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A review by rheam1224
Fire Boy by Sami Shah
3.0
A young man trying to be a gentleman to impress a girl he really likes, only to end up having to find her soul after it got kidnapped by a djinn in retribution to his unbelievable actions.
This was a really fast, fun read. I enjoyed the concept, the imagination, the lore, and Iblis (is that okay for me to say? Haha). When I first heard about a book that was going to deal with Islamic mythology and from someone who knows and understands the cultural background of this, it made me excited. I thought to myself, "I gotta go and show some support!" I only got a tip-of-iceberg exposure to Islam when I was in AP World History in high school and I am so glad my teacher was so amazing, because she was able to help me understand and put aside my own biases about it.
The small vignettes about djinns in daily life in the beginning of the story was so interesting. I mean, of course it is tragic because people are dying, but it's a glimpse of how the stories came to be born. Shadows in the little slips of reality and supernatural where people accidentally trespass on and are never heard from again.
My favorite parts were Hamza, the King of Karachi in his kingdom, and Iblis. Hamza because he was such a go-getter and he honestly gave me such Stiles Stilinski vibes? The fact that he was ready to go back into his body to go help save Wahid, like bro, that's a best friend right there. He is legit ride or die! The King of Karachi was just hilarious and really interesting. Such a young kid in charge of a bunch of other young kids, wild but strategic, playful but hardened by the ways of the real world. Then there's Iblis...dude, he is the Devil, basically, and this guy should not be as funny as he was in the book. Every other line, I was guffawing like a mess! So freaking hilarious!
Now, I've only read Fire Boy. I'm going to get started on Earth Boy next after this review.
I will say, it was weird that this story is split into a duology when it really didn't feel like a duology? The way Fire Boy ended just ended like a chapter instead of a book. I like that I was able to find a version that had both books in one volume so it flowed a bit better. But yeah, I would read this book as a single thing instead of a duology...
A major critique that I have so far in this story (first book) is the main character, Wahid. Personally, I do not find him to be an engaging, initiative character. Things seem to HAPPEN to him, instead of him trying to make things happen. For example, when after the accident with Maheen and Arif, Wahid was told to stay in the house, he did (with the exception of going to the university to find the scientist about the djinn with Hamza). Then when his life was being threatened, everyone else told Wahid to leave, so he did. Then when he's at the outhouse, yes, he does go around to try to find answers but because he doesn't have a lot of resources he cannot fulfill his ambitions completely. So he goes between the house and the bookstore/internet cafe for his research. When he's walking home, he literally runs into a supernatural being who decides to help him because he's being a gentleman (which is fine, I'm saying, he's not really excelling the story forward?). Things come to him because he calls to them. I don't know if this is because of his ancestry so he has this ability to call into the spaces between the mortal world and the supernatural, but my goodness, these beings are definitely faster than Amazon Prime!
Not to mention that the urgency at which Wahid is trying to get Maheen's soul back, is not as urgent as I want it to be. I think what would've really scared the shit out of Wahid, to really get him desperate, shouldn't be his crush on Maheen (though ofc it's a great supporting factor) but of the threat on his life by Maheen's father. I don't think there was a scene where Maheen's dad just fucking scares the shit out of Wahid. Wahid is already scared of him by like name and authority, that's fine, but I wish there was a scene where the dad got Wahid alone and just laid it on thick. Of course, there is the concept of corruption of authority due to the father's status as a highly regarded general, however it would bring depth to both the father's and Wahid's characters.
Ngl, I would've preferred if Hamza was the main character because he was more initiative than Wahid. He was off-screen and still did his own research to bring back to Wahid when Wahid was on house arrest! I just....really like Hamza. Oh! Also, I don't totally understand Wahid's crush on Maheen? I mean, I get it. But I also don't? Which is why his efforts to trying to save her soul...did not...grip me as much? Sometimes I even forgot what we were doing in the book besides just chilling with Wahid and making sure he's not dead by Maheen's dad's hand.
I can't wait to keep reading and see what Wahid does to develop as a person. I just need more from him, more initiative and engagement. Can't wait to see Hamza again and Iblis (I'm serious, is it bad that I like this guy a lot more than the main character?)!
This was a really fast, fun read. I enjoyed the concept, the imagination, the lore, and Iblis (is that okay for me to say? Haha). When I first heard about a book that was going to deal with Islamic mythology and from someone who knows and understands the cultural background of this, it made me excited. I thought to myself, "I gotta go and show some support!" I only got a tip-of-iceberg exposure to Islam when I was in AP World History in high school and I am so glad my teacher was so amazing, because she was able to help me understand and put aside my own biases about it.
The small vignettes about djinns in daily life in the beginning of the story was so interesting. I mean, of course it is tragic because people are dying, but it's a glimpse of how the stories came to be born. Shadows in the little slips of reality and supernatural where people accidentally trespass on and are never heard from again.
My favorite parts were Hamza, the King of Karachi in his kingdom, and Iblis. Hamza because he was such a go-getter and he honestly gave me such Stiles Stilinski vibes? The fact that he was ready to go back into his body to go help save Wahid, like bro, that's a best friend right there. He is legit ride or die! The King of Karachi was just hilarious and really interesting. Such a young kid in charge of a bunch of other young kids, wild but strategic, playful but hardened by the ways of the real world. Then there's Iblis...dude, he is the Devil, basically, and this guy should not be as funny as he was in the book. Every other line, I was guffawing like a mess! So freaking hilarious!
Now, I've only read Fire Boy. I'm going to get started on Earth Boy next after this review.
I will say, it was weird that this story is split into a duology when it really didn't feel like a duology? The way Fire Boy ended just ended like a chapter instead of a book. I like that I was able to find a version that had both books in one volume so it flowed a bit better. But yeah, I would read this book as a single thing instead of a duology...
A major critique that I have so far in this story (first book) is the main character, Wahid. Personally, I do not find him to be an engaging, initiative character. Things seem to HAPPEN to him, instead of him trying to make things happen. For example, when after the accident with Maheen and Arif, Wahid was told to stay in the house, he did (with the exception of going to the university to find the scientist about the djinn with Hamza). Then when his life was being threatened, everyone else told Wahid to leave, so he did. Then when he's at the outhouse, yes, he does go around to try to find answers but because he doesn't have a lot of resources he cannot fulfill his ambitions completely. So he goes between the house and the bookstore/internet cafe for his research. When he's walking home, he literally runs into a supernatural being who decides to help him because he's being a gentleman (which is fine, I'm saying, he's not really excelling the story forward?). Things come to him because he calls to them. I don't know if this is because of his ancestry so he has this ability to call into the spaces between the mortal world and the supernatural, but my goodness, these beings are definitely faster than Amazon Prime!
Not to mention that the urgency at which Wahid is trying to get Maheen's soul back, is not as urgent as I want it to be. I think what would've really scared the shit out of Wahid, to really get him desperate, shouldn't be his crush on Maheen (though ofc it's a great supporting factor) but of the threat on his life by Maheen's father. I don't think there was a scene where Maheen's dad just fucking scares the shit out of Wahid. Wahid is already scared of him by like name and authority, that's fine, but I wish there was a scene where the dad got Wahid alone and just laid it on thick. Of course, there is the concept of corruption of authority due to the father's status as a highly regarded general, however it would bring depth to both the father's and Wahid's characters.
Ngl, I would've preferred if Hamza was the main character because he was more initiative than Wahid. He was off-screen and still did his own research to bring back to Wahid when Wahid was on house arrest! I just....really like Hamza. Oh! Also, I don't totally understand Wahid's crush on Maheen? I mean, I get it. But I also don't? Which is why his efforts to trying to save her soul...did not...grip me as much? Sometimes I even forgot what we were doing in the book besides just chilling with Wahid and making sure he's not dead by Maheen's dad's hand.
I can't wait to keep reading and see what Wahid does to develop as a person. I just need more from him, more initiative and engagement. Can't wait to see Hamza again and Iblis (I'm serious, is it bad that I like this guy a lot more than the main character?)!