Fantasy

The Stardust Thief

The Stardust Thief

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-22 07:52:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Chelsea Abdullah
  • ISBN：0356517438
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Summary

Neither here nor there， but long ago…

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who， with the help of her jinn bodyguard， hunts and sells illegal magic。 When she saves the life of a cowardly prince， she draws the attention of his powerful father， the sultan， who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land。

With no choice but to obey or be executed， Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact。 Aided by her bodyguard， who has secrets of his own， they must survive ghoul attacks， outwit a vengeful jinn queen， and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past。 And， in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth， Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy， her magic， even her own past—is not what it seems。

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Reviews

Lau ，

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book！I was so excited to read The Stardust Thief but it left me feeling super underwhelmed and I had to make the horrible decision to DNF at 50%。 Which really disappointed me because I really enjoyed the start。 Having received a physical proof but being unable to hold physical books because of my 3 month old daughter I decided to request via Netgalley and I’m glad I did。 I’m pretty sure this book was labelled as adult but Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book！I was so excited to read The Stardust Thief but it left me feeling super underwhelmed and I had to make the horrible decision to DNF at 50%。 Which really disappointed me because I really enjoyed the start。 Having received a physical proof but being unable to hold physical books because of my 3 month old daughter I decided to request via Netgalley and I’m glad I did。 I’m pretty sure this book was labelled as adult but the writing is pretty basic YA。 There’s nothing really stand out about this book at all apart from the setting。 It’s nice to have a book set in this culture for a change。 I really enjoyed the first 15% of this book and then it just got super boring。 The characters aren’t even likeable and the plot was pretty basic in my opinion。 Sorry ☹️ 。。。more

Hayley ，

I received a free copy of this book。 I absolutely loved this book。 I enjoyed the world building， the magic， the Arabic culture， the characters， and the writing。 The book is full of adventure and has several twists and turns。 One of my favorite things was the relationship between Loulie and Qadir。 I thought this was a great debut book， and I would be interested in reading more。

Shilo Quetchenbach ，

This was a wild ride of stories and secrets， shocking reveals， betrayals， and allegiances that shift like the sand。 And so， so much magic。 I absolutely loved it。The four characters on their quest （Louli， Mazen， Aisha， and Qadir） were all very different， and all hiding secrets， and it was so satisfying to watch them become closer and slowly reveal them。 Some of them， anyway。 They were all like onions， slowly peeling back the layers， offering up stories that were A truth but not always The truth。 This was a wild ride of stories and secrets， shocking reveals， betrayals， and allegiances that shift like the sand。 And so， so much magic。 I absolutely loved it。The four characters on their quest （Louli， Mazen， Aisha， and Qadir） were all very different， and all hiding secrets， and it was so satisfying to watch them become closer and slowly reveal them。 Some of them， anyway。 They were all like onions， slowly peeling back the layers， offering up stories that were A truth but not always The truth。 Piecing it all gradually together was very satisfying， like completing a challenging jigsaw puzzle。I loved the djinn relics and how they tied everyone together in unexpected ways。 I loved the secrets behind them， and the magic。 I loved how they kept showing up where they weren't expected and revealing new tidbits of information each time。 The story was so vast and grand and full of tales within tales and stories that aren't only stories and truths that aren't the whole truth that I still can't quite wrap my head around it， and I know I will be rereading it before diving into the sequel when it comes out。 And I absolutely will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it because that ending left me with so many questions and not nearly enough answers。*Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an e-arc for review。 。。。more

Isabella （Stubbornly Bookish） ，

*3。5 stars*RTC

Raeanna ，

Review to come。

Delaney ，

RTC！！！！

Celeste ，

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher， Orbit Books， in exchange for an honest review。The Stardust Thief is the first in what is sure to be a solid， atmospheric new fantasy trilogy。 This is Abdullah’s debut novel， and I found it to be a strong， well written story with compelling characters and an enchanting setting。 A new riff on the classic tale of The Thousand and One Arabian Nights at its core， The Stardust Thief carves a new path into uncharted territory while still beau I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher， Orbit Books， in exchange for an honest review。The Stardust Thief is the first in what is sure to be a solid， atmospheric new fantasy trilogy。 This is Abdullah’s debut novel， and I found it to be a strong， well written story with compelling characters and an enchanting setting。 A new riff on the classic tale of The Thousand and One Arabian Nights at its core， The Stardust Thief carves a new path into uncharted territory while still beautifully honoring its inspiration。 I’ve read very little Arabic-inspired fantasy， but this book made me thirsty for more。“Death in a free land is better than life in a gilded cage。” Loulie is the infamous Midnight Merchant， a seller of jinn relics that are nearly impossible to locate。 In the land of Madinne， jinn are viewed as monsters and killed on sight， harvested for their silver blood， which is the only thing that can breathe life into the arid landscape。 The more lush the oasis， the more jinn blood has been spilled there。 These jinn often leave behind relics， magical objects that can do different things， and these objects are considered priceless。 Thus， Loulie has a booming business。 Her secret？ A magic compass and and inhuman bodyguard。 She is our main perspective character， joined by Mazen and Aisha。 Mazen is a prince， the youngest son of the sultan。 He’s obsessed with stories， and I found him and his development delightful。 Aisha is one of the forty thieves， and she took a while to grow on me。 “We’re all afraid， Prince。 The only difference between a hero and a coward is that one forgets their fear and fights， while the other succumbs to it and flees。” I ended up really enjoying all three perspective characters。 I was never tempted to skim through one to reach another。 All three of these characters had some serious issues to work through， but they all experienced some pretty fantastic development over the course of the story。 But， while they had faults， they also had characteristics that drew me in from the beginning， especially Loulie and Mazen。 I came to care about them quickly， which made me even more invested in their development。 They felt realistic to me。“…one cannot know the outcome of a journey if one is not brave enough to take it。” While I very much enjoyed the characters， the setting was probably my favorite element of the story。 I loved the descriptions of the oases， and found Abdullah’s dark take on their existence fascinating。 The idea of a people being brutally slaughtered because their deaths bring life to the desert is horrifying， and not a concept I had seen before。 The descriptions of the markets， and the food， and the palaces， and even the desert were all equally enchanting。 Speaking of enchanting， I found the magical relics populating the story fascinating。 They were so varied; some held immense power， while others may do something small， like an endless hourglass or a ring that lets you breathe underwater for a few seconds。 But whatever their power， they were always unique。“No one knows what the dead want， Loulie。 All we can do is honor them in the ways we understand。” Periodically throughout the book， Abdullah would include little stories in the style of the Arabian Night tales。 I loved these， and the subtle shift in the voice of the writing that accompanied them。 These stories， and what Abdullah says about the power of stories， were in my opinion the heart of the entire novel。 The stories we tell have such power。 The power to keep those we love alive， the power to shift perspective to such an extent that we essentially rewrite history， the power to inspire and enrage and transport。 Abdullah’s belief in this power shone through in her writing。“If there is only to be one more tale tonight， let it be the one about the storyteller who changed her fate with her fables。 Let it be a story about stories and the power they have to sway mortal hearts。” If I had any qualm with The Stardust Thief， it would be the pacing。 Sometimes things seem to be trudging along for so long that， when the action suddenly hit， it felt a bit like whiplash。 There were points where it was both difficult to keep up and keep going。 In that regard， it felt very much like a first novel。 And while I loved the characters， there were points where I became so exasperated with their stubbornness or lies or what have you that I would have to put the book down for a time and cool down before continuing。 However， these complaints were infrequent， and I thought that overall this book was a strong foundation for whatever comes next。“Though only the gods know how long we may live， we humans are the ones who decide when legacies die。” The Stardust Thief is a truly enchanting debut， with a lush setting and characters who are easy to root for。 There were times when I was reminded of Strange the Dreamer， a story I adore。 And I loved the ways in which this fresh， original story paid homage to one of the oldest and most revered sets of stories in written history。 This was a wonderful first installment for a fantasy series， and I can’t wait to see where Abdullah takes the story next。All quotations taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication。You can find this review and more at Novel Notions。 。。。more

Tyler Cole ，

3。4/5 [**Note This review is based on an ARC， not the final published book]I was really intrigued by this one when I first heard about it， the premise alone was enough to pique my interest。 It is so exciting to get fresh takes on fantasy and I was lucky enough to get an advance reading copy of this one。 I loved how this book has an Arabian Nights， desert-ey vibe， and it is especially refreshing to see this type of story coming from an Arab author。 The overall atmosphere of the book is quite imme 3。4/5 [**Note This review is based on an ARC， not the final published book]I was really intrigued by this one when I first heard about it， the premise alone was enough to pique my interest。 It is so exciting to get fresh takes on fantasy and I was lucky enough to get an advance reading copy of this one。 I loved how this book has an Arabian Nights， desert-ey vibe， and it is especially refreshing to see this type of story coming from an Arab author。 The overall atmosphere of the book is quite immersive- though there were definitely moments where I was craving even more descriptions and embellishments （I know that it is already a pretty large book， but idc。。。）。 It is in plotting and pacing where The Stardust Thief， for me， fails to hit it out of the park。 There were many chapters that were just so difficult to get through- because I kept waiting for some kind of surprise to break up the monotony of the incredibly straightforward and predictable plot。 It isn't until the last 50 pages of the book that any surprising twists finally come in- but by then I was feeling like it was too little & too late to make up for the rest of the book。 I really wanted to love this one。。。 but I just didn't。 Despite feeling like a slog at times， the characters and their quirks keep it feeling like a fun adventure story （despite a view of gruesome scenes and mentions of g3nocid3）。 Probably could have used some romance to heat up （lol） the character dynamics a bit more。 If I read the sequels， it will be just because I am invested Loulie and Aisha and want to know what happens to them。My Consensus: Storywise， The Stardust Thief is a uniquely flavored， fantasy novel that unfortunately fizzles out and fails to deliver many surprises。 It still might be worth the read for fantasy-lovers who will appreciate the characters and the atmosphere。 。。。more

Kym's Open Books ，

I found a new fav book 😍

Rebecca Alexandru ，

I really enjoyed reading The Stardust Thief。 Chelsea Abdullah's writing transported me to a magical world filled with jinn and an impossible secret war。 I loved the twists and turns this novel took and rooted for the main characters along the way。 Loulie， Mazen， Aisha， and Qadir brought all the drama of a great， unlikely team-up and I can't wait to know more about their stories in the next two books！ I preordered and can't wait to share this adventure book with friends！ I really enjoyed reading The Stardust Thief。 Chelsea Abdullah's writing transported me to a magical world filled with jinn and an impossible secret war。 I loved the twists and turns this novel took and rooted for the main characters along the way。 Loulie， Mazen， Aisha， and Qadir brought all the drama of a great， unlikely team-up and I can't wait to know more about their stories in the next two books！ I preordered and can't wait to share this adventure book with friends！ 。。。more

Jasmine ，

The Stardust Thief is *chef’s kiss*！ I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one。 The first 25% was kind of slow。 It was setting up a lot of foundation and world building， but once the action gets started， it doesn’t stop。 This book had some of everything I love; great fantasy， culture， characters you care about， plot， and a complete ending。 Although I can’t wait for the next book， this didn’t end on a cliff hanger。 The ending sets up a whole new adventure for the next book。 It is a blessi The Stardust Thief is *chef’s kiss*！ I loved this book and can’t wait for the next one。 The first 25% was kind of slow。 It was setting up a lot of foundation and world building， but once the action gets started， it doesn’t stop。 This book had some of everything I love; great fantasy， culture， characters you care about， plot， and a complete ending。 Although I can’t wait for the next book， this didn’t end on a cliff hanger。 The ending sets up a whole new adventure for the next book。 It is a blessing and a curse to read books early。 I love having early access， but what am I supposed to do until the next book comes out？！ 。。。more

Savannah （forest_reader） ，

I was not expecting this book to be an absolute RIDE！ It combined all my favorite things from previous desert-themed books like The Wrath and the Dawn， We Hunt the Flame， and Rebel of the Sands。 It has many stories from One Thousand and One Nights， tons of jinn， magic and relics， and an intriguing quest full of hidden identity， secret politics， and desert traveling。 The characters are magnificent and truly have a lot of growth through the book。 Although there's no romance in this one， I have ver I was not expecting this book to be an absolute RIDE！ It combined all my favorite things from previous desert-themed books like The Wrath and the Dawn， We Hunt the Flame， and Rebel of the Sands。 It has many stories from One Thousand and One Nights， tons of jinn， magic and relics， and an intriguing quest full of hidden identity， secret politics， and desert traveling。 The characters are magnificent and truly have a lot of growth through the book。 Although there's no romance in this one， I have very high hopes that this book sets up the stage for a fantastic romance in book two。 And the writing was superb: detailed and flowing and easy to get lost in。Honestly I expect this book to be a huge hit once it releases。 I can't wait to read books two and three！ Definitely pick this up if you want a sweeping desert fantasy with jinn magic and fantastic characters and world building。Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5Plot/Movement: 5Character Development: 5Overall: 5Thank you， Orbit Books， for the ARC！ 。。。more

Sarah Pether-Hamill ，

Thank you to Orbit & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。★★★★★"Qadir had said she was the bravest person he knew。 Now she would prove it to herself"I absolutely loved this debut！ Since I cracked this open I have not been able to put it down。 You know a book is good when you're grabbing it whilst doing something else。 An exceptional debut。 Things I loved:World building & loreCharacterisation including strong female charactersComplex opposite sex relationships with Thank you to Orbit & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。★★★★★"Qadir had said she was the bravest person he knew。 Now she would prove it to herself"I absolutely loved this debut！ Since I cracked this open I have not been able to put it down。 You know a book is good when you're grabbing it whilst doing something else。 An exceptional debut。 Things I loved:World building & loreCharacterisation including strong female charactersComplex opposite sex relationships with no romanceI love， love， loved Loulie and Mazen。 I loved Loulie and Qadir's relationship （more platonic mentor relationships in books please - it was giving me Vin & Kelsier energy！）Abdullah blew me away with her ability to draw me completely into the world she has created。 The smattering of handed-down stories interwoven into the book！ The vivid descriptions of places， magic and people。 I eagerly await the sequel！ 。。。more

Natália Pinheiro ，

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the e-ARC in exchange of a honest review！Rating: 4，5 rounded up！WOW， this book was a RIDE。 Quite literally， given the majority of the plot is a quest。 It never got boring， though。 The narrative does a great job keeping the reader interested， even during the （short） moments the characters can breathe without the world crumbling around them。 Short chapters， fast pacing， plot twist after plot twist， excellent characters – my favorite combo。 The Stardust Thief follo Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the e-ARC in exchange of a honest review！Rating: 4，5 rounded up！WOW， this book was a RIDE。 Quite literally， given the majority of the plot is a quest。 It never got boring， though。 The narrative does a great job keeping the reader interested， even during the （short） moments the characters can breathe without the world crumbling around them。 Short chapters， fast pacing， plot twist after plot twist， excellent characters – my favorite combo。 The Stardust Thief follows three main points of view: Loulie， a merchant who sells jinn magic， Mazen， the prince who’s never left his palace before， and Aisha， one of the legendary forty thieves who work for the sultan。 They are thrown together in a quest for a famous jinn relic， the lamp， which will assist the sultan in his goal of eliminating all jinn。 Of course， it won’t be so easy: the lamp is said to be lost in the Sandsea， where the jinn city is buried。 But still， they leave; and during this journey， they’ll discover so much more than what they’d intended to。 I love all three main characters。 Loulie is snarky， distrusts everyone， although has soft spots for some people。 I love how her main struggle is to accept that she can and should rely on others， for her burden can be too much to carry alone。 Mazen is described as the “cowardly prince” and YES， he’s exactly that， but also so much more: he’s a storyteller， like his mom， and all he wanted to do was to live an adventure as epic as the stories he grew up listening to; but once he gets this opportunity， Mazen realizes it’s not quite easy。 Making the right choice is hard， and trusting people blindly might not help him the way he expected。 Even so， his good heart never wavers。 I can’t wait to see his journey in the next books。 Now Aisha is my favorite。 She’s just so ruthless and straightforward and always gets shit done。 Also very unpredictable – every time I thought I had her figured out， I would turn the page and be surprised again。 Another relevant feature is Qadir， a jinn who saved Loulie’s life when she was a child – and even though he doesn’t have a POV， he is definitely one of the most interesting characters， and I can’t wait to know more about him。Also， the world building is just so lush and easy to get into。 I love all the settings， everything about the magic （it’s a different twist to jinn’s magic that I haven’t seen before！）， and all the jinn tales told in interludes， which made the book so rich。 Such a great debut。 Definitely recommend it！ 。。。more

Rae Nason ，

The Stardust Thief is the first book in the upcoming Sandsea Trilogy。 Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights， this is the tale of a legendary smuggler， a cowardly prince， and a perilous quest to find a magical lamp。。。**This review is a little spoilery （Not big things though）！*Not gonna lie， I had a really hard time getting into this book。 I found the multiple perspectives with short chapters really distracting and off-putting。 I felt like the story almost needed longer chapters or more perspectiv The Stardust Thief is the first book in the upcoming Sandsea Trilogy。 Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights， this is the tale of a legendary smuggler， a cowardly prince， and a perilous quest to find a magical lamp。。。**This review is a little spoilery （Not big things though）！*Not gonna lie， I had a really hard time getting into this book。 I found the multiple perspectives with short chapters really distracting and off-putting。 I felt like the story almost needed longer chapters or more perspectives。 It took me about half way until I felt really drawn in and invested in the story。 After that point， I was completely blown away。 I really appreciated the references to A Thousand and One Nights。 They were palpable， but not complete knock-offs。 It gave the story a warm， familiar feeling。 The only thing that I'm still really disgruntled by is the title of the book。 There were a couple of references throughout the story， but we never found out what it meant or how it ties in to the story。 Hopefully we find out in book 2。Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me a digital copy for review。 The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the author or publisher。 。。。more

Kelly ，

When I first started reading this I was kinda afraid it was going to be some gender-bent Alladin， which I would not have minded at all， but what it ended up being was so much better than that！ This was a magical story about stories and the kernels of truth found in them; full of action and adventure I love every last word！Mazen is a prince， although he feels more like a prisoner。 After the death of his mother at the hands of a jinn， his father has forbidden him from traveling anywhere without an When I first started reading this I was kinda afraid it was going to be some gender-bent Alladin， which I would not have minded at all， but what it ended up being was so much better than that！ This was a magical story about stories and the kernels of truth found in them; full of action and adventure I love every last word！Mazen is a prince， although he feels more like a prisoner。 After the death of his mother at the hands of a jinn， his father has forbidden him from traveling anywhere without an escort。 This means he has to get a little creative， sneaking out of his gilded cage and donning the disguise of Yousef， just a humble lover of stories。 Loulie is a merchant， The Midnight Merchant to be exact， a merchant who seems to be able to get her hands on all sorts of relics filled with illegal Jinn Magic。 No one knows how she does it but she is famous， even infamous throughout the land。 When Loulie saves Mazen's life from a Jinn one afternoon she couldn't possibly have foreseen the consequences of her action; now she is charged with bringing his father， the Sultan back a rare Jinn Relic。 A lamp containing a Jinn that is bound to Mazen's family through blood and magic。 As Mazen and Loulie set out to recover the relic neither of them could have prepared themselves for the secrets they will discover about the Jinn and the length's some people are willing to go to keep them from being revealed。 Since Mazen is a lover of stories the lore of the world Abdullah created is related to the telling of stories and I really loved that。 It was such a unique way to build up the world and I found myself looking forward to the next time a story would be told。 In my eArc， the stories within the story were denoted by a dark gray background， and every time I "turned" a page I found myself super excited when it had that background！ Every character in this was amazing as well。 Pretty much everyone in this story has a secret and how the characters dealt with it when each of those secrets was revealed was understandable。 I didn't find myself questioning their reactions as being unrealistic， especially given the circumstances the four main characters find themselves。 I honestly don't believe I have a favorite though， I loved all of them， even the bad guy as he was such a fantastically written bad guy。 And I did not figure out his whole plot until it was too late and my mouth was hanging open and I was just like WHAT！？The balance between action and story was perfect as well， just enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat but not so much that you're skipping ahead to see when the five-page battle ends。 And omg did this keep me on the seat。 I think I lost count of how many times I said， "Wait， What！？ NO！" And I'm hoping given how this ends that there is a book two forthcoming because the ending was absolutely perfect！ Overall， highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good fantasy adventure book！And thanks so much to Netgalley and Orbit Books for my free eArc！ 。。。more

Paul ，

Lots of ratings and reviews for this one already。 I'll just recommend it to Fantasy fans。 It's a good start to a series。 I see lots of 5 stars in it's future。 I really appreciate the free review copy！！ Lots of ratings and reviews for this one already。 I'll just recommend it to Fantasy fans。 It's a good start to a series。 I see lots of 5 stars in it's future。 I really appreciate the free review copy！！ 。。。more

Jayme Toerner ，

Well written。 I love Loulie and Omar。 Mazen seemed a bit whiny to me and I'm not sure why， but I just didn't connect with him。 Loulie， however， captivated me right away。 She is fierce， strong， and witty。 The prose is quite pretty and easy to read but I found myself getting bored often。 What bored me was the constant switching between characters points of view。 Just when I would start getting very interested in someone's voice， it would switch。 I understand the need for everyone's point of view b Well written。 I love Loulie and Omar。 Mazen seemed a bit whiny to me and I'm not sure why， but I just didn't connect with him。 Loulie， however， captivated me right away。 She is fierce， strong， and witty。 The prose is quite pretty and easy to read but I found myself getting bored often。 What bored me was the constant switching between characters points of view。 Just when I would start getting very interested in someone's voice， it would switch。 I understand the need for everyone's point of view but something felt off。 The story itself is oozing with excitement I just wish the relationships between the characters was more pronounced。 It was nice to enter the world of the Jinn and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape from the every day in to a world of magic。 。。。more

Michelle W。 - Sweaters & Stilettos ，

I love a good adventure， especially one with mythical background！ This was such a fun read and I couldn't wait to continue the story。 The world building was well done。 I really got a sense of how the world functioned and especially how humans feared the jinn and how that turned into hate and all around with hunts。 Although this was written from multiple perspectives， Loulie feels like are main protagonist。 She's the Midnight Merchant。 She has a tragic back story and is now on her own （mostly - w I love a good adventure， especially one with mythical background！ This was such a fun read and I couldn't wait to continue the story。 The world building was well done。 I really got a sense of how the world functioned and especially how humans feared the jinn and how that turned into hate and all around with hunts。 Although this was written from multiple perspectives， Loulie feels like are main protagonist。 She's the Midnight Merchant。 She has a tragic back story and is now on her own （mostly - we'll get to that） and in charge of her destiny。 So， she finds magic and sells it， which is illegal。 Somehow she doesn't seem to be wanted though。 She's fearless because she has a jinn bodyguard， Qadir。 He has many secrets， but he protects her and helps her find the forbidden magic she sells。 He doesn't get any sort of renumeration。 He just wants to protect her and he can blend in with the humans， so it works。 Until it doesn't。 When she's summoned by the sultan to find an all powerful lamp， her life and the freedom she's relied on， disappears。 Suddenly， she's on a quest。 Her companions are equally shady （for different reasons） and no one has the same goal。 The author then takes us on an adventure that never seemed to end; in a good way！ So much happened in this book， I kept thinking， "Surely this will be the cliffhanger that ends the book？"。 It was not。 There was so much explanation of the world， the history of the world， the character backgrounds and yet， I still cannot wait to read the next book！Qadir was just plain awesome。 He has many， many secrets。 Of course， when I read that humans were hunting the jinn nearly to extinction and their blood creates life， I knew there was a great deal of hidden backstory and I wanted to learn it all。 This novel gave enough。 I didn't feel cheated at the end and I didn't feel like I dropped off a cliff and now I have to wait who knows how long before I get the second book。 I want the second book， but there was enough of an ending to satisfy。 I like that。 Unless I'm reading a series way late to the party where I can binge the whole thing。 The way the author twisted the 1001 Tales was very interesting。 While I am familiar with them， I have never actually read them。 Some things in the novel felt familiar and some I probably missed。 Even without the inspiration， this was an exciting adventure without much if any romance。 I will be watching for book two！ 。。。more

Ayushi （bookwormbullet） ，

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was such a fun Adult fantasy with incredible Arab rep！ If you're a fan of books with found family， adventure， and magic like We Hunt the Flame or The City of Brass， I definitely recommend picking up The Stardust Thief！The novel follows four characters， Loulie， Mazen， Qadir， and Aisha on a quest to find a magical lamp， and I loved how each POV in the novel （we get 3 characters' POVs） offered such a Thank you so much to Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！This was such a fun Adult fantasy with incredible Arab rep！ If you're a fan of books with found family， adventure， and magic like We Hunt the Flame or The City of Brass， I definitely recommend picking up The Stardust Thief！The novel follows four characters， Loulie， Mazen， Qadir， and Aisha on a quest to find a magical lamp， and I loved how each POV in the novel （we get 3 characters' POVs） offered such a distinct voice from each character。 It was really cool being able to see each characters' motivations， fears， and desires through their chapters。 I also loved how the main plot of the book was interwoven with real， popular Arab stories--stories that I grew up with myself。 I think these were definitely the highlights of the novel for me！I think the one reason why I didn't enjoy this book as much was the fact that the story felt unnecessarily long considering how simple the plot and premise was。 I think a lot of the storytelling and plot could have been tightened or more concise to get to the main point of our four MCs' journey。 Nevertheless， I think this is a great debut from Chelsea Abdullah and I can't wait to see where this series goes in the next two books！Follow me on TikTok| Instagram| Twitter for more book reviews & recommendations！ 。。。more

AFLV ，

A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC。I have been longing to read this book ever since it was announced， and when the publication date was somewhat nearing， then I was longing for an ARC。 So you could say that I've been thirsting and dreaming for this book for a LONG WHILE。 And it did not disappoint。 Oddly， it shattered my high expectations with its excellency。There are many great books out there。 Great--as in the writing was superb。 Great--as in it took my soul and ran away， and I'm t A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC。I have been longing to read this book ever since it was announced， and when the publication date was somewhat nearing， then I was longing for an ARC。 So you could say that I've been thirsting and dreaming for this book for a LONG WHILE。 And it did not disappoint。 Oddly， it shattered my high expectations with its excellency。There are many great books out there。 Great--as in the writing was superb。 Great--as in it took my soul and ran away， and I'm thankful for it。 Great as in impactful。 I can think of many books that fit in each category of great， but it's rare to read something that fits in all three categories of great。 The Stardust Thief is a rare precious diamond among books。 Reading it is a transcending experience。 I was completely and utterly immersed into the Sandsea and the characters' journey。 I truly felt like I was there。 But the most magical part was that whenever I resumed reading it， it felt like I could breathe again。 I was relieved to be back。 I didn't care much about anything except that I was back in the story。 I trusted the story to go wherever it was supposed to do， and it did。 It was my oasis， and I'm very grateful that I read it when I really needed to have an oasis。Loulie was such a relatable wonderful main character。 You could really understand her reasoning and feel her stubbornness through each page。 She's smart and resourceful， and her character development was really， REALLY good and beautiful。Qadir is mine。 Sorry， everyone， Qadir is my person and no one is allowed to hurt him。 He is so strong and so self-aware。 He knows his strengths and his weaknesses， and he owns his mistakes （even though expressing himself isn't the easiest， most natural thing。 Even immortal jinn need their baby steps， and it's okay！）。Mazen was a surprise for me。 I don't usually gravitate or like characters that are so soft and naive。 （Please don't come at me for this😅🙈）。 But I like Mazen。 He's naive but in an adorable kind of way， and I think I like him because he sees and understands what's wrong and what isn't。 He doesn't condone or make excuses for it， no matter who has committed the evil action。 His character development was also done SO WELL。 He really grew along the journey。 I went from "Mazen， honey， no！" to "Yes， Mazen， you got this， boo！" Aisha was like a storm personified。 She made me like her， hope for her， infuriated me， made me want to scream at her， before I finally gave in， "Now she's got it。" I haven't felt all these contradicting emotions so starkly about a single character before， and I found myself getting all the more intrigued。 Because what is her journey？ What is her destiny？ I can't help but wonder， and that's sooo enthralling。Plot-wise， I should say that it isn't the most fast-paced book， but it is an epic fantasy， after all。 However， I found it refreshing。 I want the characters to take a breather。 I want myself to enjoy reading without feeling rushed and experiencing murders， battles， and suspense all the time。 I thought the pace suited the story and the narrative style that reminisces of 1001 Arabian Nights。 Though， this is not to say that things aren't happening， because holy moly！！ Adventure awaits at every corner in this book。World-building， I don't think that there are words adequate enough to describe how glorious the world-building and setting are。 I mean， ARAB FANTASY WRITTEN BY AN ARAB WOMAN？！！！ Only research cannot evoke this kind of authenticity and genuineness。 Nothing was unclear。 Everything was perfect like it always belonged there。If you enjoyed Tasha Suri's Empire of Sand， if you enjoyed Hafsah Faizal's Sands of Arawiya and wanted something in the adult age group， if you love jinn （like me！！）， then you should really pre-order/buy this book。I absolutely adored this book， and I have no doubt that it's one of the best books of the year。 In fact， I think The Stardust Thief is a book I'm going to re-read many times。 I already yearn to dive back into this world。A truly beautiful book that mesmerized me from the beginning。 I loved it so much。 I already want the sequel。 Book 2， can you come sooner？ 。。。more

Bronte-Marie Wesson ，

An unreasonably beautiful book with a complex heart that I'll be thinking about for the forseeable future。 An unreasonably beautiful book with a complex heart that I'll be thinking about for the forseeable future。 。。。more

Katie ，

4。5/5A remarkable arab-inspired fantasy debut that weaves together storytelling a la 1001 Nights with epic adventure。 Loved our cast， especially man with mysteries within mysteries Qadir

Tima ，

The Stardust Thief is a glittering and adventurous tale about a merchant， a jinn， a prince， and a thief who set out on a perilous quest to retrieve an ancient relic from the mystical Sandsea。 Did I use enough fancy words to convince you to read it？ No？ Well then， I guess I’ll try to convince you by gushing about what might end up being my favourite read of the year。 The book follows three main perspectives: Loulie， a merchant of magical relics with a jinn bodyguard; Mazen， the youngest and most The Stardust Thief is a glittering and adventurous tale about a merchant， a jinn， a prince， and a thief who set out on a perilous quest to retrieve an ancient relic from the mystical Sandsea。 Did I use enough fancy words to convince you to read it？ No？ Well then， I guess I’ll try to convince you by gushing about what might end up being my favourite read of the year。 The book follows three main perspectives: Loulie， a merchant of magical relics with a jinn bodyguard; Mazen， the youngest and most cowardly of three princes who has a heart for the desert he longs to explore; and Aisha， a fierce and uncompromising thief who I didn’t expect to love but ohmygosh I love her。 All of these characters have such distinct voices throughout the book and there wasn’t a single boring moment with any of them。 Even characters without a POV like the mysterious jinn bodyguard， Qadir， and others I won’t name so you can find out for yourself， were full of personality and life。 Nevermind the way that Chelsea Abdullah described each location and setting in such a beautiful yet digestible way。 Or the super fascinating and most imaginative magic system I’ve read in a while。 Despite being able to tell that this was a debut every now and then， everything else made up for it。 EVERYTHING。 This book was so compelling from the very first page （not an exaggeration， I had such a struggle to put it down that only my stress over school was enough to surmount）。 Especially the clever and smooth way that the tales/interludes were incorporated （and told）。 This world and The character’s stories will sweep you up and take you along a whirlwind ride you won’t regret embarking on。 Extra extra kudos for some freaking good Arab rep。 I know this isn’t the only adult fantasy book with Arab rep written by an Arab author out in the world but it’s the first one I’ve read and it’s everything I’ve ever wanted。 Ok there did I convince you now？ Netgalley blessed me this Ramadan。 Thank you for the ARC。 。。。more

maddays ，

✨3。8 stars✨Exciting story I know will only get better as the trilogy goes on！ First books in trilogies are usually my least favorite， so I'm excited for book two and to continue with these characters I've gotten to know！ You can really tell this story was crafted with care， and I really enjoyed the banter and relationships。 My only criticism if anything is that I would've loved a little bit more action/politics/scheming woven in， as we got a lot of flashbacks from the characters' pasts and somet ✨3。8 stars✨Exciting story I know will only get better as the trilogy goes on！ First books in trilogies are usually my least favorite， so I'm excited for book two and to continue with these characters I've gotten to know！ You can really tell this story was crafted with care， and I really enjoyed the banter and relationships。 My only criticism if anything is that I would've loved a little bit more action/politics/scheming woven in， as we got a lot of flashbacks from the characters' pasts and sometimes it drew me out of the story a little bit！ 。。。more

Vansa ，

I loved this book！ I really enjoy new fantasy writers ，who set their works in mythical/ fairytale worlds of different cultures。 This book， set in the world of 1001 and one nights， is a great addition to the list。 The characters are all unique， and memorable， and wholly believable - none of them suddenly acquire powers， all the dangers they face and how they conquer them are excellently written。 The writer's descriptions are lovely and evocative and move beyond cliched descriptions of bazaars and I loved this book！ I really enjoy new fantasy writers ，who set their works in mythical/ fairytale worlds of different cultures。 This book， set in the world of 1001 and one nights， is a great addition to the list。 The characters are all unique， and memorable， and wholly believable - none of them suddenly acquire powers， all the dangers they face and how they conquer them are excellently written。 The writer's descriptions are lovely and evocative and move beyond cliched descriptions of bazaars and crowds and the exotic Orient。 I'm so glad this will be a trilogy！ 。。。more

Emily ，

4。5 starsThank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC。I love stories about jinn！ They are always so fun to read。 I really liked this book and am looking forward to the sequel。 The writing was really easy to follow and the pacing was just right。 I didn't feel bored at times as there was always something going on。 I liked how the chapters had 3 PoV。 I didn't find myself not liking any of the 3 characters。 Each chapter had me engaged and wanting to know more about their lives。 I think the second 4。5 starsThank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC。I love stories about jinn！ They are always so fun to read。 I really liked this book and am looking forward to the sequel。 The writing was really easy to follow and the pacing was just right。 I didn't feel bored at times as there was always something going on。 I liked how the chapters had 3 PoV。 I didn't find myself not liking any of the 3 characters。 Each chapter had me engaged and wanting to know more about their lives。 I think the second should be interesting because of the way it ends。 I would recommend！ 。。。more

Lia ，

Thanks， Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review！ Lovely read！ The reluctant allies trope is beautifully explored and each of the main cast has a POV chapters that allow us to get deeper in our understanding of these amazing， introguing and very different characters。 The worldbuilding and setting is very imaginative！ Very good start of these series and can't wait for the second book！ Thanks， Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review！ Lovely read！ The reluctant allies trope is beautifully explored and each of the main cast has a POV chapters that allow us to get deeper in our understanding of these amazing， introguing and very different characters。 The worldbuilding and setting is very imaginative！ Very good start of these series and can't wait for the second book！ 。。。more

Svea ，

Yes hello， new favourite of the year！ I read the blurb， thought it sounded fun， but did definitely not expect to love "The Stardust Thief" as much as I do。 This is a wildly imaginative， fun story with a lot more depth to it than I thought， full of amazing， complex characters。And the characters are what made me truly fall in love with this story。 I'm a very character-driven reader， so while good plots definitely get me hooked， I need to really care about the characters in order to truly enjoy a b Yes hello， new favourite of the year！ I read the blurb， thought it sounded fun， but did definitely not expect to love "The Stardust Thief" as much as I do。 This is a wildly imaginative， fun story with a lot more depth to it than I thought， full of amazing， complex characters。And the characters are what made me truly fall in love with this story。 I'm a very character-driven reader， so while good plots definitely get me hooked， I need to really care about the characters in order to truly enjoy a book。 There is not one， not a single one character I disliked。 "The Stardust Thief" is an adventure story set in a world inspired by the tales of the One Thousand and One Nights， with little nods and story beats being found all throughout the book。 It's about Loulie， a thief and merchant selling magical Jinn relics to the highest bidders。 These rare relics cannot be found by just anyone， and she does it with the help of her closest confidante and bodyguard， a Jinn himself。 At some point， they meet the young prince Mazen who likes to sneak out of the palace in a disguise in order to listen to storytellers and mingle with his subjects。 Their paths cross again when Mazen's father， the sultan， more or less forces Loulie to go and find a very specific Jinn relic for him - a lamp that is said to house an especially powerful Jinn。 What ensues is a long， adventurous journey that rarely allows the reader to sit and breathe for just a second。 Loulie is an amazing protagonist， complex and genuinely good with just a dash of grey morals， shaped by a tragic past and one of the most interesting relationships with her Jinn friend Qadir - a relationship that is not romantic， which I loved。 Mazen starts of as a cowardly little prince who grows into himself， and the third pov， Aisha， is a morally ambiguous Jinn hunter who might just be my favorite of them all。 Now， none of them invent the wheel， they're all the kind of characters we've read often enough to make them predictable。 But they're charming， they're well-written and they make the reader feel for them。 The central Big Bad， Mazen's brother Omar， might be one of my favourite characters， too。 Not only is the book literally named after him， but there seem to be so many layers to him that we haven't peeled off just yet that I'm most excited to learn more about him。The plot is fast-paced with some slower parts， and it's highly entertaining。 There's excitement around every corner， with interesting antagonists （though one of them admittedly falls flat because we don't really know much about him， he's just evil） and intriguing plot developments。 There are some good twists， and all in all I really need the next book because there are so many more stories to tell。 I loved the way the book ended and I need more， more， more。 The writing is beautiful and lush， allowing for intricate world-building。 The world is a vivid one， the mythology is exciting， and you simply need to read it。4，5 stars， rounded up。 Many many MANY thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc！ 。。。more

Josh Schmidtka ，

After reading the City of Brass trilogy， I thought I would never get another fantasy story in a desert setting with djinn and magic。。。until Orbit hurt my TBR even more with this must read book called "The Stardust Thief" by Chelsea Abdullah。This epic fantasy book was a rollercoaster of emotions， djinn， magic， and guesses of what is to happen but when it happens you didn't expect what came next。 Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights， it tells the story of a trio of characters who a After reading the City of Brass trilogy， I thought I would never get another fantasy story in a desert setting with djinn and magic。。。until Orbit hurt my TBR even more with this must read book called "The Stardust Thief" by Chelsea Abdullah。This epic fantasy book was a rollercoaster of emotions， djinn， magic， and guesses of what is to happen but when it happens you didn't expect what came next。 Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights， it tells the story of a trio of characters who are given a dangerous quest to find a legendary lamp: a magic smuggler， the smuggler's djinn companion， and a cowardly prince。Though I gave a general idea of what this story is about， it is far more complex and deeper than I can go without spoiling it。 So， if you haven't read this book， I recommend it for fans of City of Brass！5/5 stars， 3/3 djinn， and 1 Phoenix。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Stardust Thief

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Stardust Thief&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Stardust Thief&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0