I’ve got two fantasy book reviews for you today, but they are quite different as one is an adult novel and the other is a middle grade. These were two of my most anticipated reads this year and they did not disappoint. Both have sequels coming out next year as well and I will be the first in line for both.
Title: The Stardust Thief
Author: Chelsea Abdullah
Series: The Sandsea Trilogy, #1
Pages: 464
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 17th 2022
TW: parental death, torture
"Neither here nor there, but long ago…
Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.
Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp."
Chelsea Adbullah’s The Stardust Thief is an exciting fantasy debut filled with jaw-dropping twists and turns that will have you begging for more. Loulie al-Nazari is known as the Midnight Merchant, an infamous dealer of illegal magical relics. When her reputation reaches the sultan’s ears, she and her mysterious bodyguard are coerced into finding an ancient relic said to grant its owner authority over a powerful jinn. Accompanying them on this perilous journey is one of the sultan’s sons and a jinn hunter. Abdullah paints an incredibly vivid world with her Arab-inspired fantasy novel. Humans and jinn have a complicated and often vicious history. In Madinne, jinn are regarded as evil and the sultan has created a culture where their murders are celebrated. But history often gets rewritten and over the course of the novel, we learn ugly truths about both sides and how evil is often in the eye of the beholder. I really loved getting to know the four main characters in this novel. Loulie has spent her life fueled by the tragic events of her past. She is equal parts brave and reckless. Her closest relationship is with her bodyguard and companion, Qadir, and though the years have allowed her to be open with him, being vulnerable with others does not come easy to her. Qadir is an enigma. His loyalty lies with Loulie, but there are many things he has kept from her that threaten to cause a rift between them. Aisha, a jinn hunter, sees only one path for herself: to kill jinn. Jinn are evil and must be eradicated no matter the cost. She is straight-forward, often abrasive, and incredibly stubborn. But the more time she spends with these new companions, the more her narrow views are challenged. My favorite character by far was Prince Mazen. Though he is young, naïve, and inexperienced, he represents what a better Madinne could be. Many see him as weak and untried and though this is true, I loved how the novel framed his arc. He is only at the beginning of his journey and we have yet to see who he will become because of these trials. Tragic pasts and present secrets both threaten to thwart these characters’ quest, but forming new bonds may be the key for their very survival. Chelsea Abdullah’s The Stardust Thief is perfect for fans of epic fantasy who enjoy slowly peeling back the layers of its characters.
★ ★ ★ ★ (4/5)
Title: Witchlings
Author: Claribel A. Ortega
Series: Witchlings, #1
Pages: 334
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 5th 2022
TW: death of a sibling, abuse, assault, child abuse
"A magical adventure for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Nevermoor, about three witchlings who must work together to do the impossible if they have any hope of earning their full powers.
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.
And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can't wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare!
Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn't work! They're stuck as Witchlings—and will never be able to perform powerful magic.
Seven invokes her only option: the impossible task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they'll gain their full powers. If they fail... Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.
But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all…
With action-packed adventure, a coven of quirky witchlings, Claribel A. Ortega's signature humor and girl-power vibes, this middle grade Latine witch story is truly a modern classic."
With Witchlings Claribel A. Ortega has created an immersive world of witches in this charming middle grade fantasy. Seven Salazar has been dreaming for years about the Black Moon Ceremony, where Witchlings are placed in covens and finally embark on their magic-learning journeys. But then the worst-case scenario happens, Seven is a Spare, unsuited for any of the covens and doomed to be a Witchling forever. Unable to accept this as her fate, Seven invokes the Clause of the Impossible Task. Now she, along with the other two Spares, must take down a dangerous monster or be turned into toads forever! Seven makes a great main character. She’s driven, forgiving, and has a strong sense of justice. She is very different from her two companions, Valley and Thorn, but it is their differences that make them a better team. Valley, from Seven’s perspective, is the mean girl, but there is more to Valley than meets the eye. She’s fierce and smart, but making new friends isn’t something that comes easy to her. Thorn is sweet, but often anxious. She’s not as outgoing as Seven and Valley, but her openness and kindness is hard not to love. These three characters have a lot of ups and downs. Seven and Valley especially have issues involving bullying and jealousy they have to resolve. Friendship doesn’t come easy for these characters, but when it finally does, it felt truly earned. I also love that Ortega does not shy away from tackling heavy topics in her middle grade novel. Bigotry toward Spares plays a key role in the plot. Seven begins to see just how cruel her world has been to Spares and is determined to see this change. With three young Witchlings determined to forge their own destiny, Claribel A. Ortega’s Witchlings is sure to delight readers of all ages.
Tackling one book at a time in an effort to conquer my TBR pile. It isn't going well. Visit my book blog, A Kernel of Nonsense, for book reviews and more ~
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