Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The expansive middle installment of Abdullah's Sandsea trilogy explores a sand-swept land of magic, mystery, and lost legacies. Following the dramatic events of 2023's The Stardust Thief, magic merchant Loulie al-Nazari and her companions--storyteller Prinze Mazen bin Malik and conflicted thief Aisha--have been cast into the Sandsea, the sunken realm of the jinn. Meanwhile, Loulie's jinn bodyguard, Qadir, once a mighty king, is missing. After helping one of Qadir's old buddies--the legendary jinn Rijah, also known as the Shapeshifter--this cadre of unlikely allies are swept up in an ancient struggle between jinn factions, one that will determine the fate of several realms. With trust in short supply and powerful foes closing in, Loulie, Mazen, and Aisha must master terrible powers and navigate age-old rivalries to save the Sandsea from a terrible fate. Abdullah continues to cleverly integrate tales from One Thousand and One Nights into her intricate worldbuilding while delivering a heady mix of adventure and romance. With several major threads left tantalizingly dangling, this sets things up nicely for an epic finale. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Book two of Abdullah's "Sandsea Trilogy" (following LJ Best Book The Stardust Thief) begins right after book one concludes, with Loulie al-Nazari, the Midnight Merchant, and the banished prince Mazen bin Malik slipping into the world of the jinn, sheltered under the Sandsea. They are escaping the slaughter above, leaving behind Qadir, Loulie's jinn bodyguard, and Aisha bint Louas, once one of the fabled Forty Thieves. Separated, the story follows Loulie and Mazen as they navigate the warring jinn landscape, filled with magic they cannot begin to understand. Aisha is far from defeated and will not allow her friends to remain lost or her betrayer to remain victorious. Qadir, a jinn of great power and complicated story, is imperiled too, even as his history is revealed as the central engine of this disastrous plot, which has been manipulated since the four travelers first stepped onto the desert's sands. VERDICT Once again Abdullah deftly conjures magic. The middle book in Abdullah's adventure is no less thrilling or expansively conceived than the first.--Neal Wyatt
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