Reviews with content warning for Racism - A Master of Djinn

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

85 reviews

warlocksarecool21's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Master of Djinn was another fun installment in the Dead Djinn universe! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope we get more books in the series. In this book we follow Fatma and her fellow Ministry agents as they try to stop a man claiming he is the powerful al-Jahiz, who opened a portal to the djinn realm and brought them and their magic to Earth, while also exploring important commentary about sociopolitical issues of the early 20th century that are still relevant today.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the world-building. P. Djèlí Clark is very good at pulling on familiar legends and mythology and putting a new twist on it. I really liked exploring this world from Fatma’s perspective and learning more about the Ministry’s role in this version of Egypt.

I think the author writes good characters as well. Fatma is an interesting and engaging protagonist. I like the way her character was developed throughout the story. She’s smart and independent but has to learn how to rely on others and let people in. I also enjoyed Fatma’s interactions with the other characters. I really liked how she had to learn to accept Hadia as her partner and trust her to be competent and reliable and I thought Hadia was very sweet, they balanced each other well.

I appreciated that Fatma was queer, and I did like her relationship with Siti but I wish we got more of a focus on it. I knew this had been labelled as a queer fantasy (and it is, the MC is queer) so I guess I was just hoping that an exploration of queer culture and the sociopolitical implications of being queer during this time period but it didn’t come up a lot beyond the few moments we get dedicated to Fatma and Siti’s relationship (which was cute but I also wanted more of it). Even though it wasn’t the main focus of the story, I felt P. Djèlí Clark was very deliberate in his choices to explore other themes such as race, colorism and class so I was hoping we would also get that same approach applied to Fatma’s queerness and the implications of that in this world, but it was not to be this time (hopefully in another installment!). It wasn’t enough to detract from my overall enjoyment but I did want to share my thoughts about it.

Overall, I think Clark did a good job at weaving commentary about various sociopolitical issues throughout the story (in a way that was relevant to the characters and plot). There were a lot of themes he was trying to incorporate, and while I don’t think all of them were given the time needed to develop a nuanced conversation I appreciate the attention that was brought to them. I think the issues best explored were how racial dynamics in Cairo impacted people depending on

other intersections of their identity, colonialism and how Europe continues to fuck things up in Africa, and discussions of misogyny (internalized and external) and gender biases.

I felt the commentary Clark was trying to make about police and police brutality could have been engaged with more. There definitely was an attempt and we did hear criticisms from various side characters but I wish there was more critical engagement of those themes Fatma, considering her role in the government and how closely she works with the police. A lot of the commentary about the aforementioned topics that was included definitely landed but it almost seemed like there wasn’t enough time to develop everything while maintaining the actual plot. I do recognize this was the author’s first full-length novel so I do have high hopes for future books.

Anyways, I had fun with the plot and the characters and I definitely recommend checking out this series if you’re into Egyptian and Arabic mythology and a historical Egypt setting.

Content Warnings

takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Reading the novella 'A Dead Djinn in Cairo' is highly recommended before reading this. It was written before hand and does some introduction of character relationships and world-building which is helpful to know before reading A Master of Djinn.

Sapphic
Egypt in 1912
but make it steampunk
mystery
other worldly beings (Djinn, Angels, Ghuls)
a dapper main character obsessed with 'menswear'

This wasn't the best thing I've read, but the world is interesting. I could've used a glossary at parts because sometimes I felt the world-building relied a bit too much on prior knowledge of Egyptian history - particularly when it came to the political history of the more recent setting of early 1900s Cairo. I wish I could say I learned a bit more history, but for me it was hard to tell what was fantasized and what was not (besides the obvious Djinn). The mystery is a bit predictable. I liked Fatma as a main character, and her obsession with suits. I would probably read more in this world if the author wrote it, if the plot-line followed something a bit different.

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asahome's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious

3.5

TL;DR: A young woman must solve a mass murder case where she discovers the supernatural is closer than she thinks. In the end, people challenge the status quo and they are not wrong when discussing the way power is distributed.

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willow1113's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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kathyreadsalot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Really enjoyed this one! May have found a new favorite author! I knocked off half a star given the fact that the mystery of who the bad guy was dragged out a little bit longer than I thought it needed and the descriptions of people’s clothing felt over done in parts but I loved the main characters, loved the political intrigue, loved the plot. Really enjoyed this one!

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miastr's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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cozyblanketbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is an entertaining tale of three strong women in a time of casual misogyny and racism (with a hint of homophobia), when chauvinism and nationalism made life frustrating at best for anyone not an Egyptian male or wealthy white Englishman.

It opens with a chapter demonstrating Agent Fatma’s bravery and skill in dealing with an angry, powerful djinn, and goes on to give her a far more challenging assignment. She’s initially paired with an unwanted partner but very early on they work well together, with none of the squabbling common to Hollywood buddy movies. Fatma’s lover Siti rounds out the trio. The descriptions of Cairo a century ago add realism to the steampunk aesthetic.

I would probably have given this five stars but I was so frequently flummoxed by unknown words that I would really have appreciated a glossary. The words I didn’t know have to do with politics, religion, clothing, food, and magical beings. While the meaning was usually clear from the context, I spent way too much time on Google trying to find out more information.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. I’ve liked Clark’s novellas and like this full-length novel even more.

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scrubsandbooks's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Steampunk Cairo, a badass queer FMC who wears suits, defying traditional gender norms. Djinns and mystery! 10/10, no notes, please I need more from this world, Mr. Clark!

Content Warnings

kiala's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Lovable characters, interesting world, great plot and the book acknowledged the views the characters had.

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