I loved the world, it was what encouraged me to pick up the book to begin with, but the plot was...well...not engaging. Nor were the characters. It took me over a year to get through this book. It's science fiction, sure, cuz the idea of a world where people are incorporated at birth is obviously futuristic, but so much of the plot revolves around political games that I really wasn't that into. And their were plenty of things that happened only in passing that I really wanted to learn more about. The characters were good characters, well rounded and the like, but again, hard for me to relate too. Or even feel an affinity too. It was the world that I fell in love with, or rather the detail and thought this author brother duo put into it. It effects every aspect of the story, becoming almost another character, and provided a fascinating study. But other than that *shrug* There's no action here, so this is a book for those who don't mind that.

Very insightful book into a world I have very little knowledge of, the Muslim world and the political one. While the first half of the book was interesting, I really got into the book in the second half, particularly when she started talking about her changing religious views. Ali managed to write so that anyone reading can understand her thoughts, enabling anyone who had been in a similar situation (regardless of religion) to form a connection with her, making the second half of the book more powerful than the first. Her political views regarding Islam were also a view point I've never even heard or, let alone consider, and was a very insightful and eye opening one to discover.

Going through Harry Potter withdrawal, I set out to find similar books for an older audience. This does the trick, but it was a little, er, more adult than I was expecting. As in erotica instead of just a romance. Guess I should have looked closer. It's not over bearing however, though rather up front as the first sex scene is on the second page. It was the plot that kept me interested. This book is exceedingly fast paced, and sadly exceedingly short at just over 200 pages. I breezed through it in a day, wrapped up in the little nuances of the world.

Considering that this book helped launch steampunk I had to read this book. It took me about half the book to get into the story. It moved slow, and the Victorian England prose didn't help matters. But I did appreciate that the book was written in that style and the world was really immersive. Jeter also manages to take random elements - Morlocks, time travel, Excalibur, and sewer rat - and weave them together in a way that makes perfect sense.