The Stardust Thief

Today I finished the most wonderful fantasy book yet and it’s called “The Stardust Thief,” by Chelsea Abdullah. It is inspired by fairytales from 1001 Nights and it’s in an Arabic inspired world. I first saw the book floating around on instagram from other bloggers and while the cover caught my eye, I went to Amazon to find out the synopsis. I was immediately sold and I ordered it back in June. I would have read it last month but there were a lot of stressful situations going on. Loulie-Al Nazari is the midnight merchant that finds and sells illegal magic with the help of her Jinn bodyguard Qadiri. One day Loulie saves the life of a man who she didn’t know at the time was the second son of the sultan. When Loulie catches the eye of the sultan, he blackmails her into searching for an ancient lamp. Loulie has no choice either go on this quest or be executed. Loulie and her bodyguard with the help of the sultans eldest son and Aisha the lone female in The Forty Thieves go on the search for the lamp. The four characters fight off  ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. 

Pros

While many say don’t judge a book by its cover, you would judge rightly by thinking the beautiful story within matches the cover.  I also like that Mazen’s mother Shafia is an obvious nod to Shaherizad from the 1001 Nights. There were many twists throughout the novel that I did not expect or see coming. Even early on in the book I wasn’t expecting something to happen. Loulie, Qadir and Mazen are my favorite characters I was actually crushing on Mazen a bit. What I really enjoyed about the story was Loulie had to realize toward the end that there was no shame in asking for help. Anymore within books and films there seems to always be this flawless female lead who either doesn’t need help or she stubbornly won’t ask for it. Chelsea Abdullah is excellent in her craft. You wouldn’t think this book was the first one she wrote. The writing is so descriptive and it immediately takes you to this magical world. The ending is a cliffhanger because after all this is the first book in a trilogy.

Cons

If only the book didn’t end so soon. I need the sequel now just to find out what happens. I think I unconsciously took my time reading it because of the fact that I didn’t want it to end.  Otherwise there wasn’t much I disliked.

Overall

Overall I enjoyed it. This book will leave you in a book hangover. If you’re in the mood for a fantasy adventure, I recommend you pick this up.