More than the fantasy elements of this book, I loved the cultural ones. Sahara serves as a great bridge character: having grown up in the US, she's completely American, but being raised by her Egyptian father and aunt, she is also Egyptian. She wrestles with this dual identity as she visits Egypt for the first time for her uncle's wedding. I loved the portrayal of everyday Egyptian/Arab life, with her Muslim identity seamlessly interwoven with the fantasy elements. The fantasy itself was fine too, but what made it most interesting was how Lewers wove together traditional folktale elements with modern life. Her Egyptian characters resemble people I've met! I did still have some unanswered questions, specifically about Sahara's mom, hence my 4 star rating. Book 2 in the series may change that!

Daughters of the lamp
QOTD - What is one language you know other than English?

Sahara Rashad doesn’t bet on luck. She analyzes, hypothesizes ,and makes up a logical explanation. So when she goes to Egypt for the first time for her Uncle Omar’s wedding, she doesn’t know what to think when her cousin Naima tells her that Uncle Omar’s bride is an El Ghoula - A witch!
Sahara doesn’t want to believe it at first. Logical methods and scientific explanations have always been her forte, and hey, witches being a reality isn’t exactly something that makes sense. But when the hamsa 🪬 pendant that her mother once owned goes missing ,Sahara begins to believe that Uncle Omar’s creepy bride Magda is really a witch.But will anyone believe her hypothesis? Together, Naima with faith and Sahara with science and logic have to uncover Magda’s evil intentions before the wedding. Will they be able to do it? And could they be wrong? But all the signs are there…
Besides that, the attempted robbery of the shop that Kitmeer the dog foiled had sent Naima’s mother - Sahara’s Khaltu Layla into quite a worry. Why would the foiled robbery of a small shop worry her and Sahara’s Sittu - her grandmother- so much? And what did the conversation between them mean?

Other than the presiding doom of Magda - El Ghoula- There were many small memories and mentions that made the book even more memorable and special. The fact that Sahara’s dad hadn’t gone to Egypt - to his birth town and family for years because he felt too much guilt and pain and anxiety made me tear up a little. And besides , the little mentions of Arabic was so nice, it is something I love to read in books!! I also loved the fact that they mentioned Arabic traditional foods like wara ainab- stuffed grape leaves , it was really fun to know about. Sahara’s journey of acceptance as an Egyptian and an American and finding more about her mom and meeting her Egyptian family was super wonderful to read about, and her adventures are MORE than AMAZING!! I couldn’t believe this was a debut , it was THAT good 💚!! They also mention the origins of the good magic that is mentioned later on *no spoilers* in small excerpts , and all in all , I LOVED it !! 10/10 🌟
Thank you #netgalley and #neddalewers and #Penguinrandomhouse for sending me this book!!