3/5 stars.

It’s upsetting for me that I do not have that many good things to say about this book when I wanted to love it. The writing was my favourite kind of style: direct but still engaging. The worldbuilding was intricate and I especially loved the ulalization of storytelling when expanding on the setting. The descriptions were gorgeous as well. However I could not overlook the weak plot, predictable twists, and lack of character development. It was a fantasy that read more YA than adult, but still had great potential.

What held me back from fully immersing myself and loving this book was its length. This was reminiscent of the feeling of having an essay due and repeating yourself while trying to meet the word count. The Stardust Thief felt excessively long. I took multiple breaks and the middle was a chore to read before the 70% mark. There were so many unnecessary and out-of-place scenes that slowed the pacing and killed the plot, so chapters that could’ve been cut from this book and it would not have made a difference to the story. These distractions happened so often that it was easy to forget the overarching plot. The lamp, for all that it was supposed to be the most important item in the story, was barely mentioned.

The characters spent most of their time meandering around as the author tried, and failed, to make their relationships seem plausible and deep. I was expecting more urgency considering their lives were on the line, but that didn’t happen until the end. I did not care for the relationship dynamics and their connections and interactions were all surface-level and superficial at best. This could be due to the characters not being fully fleshed out.

The worst part for me was that I would have enjoyed this a lot more had the author not been so heavy handed with the foreshadowing. You could barely call it foreshadowing since it seemed like almost every clue was shoved in my face from the beginning. This just felt like one big set-up for the next book. All the opportunities for character growth presented themselves multiple times but were ignored in order to keep the characters stagnant.

In terms of the characters, I loved Mazen the most. A bumbling, cowardly prince is not a character you get to see often in this genre. He is both realistic and relatable, and though he only started developing towards the end, I found him to be the most interesting and fun to read about. Both Loulie and Aisha had great potential to be amazing characters. But what hindered their growth was that the author’s insistence on putting them through the same internal and external battles, having them question everything they’ve ever known, but ultimately do very little and barely change. I hope the sequel gives them more depth and complexity because it was lacking here.

The plot twists, if you could call them that, were quite predictable. There are only so many times a “Big Secret Reveal” can be used before it becomes repetitive and loses its appeal. A lot of things were made obvious at the beginning, which made the reveals at the very end feel lacklustre. I hope that the further the author goes into this series, she will learn to hide things better. There was actually a great twist I didn’t see coming that was supported by unreliable narration. The way the author leaned into the aspect of multiple POVs to distract the reader was such a clever idea and I applaud that.

Ultimately I would recommend this book for readers transitioning from YA fantasy to Adult fantasy. If you’re not looking for anything too complex, just a fast-spaced story about magic, action-packed quests, and a beautiful setting, then this is for you.

Jinn are hunted for their magic and it is forbidden for anyone to possess their magical relics. But Loulie, the infamous midnight merchant, sets out with her Jinn friend and bodyguard Qadir to find the magic lamp that could destroy or save their world...
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This was such a great story, I want to say that right at the start. The depth of the characters, the complexity of the world, it was so easy to get lost in the story. Yet it wasn't exhausting to read as the writing style was very fluid and the story was so well told.
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I found the Jinn, their complexly regulated world, magic system and society incredibly interesting and I'm excited to learn more about them in the trilogy. I could read a whole book about Qadir's story alone.
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Loulie, Mazen and Aisha our three main human characters had a great dynamic. They all come from such different places and families, which couldn't make their characters more different. Loulie is smart and strong, Mazen reserved with lots of emotional conflict, Aisha distant.
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I didn't see the direction the plot was going to take coming, which is always a plus, and I'm excited to see where the trilogy goes from here.
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A really great debut, which I can only recommend to anyone with a love for fantasy.
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Thanks to netgalley and orbit for the eArc.

J’avais repéré la sortie de The stardust thief en me demandant si ça serait un roman pour moi et pouf, voilà qu’il apparait sur Netgalley UK tel le bon génie qui sort de sa lampe. J’ai envoyé une requête et voilà donc que je reçois un exemplaire numérique de la part de l’éditeur, avec plusieurs semaines d’avance sur la sortie VO du 19 Mai. Vous aurez donc mon avis avant la sortie du livre, elle est pas belle la vie ?

Loulie al-Nazari est la marchande de minuit, elle fait un commerce pas très très légal d’artefacts enchantés qu’elle trouve lors de ses expéditions. Epaulée par Qadir, bi-classé garde du corps et djinn, elle va par hasard sauver un prince mais malheureusement elle tombera du même coup sous la coupe du sultan. Ce dernier va la contraindre à partir à la recherche d’une mystérieuse lampe magique pour son propre compte, elle voyagera en compagnie de Qadir, du haut-prince, et d’Aisha, l’une des fameux 40 voleurs. Des secrets de la famille royale aux grands mystères des djinns, le voyage de Loulie lui réserve quelques surprises.

Normalement, en lisant le résumé, vous avez noté quelques points bien caractéristiques : Lampe magique, 40 voleurs, djinn… Ajoutez une dame qui raconte des histoires au sultan pour sauver sa peau, et vous avez à peu près compris. Avec The stardust thief, Chelsea Abdullah fait un espèce de remix des contes des mille et une nuits, mais elle inclut tous ces ingrédients dans une trame solide qui baigne dans cette ambiance parfaitement retranscrite. Elle construit un édifice avec toutes ces petites pièces pour livrer un roman solide et un univers cohérent dans lequel les djinns sont craints et chassés par la plupart des humains, au-delà des haines entre humains et djinns, ces derniers sont aussi convoités parce que leur sang est magique, il guérit, il fait naitre une végétation foisonnante là où il coule, même en plein désert, et leurs artefacts sont enchantés.


Loulie ne souhaite pas tuer de djinn, elle a été sauvée par Qadir dans son enfance et elle veut juste continuer à vendre ses babioles magiques. Quand elle sauve le prince Mazen, elle doit cacher la nature de Qadir parce que la famille royale fait dans l’extermination de djinns. Le haut-prince Omar, frère ainé de Mazen, est le chef des 40 voleurs, qui ne sont plus trop de simples voleurs. Ils sont un groupe de chasseurs de djinns, poussés par la vengeance. Donc quand ils partent ensemble en expédition pour retrouver une lampe magique, ça s’annonce un peu tendu. Le gros du bouquin est donc l’expédition en question qui va nous faire traverser plusieurs étapes, rencontrer des êtres magiques dans le désert, découvrir des artefacts merveilleux et des mystère oubliés.

Les histoires de voyages peuvent parfois être un peu monotones quand on va simplement de A à B et de B à C, mais l’autrice arrive à tenir le lecteur tout d’abord grâce à la richesse de son univers et à la manière dont les secrets nous sont dévoilés. En chemin nous auront des tas de révélations et de coups du sort qui changent la donne, qui offrent une nouvelle perspective à cette aventure. Des secrets sur les djinns, sur le passé de la famille royale, et sur le passé sombre de Loulie évidemment, tout ça sera dévoilé de manière progressive. Il y a quelques révélations que j’ai trouvé légèrement confuses mais on arrive à raccrocher les wagons assez facilement après, donc ça fonctionne quand même très bien. Une fois tout ça déballé, on se retrouve avec un tableau d’ensemble très satisfaisant et un univers riche de magie et de légendes.

L’autre grande qualité du roman, c’est la dynamique des personnages et leur caractérisation. Il y a un groupe de protagonistes vraiment très intéressant à découvrir, à la fois pour leurs personnalités que j’ai adorées, mais aussi par leurs motivations complexes et changeantes. La manière dont ils vont interagir et évoluer sera le moteur du bouquin, Loulie veut en finir avec tout ça mais va découvrir la vérité sur son passé, Mazen grandit dans l’ombre de son frère mais va se révéler à lui-même, Aisha est une tueuse implacable mais va aussi changer dans cette quête. Et tous interagissent de manière cohérente, complexe, on s’attache à eux, à leurs personnalités, à leurs combats. C’est vraiment un groupe que j’ai aimé découvrir et suivre.

Tout ça baigne dans cette ambiance de légendes arabes, par une autrice qui est née et a grandi au Koweït. Elle nous plonge dans son désert infini, parsemé d’oasis et de dangers, avec des épisodes visuellement frappants, des palais secrets, des pouvoirs magiques qui se déchainent dans des tempêtes de sable, des mirages et des créatures mortelles. Le roman intercale à plusieurs reprises un petit conte qui va éclairer sur les mythes de cet univers et l’importance des histoires dans cette histoire, Mazen est d’ailleurs féru de contes et ça jouera un rôle dans le déroulement des évènements. Et ça participe à l’ambiance générale époustouflante de The Stardust Thief.

Vous l’avez compris (enfin… J’espère !), j’ai adoré ma lecture et j’ai très hâte de lire la suite, d’autant plus que celui-ci se termine sur un léger cliffhanger, satisfaisant mais qui laisse une situation instable à laquelle on a envie de revenir. Donc si vous lisez en anglais et que vous êtes partant pour une aventure riche au cœur des Mille et une nuits, vous pouvez y aller !

The Stardust thief is a wonderful and enchanting fantasy inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights. The author did a fantastic job at subtly weaving the tales into the story.

DUDES WITH EARRINGS ALERT! 😏

It was so refreshing to have a male character who's not a muscular macho warrior. Mazen is a h̶̶̶̶̶i̶̶̶̶̶m̶̶̶̶̶b̶̶̶̶̶o̶̶̶̶ curious prince who loves stories. Loulie or Layla is the midnight merchant who sells relics (objects with magical powers). “I would rather marry a dust-covered relic than a man,” Loulie, mood. She travels with Qadir w̶̶h̶̶o̶ ̶i̶̶̶̶̶s̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶̶a̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶̶d̶̶i̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶l̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶f̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶, her jinn bodyguard and father figure.

“You rely on me, but I also rely on you. We are a team, you and I.”

“You are the most courageous person I know, Loulie al-Nazari. Without you, I would still be aimlessly wandering the desert, lost in my grief. You are not weak. That is why I follow where you walk: because I trust you.”

“The compass led me to you, and it is with you I shall stay until destiny demands we part ways.”

Tell me this isn't the most beautiful thing in the world 😭.

Loulie is brought before the sultan, and he blackmails her into going on a quest to find a relic, to which a powerful jinn is bound. He appoints his son Omar, a jinn hunter, to supervise her. It is actually Mazen who joins her—in return for a favor from Omar—disguised as his brother (with the help of a relic), and Aisha, a badass woman as well as one of Omar's 40 thieves. They travel into the desert and face many dangerous creatures. At the end, we find out who the true villain of the story is, that fucks everything up.

We never really get Loulie's and Ahmed's backstory, so I'm missing a bit of context there. And to the Stardust thief, I hope both sides of his pillow are warm.

Can't wait for the next installment. I've recently finished The city of brass, so if you're looking for similar vibes I'd definitely recommend The stardust thief.

Well I've just finished the stardust thief and can genuinely say I'm sad I really didn't want it to end it was so good, so good I actually immediately searched for the authors website to find out about the next book and saw this is going to be a trilogy yay!

I really liked all the main protagonists in this story especially Loulie and Qadir, their non romantic but co dependant relationship was really nice to follow. I enjoyed that the chapters were told from 3 different characters perspectives and found the writing style easy to digest, I was flying through the pages at some places throughout the book. Definitely recommend this book and cannot wait for mine to come in the post.

Inspired from One Thousand and One Tales, this was an extremely enjoyable quest based fantasy with great characters and a plot which is full of action and magic.

The story follows Loulie, an elusive merchant who deals in Djinn artifacts. Loulie along with her Djinn bodyguard, Qadir gets roped into searching an important artefact for the Sultan after she saves the life of the Prince. On this quest she is joined by the above mentioned prince, Mazen and a Djinn hunter called Ayesha. Together the four of them face various challenges and dangers as they travel across the desert.

The writing is super easy to get through and the world building/magic system too is very easy to follow. Unlikely companions who sort of become friends on the road is one of my favourite tropes to read and this book does it so perfectly. I was living for each argument, secrets, betrayals as well as the sense of companionship that eventually developed between all the characters.

While I loved reading all the characters pov, I enjoyed Mazen's perspective the most. I think Mazen's character goes through the most growth throughout the story and it was great to see a character who is so out of his depth but is also so brave and compassionate in the face of adversity.

All the relationship development was done very well. I was so glad that the author decided to keep the relationship between Loulie and Qadir strictly platonic. I loved their banter. However, I was also a bit annoyed by the amount of secret that Qadir was keeping from Loulie. Especially, as everytime Loulie confronts him about something, he says he's sorry and that he will tell her everything but there's always more secret and after a while the situation between them got a bit repetitive.

I also think that some of the plot points are kind of predictable but I don't think it takes away the enjoyment of the story. The story is still filled with a lot of heart, mystery, friendship and adventure and overall, I had a really great time reading it.

I can't wait for the next book!

I would like to thank Orbit and Netgalley for sending this ARC.

I love the tale of One Thousand and One Nights and discovering this darker and bloodier story really thrilled me. The multiple points of view that the author puts in place allows a sustained pace in the novel without real downtime.

The characters are endearing and very different from each other. Loulie is intelligent and very strong, Mazen is endearing however the jinn steals the show.

I would read the rest of this adventure given the cliffanger that Chelsea Abdullah offers us at the end of the book. This was a beautiful story full of fantasy and adventure.

THIS BOOK!!!! This book went from my most anticipated release to one of my favourite books I've ever read. The world is amazing and lush. The descriptions bring out such beautiful imagery I was instantly drawn in.

The characters were so well written, each has their own motives and view on the situations their put in. The individual POVs work so well together and gives a fantastic insight as to how each of the characters are feeling and dealing with each situation they encounter. Ive always liked reading about a group of people who don't really like each other and yet have to work together to achieve a common goal.

Theres a specific thing that happens towards the middle of this book that managed to make my cry and thats coming from someone who has only ever cried at two books in the past.

If I could rate this more then 5 stars I would in a heart beat.

4.75 Stars!

Synopsis: Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, and her jinn bodyguard sell illegal magic. But when she captures the attention of the Sultan, he sends her on a dangerous journey to retrieve a specific relic.

CW/TW: Violence/Murder/Death.

The Stardust Thief, by Chelsea Abdullah is a beautiful fantasy, inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights.

The Stardust Thief is a beautifully written fantasy that sweeps you away. Chelsea Abdullah’s prose is beautiful and compelling. She creates rich and vivid settings, gorgeous imagery and impressive landscapes. Right from the start the prose is immersive and gripping and this continues all the way through. The story is told from using multiple POV’s, mainly of Loulie and Mazen. The multiple pov works very well for this book, especially with the plot that is full of secrets and the tropes of hidden identities. The multiple pov’s are all incredibly interesting and kept the pacing balanced well, giving us insight into each of the characters and their own lives and secrets.

The Stardust Thief follows Loulie, The Midnight Merchant, and her bodyguard, Qadir, who finds and sells illegal magical items. Her reputation gains the attention of the Sultan who sends her to retrieve a magical lamp, alongside his son. But the journey ends up being full of danger. I really loved the journey and plot, I thought it was a lot of fun and had a lot of dangers that kept you gripped! The plot is mainly focused around the jinn and the magical relics. Jinn are hunted because the world sees them as dangerous and their deaths are used to benefit the people. I really enjoyed the jinn in the book, I loved Qadir and all the lore/mythology surrounding the jinn and their stories – the slow reveal of jinn secrets and truths was compelling and interesting. I also loved the different jinn we meet throughout the story and learning more about their magic. I also really loved the magical relics we find and see throughout the story.

Aside from the jinn and magical relics, the plot is very character driven. The character’s secrets, their own plots, and own motives. I really enjoyed figuring out all the character’s motives and unravelling all the secrets and plots. I don’t want to spoil it but the conflict built throughout the book and the tension between the main characters and the villains was very compelling.

The book is full of interesting characters. Loulie is the main character and a great one – she is clever and headstrong but flawed. I loved her relationship with Qadir as well, their bond was really sweet and dynamic. Mazen is a sweet character and passionate but he is also flawed. I enjoyed the dynamic between Mazen and Loulie as well. I liked seeing the characters grow and develop as the story progressed, becoming more open, braver, and determined. I enjoyed the development of the characters different relationships as well and the rest of the cast (though I won’t say anything about them because I don’t want to spoil the fun!).

Overall, The Stardust Thief, by Chelsea Abdullah is a beautiful, compelling and captivating fantasy that is immersive and vivid.

*I received an eARC via #Netgalley from @orbitbooks in exchange for an honest review – thank you!*

The world-building is intricate and compelling and the characters are well-developed and fascinating. It’s marketed as adult fantasy but felt like it would be suitable for older teens as well. It ends on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for book two in The Sandsea Trilogy. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars
The Stardust Thief is a beautifully written and utterly transportive One Thousand and One Nights retelling by Chelsea Abdullah who—in breathing new life into the classic, epic quest fantasy genre, with her endearing characters and gorgeously detailed world building—has reignited my love of all things adventurously quest-like.

In a land where jinn are hunted for the magic in their blood and where their enchanted relics are illegal to possess, Loulie al-Nazari (the infamous Midnight merchant and seller of rare magical items) and her Jinn bodyguard embark on a quest to find a magic lamp. An item that—if found— could save or destroy everything Loulie loves most.

In this world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything-her enemies, her magic, even her own past- is not what it seems, and must decide who she will become to survive in this cutthroat reality.

I loved just how easy it was to lose myself in this magical world, the depth and complexity of the characters was amazing and I loved just how intricately their lives become as the story (and the action) progresses— the execution itself was beautifully subtle but exquisite nonetheless!

The incorporation of folklore throughout was also really lovely, and though her name isn’t expressly mentioned, I loved how prominent Shahrazad’s story (the storyteller who’s clever stories save her life and win her the heart of a Sultan) was, with her son (and his passion for thre oral storytelling tradition) being one of the main focuses of the plot. The stories are so vividly detailed and truly capture that magical sense of wonder you feel when hearing a really great, immersive tale that you return to again and again.

The characters were all super compelling; I loved the Midnight merchant, Loulie she’s smart, witty and incredibly strong, even if she doesn’t see herself that way—she’s a survivor just Aisha and Mazen (to some extents) and I loved just how their shared childhood trauma ultimately bonds them all in a way—bringing them closer to each other.

Mazen’s emotionally conflicting arc was superb but it was the Jinn we encounter thst really stole the show for me— the complexities woven into their magic and history was fascinating and I honestly can’t wait to see where this goes in the rest of the series.

If you love a plot twist, then you’re gonna be pleased as there’s soo many plot twistingly good, jaw-drop worthy moments that kept me coming back for more. And, like the eponymous Sultan eager for Shahrazad’s tales , I was desperate to find out what would happened next— there were many sleepless nights spent devouring Chelsea Abdullah’s lush, magic infused prose (I honestly never wanted it to end.)

Overall, this enchanting epic fantasy is a book you definitely want to get your hands on ASAP, trust me fantasy lovers—you’re going to love it!

Also, thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-arc.

I'm always afraid to step on anyone's toes with not-so-favourable feedback, but I genuinely tried my best to give this book a fair chance - with such a compelling synopsis and the captivating Arab-inspired setting it boasts, how could one not be sold? Yet the first few chapters fell completely flat for me, wrapped up as they were in schematic, somewhat superficial writing and setting forth washed-out, almost formularized characters that I struggled to stay committed, and the only character I found myself caring about at all was Qadir. I do think The Stardust Thief might've missed its mark being marketed as 'adult' fantasy and not YA, but this could just be a classic 'it's not you, it's me' situation, and I wholly count on others appreciating and having a better time with it than I managed to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for kindly passing on this ARC! 💫

Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the e-arc of The Stardust Thief in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I am a total lover of fairytale retellings and this book set in a world based on the stories of 1,001 nights was hugely appealing. Chelsea Abdullah has taken many of these tales and like a natural storyteller has re woven them seamlessly into a bigger story, creating an adventure that transports, entertains and delights.

There are a few protagonists in this tale, including Loulie, known as the Midnight Merchant, who finds and sells illegal magical relics. She can always be found with her mysterious bodyguard Qadir at her side.

Prince Mazen, the Sultan’s youngest son, who cannot fight, nor scheme, but has a true moral compass and like his mother before him, a love for stories and storytelling.

And Aisha, a member of Omar’s (Mazen’s older brother) elite gang of Forty Thieves, who watches over Loulie, Qadir and Mazen as they are press ganged into a quest to locate a lamp, magical of course, for the sultan.

There are a fair few trope in this story, and yes, done do play by the book, but the world-building, the interactions between the gang themselves and the events that occur on their travels, all serve to make this a thoroughly entertaining story.

Perspective is definitely key to this tale, with the conflict between humans and the Jinn being very much at the centre, but just like life there are no clear divisions; There are many shades of character, and morality that only serve to compliment and build a great tale…thus is a great debut novel that I totally recommend you pick up…and can I have the next in the series now please?

3.75/5

This had some very good world building and some strong character development. It's set in a fantasy world that is built strongly on the Arabian Nights, with references to Scheherazade, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and probably other hints and fables that would be recognizable to a reader more familiar with that folklore than I am. Yet it is not a straightforward retelling of any of these tales; instead, it is its own story, set in the same world where those stories happened. There is wonderful imagery of landscapes and magical relics and markets and oases and monsters, and very touching relationships that explore a variety of connections and intimacy that are possible between people who have been thrown together in various ways. In particular, I enjoy various moments where people are thrown into close physical proximity and feel certain vulnerabilities in the other person--weaknesses, agitations, etc.--making use of a trope that usually betokens burgeoning romantic feelings in other books, but seems to have no pretensions in that direction here.

Nevertheless, the plot was a little bit frenetic and oddly paced. There was a climax about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through that felt as if it was the climax of the entire book in scope and drama, and yet didn't resolve any of the ongoing plotlines. When various final revelations were revealed they came out of nowhere, and didn't feel appropriately set up. The plot was composed of too many moving parts, so that I couldn't set in place the full machinery of history and backstory well enough to allow the final revelations to click into place satisfyingly. It felt as if the final revelations themselves had to finish building the backtory before they could find their home in it.

This is the first book in a series, but I confess it did not grip me enough to make me want to read the rest of the series as it is released.

The Stardust Thief is a decent book. It’s pretty enjoyable, definitely readable, with enough action to see you through. However. I never felt it was much more than that.

This isn’t to say I didn’t have fun reading this one. Because I did. There’ve been books where I’ve spent the whole thing just. Wishing I wasn’t reading it, or skimming it (yes, I’m aware there’s a simple fix to these problems). This was not that. I enjoyed it. But I don’t think I could say I enjoyed it enough to want to continue reading the series.

None of this was really to do with the writing or the characters or the plot. All of these were good: the writing was easy to read and moved the story along at a rapid enough pace that I was never bored by it. The characters, too, were ones you could easily like and sympathise with and, if I were ever to decide I wanted to continue the series, it would be because of them. And the plot itself was, alright, a little predictable but not in a way I minded. It was a book to set up what’s coming next, so that’s understandable.

The issue that led me to give it 3 stars, though? That would be the depth.

I don’t mean this in a rude way, but this is an adult fantasy that read like YA. Namely, in the depth of worldbuilding and, to a lesser extent, in the characters. I wouldn’t say it was shallow, so much as underdeveloped. I think it’s a hard balance to strike though, not taking depth to mean infodumps, so I’m inclined to prefer books that lack those infodumps and a little depth to those that substitute depth for infodumps. So, in that sense, this book was alright.

But if I were to read the next books, that’s more what I’d want from them. And, when I say this read like YA, I mean because, typically, this is a kind of style that is more prevalent in YA books. If I’m reading an adult fantasy, this is not what I expect.

However, to counter that, I would say that the bones of it were there with this book. Like, if it had a little more time spent on developing and describing the world, then I could see it becoming stronger. Chelsea Abdullah has all the right skills, it’s just a matter of developing them, which I can see will come as she writes more books.

So, while I may not be so eager to finish this series, Abdullah is definitely an author I’ll be keeping an eye on in the future.

I loved this book. It’s set in a fantasy desert world and is loosely based on some of the stories in 1001 nights but Chelsea Abdullah takes these tales and weaves them seamlessly into her story. The way that she tales form an integral part of the plot is one of my favourite elements of this book.

The book is focused on three main characters. Loulie is a seeker and seller of illegal magical relics. Eventually she comes to the attention of the Sultan who forces her to go on a search for the greatest relic of all, a magical lamp which contains the soul of a jinn. Along with her go the Sultan’s youngest son and Aisha, a member of the notorious gang, the forty thieves. These three characters tell the story between them and we see how each of them is forced to confront their pasts in order to grow.

The setting is brilliantly conceived and I loved the conflict between the humans and the jinn. The humans see the jinn as destructive monsters and some of them, notably the Sultan’s eldest son, are determined to hunt them to extinction. However, as in all good tales, there is more than one side to a story and the jinn tell things very differently.

I really liked all three of the main characters but maybe Prince Mazen is my favourite. He is definitely not your stereotypical hero prince and in fact is described as a coward. However, on this quest, he begins to discover who he might be and the other characters realise that there is more to him than they first thought.

This was a brilliant debut novel and I can’t wait to read the next instalment. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I probably shouldn't start a review by saying that I loved everything about this book but I can't take it! I really loved it all!

Stardust Thief is the first volume of Chelsea Abdullah's epic fantasy trilogy, inspired by the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. In fact, while reading, it is easy to grasp the references to the famous Arab opera!

The story proceeds following the POV of Loulie Al-Nazari, known as The Midnight Merchant, Mazen son of the sultan and Aisha one of the Forty thieves of Omar the first born of the sultan. The three characters will find themselves traveling together in the desert in search of an ancient relic, a legendary lamp. The journey will be full of clashes, intrigues, enemies but also revelations.

Already from the premise, this book had piqued my curiosity. In fact, the world created by Chelsea Abdullah sees a strong contrast between humans and jinns. They have immense power and are therefore hunted and exploited by humans.
The author then reflects on cruelty, prejudice and how not everything is as the story tells.
A layered and complex world, as well as well-characterized characters. Real, complex, multifaceted and layered. They show their strengths, but also their great weaknesses.
The journey in the desert becomes a way to face these fears and weaknesses, to find themselves and discover a new strength and a new point of view.
In this, I find that Aisha's character has the best story arc. Ruthless, fearless, she throws herself headlong into danger regardless of others. But is this blind rage, which isolates her and pushes her to kill all her enemies, really the answer?
Three brilliantly described characters whose relationships, really well managed, I really appreciate. I especially enjoyed the father-daughter relationship between Loulie and Qadir. Lost, fleeing from themselves and their memories, they have found a purpose in each other. A way to go on and live. A beautiful, strong and solid relationship, which almost moved me.

But what I really liked about this book are the interludes with the Jinn stories. This small addition not only develops more the worldbuilding by inserting other details on culture and mythology but shows the love for storytelling and above all shows its great flaw: the possibility of being altered to reinforce people's prejudices. Small stories apparently disconnected from each other are finally joined thanks to the skill of the author who in this way tears the veil of illusion and shows the truth that lies behind the myth.

Stardust Thief was a magical, thrilling and engaging read like I haven't read for a long time. Full of action, love and pain, it becomes difficult to break away from the pages, the characters and this dreamlike atmosphere.

Review will be published May 5th on my goodreads page, direct link (to currently empty review) below within links tab.

<i>I received this ARC thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<b>"You're right; the Midnight Merchant would never yield to some conceited noble. [...]""He'll regret threatening us."
Qadir smiled. "They always do, in the end."</b>
Let me introude you to Loulie (btw I'm in LOVE with that name <3) and her undercover-jinn bodyguard. Both being considered outlaws, earn for their living by acquiring magical relics and selling them for their powers. With the help of an enchanted compass, I can tell they're living their best. The one thing Loulie lacks, is revenge. For the homicide on her tribe.
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<b>Collections are a hobby." Loulie raised a brow. "I run a business."</b>
There are three POVs total, the second one belonging to a younger prince of the ruling Sultan. Mazen, as he's not trained in the art of fighting, or idk, defending himself, ain't allowed outside the palace without an escort. So of course he sneaks off, disuised as random Yousef guy, to explore the streets, and well, live. Genderbend Aladdin anyone? Our cowardly prince gets in trouble, and guess what, Loulie to the rescue. Of course not out of charity.
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<b>"What will it be?" The sultan's dark eyes bored into her. "Will you find the relic and become a hero? Or will you flee like a criminal and perish in the desert, eith no one there to mourn you?"</b>
Her acting didn't go unnoticed from the eyes of the Sultan, that summons her to the palace making an offer she can't turn down. Find a relic of an ancient jinn king, that once belonged to royal family but got hidden as it apparently was bringing madness to its possesor, but also could clear the land from all the wicked jinns. Great thinking mister Sultan to send people to retrieve it. No one succeded, so probably only legendary Midnight Merchant can get it? To ensure himself that she won't fail, he sends her other son with her, famous leader of forty thieves that're hunting jinns. The only thing is, so called son asks Mazen to go in his steads, Of course Mazen agrees and follows the merchant, ignoring the fact that... his health ain't at his best atm.
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<b>"Some people hide their scars; I prefer to wear mine like badges. They remind me of everything I survived, and who it is I must seek revenge against."</b>
Of course brother-the-coward shouldn't be left unattended, so Aisha, one of the most trusted of the 40 thieves, joins the team acting as third POV. As expected her plotline is the most separated one from the rest of the group, as she's holding on to her own secrets. As a s<i>quad</i> they're beginning hey journey, leaving the palace to Omar, the older brother, acting as Mazen. I know it may sound confusing at first as who is who, and yes, it is. You'll need about 100 pages to get into it but eventually you'll figure it out.

Perfect for fans of previously mentioned Aladdin, but also The Wrath and the dawn, Rebel of the sands and Ember in the ashes, story of <i>Stardust Thief</i> gives us much more than a simple glimpse to the many tales of Arabian folclore, lead by a very interesting way of writing and engaging plot. I have to say it is that kind of book that can take you some time to finish, and you might need another reread to undestand it completely, but I also think that's the part of magic of it? Flow of the book was perfectly spread, more interesting events got good amount of attention, and simple travel throu the desert parts were summarised to moments of actual things happening. As the book ends in very uncertain way for our characters, as they once again depart on a journey but much different one, I'll admit I can't wait to see this trilogy become a whole, certain it's free from the syndrome "wish it finished on book one". Solid 4 stars from me!

Loulie al-Nazari is better known as the Midnight Merchant, someone who is able to find enchanted objects and sell them to the highest bidder. So when the Sultan hears of a powerful object tied to a Jinn King of old, Loulie becomes unwillingly embroiled in his plan to find it. Along side a Prince she can't stand, one of the infamous forty thieves and her sullen Jinn bodyguard, they set off on a journey filled with danger and discoveries, Loulie will need to rely on those she doesn't trust if she is to make it out alive.

I loved this book and one of the main reasons for that was the characters. Told from three POV's, Loulie, the Midnight Merchant and the only one with the way to find the enchanted relic. She has no love for the Sultan or the royal family in general and isn't too impressed when she is forced on this journey. She is witty and incredibly strong, even if she doesn't realise it herself and she goes through a huge amount of character growth throughout the story. Prince Mazen is the youngest son of the Sultan. Obsessed with stories, he likes to escape the Palace walls to feel normal, something his oldest brother, an infamous Jinn killer and leader of the forty thieves, would never understand. He is sweet and extremely sheltered, but is more than willing to stand up for what's right when needed. Finally, Aisha, one of the infamous 40 thieves, and a notorious Jinn killer. She has been sent as a spy and almost bodyguard on the journey, loyal to the Crown as long as they let her seek revenge on the Jinn that murdered her family.

Though we only get the above three POV's, there are four character who go on the journey to find the relic, the fourth being Qadir who, apart from Loulie, was one of my favourite characters. He was sarcastic and I just loved how everyone assumed he was Loulie's brooding body guard. Their relationship is one I thoroughly enjoyed following. It wasn't remotely romantic, more familial with Qadir being with Loulie since she was a child. We also get introduced to multiple other players throughout the story from the Sultan, Prince Omar, his eldest son and the leader of the 40 thieves, as well as other members of the thieves and allies of Loulie that pop up throughout their journey.

I Initially picked this up when I realised it was going to be based on tales from 1001 nights and it was easy to see where our story overlaps with the original tales. Abdullah uses the tales, not only to give us insight into the world and it's history, but also as plot points, and some that make for the most impressive of plot twists. I thoroughly enjoyed the deep dive into Arab mythology, and the multiple ways in which the author weaves them into her own unique story. Abdullah's flowing writing style makes it easy to fall into the story and I found myself reading huge chunks at a time, never quite able to put it down. Though it's a bit of a chunk, it's an epic chunk with lots of adventure, magic and some pretty epic action scenes, so it's easy to speed through the story and incredibly hard to stop.

If I had one little nit picky thing that I just didn't love, it would be the romance arc that's weaved through the story. Though it only plays a small part in the overall plot, I really didn't think it added anything, one of the characters never really gets enough page time for us to get invested in the relationship, and I do feel like it could have been removed and wouldn't have impacted on the story at all. The relationship I loved reading about was Loulie and Qadir, we learn early on how they came to be linked, but through the story we learn more about their relationship, and though them more about the history of the world and the magical beings that live in it. I also enjoyed the conversations and interactions between Loulie, Mazen and Aisha, they all have their own reasons for going on the journey, and because they don't necessary get along we get some humorous and entertaining scenes.

As a whole I adored this book, and it ended on one hell of a cliff-hanger that had me swearing, wanting to find out what happens next. If you like your fantasy filled with mythology, misfit characters who are on a journey, plot twists galore and stories about stories, then make sure you pick this one up!

Oh boy, where to start. I picked up The Stardust Thief because it sounded intriguing and although I was on the fence about whether I should request an eARC, knowing epic fantasy isn’t exactly my favorite genre. Eventually, my curiosity killed the cat won. I’m still trying to make my mind up about if that was a good thing or not. You see, I have very conflicted feelings about Chelsea Abdullah‘s Arab culture-inspired/1001 Nights retelling debut novel. And while I’m sure it’ll receive a lot of love, I walked away from it a bit disappointed all things considered.

The Stardust Thief tells the story of Loulie and Mazen’s quest through the desert in search of an old jinn relic belonging to the sultan’s ancestor. They are accompanied by Qadir a jinn, and Aisha a jinn killer and one of Prince Omar’s forty thieves. As journeys tend to do, this one is also full of danger, unexpected encounters, and revelations both about themselves and about a deeper set of political and other intricacies.

I found the premise and the setting very intriguing from the start. We have the mysterious Midnight Merchant who illegally sells magical relics to whoever needs them, who also happens to have a jinn companion. In a country where jinn are hunted for their blood and their relics, this is a rather bold move. Their bond and dynamics are great though, and definitely one of the highlights of this novel. Loulie’s fame and name can’t escape the sultan’s ears and soon she finds herself in the middle of a quest that sends her to the Western Sandsea where the legendary jinn city, Dhahab lies under the sand. To her dismay, she must be accompanied by the oldest prince, Omar who is one of the most celebrated jinn hunters of the land, and one of her thieves, Aisha who is deeply loyal to him. Omar, however, has other plans and forces his little brother to take his place – Mazen always dreamed about being an adventurer, growing up on stories and being a great storyteller himself, but he very much would prefer to be safe, thank you very much.

If I had to pick a favorite character, I would be hard-pressed to do so as I found myself not really caring about them at all. They all remained somehow one-dimensional. Maybe Mazen had the most development as a character throughout the novel, but even that wasn’t quite enough. I also liked Qadir for his caring nature, but I also wanted to kick him for keeping so many secrets from Loulie. The person he admittedly cares about a lot. Also, I found it a bit hard to believe Loulie knew so little about him after being in his company for 9 years or so. And since we are talking about Loulie (I really dislike this name for some reason…) it was her and her relationship with one of the side characters that made me realize this book had too much telling and not enough showing. I’ll talk about my issues regarding the writing below, but we are told over and over again how the characters feel, and instead of making the reader sympathetic toward the said character, it just gets repetitive and makes you wish we would move on already. I get what I was supposed to feel, but I really didn’t.

I also thought that all of the characters would have benefited from a bit more fleshing out. Especially Aisha, who sometimes did very out-of-character things which seemed odd. I also read in a review that the characters are very passive and the plot happens to them rather than them taking an active part and I pretty much agree with that view.

One of the issues I had right from the beginning was that the writing didn’t click with me at all. It felt…clunky, somehow. I knew I was supposed to be drawn in by the atmosphere, but the description didn’t land well with me and I never felt immersed. I found the prose a bit bland if we are being honest. The pacing itself was very wavering as well – sometimes I started getting bored, then something interesting happened, and thought things might start improving only to lose my interest again. I think for the second half of the book it was mostly my growing frustration that kept me from enjoying The Stardust Thief. And I tried, I really did, but all I could think about was when it was going to end. A lot of times the quest itself got the backseat (my curiosity for this plotline what kept me from DNFing) as other plotlines seemed to get more time to develop. And while I wouldn’t say the overall outcome was predictable, it wasn’t much of a surprise either.

What I really enjoyed, however, was how some of the most famous Arabian tales – and probably some more I don’t know – were waved into the story. Like Omar and his Forty Thieves, or Mazen’s mother who survived the sultan’s wife-killing spree by telling him stories and finally winning him over, or the lamp itself. I loved learning about the jinns and their culture, their magic, and their relics. I found that really cool and wished they’d got more time for us to learn about them. A deeper dive, if you will. But based on the ending of The Stardust Thief, there is a very good possibility we’ll get that chance. The question is, whether I’ll want to stick around to find out more. We’ll see.

The Stardust Thief is Chelsea Abdullah‘s debut novel and as such, it has a lot of rough edges. The author has a clear vision and it’s really refreshing to read a fantasy novel with an Arabian setting which I think we need more. It has some cool ideas and a great premise, but it falls short on the execution. It’s a shame as this could have been a great novel if it got more time to find its feet. It was supposed to be character-driven but it felt underdeveloped, and even the plot couldn’t save it with it being a bit too meandering. Overall, I found The Stardust Thief disappointing, but as usual, you don’t need to take my word, as you might fall in love where I could not.