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.

I had a hard time connecting to this story. I feel like I didn't really care about any of the main characters.

Ok, this is not going to be a good review because I let it sit for way too long and I forgot every specific ...

This was a fun adventure fantasy! I enjoyed the audio for this a lot and was completely enraptured by it. The characters are a wonderful mix. I loved Loulie the most, I think, but Aisha's narrator was my favourite. Mazen really is quite hapless and I need Qadir protected at all costs. I also really loved the jinn magic. The entire world is built on the back of it and it is really well put together and intriguing with all its intricacies.

I think what I didn't like is that I found the action scenes somewhat hard to follow. I lost a lot of nuance in a few of those scenes and felt I was playing catch up later on.

I'll definitely check out the sequel as I'm so curious to see where this goes!

"The Stardust Thief" by Chelsea Abdullah is a three-star read that shows a lot of promise.
The plot is well-crafted, and the pacing keeps the story moving at a steady pace. However, there are moments where the plot feels rushed, and the characters could use more development.

Despite these flaws, I was left excited to see what would happen next in the series. There is a lot of potential in the world and characters that Abdullah has created, and I'm interested to see how they will develop in future installments.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this story. I loved how lyrical and storylike it felt. Reading this felt like getting swept away into a nice long bedtime story, with the feeling even more heightened when we would actually be given an interlude in the novel where we actually were being told a story.

I was very excited when I heard about this book, because it sounded cool, and I kept hearing wonderful things about it. And I ended up with two copies, one the standard hardcover that I got from Barnes & Noble and the other was the FairyLoot Edition, which is quite lovely. I’m definitely excited about the upcoming sequel, The Ashfire King, which is expected in November 2023.

It’s lush and lyrical with beautiful mythology and worldbuilding, all inspired by the classic One Thousand and One Nights tales.

I really enjoyed Loulie and Mazen and Aisha and Qadir as characters, and following them on this quest, facing dangers and secrets, and a dangerous desert.

I don’t really know what to say here. I loved reading this. I had a very nice time with it, and I read through the 460-ish page book in a handful of hours. It was a lovely escape from the dreariness and chill of early spring here in Iowa.

This book was so-so. The story was okay, but it seems like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be....romance? fantasy? grimdark? Let's throw them all in and call it a day. Characters were again so-so. None of them really gripped me enough that I cared about what happened to them.

3.5 stars

The pacing on this was OFF. this started great and then lost steam until like 68% of the way through the book and then TOOK OFF.

I'm sure I will only read the next book because of how it ended. I'm nosey, so I need to know what will happen next.

Loved the world building! I got sucked in right at the beginning and could easily tell the characters apart. I could also understand the Jinn powers. Full of adventure with just enough romance!

This book was a wild ride that just kept me reading. And got me reading way past my bedtime.

I absolutely love this one and will continue on into the series .

What a delightful reading experience! It took me too long to get around to reading this book and oh how I regret not getting to it sooner! A perfectly paced adventure and quest plot that is packed with action and wonderful character arcs! Loved reading each one of the character perspectives. All three have a unique voice, depth and substance, each of the p.o.v.-s equipped with interesting skills and compelling backstories and motivations that reveal over time, at the perfect pace. I really enjoyed how the story took turns throughout the book, the jinn magic and how it fits in the world very well explained and interwoven in the fabric of the plot, incorporated within the character’s actions and decisions, as well as the wonderful storytelling element becoming one with the magic. (Absolutely love some good storytelling, or stories within stories are always such a pleasure to read). Overall, a solid and entertaining read!

Beautifully written! I absolutely love the MC's and the language just pulls you in like a delicate dance.

I absolutely loved reading The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Adullah. I loved all things jinn and Arabian Nights-esque. This book really kept me going page after page. I felt some real feels and heartbreak at times. I am so looking forward to the continuation of this trilogy!

This book was everything I love. The merchant Loulie, her jinn bodyguard Qadir, Prince Mazen, and king’s thief Aisha set out on a journey to recover a long-lost lamp containing a jinn for the sultan, but the journey unravels all of their own secrets along the way. I was on the edge of my seat, completely invested in the development of these characters and taken by surprise with twist after twist in this story. It is phenomenally crafted, weaving in elements of retelling in unexpected ways to add even more depth to this world. I loved all of these characters so much, I was in emotional distress the entire time and loved it. I cannot wait for the sequel.

The ending of The Stardust Thief was perfectly done, providing a kind of conclusion to some of the character’s emotional arcs, while leaving the door wide open for the next book. It created the perfect balance between feeling like an ending, in a way, and yet providing a climax that creates a cliffhanger which encourages the reader to seek out the next book. All in all, then, I truly loved The Stardust Thief. I loved its characters and their journeys, its worldbuilding, the way its author wove retellings of One Thousand and One Nights into the story, and the multiple perspectives and the ethical questions that constantly arose. With a thrilling adventure, a world brimming with Arab culture, identity shenanigans, magical artifacts, and jinn, readers are certain to find in this novel—and, perhaps, this whole series—both a very enjoyable, and a thoroughly thought-provoking, read.

Safia H. Senhaji
10 October 2022, Strange Horizons

CHELSEA MY IDOL!
i LOVED the stardust thief, i love loulie, i love mazen, i love them ALL. i can't wait for the next installment and everything Chelsea has to offer.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

This was fine for a fantasy. Honestly, it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022, and it was a bit of a letdown. It wasn't as complex as other adult fantasies, The characters lacked the depth I look for in a fantasy and it was a little bit of a struggle to get through. I think this would be great for people who are new to adult fantasy and not ready to dive into the complexity of a lot of other adult fantasies. I thought the premise sounded amazing, and the writing was good enough that I would read something else by this author.

What an engaging adventure! The foreshadowing was enough that you knew to be mistrustful but not so much that you knew exactly what was going to happen. It was a good combination that had me hooked. I became invested in the characters. I loved that the characters weren’t perfect and had internal struggles within themselves. Prince Mazan was a refreshing male character that wasn’t all brute force. I can’t wait for the rest of the series to come out!

First of all thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Stardust Thief follows our main character, Loulie, who finds and sells jinn relics under the name The Midnight Merchant. One day she is caught and sent on a quest along with a few other characters; her jinn bodyguard Qadir, the prince Mazen, and Aisha who is one of the high prince's famous forty thieves. As with any good quest book, secrets come out along the way and there are plenty of dangers and near death experiences. The story is set against an Arab inspired world with lots of jinn folklore.

As a middle eastern woman I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The characters are fun (Aisha is personally my favorite), their dynamics entertained me, there were plenty of dangers to keep the stakes high, and I really loved that the world was Arab inspired and that jinn played such a prominent part.

I really enjoyed slowly seeing Aisha's character unfold, she is undoubtedly my favorite, and Loulie and Qadir's relationship was so sweet. Even though I had a feeling that he was hiding something from the beginning, and it turns out he was. And it's also impossible not to like Mazen. He's such a sweet Prince who just loves stories, what's not to love?!

All in all this book is thoroughly entertaining. So if you're looking for an Arab inspired book with a quest and a gang of fun characters with great jinn folklore then give this one a chance. And perhaps it's just me reading too much into it but I definitely felt there were some nods to and elements of Arabian Nights. I can't wait to pick up the sequel when it comes out.

Let me just say this book was such a fun adventure!

If you liked The Daevabad trilogy and We hunt the Stars than this book is one you need to desperately pick up. The world bulding was strong and The plot kept me entertained the entire time. It was a very fun and engaging book and my favorite part was the story telling aspect!

Overall a good start to a new trilogy!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “The Stardust Thief” by Chelsea Abdullah. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series. The world was very immersive and there were enough interesting things happening that made me want to continue the series.

My favorite aspects of the story were Loulie’s POV and her friendship with her Jinn bodyguard. There are two other POVs as well. Mazen was such a cinnamon roll and I have no idea how he managed to stay such a sweetheart in such a harsh life. Aisha’s POV made me a little confused as I wasn’t sure why the extra POV was necessary until much later in the book but then it made more sense.

While I enjoyed the story, the pacing was slow to build and then it felt like there were so many points where the story was ramping up to end but I knew it wasn’t because I still had a bunch of pages left to read. It almost felt like the beginning of the second book got shoved into the end of this one.

Overall, I’m curious to see what happens in the next book. The author set up a lot of interesting things. I also know more of what to expect in regards to the pacing.

4/5 stars