Title: A Master of Djinn
Author: P. Djeli Clark
Pages: 390
Finished: December 13, 2021
First Sentence: Archibald James Portendorf disliked stairs.
Summary: Genies and other magical beings have come back to Egypt. In 1912, Fatma el-Sha'arawi investigates a homicide of a secret society dedicated to al-Jahiz, the mystic who brought djinn back into the world. However, the person who claimed the Brotherhood claims to be al-Jahiz himself, back in the world and eager to destroy mankind.
Thoughts: I received an ARC of this back in the spring in exchange for an honest review.
Worldbuilding/Setting: I'm a sucker for steampunk and fantasy. Especially when it mixes with real world. The world building here worked for me especially since it was set in Egypt instead of the more traditional Western cultures many books. Nothing here really threw me.
Characterization: While I appreciated that the main characters were all women, I was disappointed in Fatma. She definitely came across as different to prove she's not like other women. I know many women go through this, me included. But to never see it addressed, it just felt like it was celebrating internalized misogyny. That being said, I appreciated that all the characters came across as competent in their jobs, both men and women.
Overall, the storyline was interesting and I did enjoy reading it.
