I liked the vibes of the book. Loved Haroun’s mischievous growth and the endearing cast, in addition to the great character development and the fascinating setting. While the pacing can feel slightly uneven, this standalone novel a hilarious, heart-warming read for fantasy fans seeking something fresh and adorable.

This book was such a ride.
I have to admit that the first chapter had me wondering if I'd manage to finish this, there were so many characters introduced into a new setting. But once that first chapter was out of the way and it was mostly Madhaur and Haroun and their merry band of mischief makers then the story really took off for me.
I'm not pretending I understood all that was going on, I didn't get the Dark, or the nature of any of the relationships (are they all platonic?) but even without that knowledge I didn't care. The story is fun, the world building is rich in detail (the author explains their research in notes at the end of the book), and the relationships are sweet, especially between Madhaur and Haroun.
A surprisingly great read. Sometimes you find a gem when you're least expecting it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting, unique, hilarious, and adorable. It has great character development, a great storyline, a really fascinating setting/universe, and best of all there are recipes for some of the delicious food described in the book. I love all of the characters but most especially Haroun, him learning mischief was too funny.

Shai Madhur makes and serves food for his community and is a noble priest to his God, but when Haroun comes in and mistakes him for shadazah, he gets drawn into things he never anticipated. When the Shadazah goes missing, Madhur and his new friends all work together to try to find him.


(I received this as a arc)