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a_reader_obsessed's review
3.0
3.5 Hearts
Impressive with the world building and the setup, this isn’t your typical paranormal romance.
Isra is basically a loner, a wandering soul even amongst his Bedouin people of wanderers. He’s been having recurring dreams about a mysterious man that he can’t ignore and feels the overwhelming need to find this stranger and help him no matter what. Thus, Isra implores his childhood friend, a mischievous fire spirit, for guidance and is forever changed with what he comes across.
Janan has no recollection of any personal history and after being on his own for many months, the kind offer of aid from Isra is just too hard to refuse. What they discover in trying to find out who Janan is, is something more powerful and dangerous than first assumed.
I was really expecting grand adventure and whirlwind romance and though we do get that somewhat, this was also a lot more sedate than anticipated. Truly well written, I liken this to more an ode to the Bedouin lifestyle and culture, a love song really, to freedom - not only physically but spiritually from all the trappings of the modern world. Bridging plenty of faith and religion with lots of commentary about life in general, this was more a thoughtful romance - not only about two people but also towards a way of living and where identity shapes one’s worth and humanity.
Not containing a lot of flash and bang that was wanted and expected but again, more of an introspective study on many things, in and amongst a sweet love story, peppered with some lite smexy, and a penultimate finale. Li for sure mixes up genres and tropes, and I look forward to what may come next.
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
Impressive with the world building and the setup, this isn’t your typical paranormal romance.
Isra is basically a loner, a wandering soul even amongst his Bedouin people of wanderers. He’s been having recurring dreams about a mysterious man that he can’t ignore and feels the overwhelming need to find this stranger and help him no matter what. Thus, Isra implores his childhood friend, a mischievous fire spirit, for guidance and is forever changed with what he comes across.
Janan has no recollection of any personal history and after being on his own for many months, the kind offer of aid from Isra is just too hard to refuse. What they discover in trying to find out who Janan is, is something more powerful and dangerous than first assumed.
I was really expecting grand adventure and whirlwind romance and though we do get that somewhat, this was also a lot more sedate than anticipated. Truly well written, I liken this to more an ode to the Bedouin lifestyle and culture, a love song really, to freedom - not only physically but spiritually from all the trappings of the modern world. Bridging plenty of faith and religion with lots of commentary about life in general, this was more a thoughtful romance - not only about two people but also towards a way of living and where identity shapes one’s worth and humanity.
Not containing a lot of flash and bang that was wanted and expected but again, more of an introspective study on many things, in and amongst a sweet love story, peppered with some lite smexy, and a penultimate finale. Li for sure mixes up genres and tropes, and I look forward to what may come next.
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
karentje's review
3.0
To me this felt much more like a mystery/adventure story, and rather less like a romance. Though Janan and Isra fall in love and spend quite a lot of time together, I was left wanting more. As love stories go this one is rather more mellow than I like as far as feelings & passion go. It reads like an action-filled fairy tale and I prefer my romances a little grittier with MC’s who develop a deep emotional connection and build a life together as couple. We leave our MC’s before they get to do that.
This book has a peculiar mix of paranormal characters on the one hand and very religious characters on the other, which is certainly different from what I’m used to reading. I think the author did an amazing job in describing the Bedouin way of life and the beauty of the desert, and I also liked how she interspersed the story with Arabic terms & customs. Always with a light and respectful touch. I felt like I stepped into a tale of the Arabian Nights.
The story is set in modern-day Egypt which still has quite a way to go in matters like LGBT rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment. These issues are important to the story and I was pleased to see our fictional characters come out on top and pursue a happy and hopeful life together. How that translates into their daily life stays vague, however, they are both still in the closet as far as I know.
The secondary characters are well-written. Flicker, the djinn who befriended and protected Isra, is intriguing and mysterious, and we also get two very strong and independent female characters, Sehrish and Nawra, which was a nice plus.
This book has a peculiar mix of paranormal characters on the one hand and very religious characters on the other, which is certainly different from what I’m used to reading. I think the author did an amazing job in describing the Bedouin way of life and the beauty of the desert, and I also liked how she interspersed the story with Arabic terms & customs. Always with a light and respectful touch. I felt like I stepped into a tale of the Arabian Nights.
The story is set in modern-day Egypt which still has quite a way to go in matters like LGBT rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment. These issues are important to the story and I was pleased to see our fictional characters come out on top and pursue a happy and hopeful life together. How that translates into their daily life stays vague, however, they are both still in the closet as far as I know.
The secondary characters are well-written. Flicker, the djinn who befriended and protected Isra, is intriguing and mysterious, and we also get two very strong and independent female characters, Sehrish and Nawra, which was a nice plus.
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