I’ve been waiting for The Stardust Thief ever since I saw its publishing announcement on Twitter, so I’m so, so glad to have received this ARC—and to have enjoyed it so thoroughly.

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of lengthy mythology retellings, and I loved the influence of One Thousand and One Nights. Although I’ve never read One Thousand and One Nights in its entirety, I recognized Abdullah’s skillful incorporation of many of its more popular tales as well as its fantastical Arab and Middle Eastern setting. I was just as entranced by the world-building as Prince Mazen, one of the main characters, appears when he ventures outside his city for the first time. There are jinn, relics imbued with magic, armies of thieves, and countless secrets hidden in the desert—not to mention the mere references to pita and falafel that were enough to rouse my hunger!

As always, I paid close attention to the characters and their relationships. The story begins familiarly enough, with the ensemble members living relatively separate lives, only for the paths to cross in unexpected—and often dangerous—ways. Loulie and her bodyguard Qadir’s bond struck me the most. When I first glanced at the synopsis, I expected their relationship to be romantic, but Qadir turns out to be a mentor, a constant father figure, Loulie’s travels and scrappy lifestyle as a seller of relics. I appreciated the tenderness with which they treated one another, even as plot twists altered their dynamics. Honestly, I didn’t notice the overall lack of romance until I had finished the novel, which proves that families and friendships are just as compelling as couples. So, yes to more stories like that, please!! I also related to Mazen, the prince who other characters frequently refer to as soft and cowardly because of his reserved, bookish tendencies. Although he gradually developed thicker skin, he never lost these traits, which represented a nice deviation from the shy-to-confident-and-vengeful-underdog pipeline.

Most of my criticisms stem from the fact that The Stardust Thief is the first in a trilogy. The different POVs, though full of voice and individuality, seemed a bit tame. Moreover, the world-building, though expansive, felt restrained, as if the author had only begun to scratch its surface. Lastly, I did get a teensy bit lost in the plot toward the end, but keener readers might be able to follow the action better.

The Stardust Thief is an excellent debut that makes me eager for the next installment.

A merchant and her bodyguard, a prince, and a thief reluctantly embark on a journey to locate an all powerful jinn, one who could eliminate the threat of jinns to the city of Madinne and beyond. Will they be successful in their quest or will they succumb to the threats of the desert which includes the undead, ghouls, mercenary killers, or the desert's stark and dangerous terrain itself. I implore you to read this epic fantasy and embark on this wondrous journey.

The Stardust Thief is the spectacular first installment of the what promises to be an excellent epic fantasy series The Sandsea Trilogy. As someone who has read quite a few fantasies over the years, many of which I have enjoyed, I would never describe myself as a fantasy lover, never read one that I could not put down or gave me a reading experience where I felt totally immersed, but that all changed with this book. I read the book late into the night, due to Ms. Abdullah's excellent writing skills, I could not put The Stardust Thief down. I generally struggle with the world building in fantasies, but that was not a struggle which I incurred with this book, the descriptions were vivid and easy to visualize in my mind, from the vivid descriptions of enchanting cities or beautiful yet treacherous terrain. Fight scenes generally exhaust me but not with this book which again credit to Ms. Abdullah's gift for writing and her excellent character development I was always enthralled by the fight scenes because I was totally vested in these perfectly imperfect characters whom I loved. In future installments I would like to get a clearer understanding of how the magic works in this world, I felt so far that the magic system was rudimentary, so I looking forward to learning more about it. Even though this book is epic or high fantasy, I loved the light use of dark fantasy elements, which includes creepy supernatural creatures and her use of an unusual anti-hero. As stated previously even though these characters are perfectly imperfect, I enjoyed their character development and their internal struggles, especially Aisha's battle within herself. But Ms. Abdullah excelled at crafting her villains, OMG I could not stop wishing death on Loulie's Qadir's and Mazen's evil nemesis. In sum, The Stardust Thief is a stellar fantasy which I highly recommend. I am so looking forward to the next book. Fabulously done.

This was an engaging fantasy rooted in mythology which provided all the things I look for in a fantasy novel. A strong heroine, a hapless prince, a magical quest to discover relics, a Djinn bodyguard (sigh). The story is interwoven with folklore through story telling, providing a rich background into the beliefs of each character. I loved how each story means something different depending on how it has been told but also has them questioning what the truth actually is behind each story.

This book was so good and I am excited that it is a trilogy and there will be more adventures to come.

🧞‍♂️ In a world where jinns are hunted for their blood and magic, a relic smuggler and her jinn bodyguard are blackmailed into a quest to find a magically lamp. They are accompanied by a member of the Forty thieves and a naive prince disguised as the King of thieves. An enchanting tale filled with magic, folklore, and imaginative adventures. Nothing is what it seems. Chelsea writes : “Humans make up tall tales all the time, but even lies stem from a kernel of truth.” Mysteries will be uncover. Identities will be revealed. For this is an adventure to experience.

🧞‍♂️Incredibly astonishing that this is Chelsea Abdullah first novel. Well-written, engaging, and a brilliant fantasy introduction to an amazing fantasy trilogy. I love the incorporation of the Arabic language and the culture of life in the desert. Diving into this story with no expectation, Stardust Thief is a refreshing authentic novelty I have been waiting for.

A story I highly recommend and foresee many praises and adoration. I cannot wait to see where Chelsea Abdullah takes us in the sequel!

I am excited to say that THE STARDUST THIEF is one of my top fantasy reads of the year so far, and I personally cannot wait to see this book acquire the wide readership it deserves once published.

This book is a well-plotted, adventurous tale filled with breathless action (though some action scenes could be tightened up more), surprising emotional heft, and complex and sometimes-frustrating-yet-loveable characters - with my particular favorite being the enigmatic Qadir and his relationship with Loulie.

There are also countless twists here especially towards the end, and while some of them are predictable, the rest can be surprising and definitely contribute to the story. I love the magic system as well - in particular the relics and their relations to jinn - and many of the magical items are endearingly imaginative.

I see this novel as Abdullah's love letter to her culture and its tales, stories, and oral tradition. The way the author deftly weaves many Arab tales together into an interconnected whole while adding her own flair to them is enjoyable. And of course the novel is effortlessly diverse; it is simply so refreshing to see an Arab fantasy written by an Arab author.

In sum, I have only myself to blame for having to wait perhaps quite a while for the next book, because if THE STARDUST THIEF is any indication, it is going to be a good one.

THE STARDUST THIEF was one of those books that I knew from the first page that I'd love. Chelsea Abdullah is a phenomenal writer and storyteller, and it genuinely feels like I am reading a classic storybook with that magical quality we all know and love. The way she weaves her characters, her plot, and her worldbuilding is nothing short of immaculately transportive. Truly, I was hooked beginning to end. I adored Loulie as one of our main characters and her relationship with jinn Qadir was probably my favorite thing about this novel. It isn't often we see platonic relationships be at the center of novels as opposed to romantic ones. And yes, there is romance, but it is far from the main component of the book, and I love that. I also really enjoyed Mazen too. The plot of this book mixed with the inspiration taken from Middle Eastern folklore really just made this a perfect adventure. While this is an adult novel, it is YA friendly, which I didn't mind at all, as I love the edginess of YA and the refinement of Adult, both of which can describe this book. Filled with twists and turns that will leave you breathless, characters you'll be obsessed with, and a world guaranteed to entrance, THE STARDUST THIEF is the debut for you!

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity.
The Stardust Thief is perfect for fans of the Daevabad Trilogy and Master of Djinn. They follow a magical compass on a voyage of discovery. The plot is revealed slowly but there is plenty of charm in the earlier chapters.

The story takes a few pauses to tell select tales out of 1001 nights. While some seem random at first, many are directly relevant to the main tale. Things come to a satisfying conclusion as motivations and a few twists are revealed.

At times the treks through the desert reminded me of An Ember in the Ashes and other books from the series. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel and I would gladly return to the characters for another adventure.

This multiple POV series starter will have you waiting for the sequel before the end. The Stardust Thief is a story that is jam packed with action. With short chapters every day I read, I ended up reading way more than I expected. There's this pull to find out what's next for these three. What new adventure, and mishap, they'll find themselves in. With mouthwatering food scenes and descriptive rich world building, The Stardust Thief is a fabulous debut.

It's a book about the pursuit of knowledge and responsibility of power. There are two sides to every story, to the gaps between sentences, and the chapters after the ending. And The Stardust Thief exists in these spaces. In the complexity between what we are taught and told, versus our experiences. We can become so obsessed with forbidden power. But what will we sacrifice for it? Because self-sacrifice is telling, but the sacrificing of others even more so.

With lush mythology and a gripping storyline, The Stardust Thief is probably one of my favourite reads of the year! The plot follows a ragtag group of travellers on an impossible quest to find a magic lamp, and their conflicting ideals and goals gradually come to light as they face peril together. The strongest point of the story was definitely the characters—they each had layers and layers of secrets, and I gasped a few times when said layers came undone. The hints of stories from A Thousand and One Nights were also expertly woven into the plot, and I truly cannot wait for the sequel to come out!

This was beautiful language and an enthralling story. I loved the magic and the depth of the characters

It is said to be the 1001 Arabian Nights retelling. It’s a story of Loulie al-Nazari, the Midnight Merchant, who is a criminal that hunts and sells illegal magic and relics from place to place. She works with her Jinn Bodyguard, Qadir. One day, during her adventure in the souk, she helps Mazen bin Malik, the youngest prince, who is in disguise as Yousef. That day, she also meets Omar bin Malik, Mazen’s brother, who is the high prince. Since then, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who then threatens her into finding an ancient lamp that has the biggest power ever. There start her adventure…

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s NOT a high fantasy book, it’s a YA fantasy. I personally never really like any YA fantasy books since 2020 and I felt betrayed when I started reading this book up until 20% into that I realized this book is a YA fantasy book. This is also the 6th book with the Jinn theme that I’ve read so far and this book is not even that good.

This is a long-ass YA fantasy book. It’s fucking 538 pages long. The first 10% is a fast read, I enjoy it just okay. Then, when I hit 56% of the book, I can’t enjoy it anymore. I don’t have any attachment to the characters and I don’t even care about them. All the characters are ‘unlikable’. I know the author didn’t want to make them ‘unlikable’ but they’re plain and boring AF. Even, I found Loulie as an annoying character. I nearly DNF’ed it on 56% into but I continued to read it anyway. Twists start to happen in the last 15% of the book. It started to get interesting because of the twists. If you read YA fantasy books, just try it. If you don’t read them, please no need to read this book. The plot and the characters are pretty messyand underdeveloped. So many shits happened within one book without giving the readers time to process it.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the e-ARC!

The Stardust Thief is an amazing debut novel that kicks off The Sandsea Trilogy by Chelea Abdullah. It is an fantastic tale inspired by the stories from One Thousand and One Nights with three strong POV characters and two compelling secondaries. Oddly enough, the book is actually named after one of these secondary characters and not our MC, Loulie.. which really has me all the more intrigued for book two and three.

I really enjoyed all three POV characters. Each section was well balanced and paced and didn't make me want to rush through one to get to another's. The character arcs for Loulie, Mazen and Aisha are interesting, layered, and emotional. I loved how Abdullah wove the tales from One Thousand and One nights into this book. Some took place as story events while others are told through the characters. It was a nice way to balance out so many different fables.

Qadir/Loulie are my absolute favorite, however. Their relationship is really what sold this book to me. I feel like its not one I see as often anymore and my appreciation for it is high. I also really, really.. like really.. appreciated the lack of romance. Given each of the characters' journeys, not having one suddenly make out with the other was so refreshing and, if there is a romance later on, will feel so much more impactful.

4 stars for now, but I will not be surprised if I bump this up to 5 stars on a re-read. I already can't wait to journey back into this world of jinn, adventure, and magic.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC. All thoughts and opinion are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed most of The Stardust Thief. I really liked the authenticity of the novel and the incorporation of the storytelling elements. It was a nice touch when some parts of the story were dragging a bit.

Things I liked:
-The fact that it is an Aladdin re-telling
-The setting (it's so magical and beautiful)
-Qadir (he was a great character)

Things (or shall I say people) I disliked:
-Loulie (I liked the idea of the character but she was quite annoying and really took advantage of her friendship with Qadir. Also, for a character who gets into a lot of trouble, she should be able to have the fighting skills to get herself out of that mess instead of relying on others.)
-Mazen (I thought he was really weak (as a character) and didn't really develop throughout the story)
-Aisha (she was also annoying, but had potential)

Besides the fact that I didn't like the main characters, I thought the story itself was an interesting concept. There is adventure and action, but there are some characterization elements missing for me to feel a connection with the characters. I would have also liked to see Omar's POV. Even though he was a predictable villain, I think his backstory would be really interesting. Besides, the title is based off his character.

While this isn't my favorite Aladdin re-telling, it is one of the best. I would recommend reading it, even just to experience the world Abdullah has created.

Fans of Sabaa Tahir, Renee Ahdieh and Marissa Meyer, would also enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for giving me an ARC of this book, but this does not influence my review. I especially liked the fact that this book was set in a middle eastern culture, and love the Aladdin/genie twist. What I did not like was the multiple POV, I would rather read a book that has only the FMC POV. The plot and world building was great!

Excellent narrative with well written characters and plot. The world building is very detail oriented without being heavy handed. I look forward to another book!

In this book, Loulie and her jinn bodyguard, Qadir, search the desert for magical artifacts to sell for a steep price. One day, after saving one of the prince's lives, Loulie ends up on the Sultan's radar. He recruits her to go with his oldest son out to the lost city of the jinn and find a particular artifact that he will then use to wipe out all jinn. What follows is an adventure of friendship and love and loss and adventure that is so enthralling.

Guys, I really loved this book. I went into it without many expectations, and I was swept away. The setting was so magical and fully captivated me from the beginning. Abdullah's ability to make me feel present in this world was incredible. The plot was medium paced. There were a few points where I felt like the pacing was a little off. However, they weren't so egregious that I thought the book was bad.

The real star of the show was the characters. I am dying for the second book just to spend more time with these characters. They were so well developed and so unique, and all of their interactions together felt so real. Qadir and Loulie's relationship was beautiful, and I loved every minute we had with them together. I liked that there wasn't any overt romance to the story. Normally I love a good romance, but this book felt like it didn't need it yet.

Overall, an incredible book. I think you should all preorder it.

TW: alcohol, assault, attempted murder, blood, death, emotional abuse, fire, gore, murder, skeletons, violence

The Stardust Thief, by Chelsea Abdullah, is one of the more impressive debut novels I’ve read lately, offering up a bevy of strong narrative elements with barely a weakness to be found and using a well-known tale (1001 Nights) not as a basis for a retelling but as the germ of something that is its own lushly original story. It wasn’t until I neared the end that I had the happy realization this wasn’t a stand-alone novel but would give me two more chances to spend time in this world.

As a child, Loulie (AKA the Midnight Merchant) was the sole survivor when her tribe was massacred, rescued from the desert by Qadir, who now serves as her bodyguard as she plies her trade of finding and selling magical jinn relics. Her unique success in that area has caught the attention of the Sultan of Madinne (famed for killing a number of his wives years ago), who seeks perhaps the greatest of all jinn relics. With no real option, Loulie agrees to go on the quest into the most mysterious area of the great Sandsea, accompanied by Qadir, Prince Omar (the Sultan’s cruel son and leader of the genocidal 40 Thieves who hunt down and kill any and all jinn), and Aisha, Omar’s most trusted, deadly, and effective of the Thieves. Or at least, that’s the group as it seems. In reality, for mysterious reasons of his own, Omar forces his more innocent younger brother, a lover of stories more than swords, to take his place, ensorcelled so as to look like Omar. In the attempt to fulfill the quest, members face a series of potentially fatal encounters even as within the group secrets are revealed and members ally with and turn on each other.

As mentioned, the novel’s strengths are numerous. The four main characters are richly drawn. Each is interesting from our very first introduction to them, but even better is the way that as more facets (some purposely hidden) are revealed, and as the events of the plot affect them, each deepens as a character, becoming even more compelling and raising the stakes of what happens to them. It’s fascinating to watch each struggle with how newfound knowledge of not just their compatriots but themselves might change their viewpoints/actions. Secondary characters are less fully fleshed out or interesting, but given how little time we spend with them, that’s a minor quibble.

The setting is lushly described, with two original aspect particularly enhancing the story. One I’m not going to describe so as not to spoil an important revelation. The other is made clear early on and involves the way jinn’s silver blood is used to bring life to the desert (it also has healing qualities). This lends a horrific and haunting element to the story throughout, as when Prince Mazen looks out over a palace courtyard:
The courtyard seemed to glow, the white roses sparking beneath the moonlight. Like jinn blood, he thought dully. Ut of course the courtyard would sparkle like jinn blood; it had sprung from it … How many jinn had been bled out on that once-barren soil so that they could live this life of luxury?


A sentiment shared by Loulie when she looks upon the same scene at a different moment: “Loulie felt ill as she gazed upon the unnatural white roses and the trees heavy with fruit, knowing they had been born of jinn blood … How many jinn were killed to make this immortal garden?”

Besides the emotional impact of this worldbuilding detail, it’s also difficult (or was for me) not to read this as a metaphor for societies built on the blood of indigenous and/or enslaved peoples, and I greatly appreciated the greater depth such a reading lent to the novel.

As one might expect of a novel using 1001 Nights as a seed, storytelling plays a major role. Structurally, the plot’s typical style is interrupted by interstitial chapters that are presented as more formal storytelling, such as “The Tale of the Jinn”, “The Tale of Amir and the Lamp”, and “The Tale of the Queen of Dunes.” (the last herself a richly complex character). These do a nice job of breaking up or balancing out the faster-paced adventure moments in the novel, heighten the sense of myth and magic, add variety to the style/voice, and act as a nice contrast — the more ethereal and almost stately fantastical versus the more mundane (if still at times supernatural) and gritty reality of the characters.

The plot, meanwhile, is nicely paced, balanced as noted between the usual fight scenes, tense moments, and more introspective or passive scenes. If some of the plot’s broader moves and end points can be anticipated, how we arrive at those end points is often less predictable. That especially holds true for the final climax and the jumping off point for book two.

The Stardust Thief is one of the most enjoyable and captivating books I’ve read in the past few months, and my appreciation of its characters and storyline, as well as the author’s skill, only increased the farther I read. It’s been a while since I’ve so eagerly awaited a sequel. Highly recommended.

I’m always up for a good retelling/rework of classics. And when I heard about The Stardust Thief being inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, it easily became one of my most anticipated releases of 2022.

In a lot of ways, The Stardust Thief was a story about history as much as it was about stories. They held power, but they could become embellished and also twisted by the loss of a good portion of the context within their meaning. Given that the inspiration was One Thousand and One Nights, I was already expecting stories within the story to take a prominent role. I was really pleased with how well that was done.

The way Chelsea Abdullah laid out the society the characters inhabited was one of my favorite portions of the book. A lot of what happened challenged the status quo repeatedly, which blurred the lines between right and wrong, truth and lie, justified or outright villainy. And a lot of the time, the end didn’t justify the means, owing to the moral ambiguity of some of the characters. There were a lot of secrets, though there were ample instances where the dark undercurrents in the story were plainly visible. It was complicated.

Once the story moved on from where it initially began, there was a lot of travel. The harshness of the climate was always in the back of my mind as I was reading the first hundred pages or so. During the opening chapters, the story was firmly grounded in a flourishing city, but moving beyond it revealed a harsher landscape riddled with danger. The sand, the heat, the cold, and the weather were vividly told.

Some of the travel parts could be a little slow though, and there were points where I got a little frustrated with the story. However, once I hit the second half of the book, everything just snapped into focus; the characters and the world were being explored far more; and the central conflict (and the point of the quest for the lamp) got clearer. That was also around the point when I really appreciated the work that went into developing the connection between the characters as well as their personalities. When the going got tough, they only had each other to rely on. (Also, Loulie and Qadir were my favorites).

All in all, The Stardust Thief was a promising beginning to a new trilogy. And after THAT ending, I can’t wait for the sequel.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Orbit) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Press for providing the ARC.

All I really have to say about this book is "wow."

Right from the first page, Chelsea Abdullah ensnares you into a lush, rich world filled with jinn and magic and captivates her audience as she weaves a tale worthy of Scheherazade herself. Featuring an an interesting cast of characters - a disgruntled relic merchant, her jinn bodyguard with so many secrets, a prince who longs for adventure, perhaps a bit naively, and a thief just trying to figure out her place in this world - the reader journeys through the desert and uncovers the truth about the stories surrounding their pasts.

This story was an amazing read. I was immediately drawn into the story and could not put this book down. The story, based on One Thousand and One Nights, weaves together elements of tales that are familiar but at the same time are new and unfold in surprising ways, truly making The Stardust Thief it's own story, as opposed to a retelling.

The characters are unlikely companions, but somehow they just work together. The plot is interesting and engaging to the point where I was constantly theorizing right along with the characters as information was revealed. And Abdullah's prose was so beautiful that I felt like I was walking right along with the cast, experiencing Mazen's wonder as he took in the world for the first time.

This book is not to be missed. So do yourself a favor and read it.

I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of one of my most highly-anticipated reads! The Stardust Thief was everything I hoped it would be and more. It follows Loulie, a criminal who finds and sells illegal magic. When she draws the eye of the sultan, she is set on a perilous quest with her bodyguard, a thief, and a prince. From the first chapter, I loved the style of writing. Abdullah has such a smooth and flowing style, communicating a lot of information about world-building without making it feel overwhelming. The writing itself is beautiful, painting a stunning picture with lots of sensory and visual details.

I loved the characters so much, especially Loulie! Watching her journey of growth was very satisfying and I can’t wait to see where her adventures take her next. The Stardust Thief is a fantastic read with morally gray characters, deep secrets, and mysterious magic. The magic behind the relics was so imaginative and interesting to learn about. The world-building is rich with stories and lore seamlessly woven into the main tale. Readers who seek a dangerous quest, an unlikely crew teaming up, and gorgeous writing will love The Stardust Thief! I would also recommend this book for fans of S.A. Chakraborty and Hafsah Faizal.

I’m so excited to find out what happens next; The Stardust Thief left me eager for the sequel! Abdullah is an extremely talented writer and I’m looking forward to reading more from her. The Stardust Thief releases on May 17, 2022. Thank you to Chelsea Abdullah, Orbit, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc