Everything I want in a fantasy. Please invest more in authors of colors who write fantasy! Non-European settings are such a simple way to breathe new life into the genre.

I loved The Stardust Thief! I loved the setting and the fast pace of the storytelling, as well as the political intrigue. I'm a sucker for any story including the jinn and this one was great!

The Stardust Thief had all the makings for it to be in the categories with Aladdin, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and, of course, Arabian Nights, where the book was originally inspired. But the story as a whole fell so flat. It took me two tries to get into it, and my fingertips lightly danced on that DNF button. But to be truthful, I also didn't want to put the book down.

I resonate with whichever Good Reader asked, "How does a book with so much action move so slowly?"

I did a hard rating of 2.5. The book has so much potential and I hop it picks up in book 2.

I was so excited about this one; I love books that weave many different stories together and have a bigger story to tell. This one just fell flat for me on the weaving it all together aspect. Things didn't come together as I'd hoped or anticipated.

One of my favorite books of 2022! The story is written in lush prose with a fast pace, reminiscent of YA but with fully mature adult themes and characters. It lags a bit in the middle, but overall, the enchanting cast and exciting plot points kept me reading.

The premise was interesting but I found myself struggling through. The magic system was interesting but I didnt enjoy the characters.

I unfortunately dnf’ed this book. The cover and blurb really sold me, but the story it self was lacking and didn’t bring me in

Bottom line: Loved it! This book is a lush tale of magic, intrigue, treachery, loyalty, friendship, and adventure. Most of the tale is told through the view of the Midnight Merchant who in her mysterious robes dusted with stars goes forth to sell objects that are infused with magic in a land where magic is illegal. The Midnight Merchant, Loulie, travels the desert lands with her also mysterious bodyguard to find the objects and then to sell them. Loulie is a young woman who was orphaned when her entire nomadic tribe was massacred in the desert. The book is loosely tied to 1001 Nights with the Forty Thieves, Jinn, and references to the great storyteller of the Arabian Nights and her murderous royal husband. Those ties bring a bit of familiarity and perhaps a hint of veracity, but the tales told here are fresh and new. The world building is excellent with most of the information about the desert, the cities, oases, and the Sandsea integrated into the story. The reader is immersed into the world without a lot of exposition, and it works very well. There is violence, murder, and torture but the book is not overly gruesome or gory. The story is much more than the violence. This is a long book, but the pacing is brisk, and the pages turn quickly. I was sorry when I finished it. The book is billed as the first in the Sandsea Triology. Here is the bad news: the other books of the trilogy are not available yet. Here is the good news: much of the story line is resolved and the book does not end in a cliffhanger. Are there more tales to be told in this world? Oh definitely! And our author is just the person to tell them. I will look forward to the next book in the series.

It feels harsh to call this mediocre, but it was a thoroughly unremarkable reading experience that left no lasting impression on me. I think it is perfectly competent as a piece of writing, but it just wasn’t outstanding to me in any way.

I will say that there is an extraordinary amount of repetition in the plot; I’m not totally sure how much this contributes to my lukewarm reaction, but it definitely contributes some amount. Although the relationship between Qadir and Loulie is by far the strongest in the book, it is undercut by the way that Qadir lies to her about relics, his identity, and his plans not once but twice. We also see Mazen lie to Loulie about being a prince and then about impersonating his brother, Omar. Honestly, Loulie spends most of the book getting lied to by her companions. She spends the rest of her time needing to be rescued, rescuing others, or getting grievously wounded and then miraculously healed with magic. Aisha also gets lucky in this regard - at one point she gets stabbed by the villian, escapes, and then has her throat slit when she returns. We are additionally meant to believe that Qadir has died horribly, only for him to return to life miraculously…and this happens twice!

Both Aisha and Loulie have also experienced their families and villages getting slaughtered (Loulie by Imad and Aisha by a jinn looking for revenge). While I can see that they are intended to be foils for each other, I don't think that the characterization or exploration of their pasts ever go deep enough for this to be very effective. Aisha, in particular, just doesn’t really work for me as a character. She oscillates between being curt/closed off and infodumping about her past when it is convenient. She also makes a couple of drastic decisions that go against her character (allying with a jinn when she has spent her life dedicated to destroying them and then abandoning her allegiance to Omar) without growth or justification that feel believable or earned.

With these things in mind, though, there are things I liked. It’s interesting to see how Loulie and Mazen both come to unlearn their beliefs that they are useless and weak. Loulie does this by realizing that there is strength in being a team and relying on others, and Mazen comes to see his storytelling and kindness as positive traits instead of liabilities. I like that both of these reframes are connected to their past family losses, too. And, as I said before, I did like the father-daughter/mentor-mentee relationship between Qadir and Loulie.

Others have spoken highly of the setting, magic, and sense of adventure, which I’d echo. The book leaves off on an intriguing note, and I would like to know what Omar is doing by working with jinn and collecting ifrit relics…I just am not sure that I care quite enough to read on.

The Stardust Thief was a good book. It wasn't as groundbreaking as I expected to be, but was a fun story. I'm not sure I loved it enough to be eager for the sequel, but I may end up getting it as a library book.

I knew I’d love this one as soon as I heard jinn and it didn’t disappoint. This story follows Loulie the mysterious night merchant. Loulie is trapped by the sultan and is tasked with hunting down a jinn lamp. Twist and turns and political plotting ensue. I really enjoyed this book my only complaint was I wanted to know more about the world as a whole but I feel like that will be coming so look forward to reading more from this series in the future. I did start trying to listen to the audiobook and I really struggled with it I think a lot had to do with names and keeping people straight. Once I picked up the physical book I flew through this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I was very intrigued by this synopsis as it had the vibes of some of my favorite fantasy worlds. The characters are interesting, and the world-building is kind of intimidating but also appreciated once you get the feel for it. I think the magic system was great and the idea that magic can be sold was unique. I overall enjoyed this book and look forward to the next installment in this series. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

After reading 40% I was unable to continue reading this story. I was drawn in at first but lost the want to keep going. Overly descriptive but a good premises for the story. I just don’t think k this story is for me.

I partially read this one and partially listened to it on audiobook, and overall it was enjoyable and fun. There was a lot of information to process at times, but I enjoyed the world and fantastical elements.

One of my favorite books recently, I was absolutely enthralled the whole way through. I am so eager to continue this story.

The first in a trilogy, this story is full of adventure and magical legends. Loulie, known to as the Midnight Merchant, is most sought for her illegal activities in magic, finds herself thrown into an agreement with the sultan's son to find an ancient artifact.

With her jinn alongside her and her own magic to control, she finds herself trying to find more answers to her life while trying to stay alive.

This book was amazing. I read it while waiting for flights and on flights to Charleston for YAllFest last month and I finished it so suddenly that my dad and I were thankful our first flight was only an hour long and then we had a layover, so I could just listen to an audiobook and survive before I could get to the other books I had packed. And honestly, in someways I feel like this book has ruined me forever. The storytelling aspect was so strong, the way the author set it up with it actually being a story being told and not just running dialogue between characters that felt info dumpy... I almost find the latter annoying now even though that's much more common than what this book did. Also some of the flashbacks the way they were written - for some reason were giving me Six of Crows flashback vibes? Which is absolutely meant to be taken as a compliment because I think those have been the best sorts of flashbacks I've ever read. Everything felt so vivid and real when I was reading it, and I cannot wait for the second book, but hey at least we have a title and a cover for it! Overall, completely 5 stars, magnificent masterpiece of a novel, and I can't wait to see what Chelsea Abdullah does with the rest of the series!

I really enjoyed this one and had a really fun time as someone who grew up with stories of djinn and thieves and cunning pirates. I can't wait for what else Abdullah has in store for us and the characters!

I absolutely loved this book! The premise immediately hooked my interest and it was filled with twisty characters and such intense plot!

I tried to read this but it was unfortunately a DNF for me. While the story was definitely intriguing, I felt it drag on at the 60% mark. There is no doubt that Chelsea Abdullah is a great writer, but the story just was not for me.