it's too caught up in its dedication to high fantasy to convey what, exactly, is going on at any point. the art is beautiful and i like the rhymes, buit's too caught up in its dedication to high fantasy to convey what, exactly, is going on at any point. the art is beautiful and i like the rhymes, but that isn't enough to make a good comic....more
the more i think about this book, the more i want to mess with my rating - i'd think this leans more towards the 4 stars than 3, if only because i adothe more i think about this book, the more i want to mess with my rating - i'd think this leans more towards the 4 stars than 3, if only because i adore louvaen so much. i just feel like there's so much left unresolved at the end, particularly things like (view spoiler)[the vine which grew from louvaen's tears, her being able to spin straw into steel, if isabeau's body being relocated is what completely broke the curse or not (hide spoiler)], but otherwise from a 'beauty and the beast' perspective, the story's rather solid. i'd argue that this is definitely a better-executed version of Beastly, complete with the vine-like scars, but it also does share a lot of common ground with the average werewolf novel. it's a good romance and i like that the two leads are both widowed (particularly that there's no animosity to the late thomas), but i think the big thing that holds it back is that the author wants to wink and nudge at too many other tales (aurora, cinderella, etc etc) which, outside of its context, start to feel like meaningless red herrings, particularly (view spoiler)[louvean's ability to spin straw to steel seeming to hint at some sort of rumpelstiltskin plot line with that debtor guy whose name i kept forgetting - like, her magic should've had some hand in saving her, (hide spoiler)] but i digress. good book, just a little too involved with not everything well-resolved outside of the main romances and very very obvious conflicts....more
A Master of Djinn is literally a masterpiece, there is no other way to phrase it. Functionally, structurally, in characterization and in plot, it is mA Master of Djinn is literally a masterpiece, there is no other way to phrase it. Functionally, structurally, in characterization and in plot, it is masterfully crafted. I had not previously read any of Clark's works in the series, and yet references to previous plot points are expertly woven so as not to alienate a reader entering this far into the series. I started typing up this review as soon as I finished reading it- I am stunned, awed, in tears, with no exaggeration. Through the entire narrative, Clark constantly points the narrative away from just the immediate struggles of Fatma or Hadia- their stories are never just their stories, but the story of the city, of friends-of-friends, all told in the distinct storyteller quality of a North African story. As a Moroccan, I would mouth along whole sentences with a smile- the words simply fit in my mouth, flowing and natural. The characterization of Egyptians and Cairenes is so heartfelt and purposeful- to see things like twin bewabs or to have a scene interrupted by prayer time, it feels so human and true. I'm usually a little sloppy about how I convey how a book made me feel, but I cannot recommend A Master of Djinn any more highly. To have a butch Arab Muslim lesbian as a protagonist in a fantastical North African fantasy.... it's the stuff of dreams. I am literally going to devour everything Clark has every written after this.
below are a few thoughts not included in my netgalley review: i was so consistently stunned by how well-constructed the overarching themes are. at the beginning, i wondered why fatma immediately called al-jahiz as an imposter (as i had also thought), only to realize later, as a muslim reader, it's because messianic figures simply aren't deified in muslim cultures as they are in christian cultures, so the 'return' of a man from the dead, even in a world of magic, seems hollow(view spoiler)[- this is especially interesting with the reveal of abigail, positioning her as a british christian messianic figure that she wanted to give off (hide spoiler)]. also, i find it so brilliant how clark interwove faiths throughout the book- to siti and ahmad, the old entombed gods are real and physical, and therefore enact upon the physical world where, to fatma and hadia, allah swt is present in how they're kept safe from danger and less through specific divine intervention. also. god. ahmad. (view spoiler)[to have a man slowly transform into a vessel for an old god to reunite with his lost love, then have him enact his revenge for her to ultimately save the world? (hide spoiler)] he had me in tears with but two words, weird as he was. ...more
i think this book has probably one of the best word-based magic systems in a fantasy book that i've read in a long time, and the world-building is iroi think this book has probably one of the best word-based magic systems in a fantasy book that i've read in a long time, and the world-building is iron-clad and very solid. the core familial values in it are very resonant and evident in the text, and i think vu con being a mother truly adds another layer to the story. i think calling this a beauty and the beast retelling kinda detracts from how much more grounded in family the story is- vu con's motherhood and (view spoiler)[struggle to raise children from a colonial genetic background that traumatized her, as well as (hide spoiler)]yen's relationship with her own mother form what i think is the core of the story- that one must take responsibility, yes, but one must also seek their own happiness and depend on others. i also like the conclusion yen reaches at the climax- (view spoiler)[that the whole word is but a ruin of colonialism, just as the palace is, and what matters is the people within it, not the failings of the world (hide spoiler)]. it's a very touching ending.
i think my only complaint and the only real failing of the book is that, in the last arc, events start to just get cut-out completely in favor of just stating what had happened, leading to a very rushed and fast ending that doesn't really resolve yen's concerns. it comes off as so abrupt because the first and middle arcs of the book are very careful and in-depth with their detail, in fleshing out the world and vu con and her relationship with yen and her children, but suddenly details are sparse and fleeting when it comes to resolving any of the issues presented in the book....more
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