Sunday, May 16, 2021

2021 book 110

 P. Djeli Clark's A Master of Djinn

This very fun and exciting novel centers on the supernatural-related Ministry's star investigator, a young woman who delights in dressing like a dandy, as she and her new partner investigate a mass murder—and the purported return of one of Cairo's heroes, the man who returned magic to the world (and gave countries like Egypt a way to fight colonialism). I am very here for a queer Muslim heroine solving supernatural mysteries, hanging out at speakeasies with jazz musicians, and making out with a cute ladyfriend (a woman with powers from a goddess??). Parts of this were a little slow, the villain is VERY OBVIOUS and it’s frustrating how long it takes for the agents to figure it out, but this is balanced by a lot of ladies kicking butt and a really interesting world. I will say that there are a lot of references to a short story involving some of these characters, and at a certain point I felt it should have been a prologue included in this book, since a lot of it was relevant. Still, a fun read for sure. A-/B+.


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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.

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