First and foremost, the writing in this story is exquisite and so incredibly eloquent, you could be fooled into believing this is not a debut book. Every description is incredibly lush and vibrant (especially the food descriptions). The setting is a refreshingly non-exoticised fantasy ancient Arabia with a rich cast of characters, all with fleshed out motivations, fears, and desires. Personally my main “tick-box” in any book is that I’m invested in the characters and Hasfah passed with flying colours! 

 

That said, most of the novel focuses on heavy character introspection so if you prefer a plot-driven story, this may not be your cup of tea. Also, occasionally while reading, I felt like there was a jump in some character interactions where I felt like I’d missed something that had been inferred by just a few words prior. I’m not sure if anyone else feels this way or if I was just tired while reading… 

 

All in all, I still thoroughly enjoyed the magic, characters and atmosphere of this story and the deadly cliff-hanger sets the story up nicely for the soon to be published sequel “We Free the Stars” next month.