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A review by noreadingdegree
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
i have read all of P. Djèlí Clark's work previous to this and was ecstatic when I saw that he was releasing his first full length novel in his alternate steampunk Cairo. I was a little apprehensive because Clark typically writes shorter fiction and I was unsure of how it would translate into a longer work. Overall, I think Clark did an outstanding job with A Master of Djinn. I find his storytelling so incredibly invigorating and refreshing. I just come to life when I read his words. The things that I think he did best in this novel were the characterizations of his female characters, exploration of queer relationships, and top notch worldbuilding. However, I felt that the mystery/detective plot line became convoluted especially towards the end of the book. This felt like it was originally another novella, but was bumped up to novel status. It felt like Clark had to fill in the gaps to boost it from 200ish pages to 400+ pages. Those parts didn't necessarily work well for me, but I still very much enjoyed the novel. Now I need a follow-up story furthering exploring Siti and Fatma's relationship!
i have read all of P. Djèlí Clark's work previous to this and was ecstatic when I saw that he was releasing his first full length novel in his alternate steampunk Cairo. I was a little apprehensive because Clark typically writes shorter fiction and I was unsure of how it would translate into a longer work. Overall, I think Clark did an outstanding job with A Master of Djinn. I find his storytelling so incredibly invigorating and refreshing. I just come to life when I read his words. The things that I think he did best in this novel were the characterizations of his female characters, exploration of queer relationships, and top notch worldbuilding. However, I felt that the mystery/detective plot line became convoluted especially towards the end of the book. This felt like it was originally another novella, but was bumped up to novel status. It felt like Clark had to fill in the gaps to boost it from 200ish pages to 400+ pages. Those parts didn't necessarily work well for me, but I still very much enjoyed the novel. Now I need a follow-up story furthering exploring Siti and Fatma's relationship!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery
protests with violent encounters with police force.