The stardust thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Name of Book: The Stardust Thief

Author: Chelsea Abdullah

ISBN: 978-0-316-36887-6

Publisher: Orbit

Part of a Series: The Sandsea Trilogy 

Type of book: Fantasy based on Middle East, journey, jinn, legends, ifrit, magic, death, morals, friendship, secrets, bonds 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

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 has the power to 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 artifact. 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 own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Characters:

Main characters include Loulie, a talented woman known as the Midnight Merchant who deals with magic and artifacts illegally. She is resourceful, also seems to be unforgiving towards herself and has trauma that she hasn't dealt with yet. She is also manipulative and understands people. Mazen is a naive beloved and third prince who doesn't know how to fight and who has inherited his mother's talent for storytelling. He is loyal and doesn't abandon his friends. He also longs for adventures. ( I do wonder if they are reverse Aladdin and Jasmine from Disney?) Aisha is one of the oldest thieves that works for Mazens older half brother Omar. She is loyal and determined to survive and get her revenge no matter what.  

Theme:

Everyone's potential is hidden 

Plot:

The tale is in third person narrative from Loulies, Mazens and Aishas points of views. The story begins with an explanation of the world of humans and jinn. Then the story jumps into the current narrative with Loulie doing business and eventually meeting Prince Mazen, beloved third son of the sultan that is loosely based on Sharyar ( one who killed women before marrying Schaharazade.) The two, along with Aisha are forced to team up and look for a dangerous family heirloom. Along the way though, many secrets are discovered, and many more questions arise. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Chelsea Abdullah is an American-Kuwaiti writer born and raised in Kuwait, where she grew up listening to stories about mysterious desert creatures and wily (only sometimes likable) heroes.

Consumed by wanderlust, she has put down roots in various states. After earning her MA in English at Duquesne University, she moved to New York, where she currently lives. When not immersed in her own fictional worlds, she spends her free time playing video games, doodling characters, and hoarding books she doesn’t have the shelf space for.

Opinion:

So first of all, definitely loved it! I also hope it's ok, but quite recently I have been reading Helene Wecker novels, in particular her Golem and Jinni as well as The hidden palace, and I am excited to learn more about the world that the jinn inhabit, which matches up to what I know about jinn from Helene Wecker. There are also references to 1001 Arabian Nights, if you know where to look, at least I caught the obvious hints of them, although I do wonder on how much is subtle and that I hadn't caught yet. While I did expect for political maneuvering, or character studies, the story is pure adventure and a wonderful introduction to the beautiful and rich culture of Middle East.  

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)