After reading the two short stories, A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 several weeks back, I was truly happy to have been approved for an ARC of Clark’s full sized novel A Master of Djinn set in this steampunk Cairo, publishing day 11 May 2021.

Together with Agent Fatma, who had to fight a rogue clockwork angel in A Dead Djinn in Cairo, we are trying to solve the mystery behind the death of the members of a secret brotherhood. The possible culprit is no other than al-Jahiz, the very person who brought the djinn back into the human world about fifty years ago and then vanished.

Fatma, her lover Siti and her new, and definitely unwanted, rookie partner Hadia are trying to find out who the black man with the golden mask truly is. An endeavor that lets them not only team up with some of the characters we’ve already met in the prequel short stories, but also with new-to-the-reader djinn, gods, and other members of the Cairene underworld.

The mystery itself I had figured out long before the agents and police. But, and that’s what sets a good mystery apart from a mediocre one, at least for me, I stayed for the characters and their banter, for the carefully thought through world that Clark painted, for the clockwork angels, and djinn.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the imagination of the world and the attention paid to global politics and historical detail. The only weakness was a bit of a slow second act, but overall definitely recommend it.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark is a superb read which will keep you engrossed and turning pages at a rapid rate until the very last one.

A few months ago I read P. Djèlí Clark's A Dead Djinn in Cairo and got fully drawn into and invested in its fantastical world of djinn, angels and awesome female detectives. Those 40ish pages tickled me into wanting more, more of Agent Fatma el-Sha'arawi, more djinn lore, more of the exciting, lively, hot Cairene atmosphere and opulence, and after going through the rest of Clark's shorter works from the same universe, my wishes were fulfilled and then some in Clark's full-length novel, A Master of Djinn.

The Soudanese mystic and mad scientist al-Jahiz who is superficially explored in the short story as the person to (sarcastically) thank for opening a passage between this realm and that of supernatural creatures, returns in the novel as a person of flesh and blood - and as the villain. The person claiming to be al-Jahiz sows chaos wherever he goes, murders anyone standing in his way and operates under highly suspicious magical circumstances that Agent Fatma is tasked with getting to the bottom of.

One of the things I really liked in A Master of Djinn was the return of familiar characters like Aasim and Siti from the first short story, and Hamed and Onsi from The Haunting of Tram Car 015. In the novel, they get more screen time and they're developed into characters I can imagine appearing in more books in the series or even acting as the main characters. We also got some new people, most importantly Agent Hadia Abdel Hafez, Fatma's new partner, the second female agent at the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, and a person who won't let Fatma boss her around. Although Hadia tends to be a little too conveniently perfect, remembering random information that they just happen to need at that moment or showing up at just the right time, her innocent enthusiasm and willingness to fight other-worldly monsters makes her an extremely likeable character.

As far as the plot goes, A Master of Djinn is your standard whodunnit wrapped in a shiny wrapper of steamfunk fantasy. It's easy to read, there's action throughout the novel and there's a tiny adorable, sapphic love subplot that doesn't disrupt the flow of the main story. My only complaint for the plot is that it becomes too obvious who the perpetrator is a little too early in the book which made me somewhat frustrated with Agent Fatma's detective abilities later on.

Even though the book is meant to be an action-packed detective story, it can get philosophical too, if you want it to. There's a lot to discuss when it comes to the relationship, prejudice and perceptions between adherents of the main religion in Egypt (Islam) and those of the old religion who worship Hathor, Sekhmet, Sobek and other ancient Egyptian gods. There's also talk of freedom and free will as opposed to slavery and control, and it's pointed out that people with very dark skin, Nubian and Soudanese people, are discriminated against by those with lighter skin. All of those details add to the realism of this magical version of Egypt.

Finally, Clark's writing style is rich but to the point. He deals in details, drawing the readers' focus to Fatma's suits, or the atmosphere created by vendors at the market, or the flashy decor in English people's houses, yet his transitions to scenes that drive the story further are smooth and subtle.

It's not absolutely necessary but before (or after) delving into A Master of Djinn, I would highly recommend reading its "prequels" for the complete experience: A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Angel of Khan-el-Khalili available on Tor.com, and the novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015. If you're into cool women, a pinch of humour in your fantasy books, multicultural settings, and having desert-coloured mental images while reading, this is the stuff for you.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and P. Djèlí Clark for the advanced reader copy.

This book? Utterly fantastic!

Fatma el-Sha’award is the youngest woman working for the Cairo division of Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities but she already has quite a reputation after saving the world from the machinations of angels and djinn. She gets assigned a partner, Hadia, and is quickly pulled into the thick of a mass murder committed by someone claiming to be al-Jahiz returned from Kaf. Solving the murder isn’t easy when al-Jahiz is stirring up the communities and there’s also political things at stake with a Royal symposium for peace taking place.

I adore everything by P Djélì Clark, and A Master of Djinn takes his writing to a whole new level of excellence! I was struggling a little in the beginning staying focused but once things started to happen in earnest, I couldn’t put the book down. I figured out the mystery a little before Fatma does, but the execution of reveal and everything that happens after was so spectacular and not at all what I expected! I love the mythology and magic of the world and the ways history is blended into the story. This is a world I cannot wait for more stories to take place in, especially starring Fatma; she is such an incredible and nuanced main character. Plus her flair and sense of fashion is so fun. I also really appreciate her relationship with Siti. The two of them are just so wonderful and I love the space for softness they allow one another as two women in a patriarchal society.

This is such a wonderful book that continues the world building and magic of the series with great skill. I loved it so much, and can’t wait for others to love it and scream with me!

Who doesn't love a great mystery in a steampunk set in Egypt in the early 1900s? And a magical story with djinn and Ifrit and perhaps those are angels. Or perhaps not.

On the surface, this would seem like a magical murder mystery with the death of Lord Worthington and the Brotherhood of Al-Jahiz. You have the perfect detective in Agent Fatma with her snappy suits and her snappy dialogue. You have clues and red herrings and a denouement worthy of any Agatha Christie or Rex Stout.

But buried among the clues and red herrings, there is a layered story of race and slavery. And that is perhaps the bigger story. The story that captured my interest at least as much as that great rollicking mystery/steampunk goodness.

Someone murders a wealthy Englishman and his secret brotherhood dedicated to al-Jahiz—the sorcerer who changed the course of history by allowing magic into our world. But why? What magic could have burned these men but not the clothes on their backs? Was the Englishman's son *really* out of the country at the time of the murders? And who is the man running around Cairo claiming to be al-Jahiz himself? It's up to Agent Fatma el-Sha'arawi of the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities to find the answers.

*A Master of Djinn* is P. Djèlí Clark's first full-length novel, but he's already written more a few stories set in this alternate Cairo. The novelette where it all began is "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," which I strongly recommend reading before anything else set in this world, but especially *A Master of Djinn*, since it is about Fatma's big adventure leading up to this book. The protagonist of the novella *The Haunting of Tram Car 015*, Hamed, also makes an appearance in the newest installment, but *Tram Car* isn't necessary for understanding *A Master of Djinn*. Clark also has a completely independent short story set in alternate Cairo, "The Angel of Khan el-Khalili" which doesn't have any of the same characters and is only briefly mentioned in *A Master of Djinn*. Although I immensely enjoyed my read-through of all connected works, the only one I'd consider necessary before diving in to *A Master of Djinn* is "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," which you can read for free on Tor.com.)

The great thing about a free short online is that you can find out whether you vibe with an author before committing to a full-length work, and this is no exception: if you enjoyed P. Djèlí Clark's other works in alternate Cairo, *A Master of Djinn* will continue to delight. It has everything I've come to love about his work—a vibrant and elaborate fantasy world, spunky and enjoyable protagonists, and otherworldly antagonists. Another fun hallmark I've come to expect from him are problems that seem small at first that end up being a life and death struggle. Is it a little cheesy? Yeah, probably, but it's a grand old time and I think it's a lot of fun.

This is Clark's first foray into full-length novels, so it's not too surprising that there are some hiccups in the transition from short-form to long-form. Clark's expertise in creating detail-rich worlds works against him at some points, as he spends time on descriptions that drag the complex plot down. Plus, the plot ends up a lot like a to-do list: Fatma has a small problem, which she solves, and then the solution provides a new problem, which becomes mildly tedious for the reader.

For me, the parts I loved about this book more than made up for pacing issues, but I suspect it'll be detrimental for other readers. As it stands, I'm convinced that there is nothing Clark can write that I won't enjoy. *A Master of Djinn* is a delight and an excellent debut novel from an author who has already shown his prowess in creating wonderful short fiction.


**Review will be posted at link proved at 7am EST on May 11 2021

Set in an alternative-history Cairo, where djinn and other magical creatures mix with humans, A Master of Djinn is a good old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility and truly excellent world-building. I especially enjoyed the humor and the central characters, who are all smart, capable women. If you love watching competent professionals at work, look no further!

Y'ALL THIS BOOK IS PERFECT OKAY 😭 IT'S EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED AND MORE EVER SINCE I READ THE FIRST NOVELLA, A DEAD DJINN IN CAIRO.

PLOT WAS INTRICATE, AN ABOLUTE PAGE TURNER. THE CHARACTERS WERE CHARMING AND COMPELLING, YOU'LL BE ROOTING FOR THEM SOON. SAPPHIC ROMANCE WAS SO GOOD I THINK I SWOONED TOO MANY TIMES. WORLD-BUILDING WAS JUST AMAZING, I MEAN THE MYTHOLOGY AND THE LORE, AS WELL AS THE CULTURE WAS JUST SO RICH. HUMOR WAS ON POINT, FROM START TO FINISH. IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED ISSUES LIKE MISOGYNY, RACISM, COLONIZATION. I SWEAR, THIS IS EVERYTHING. I'M SO IN LOVE WITH IT.

SO FAR, THIS BOOK IS THE BEST THING I READ THIS YEAR. *SCREAMS*

ALSO I AM SO SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS.

Thanks to Tordotcom and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

I've loved the alternate Cairo P. Djèlí Clark's built in [book:A Dead Djinn in Cairo|29635542] and [book:The Haunting of Tram Car 015|36546128], so it was a wonderful surprise to get a full novel set back in this setting. The worldbuilding here is rich, and I love that the book doesn't feel the need to explain every part of the culture it sets up. Fatma is a great lead character, and I felt actively engaged in every part of the book's investigation of its central mystery (even if my hunch about who the culprit was early on proved to be correct - it's fine, I've read a lot of mysteries and watched a lot of Scooby-Doo). I hope this isn't the last we've seen of this well-dressed detective - I'd gladly read more novels and novellas set in this world.

Actual Rating - 3.5 Stars

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third P. Djeli Clark piece that I've read, since I picked up "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" and "The Haunting of Tram 015" in anticipation of this installment to the Dead Djinn Universe. I have a lot of thoughts, so this will be a longer one.

The Pros:

- The worldbuilding in this novel is simply amazing. The Cairo Clark creates is a place I would chose to live in a heartbeat, filled with supernatural creatures, magic fueled technology, and a uniquely precarious position in world politics.

- The characters are super likeable and easy to root for. Our MC, Agent Fatma, is basically as cool as they come and nearly all of the secondary characters are well-developed and seem like people you'd actually meet out in the world. The only character who read as more of a plot device than a person was Alexander Worthington, but I can't go too deep into that here cause spoilers.

The Cons:

- The pacing is honestly all over the place. After the first chapter, nothing really happens until about halfway through the book, though it's still pretty slow until the climax, which felt rushed. In all fairness to Clark, this novel is 1000% a mystery novel set in a fantasy world and I don't read a ton of mysteries so maybe the erratic pacing is a genre standard that I just don't know about.

- The sense of urgency was basically non-existent. Now, sense-of-urgency is closely tied to pacing, but I wanted to call this point out for one very specific reason. At no point, even during the (admittedly crazy) final climax was I genuinely concerned that the character's couldn't handle the situation or were in over there heads. I just kind of felt like Clark liked his characters and took it easy on them, and I wish he would've pushed a little harder. It's hard to be totally invested in a story if you're always confident the characters have the situation well in hand, and that's what I felt here. I also thought that conflicts, when they did arise, were resolved way too quickly. It seemed like the narrative structure was "conflict happens, conflict resolved, characters thinking about what this last conflict meant, new conflict, new conflict resolved, etc."

- The twist was so easy to guess. I legitimately figured it out like, very early on in the book. Now, I don't know how big of a twist Clark was going for, maybe the reader is supposed to figure it out loooooooong before the characters, but it made the "grand reveal" of the whodunit storyline pretty anti-climatic. I do like the choice of bad guy, the foreshadowing was just heavy-handed to the point of obviousness.

For those of you thinking, "hmm Fangirl, that was a thorough review but you didn't mention the strength of Clark's writing" - good eye. The proof that I read was clearly not the final version as there were multiple grammatical issues and small mistakes, so I don't think it's fair to comment on writing that I didn't see in its final form.

Tl;dr - This novel has some issues with the actual narrative presented, but the worldbuilding and characters are strong enough to mostly make up for it. I will be picking up the next book in the series, but I'm not desperate for it.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[This review will be posted on my blog on 10 May 2021]

A Master of Djinn is the fourth story, and first full length novel set in the Dead Djinn Universe. I highly recommend reading both the short story, A Dead Djinn in Cairo, and the novella, The Haunting of Tram Car 015, before diving into A Master of Djinn. Both stories introduce characters who appear in this novel, as well as setting up the world and events that happen in these pages. It isn't strictly necessary, but it definitely helps.

A Master of Djinn is one of those rare books that straddles multiple genres and is successful in each one. It's an historical-fantasy-mystery-adventure. Set in Cairo in 1912, we follow Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, as she tries to solve the murders of a secret brotherhood dedicated to al-Jahiz, the man who opened the doors between realms, allowing djinn into the world. Peopled with a colourful cast of humans, djinn, and avatars of ancient gods, A Master of Djinn is an exciting whirlwind of action and mystery.

Firstly, I just want to say how much I adore Clark's writing. It has this magical quality that sucks you in. It's the perfect blend of easy to read, straightforward narrative, and poetic descriptions. I was able to get a sense of the time and place the characters inhabited, but I didn't feel like it overtook the story. I also really enjoyed the balance of humour and seriousness. I will note that the first half of the book is quite slowly paced, which may not be to some people's liking, but I didn't mind. It did take me a week to get through the first part, but I attribute that more to having a multi-day migraine.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of A Master of Djinn. There was plenty of foreshadowing, so those who are paying attention can deduce who the culprit is, and those who don't will be face-palming that they didn't see it coming. There were plenty of plot twists and misdirects, so even though I had guessed who the culprit was, I kept doubting and changing my mind. I always find that aspect of mystery novels particularly satisfying.

As I mentioned before, this isn't JUST an historical mystery, there's plenty of fantasy and action happening as well, particularly in the second half of the book. If you love fight-scenes, this novel has a few of those for your enjoyment. Especially if you like the old sword-in-the-innocuous-looking-walking-stick type of fighting. The ending, in particular, was especially explosive. When you think it's over, it is definitely not over.

What makes A Master of Djinn so successful is the characters. There is a lot going on in terms of plot and worldbuilding, but character development is at the heart of the novel. Fatma is the first female agent for the Ministry, and is smart, fearless, and extremely dedicated to her work. Her fatal flaws are arrogance, and that she is self-sufficient to the point that she doesn't trust others. While we follow Fatma, and it is ultimately her story, there are plenty of fantastic side characters. I have a soft spot for Agents Hamed and Onsi, from The Haunting of Tram Car 015, but my favourites were Siti and Agent Hadia. Siti is Agent Fatma's girlfriend, and a fierce warrior who worships the goddess Sekhmet. She is a complete badass, but she is actually very sensitive and has bucketloads of emotional intelligence. Agent Hadia is another of the few female agents working for the ministry, and she has just been assigned to be Agent Fatma's partner. I loved how smart and hardworking she is. I also loved that she was a hijabi, and that Islam was so important to her. I think that kind of representation in literature is fantastic, and I want more of it.

One of my favourite parts of the Dead Djinn Universe is how expansive and inclusive it is. There are humans and angels and djinn, with mentions of other mythical creatures/beings from other parts of the world. Just as with humans, djinn can take on vastly different appearances based on their 'species' and particular magical abilities. Some look similar to humans, while others are different colours, have horns, or are extremely large, for example. All beings in this world, whether human or djinn, have different cultures and religions. Most characters are Muslim, but others, like Siti, worship ancient Egyptian gods in secret.

Clark also doesn't skimp on describing the political, social and economic realities of his alternative early-20th century Cairo. Due to the assistance of djinn magic, Egypt has been able to industrialise and modernise faster than any other country on earth. They are world leaders in politics and peacemaking. They have given women the right to vote. But there is the dark underside of industrialisation and capitalism - poverty. All of these issues are explored with subtlety and sensitivity.

I think readers who enjoyed the historical fantasy elements of The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty would probably enjoy A Master of Djinn. Fans of historical mysteries would probably also really enjoy this too.

This was one of the most unique and engaging books I've read in quite a while. The world is my favorite I've come across since the Stormlight Archive, with its utterly intriguing mix of steampunk and magic. The world feels so fleshed out and realized, acting as a parallel to ours had magic come back to the world in the late 1800s. Cairo of this version of 1912 is bustling with people, automatons, djinn, angels, and more and I just want to know more and dig into Cairo and the rest of the world.
The central plot was very intriguing. I love a good murder mystery, and while I admit I had worked out the "who" midway through the book it took a while before I landed on the "how" and "why." And even once I had, a chapter or so before Agent Fatma, there were still pieces and aspects I hadn't seen coming. The last act is appropriately epic.
Any complaints I have are minor quibbles. I thought that Fatma was a little slow to the draw on figuring out what was happening in certain scenes, and I thought the plot might have been a little drawn out to pad the story into a full novel. But the book remains, as a whole, one of my favorite I've read in a long time and I will eagerly be diving into P. Djèlí Clark's back catalogue soon.

I was so excited to be approved for an eARC for this one after hearing it involved lesbians in 1912 Cairo (thank you to Tor and NetGalley). It didn't let me down on that front at all!

Shockingly, despite not being a big steampunk fan, I ended up really loving this book. The world building is truly astounding, and I was not surprised to find out Clark is a professor of history- not only is Cairo rendered beautifully, but the mentions of international politics at that time were inserted beautifully. How would magical creatures impact the lead up to WWI? What if Kaiser Wilhelm had a goblin advisor? What if Egypt became a world power right on the cusp of a world war? What if colonialism was forced out because of the rise of magic? These questions are things I never would've asked, but I really loved the way they were worked into this detective story.

Fatma, our detective of supernatural events, is whip-smart, but not without her flaws. I appreciated the relationship between her and her partner, Hadia, as well as her lover, Siti. These very human characters are used to explore religion, sexism, non-human prejudice, and modernity, and I really appreciated the detail Clark put into these aspects of the story. Religion especially was rendered beautifully, with different characters having different levels of observance, and the realism that smaller religions that came about after magic was revealed were discriminated against. Also, Cairo was for many centuries a major center of Jewish community, and I enjoyed the specificity of having a Karaite character mentioned.

I was worried how Clark would wrap up all the plot points, since as I got closer to the end there was still so much going on, but I think it was done pretty masterfully, and was indeed satisfying. If I had one critique of this novel, it's that the romance between Siti and Fatma didn't feel super built out to me. I really loved their relationship and that Fatma was forced to reevaluate when shown a new side of Siti, but I felt I'd missed some build up in a previous story somehow. I read "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" to see what backstory I'd missed, but that ended right as they had a first date. Obviously, Clark is not a romance writer, and that's totally fine, but that was the one critique I had for an overall great story.

Highly recommend this if you like queer alternate history tales, dislike colonialism, enjoy diversity in your novels, and want a kickass soft butch protagonist solving magical mysteries with her girlfriend.

A Master of Djinn had an very intriguing world that I loved reading about. The added mystery to the plot was also very interesting. I loved the characters especially Fatma. I will definitely be reading more from Clark in the future

I received a galley of this book via NetGalley.

P. Djèlí Clark is one of the best historical fantasy authors out there right now, and his debut novel proves it yet again. I've enjoyed his novellas set in this same magical, steampunk-tinged Cairo as well as his Nebula-nominated <i>Ring Shout</i>, but this novel is even better because it delves deeper into the setting, into the characters.

The set-up of the book uses the formula of most mystery novels: it begins by showing a murder, though the victim's perspective. It then switches to the investigation. Fatma is a dapperly-dressed woman, one of few who work within the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She's called to the scene of a disturbing mass murder that reeks of magic, and soon encounters something she finds even more disturbing: she has been assigned an enthusiastic new partner. The gruff detective wants no part of this arrangement, but together they start an investigation that abounds in dark magic, conniving angels, and powers no human should command.

The book doesn't shy away from the horrors of colonialism, homophobia, and racism. The world feels realistic, even filled as it is by djinn and spirits and old gods reborn. Fatma is a fantastic heroine--a rare lesbian lead character. She's smart, impeccably-dressed, and I couldn't help but root for her from the very start. The plot of the book has many twists and turns, and while I predicted the identity of the Master of Djinn early on, that didn't spoil my enjoyment one bit.

I hope there are many, many more books set to come in this world.

I’ve read 3 of this author’s novellas and loved them all hence I was excited when this got approved. I was looking forward to loving it and had purposely kept all my other books on hold so I could fully immerse myself in this.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d like to for a few reasons. I couldn’t get myself invested in the story for the simple reason that I couldn’t get myself to like Fatma. Not because she’s unlikeable. I just find myself not being able to care for her character as compared to the minor characters Hamed and Onsi. Hadia was interesting too.

Another reason I found difficult getting into the story also is there were so many unknown words and/or jargons which I wouldn’t mind normally, because my kindle would allow me to look up descriptions, but most of them I couldn’t find. And because there were so many, I just couldn’t keep up with the story trying to figure out on my own what’s going on.

The author does best in world building as he had with this. However, I found my attention waning as I got deeper into the story.

That said I can see I’m the minority. Judging from the reviews, many have enjoyed it. So don’t let my lukewarm review deter you from reading this. You might end up enjoying this like the rest.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for providing a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Clark writes a story that is so clearly and vividly descriptive, moves with a quickness and action without sacrificing richness; inspiring his readers to delve in and enjoy the world-building. The pace is quick, characters endearing and spirited; a mystery that is deeply intriguing and engaging.

Having read his previous works including the novellas that also take place within this magical, fun, spunky, stylish, and arresting world of steampunk Cairo, I was all in and ready for a full length novel, because it could only get better and did it ever.

A novel-length story meant more time spent with characters that you wanted more of, a plot that expands and entrances, a fully realized atmospheric world of djinn, priestesses, temples, slumbering gods, brotherhoods; with a pace that keeps you engaged and enjoying.

The world is richly crafted with food, music, fashion, wit, dialogue that engages and immerses us, depositing us in the midst of a bustling Cairo, where djinn and gears are the norm; class struggles, ethnic delineation, and true progress are present and pressing social issues and seamlessly integrated with the world-building.

Clark's love of and dedication to history is wonderfully displayed throughout this story and further adds to the complexities of people, place, and beliefs that are at play in this telling. It is reflected in conversations, descriptions, political relations, and the intricate weaving of time and social inter-relations.

Brilliantly told and filled with bright and rich characters that are entertaining and unforgettable.

This was such a fun read, and since it was a full novel I really felt I got to know Fatma much better. I like to think of these stories as more woke Sherlock Holmes. The setting in Cairo is captivating and the djinn world adds to the wonder and fun of exploration. There were some good twists towards the end but there was a spot about 2/3 in that it felt a bit slow. It wasn't hard to power through because I love these characters. Looking forward to more in this world!

I’ver read two of the three novellas leading up to this book to familiarize myself with this world. I was really looking forward to starting this book, but there were some things I absolutely loved and some things that I just … didn’t.

Let me be clear. World building is absolutely one of the great strengths of the author. I’ve read a couple of steampunk books, but this one blew them away. Early 20th century Egypt is already an interesting setting, but then add in the steampunk elements and the fantasy/djinn aspects and the incredibly detailed descriptions and it’s just far beyond anything I could have hoped for. I had no problem visualizing everything that was depicted throughout the book.

I had bonded to some of the characters in earlier novellas, like Hamed and Onsi, and only got to know Fatma a little bit. While she was the main character in this story, she had this major reputation as one of the best agents in her department. But to be honest, I just didn’t really understand why. There were so many things that she missed, overlooked, or tried to explain away, and at times, she was rash and judgmental. The bright spot in the cast of characters was definitely Hadia. While she was a little bit of a stickler for the rules, kind of like the female version of Onsi, I really liked her and the fresh point of view that she brought to the story. Plus, she’s pretty badass.

There was a whole lot going on in the story. It was fast-paced and there was a lot of action, but it also felt a little … messy to me. Even the genre felt hard to put my finger on. It was fantasy, but also steampunk/sci-fi/mystery/thriller and had elements of romance. While I did enjoy the main plot, there were a lot of side plots that arose. Some of them worked with the story, but others just felt like they drew attention away from the story, and didn’t really need to be added in there.

And finally, there are a ton of foreign words sprinkled throughout the story. Normally I don’t mind, especially when reading on my Kindle, since my Kindle will handily provide a definition or I can just figure it out through context. But I was sadly disappointed in this case. The vast majority of words in the story weren’t recognizable to my Kindle’s dictionary, and I couldn’t figure out what they meant through context. So my choices were to put the Kindle down at least once a page and look it up on my phone, which would take me out of the story completely, or to just power through and constantly wonder, “What, exactly, am I missing out on?” I generally picked the second choice.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite story in the series. I honestly enjoyed the novellas a lot more. I actually hope to see more of Hamed and Hadia, since those two are my favorite characters so far.