content warnings:

Spoiler

slavery (human & demon), whipping, abuse & torture, human trafficking, attempted kidnapping, murder, parent death (precanon/flashback), passing mention of animal sacrifice, implication of being buried alive

rep:

Spoiler

Israeli setting & characters

This was okay, but I didn't feel like it added much to the series. I felt like Asmira didn't have much personal integrity, with all the lying and empty promises and condescension, especially compared to how

Spoiler

Nathaniel and Kitty both worked super hard to be able to summon Bartimaeus, despite various obstacles; meanwhile, Asmira had it spoon-fed to her and got lucky

. Though I get how it ties into the rest of the series, I also found the ending note —

Spoiler

basically that Bartimaeus likes his enslavement despite his moaning; in context this particular sentiment doesn't seem to take human slavery into account, but the connection should be obvious given that human slavery is present in this book

— to be more than a little problematic.

-----------
CONVERSION: 6 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 3 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 4 / 10

Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5