This was such an INCREDIBLE debut. The world was fleshed out at once, the characters distinguishable and charming in their own ways. Literally got me out of a reading slump, kind of incredible, continuing Orbit's amazing run of their debuts.

Would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a character-driven epic fantasy which draws you in like a warm hug.

3.5 stares for me. Lots to like about this book. I really loved the use of stories and story telling as both a plot device and a way to help build the world, I love the way magic was used, and I'm very curious to see what happens next.

Yet I couldn't help but feel I was reading a novel based on a movie - the plot lurches from huge action sequence to huge action sequence and there are far too many pages of bloody fighting for my liking. That emphasis sacrifices some time spent getting to know the characters better; which means there's a lack of depth and emotional connections with them - I honestly didn't care that much for anyone. I didn't hate them, but I also felt they were a bit one dimensional. I'd like to see more character development and fewer ghouls.

The Stardust Thief is intricate, rich with detail, and completely unputdownable. It's inspired by the Arabian Nights and follows Loulie, the Midnight Merchant with a secretive past, her bodyguard Qadir, and the cowardly (but adorable) Prince Mazen. Although the plot was definitely intriguing and kept my attention, it's the characters that really made this book for me. I loved Mazen so much, and I liked Loulie and Qadir a lot too, especially their banter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. That is a debut! This book was a fun romp through the wild heat of the desert, steeped in magic and dripping with violence (but not in a gory way).

I loved the magic in this book. The jinns were fantastic, their magics and histories were intriguing, and while the beginning was a little slow to get going (which I think was a mood thing for me and nothing to do with the book itself), it picked up pretty quickly. The relics were so much fun - think Xiaolin Showdown meets A Thousand and One Nights.

But do you know what is disappointing? I read this one early... which means my wait for book two will be longer than the average reader. *stomps feet* Not fair!

Highly recommended. Definitely will pick up book two as soon as it's available to me!!!

The writing style reminded me a lot of the scifi series: Kushiel's Dart, very dreamlike. If you like writer's like Jacqueline Carey then the Stardust Thief is for you. Or BBC dramas. Definitely will make you think. I'm still trying to decide if I like the ending or not, but different can be good. The humor is a little dry compared to American so gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but that's just a personal taste. Overall look forward to seeing what else the writer pens.

The Stardust Thief is a story about memory. About remembering ones past, those you love, and those you sometimes wish you could forget. As much as this is touted as a retelling, it’s more so just proving what memory does to us all as a collective culture.

We remember with stories, and their importance can never be trivialized, especially as we continue to find new and different ways to keep them alive.

I loved these characters. They were damaged, and flawed, but they loved each other in their own way and time. Their relationships were precarious, and unsteady. Fitting for a book that spends most of its time on the always changing desert landscape.

I believed this narrative. I believed the betrayal and the conflict, and the search for meaning and purpose. This is a series I’ll see through until the end.

A retelling of Arabian Nights by an Arab author, one full of action and intrigue!

Genre: Adult Fantasy
Ages: 16 plus
Available for preorder on Amazon- release date is may

Screening: mention of gods being the creators of jinn and man, mentions of alcohol and drinking, mentions of dancing and music, seduction by a female jinn, jinn/fantasy/magic, battle/killing, (nothing is really gory or crude).

Loulie AlNazari is the midnight merchant, a collector and seller of Jinn relics (similair the lamp of the genie in Aladdin, relics contain remnants of Jinn and have powers). When the Sultan of the city commands her to get him a relic from a Jinn city no one has ever gone to before, she is joined by his son, her bodyguard, and a Jinn assasin. Together, this crew of four have to battle nature and foes to make it. But what they discover along the way could change them all forever.

The Arab rep in this book seemed authentic, and this is a book where an own voice Arab author is key. The Arabic language was correct and spoken well (I have read a book before supposedly based as an Arab fantasy but with the Arabic language all wrong in it and it drives me nuts). The Arabic food, Arabic clothing, and even the names all really flowed together to make it a well-written retelling of Arabian Night!

A note: nothing Islamic or Muslim in the book (besides saying Salaam as a greeting), but it is not meant to be a Muslim book.

I enjoyed reading this book; it def is a read to be savored over time, such as a true storytelling in Arabia (hakawatys in Syria for example). And even when I would come back to it after a while (like Sharazad’s tales each night), I would easily be able to follow along and get sucked back into the story and understand it. It was one interesting event after the other and the plot moved quickly forward and the story got better as it went along. I loved the little stories in the book and the little references to Arabian nights.

Ended on a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait for the next book!

What did you think? Of course five stars! It is as if this book was written specifically for me—Arabian night-inspired, deep lore, expansive world that you wish existed, and of course, MAGIC! Loved the two protagonists, the witty merchant & the cowardly royal, and DEFINITELY looking forward to seeing more of them!

I've decided the most important thing for me in stories is that the narrative structure feels like something new. A world can be expansive and imaginative, characters can be heartfelt and complicated, but I will struggle to rate a book above three stars if the story doesn't leave a memorable impression in my mind. The Stardust Thief fell into this trap. The setting was unique and brilliant, but the story and characters didn't feel like anything I haven't read before. I've also talked about this in other reviews but I feel like there has been a trend in recent "adult" fantasy in which the characters are aged up but the complexity of themes does not mature along with them. Not to say that. I haven't read some deeply thematically complex YA, but I feel like having older (read: late teens to early/midtwenties) does not an adult fantasy novel make. I liked Mazen and loved Qadir, but found Loulie to be aggravating and shallow. I did really enjoy Ayesha and wished she had more page time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and I honestly loved this book.

In "The Stardust Thief," Loulie al-Nazari, who's also known as the Midnight Merchant, makes a living hunting for enchanted magic items. Selling them is a very profitable business, but also a very illegal one. So, Loulie does her best to keep a very low-profile using disguises and aliases to mask her true identity. That works well for her until it doesn't. Everything changes after she saved the life of Prince Mazen, which draws the attention of his father, the Sultan. The Sultan blackmails her into going on a secret mission to find a magic lamp hidden in the middle of the Sand Sea. She embarks on the quest to find the lost city of the jinn and that magic lamp. It's a dangerous journey filled with bandits, ghouls and deadly jinn magic.

The story is heavily inspired by the Thousand and One Arabian Nights and I loved it. This story has everything you'd want from a novel inspired by the stories of Scheherazade: a cowardly prince, a magic lamp, ghouls, jinn and a dangerous quest across a vast desert. The story really pulled me in, and I got really attached to the characters. For me, it was literally un-putdownable.

I heartily recommend "The Stardust Thief" by Chelsea Abdullah. It's an outstanding debut from a talented new author. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Neither here nor there, but long ago...

I was going to rate this a 4.5 but whatever I rounded up I'm very simple: if I thoroughly enjoy a book it gets a great rating from me.

The Stardust Thief is an own-voices fantasy debut from Chelsea Abdullah, inspired by the stories from Arabian Nights. Fans of the Sands of Arawiya duology and the Daevabad trilogy should pick this up.

As I said, I enjoyed this one. It follows 3 POVs: Loulie, the "Midnight Merchant"; Mazen, a cowardly prince; and Aisha, one of Prince Omar's forty thieves. They, along with Loulie's bodyguard, Qadir (who is also secretly a jinn in a world where most humans try to hunt and kill them), embark on a quest to find a magical artifact --what else, other than a lamp containing a jinn powerful enough so that the Sultan can eliminate the jinn once and for all, of course!

This was a fun adventure, but the real strong point here for me is the characters. Mazen is my sweet summer child who just loves stories and wants to explore the world. Loulie is so smart and cunning I love her - girlboss, gatekeep, etc. Aisha is a warrior who has been so focused on revenge and has possibly the mosti nteresting development of all three but I really can't say anything because it is very spoilery.

This has found family trope galore and it's so satisfying. I think we will also be gifted with a nice, very slow burn romance over the course of the trilogy (hoping, praying, begging, shaking, please Loulie and Mazen).

Looking forward to the next book!

Have you ever encountered one of those books that you just absolutely loved, but when you go to tell other people about, your mind goes pretty much blank and you can’t remember much of what you read? Yeah, this was this book in a nutshell. I loved this book! It had lots of adventure and had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the elements of stories 1001 Arabian Nights woven through (primarily the stories of Aladdin and the lamp, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves and Shahrazad and her stories). So, if you enjoy retellings of familiar stories, I highly suggest that you go buy this book when it comes out this May.

Bringing a fresh take and a new world built from the legends in “A Thousand and One Nights,” “The Stardust Thief” is the first in a fantasy trilogy I can’t wait to finish.

The story follows three characters as they search the mythical Sandsea for a lamp of legend hiding a powerful jinn. Loulie, a merchant of jinn relics; Mazen, the son of the sultan and his late, favored wife; and Aisha, a thief working for Mazen’s eldest brother, are not so much allies as forced acquaintances. I’ll confess the build in their relationships to each other felt a little slow at times (the women are especially mistrustful, not without good reason), but it’s a slow burn I can see paying off in the next book of the series. Just don’t expect immediate found family, as this first novel focuses more on their individual goals and wants — which often run contrary to one another. That being said, Loulie and her jinn bodyguard Qadir have a lovely friendship that really is the heart of this story.

The world building so far is rich, with brief interludes for tales in the form of “One Thousand and One Nights.” I suspect with that cliffhanger we’ll see even more sides of the Sandsea in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

This is such a stunning adventure!

One that weaves lush mythology and vibrant world-building to create an immerse narrative that you won't want to leave. It does an amazing job of incorporating the tales from ‘A Thousand and One Nights’ within a fresh and engaging plot. And the characters are such exciting travel companions every step of the way.

I have been desperate for something to fill the void that the end of ‘The Daevabad Trilogy’ created, and this fits perfectly. I can't wait for this series to continue!

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an e-arc of this book.

I thought this book had a strong plot with well fleshed out core characters with the exception of Mazen. I felt like he was very ill equipped to be surviving a world of jinn and politics. He honestly seemed so helpless and often had to rely way to much on other characters. While he does get a bit of a backbone by the last 1/3 of the book, i found it frustrating that he never tried to better himself to better survive the main quest of the story. I hope in the next book he endeavors to learn fighting or really anything useful.

I loved that the fables of this world are interwoven as short stories throughout the book. I thought it was a clever and well done storytelling device. I loved learning the lore of this world and having it serve the plot as well.

Overall I thought this was a good book and I can't wait to read the rest in this series.

A fresh tale that pays homage to a great classic, The Stardust Thief, is the start of a new trilogy to look out for in the adult fantasy genre. The characters are engaging, the plot is quick with unpredictable twists and turns and the magic system is rich and unique. It is also quite nice to see your own (ethnic) name in a book, but I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to how Abdullah will grow as a writer in its sequel.

I enjoyed how the interstitial stories that paid homage to 1,001 Nights and oral storytelling. It was used effectively to evoke how the world felt.
However, this “telling” continued throughout, which shallowed the characters. Their inner thoughts would always explode out of them immediately into a forced dialogue and no resolution (“You’re bad!” “No, I’m good!”), which felt repetitive and simplistic. I expected an Adult Fantasy book to give characters more depth, the world more intricate, and the prose more poetic.

I liked the platonic relationship between Loulie and Qadir and Loulie’s chaotic nature. Aisha and Mazen, I’m not sold on, but I’m sure their time will come in the following installments.

This book was a joy to read and honestly I cannot wait for more in the series. It was fast paced, world building, and had strong female characters which was refreshing.

I have been really, really hoping to get a ARC - so THANK YOU NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this before it drops.

Those who are looking for a new series after the Daevabad trilogy MUST pick this up when it drops! A completely different story with a thief and the world of djinns, ifrits, and madrids.

Lets talk about characters: I LOVE Loulie al-Nazari! She is a badass girl with sadness, humor, rage, and compassion. Her and her djinn, Qadir, are a perfect team. He loves her - platonically - as like a father and a friend, though she is a human, and she him. Though she comes with her own past which is known to him, his is unknown to her. We figure it out as the story goes on and you absolutely feel for both characters.

Mazen was one who took a bit of work to get me to enjoy and figure out. He is a sheltered, weak prince (not by fault of his!), and he longs to be someone different and have adventures like that of Loulie and Qadir. By plot, he gets that opportunity but it comes with unintentional baggage and a loss of identity. By the end of the book, I was happy to say that there IS hope for him and that I can see him becoming a hero by the end of the trilogy!

Finally, there is the wild-cat theif / djinn slayer, Ayesha. I absolutely loved her character arc throughout this and I can't wait to see where her story goes in book two! She has quite a path and a lot of interesting thoughts bouncing around in her head on what road to take on said path.

The plot is full of nods to the tales of Arabian Nights and other folklore regarding Djinn. Djinn are hunted and either killed or harvested for their blood (their blood has healing powers). The amount of secrets and twists in the story had me anxiously reading faster than my brain could keep up with my eyes.

If you enjoy stories with interesting characters, secrets, magic, and of course, finding ones-self, this is a great book to a very interesting trilogy! Book two soon, please! :D

This book is amazing! I loved all of the characters and it had so many twists I didn't see coming! The magic of this world was so interesting and the stories within a story were so fun to read about. I can't wait to buy this book or wait until the next one comes out!