Reviews

Fun but a bit forgettable. It's a really excellent setting: early 1900s Egypt, but djinn have been a big part of the world and Egypt in particular for the last few years, which has transformed Egypt into a major power.

The main characters are good enough. Fatma's dandyism was a fun character trait and easily added a lot of depth to her character. The lesser characters weren't as well realised, and the suspects for the murder were all suitably bad but in fairly boring ways.

I felt like the plot let it down. It was fine, but pretty predictable and took far too long to get anywhere (in my opinion). It worked ok, but wasn't compelling, which is probably a reasonable summary of the book as a whole.

skienight's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted tense 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

mneill's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

fishsticks26's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

mxunsmiley's review against another edition

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5.0

Decidedly different from his novella, Ring Shout, which really threw me off but I think it showcases Clark's versatility as an author, something I haven't come across in a while. The writing style is wildly different though appropriate--it's fast-paced and has you constantly guessing while also giving us logical answers. I was able to guess who the culprit really was maybe 10-20 pages before it was revealed but I loved it!

Spoiler

I loved the commentary on white feminism in this book. It was very sharp and fitting for this age of white girlbosses in fiction. It was especially astute in how the villain, Abigail, compares herself to Fatma, how white women pretend to be on the same footing as women of color even as they simultaneously position themselves as superior through their actions, how they are agents of white supremacy and colonialism just as much as their white male counterparts. I also loved the dualism between them in general--how the tale which hints at Abigail being the true culprit can also represent Fatma as she dresses in men's clothes and takes on a traditionally male occupation.

I did appreciate a lot of the commentary on slavery and colorism as well.

Spoiler

I especially liked how the djinn didn't all simply obey the Nine Lords as you might expect. It contradicts how many viewed slaves as passively accepting their enslavement and instead rightfully shows they have a will of their own.

One thing I had an issue with was how it left the latter problem hanging; the book addressed it a lot but there was decidedly no resolution regarding it, I feel. Hadia mentions wanting to bring it up at the Egyptian Feminists meeting, but specifically women from the Cairo slums, not darker-skinned people.

If you love butch heroines who solve mysteries with other capable women of color in a fantasy setting, you will definitely love this book. I don't think many books can be described that way honestly which is very refreshing. It also doesn't feel gimmicky or like pandering at all. Clark was thorough in how he created this world in A Master of Djinn.

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