This was an interesting read that was all over the place. The story had a lot of potential! My biggest issue was the pacing and lack of character development. The book starts off almost as a horror book the quickly becomes a fun YA. The pacing was not consistent and overall super slow for me. There would be very fast, fun moments that would quickly switch a dragging pace. It took me quite a while to get through the book.

As someone who has minimal knowledge of Islamic culture it was hard to keep up with- even with a glossary. The author attempted to explain cultural norms but it could have been done better. I enjoy reading about other cultures with their religion and mythology- but this was a chore to understand. The characters were interesting but I feel like we only saw major development in Khurafa.

Khurafa has survived the Mongol invasion of Baghdad, while his parents have not. The only thing he has left of them is the beautiful garden that brought their little family so much joy in life. Khurafa is dedicated to ensure that the garden continues to exist for years to come almost obsessively tending to it. But one day the garden burns down, a premonitions of things to come his friend and mentor Shaykh Nariman tells him as the Nine Servants have revived, evil beings sealed away centuries ago by heroes, and its now up to Khurafa to gather new heroes to destroy them once and for all. And so Khurafa and Nariman embark on a quest to save the world.

This was so much better than I had anticipated. It is an excellent fantasy adventure wrapped up in Islam with a healthy dose of humor and truly lovable characters to top it off. Khurafa is a wonderfully straightforward unlikely hero and Zakiyya is the perfect sidekick whose quick wits and willingness to live in a more grey area than Khurafa does saves them several times. We encounter all sorts of evil beings, stumble across enchanted objects, and meet mythical heroes. It's well paved and leaves us with not one but two devastating betrayals.

Overall, highly recommend this, it's a quick read and a ton of fun!

And as always thanks to Netgalley for the eArc!

This book is not ready for publishing. My main criticism is that the pacing is too fast. The author had a lot of good ideas but didn't let them breathe. Every conflict was resolved on the next page and then 2 pages later another conflict would happen, it gave me whiplash. It felt like every decision and action didn't matter because it would be fine on the next page. The writing was juvenile at best. For taking place in medieval Baghdad, they spoke like 21st-century Americans. There was no time to get to know the characters or for them to get to know one another because they were fighting monsters all the time. They would meet someone and decide instantly if they were friend or foe. My other main criticism is that the author tells us everything, never showing. There was no atmosphere to be seen. I never read the first book in a series before and thought, "yeah, I don't care what happens." I always complete series but I think I might break my rule for this case. I didn't break my DNFing rule, but I have never been so close before. This truly has potential, but it is NOT ready in the state that the ARC is in.

This was such a beautifully written historical fantasy. I have to admit that it did take me a while to pick this up even after I've read a few chapters because of the religious aspect but it turned out to be so good and magical. I wish I would've read this sooner. I can't wait for this next book by this author.

Thank you for this arc!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review.

One POV, Khurafa. He wakes to vultures pecking at him, so he proceeds to talk to them, tell them a tale so they will leave him be.

Khurafa works in the garden after the tragedy of his parents passing. After having a hearty meal, he takes a nap in the grass. But his dream is vivid and full of darkness. He seeks out his mentor Shaykh Nariman, to interpret his dream. Once he explains what he saw in the dream Kurafa discovers Shayhh is a jinn, and long passed. Shaykh reveals himself because Kurafa can only see and talk to him due to fursat. He can smell those of certain power.

Kurafa's dream sends him on a journey to take down The Servants, a deadly group whose main goal is power and control. Along his way, he teams up with Zakiyya, who can read minds, Kedi, a cat, and Shahid, calling themselves the five pillars. They search for Saints to help rid the world of satanic darkness.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

Well this was...unexpected. Vultures in the House of Silence was an interesting read. The world building was interesting even though at some point the info dumping of the world made want to dnf it. I was close to do it, but I didn't. I like the concept of a medieval Baghdad but the horror aspect of story wasn't my cup of tea.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a fascinating read!! I didn’t know too much about the plot when I picked up this ARC, barring that it centers historically accurate events like the Mongol invasion and adds a fantastical twist to it. What I didn’t know was how pivotal Muslim mythology and lore would be, and as a Muslim reader, I was giddy over how much research and heart went into this.

To keep it brief, this book was expansive, mystical, and had plot twists and emotional heart-wrenching moments that had me in my feels. The primary characters—Khurafa, Zakkiya, and Shaikh Nariman—all had my heart, and their interplay together was fabulous. Plus, I always love a frame story, so Khurafa telling these stories to the vultures hovering over his body was a fun narrative device. Also, shout out to Kedi the cat! We love you!

My primary gripe with the story that kept it from being rated higher is that there were elements of the novel that felt a bit repetitive. Khurafa and his crew were on the search for blessed people or objects, those with baraka, and while I was continuously curious about what the next blessed entity would be, the book felt like a cycle of search-hit an obstacle-fix it-back to the search. The plot twist at the end also felt a little bit rushed, but I know it was meant to set up the cliffhanger at the end, so I forgive it.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book and its beautiful representation of the Muslim world and its literature. I give this 3.5⭐, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads, and I recommend it to all!

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book told me exactly how it would end in the first chapter, and yet I was still surprised by the ending (and emotionally wounded...I need the sequel immediately).

Vultures in the House of Silence is a fantasy that subverts the Chosen One trope and mixes a fun cast of characters with a fast-paced adventure. Firstly, I'd like to note that the storytelling narrative form is slowly becoming a favorite of mine. Similar to in The Ruin of Kings and The First Binding, the book is narrated by Khurafa retelling his story, and the reader knows where his adventure will end.
Speaking of adventure, I always forget how enjoyable classic adventure stories can be. Khurafa has a prophetic vision of the end of the world (which reminded me a bit of There Will Come a Darkness) and sets off to save the world with his mentor, Shaykh Nariman, and his new mind-reading friend, Zakiyya. It was extremely fast-paced and there were plenty of plot twists. I probably could have read it in one sitting if I tried to. And even though the ending is revealed in the first chapter, it still hurt me and I'm still upset.
I also absolutely adored the dynamics of the crew. I don't know how old Khurafa and Zakiyya are, but they bicker like siblings and I love it. Khurafa is also stupid enough that he continuously gets himself into trouble and Zakiyya rescues him every time. Shaykh Nariman is the embodiment of the "Would you love me if I was a worm" meme, and I love Kedi too because cats always give books bonus points. I didn't love Shahid, but I didn't hate him.
I don't know when the sequel is coming out, but I will read it immediately because you can't just leave me like that! If you're a fan of banter, adventure, and fantasy books that play with unusual tropes and narratives, Vultures in the House of Silence is a book you won't want to miss.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5

While not a horror fan myself, I was interested to see this novel set in medieval Baghdad that pulls from the stories of a culture far different from my own. I found myself Googling to learn more about the religious and mythological elements, and I'm glad that new voices are being added to the horror and fantasy genre.

I struggled to get into this one, however. Like many fantasy novels, it involves a lot of explaining, and I had a hard time getting caught up in the story or the characters until about halfway through. I did start to enjoy some of their adventures and was eager to see how things ended, but it there were still a few chunks of exposition that pulled me out of it.

I wouldn't recommend this to reluctant or struggling readers, but for students who already like fantasy (and are used to complex world-building), I think this is an engaging and exciting story from a unique perspective.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

(3.5 stars, rounded down)

Really good book loved the magic and the setting it's a must read five stars i really enjoyed this because i love last airbender and witcher it was a little bit like those

A.R. Latif’s historical fantasy, Vultures in the House of Silence, has one of the grimmest opening scenes I’ve ever encountered. Our protagonist, Khurafa, is lying near death in an abandoned stone tower. Vultures pluck at the stumps where his hands used to be. They only stop when Khurafa speaks. To spare himself more pain before he succumbs to his wounds, Khurafa tells the story of how he got where he is.

Once upon a time, Khurafa was the only child of a happy family of Baghdadi gardeners. That all changed when the Mongols arrived and sacked the city. Khurafa’s parents died in the sack, leaving Khurafa to live mostly on the kindness of his neighbors and under the eye of an unhygienic imam. The young boy might have continued on like this if it weren’t for a horrific dream of an enemy even worse than the Mongols. When Khurafa tells Imam Nariman about the dream, the imam insists that Khurafa use his gift of literally sniffing out people blessed with baraka (supernatural gifts that can be used to fight evil).

Vultures in the House of Silence is highly episodic. The search for powerful allies is told in a series of adventures against corrupt holy men, mysterious plagues of violence, and fights with impossible enemies. It’s clear that this book is the first of a series and that characters need to be introduced and put into position for later plots but, that said, I was very entertained by Khurafa and Nariman’s adventures. Their first recruit, a young woman who can read minds, is a wonderfully pragmatic foil for the duty-minded Khurafa and Nariman. Zakiyya steals the show more than once.

After galloping through Arab and Muslim folklore, Vultures in the House of Silence leaves us with not so much a cliffhanger as a pause before the next book in the series begins. Readers who hate to wait for the next book to be published should probably hold off on this entry until they can pick up book two. Readers who love historical fantasy inspired by legends and stories outside of Europe and who don’t mind bit of a wait will enjoy the gritty adventures of Khurafa as he tries, against all odds, to save the world.

This was beautifully written. The magic of this book was so good. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend to read

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. This was a beautifully written dark fantasy. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this. It is an intense read, but I also really enjoyed the humor that was weaved in as well. Looking forward to the next installment!

I had some struggles reading this book and honestly had to push myself to get through it... The story grabbed my attention every now and then but for some reason I was never really involved nor was I able to feel deeply for the MC. The idea itself isn't bad and the story is action packed but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review!

This book is beautifully written, Latif has real talent in the way they write and it shows through in the richness of this book. The setting is wonderful and unique, I haven't read anything like it before, and the writing style really allowed me to sink into Baghdad with these characters.'

While I found the writing itself beautiful in its detail and ability to help me envision the story, I found the plot itself to not be especially grabbing to me. I enjoyed the book, but am having a hard time thinking about something about the plot that truly stuck out to me.

Wow! This book is a 5 star read, hands down! From the blurb alone I was already intrigued, but the book itself blew my mind!

A boy named Khurafa wakes up surrounded by corpses, and is unable to move. He finds himself surrounded by vultures, ready to start pecking at him but stop once he starts talking. He decides to tell them the story of how he ended up in his situation.

The story is a wild one, full of adventure and risks. We have:
• Kuhrafa, who could sniff out pious, holy beings and objects. He's also been seeing and communicating with his neighbor-turned-mentor who's been dead for the past 12 years. The boy swore he was alive the entire time!

• Shaykh Nariman, Kauhrafa's mentor, who can shape shift & turns from apparition to mouse to worm, back to mouse.

• Zakiyya, a girl who can read minds. She's clever and very cunning, and helps a lot along the way

• Shahid, a strong sword-fighting, demon hunter who can absorb heat through is body and expel it through his hands, burn objects, perform exorcisms, and heal people.

• Demonic books, religious relics (like Moses's staff) demonic cults, monsters that appear to be corpses by day but are bloodsuckers by night, more monsters and demons..

Kuhrafa and his crew team up to try to rid the world of the evil Servants, who are finally resurfacing after many years. Kuhrafa's dreams are revelations and he relies on his friends and their gifts to guide them on this journey.

This book was amazing. It setting was so good! I absolutely loved the magic system and the writing. I could not put this down!

This is like the best combination of the Witcher and the last air bender! My boy Khurafa knows he’s destined for bigger and better things. He’s sick of the servants (a really old group of powerful bad guys)

I loved Zakiyya, probably my favorite character! I LOVED the back and forth banter!! I stayed giggling my way throughout.

I was so engrossed I finished this book within 10 hours! I didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait for another book, I’m seriously devastated it’s over for now. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. If you enjoy YA, adventure and mythology, this is for you! I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this!