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Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal cloaked in mystery who hunts and sells illegal magic. When she unwittingly saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land — at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.
Loulie’s only choice is to obey or be executed, so she agrees to journey with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. With the help of her jinn bodyguard, who has disguised himself as a human, and a prince, who is nothing like the stories say, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. But 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.
The Stardust Thief takes inspiration from many stories within One Thousand and One Nights, weaving lush mythology and vibrant world-building alongside Arab fairy tales. I absolutely loved this concept of stories within a story, and Chelsea Abdullah certainly delivers. However, many readers may not agree with me. I personally recommended this to two friends. One loved it as much as I did. The other wasn’t interested enough by the opening chapters to finish.
It’s true The Stardust Thief doesn’t offer a massive cast of characters, flashy politics, or epic romances (in fact, a future romance is barely hinted at). The characters don’t fit the traditional “hero” mold, which may make them harder (or easier) to connect to. The story also began slowly, focusing on setup and lore. Even once the action picked up, it was still balanced with quieter moments.
Perhaps where The Stardust Thief really shines is how it incorporates Arab mythology and fairy tales into the history of a new fantasy world, making it feel rich and alive and almost nostalgic. As such, perhaps this story is one that won’t resonate with readers who are not familiar with One Thousand and One Nights. Overall, though, I would recommend it to fairy tale lovers, those who enjoy desert fantasies, or those who are fans of the lush atmosphere of The Daevabad Trilogy.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 2 uses of strong language, 6 uses of moderate language, and 22 uses of mild language. Sexual content includes a jinn bewitching a man to want her. Violence is frequent, and while the acts are not often descriptive, it felt graphic for its viciousness. Countless deaths, injuries, and blood are featured, from the brief mention of a murdered tribe and a character’s parents, to ghouls that rip out hearts, to someone impaled in an iron trap, to a character whose ankles are stabbed as a method of torture. Jinn are hunted mercilessly, and a character witnesses a jinn child murdered without remorse.
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