Wow, The Stardust Thief was so good!! This is a very well-written debut, if I didn't know beforehand I never would've guessed. The writing is well done, the plot is complex and the emotional growth is perfection.

The world-building is impressive, it's presented in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming but the world is so rich that there's a lot of it. The little stories tying the current time to past legends were really fun. I found the magic system easy to follow even though it's kind of complicated - it's just generally very well written.

The characters are also great, I loved all of them! I really enjoyed that Mazen was a soft and emotional character rather than a big badass fighter, it's so refreshing to see the stereotypical roles reversed for Loulie and Mazen. Qadir is the best, I love him! All of the characters experience a lot and they grow and learn from it all which is great.

I'm glad I went into this book blindly, I had a couple of ideas of what I thought would happen but the twists and turns are so well done and mostly took me by surprise. The adventure is full of action and the stakes are high, I really loved that the danger was real rather than skirting around and playing it safe.

I can't wait to see where the next book takes the story, this one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but it's not too bad!

Great world building and entertaining read. I found the pace too slow for me, though; chapters are short and that helps but fully for me. I don't think I will read the rest of the series as I am not the traget audience for this one. Is a great start of a new series, nonetheless

An orphan surviving on her wits, a war between human and jinn, betrayal, curses, quests across the desert - it's all been done before and yet in Chelsea Abdullah's hands this tale feels as fresh as when its first incarnation was told.

Layla should have died along with her tribe. Now she's Loulie aka the Midnight Merchant, famed for the magical relics she finds and sells - for a price of course. Strictly speaking it's illegal, but the authorities look the other way until the day they don't and Loulie is offered a choice; death or a quest that probably means death anyway. Accompanied by her mysterious bodyguard Qadir, Aisha, one of Prince Omar's feared killers and Prince Omar himself she sets off. But her companions are hiding secrets, assassins lie in wait and before they get half way, Loulie realises she still has plenty to lose, but if she holds on she may find out who was responsible for wiping out her people and get her revenge after all.

Fast paced, intricately plotted and a huge amount of fun, this is an inventive assured debut. Highly recommended.

An exciting and enchanting world to visit, with engaging characters to lead you through the story. I did find the pace lagged a bit for me in places but the ending more than redeemed itself - excited for the sequel!

The Stardust Thief is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most epic tales I’ve ever read. It has felt like I’ve not scratched the surface, yet there is so much more in this world to discover. This is a gorgeous world full of unique references from Arabic culture and it’s a vast library of rich literature. You will see influences of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and tales from the 1001 nights. I love this book because it explores a new culture, something that is different apart from Medieval Europe. As I type this now, I am seriously impressed with Abdullah’s method of writing and how she has successfully managed to weave multiple stories into one.

Writing such a tale requires a lot of patience, and no doubt this must have gone through many revisions. This world was immersive, so immersive that I got lost in the wonderful descriptions of gorgeous red-sun-like deserts and latticed buildings. This represents a new triumph in the world of fantasy. Medieval Arabia and the Golden Age of Islam provide many great tales that are perfect for a fantasy setting. The Jinn are central to this theme, and while we get the stereotypical ‘genie’, this is a hardcore version of what the Jinn are. I think Abdullah also must have studied the Ancient Arabian Kingdoms of Saba and Nabaetea because they too were essential civilisations that created the culture of what we know as Arabia.

At first, the start was a little slow. Some scenes felt a bit slow-paced in some areas. And I didn’t agree with the cold hard attitudes of Aisha and the Midnight Merchant, to some degree. I do feel that what they’ve been through has made them that way. In a way, I could spoil this story. But I do not wish to. Simply because of how epic this tale is…makes me think the sequel is going to be even better, even more epic, even more, wow. I feel like this is the beginning of an epic journey that I’ve been through. I’ve been with characters such as Prince Mazen, who I love. His honesty and his foolishness do provide me with some hope in this world that people like do need to exist in a world where coldness and hostility existg. Qadir is the most mysterious character and I implore you to take on his subtle hints because he will drop many. I did like the Midnight Merchant, but I have not gotten too attached to her yet. As for Aisha, she was alright to a certain extent. I didn’t like Omar however, he is a snake in the grass. That being said, these were my reactions. The truth is more complicated, and Mazen’s ability to tell and narrate the stories of old are wonderfully written. I loved during the tales of stories, that there was a printed scroll. I definitely think that more fantasy books should take this approach!

This is a dazzling, epic action adventure novel with great characters in an Arabian setting, with a great story. I whole heartily recommend this!! 10/10 from me!

Neither here nor there, but long ago…
The Stardust Thief is a story about stories - their impact; their origins; what they mean to us.

When Loulie al-Nazari, the Midnight Merchant, comes to the attention of the sultan, she and his son are sent on an impossible quest across the desert. Accompanied by her mysterious bodyguard, and one of the infamous Forty Thieves, they set out to discover a hidden artefact and along the way learn an awful lot about themselves.

Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief beautifully weaves these classic stories into a web of intrigue, magic, and betrayal.
The characters were realistic, the story was immersive, and the magic was fascinating - I particularly loved the jinn relics and the way they were woven into the lore of the world.

I adored The Stardust Thief and I eagerly await the sequel - it is truly a fantasy novel not to be missed!!

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

La autora de The Stardust Thief tiene un origen ecléctico ya que es estadounidense y kuwaití, esto es algo que se refleja perfectamente en esta historia de djinns, magia y desiertos que da comienzo a una trilogía destinada a hacerse un hueco en el mundo de la fantasía


Hay varias cosas que llaman la atención en la lectura de esta novela. La primera es el maravilloso mundo que crea Abdullah, reminiscente de otras historias de clara influencia árabe pero con personalidad propia, intercalando entre los capítulos propios de la novela relatos que recuerdan a las mil y una noches y que sirven para dotar al relato de más consistencia e interés. Los personajes también son muy atractivos, desde la Mercader de Medianoche a los ladrones y familiares del sultán. El relato sobre la búsqueda de un artefacto mágico se trocará en aventura por la supervivencia cuando entren en acción ghouls y otras criaturas mágicas, pero siempre teniendo presente el objetivo principal.

La magia está íntimamente imbricada en la narración, apareciendo de forma más leve con el uso de artefactos mágicos con efecto discreto o por la propia intervención de los poderosos djinns, cuya historia también iremos conociendo conforme se van desarrollando los acontecimientos.

El ritmo se mantiene bastante bien a lo largo de la novela, si bien es cierto que debido a su longitud en algunos pasajes se resiente. Afortunadamente son pocos momentos, porque la autora ha sabido espaciar juiciosamente los momentos de introspección con otros de más acción. Además, el juego de ir cambiando de punto de vista a lo largo de la novela es bastante equilibrado, no se puede decir que haya una perspectiva que sea eminentemente más interesante que otra.

Resultan también muy atractivas las revelaciones que se van haciendo hacia el tercio final del libro, sin duda semillas para el desarrollo de los siguientes libros. Se nota que la autora tiene bastante definido el camino que tiene que seguir su historia, y va plantando las ideas que serán el origen de las tramas posteriores.

Menos gracia me hizo el cliffhanger del final del libro, algo que parece casi inevitable en los principios de las series, pero que no por esperado me consuela.

Chelsea Abdullah ha conseguido despertar mi interés por saga, así que sin duda me haré con la siguiente entrega.