially to those who love their fantasy to be rich and evocative.
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"Each moment is a universe, infinite in it's possibilities''
"...but not just any light. Noor means heavenly light. The kind of light you see in a mother's face the first time she sees her child"