The Bruising of Qilwa explores the nuances and contradictions of oppression through a fantasy lens - and a queernormative Persian-inspired world. The ideas were phenomenal, but I found the execution to be a bit clumsy.

We follow Firuz, a nonbinary refugee who has fled to Qilwa after fellow blood magic users were targeted in their homeland. They find a new friend in healer Kofi, who hires them to help care for victims of an overwhelming plague. Firuz also stumbles across fellow refugee - Afsoneh - with powerful magic of her own. But things get more complicated when a deadly disease shifts, and accusations about blood magic users start flying around.

I really appreciated the queernormative world (pronoun introduction was clever) and I enjoyed reading a book with a main character in their 30s. I was compelled by Firuz’s family dynamics and the journey of his little brother (who is trans and seeking magical ‘alignments’ to alter his body). 

It was clunky. In a short novella, every sentence counts - and there were often repetitive, meandering descriptions. The exposition was also a bit clumsy; we’re getting smatterings of history and culture through Firuz’s thoughts in a way that doesn’t always make sense. (“Let me randomly think about the complicated ethnic history of this region.”)

I found Firuz to be a strong character (though sometimes the descriptions of their awkwardness were overbearing) and I was truly interested in everyone in their circle - Parviz and Afsoneh were very compelling to me and I wish they had shifted into the spotlight a bit more. Same with Firuz’s mother. I think at times, the plot was too ambitious - with too much happening and too much to explain - and I think this would have shined brighter with more intentional focus on supporting character development.

However, I can certainly see and appreciate the sparks of nuance here. Jamnia has a lot of thoughts around oppression, immigration, gender fluidity, family and chosen family, and so much more. I am very interested in this world & would love to explore it in future works.

CW: child death, body horror, medical gore, genocide, plague, medical racism, colonization, self harm, dysmorphia, physical abuse, child neglect

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