Published: May 2021
Pages: 438
Summary
Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.
So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.
Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city -or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…
My thoughts
I really, really enjoyed this book! This is a captivating blend of history, fantasy and a classic murder mystery. But it wasn’t just the murder mystery that kept me turning the pages. The main characters in this book are loveable and relatable. Fatma is one of the very few female agents in the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities.
Being set in the early 1900s this book touches lightly on deep rooted issues of having women gain rights and start taking on more typical ‘male’ roles. We see that in the way Fatma is treated before she shows her badge. The automatic assumption is that she’s in the wrong place. On the flipside, Fatma has very good working relationships with her male colleagues. She’s part of the team and it feels as though the gender differences have no issues at all when it comes to working together, which is great to see.
“You! You can’t just walk in here! This is a crime scene!”
“That would explain the dead bodies, then,” Fatma replied. He blinked dumbly, and she sighed. Wasting good sarcasm was annoying.
Additionally, this is a world that humans share with Djinn but there are deeply rooted societal issues between the species. This is often highlighted throughout the text when we see how certain characters are treated based on their appearances, or use of magic. We see this through the different religions that they follow and this being relied upon to continue to fracture relationships between human and Djinn. But not all of our characters see things this way and its refreshing to see the multiple perspectives as Fatma continues her investigation into the mass murder.
“Usually the secrets we keep deep down, ain’t meant to hurt other people,” he said. “Not saying they won’t, but not through intentions. Those deep secrets, we hide away because we’re afraid what other people might think. How they might judge us, if they knew. And nobody’s judgment we scared of more than the one we give our hearts to. Besides, everybody got secrets. Even you, I’m betting.”
Side note: for my Six of Crows fans, Fatma reminded me of Kaz. They have a similar sense of style, their behaviours and drivers are very aligned. Where Kaz is more sadistic, Fatma does not enjoy malice or violence. She is well equipped and will take care of herself if needed, but if there’s a way to avoid it, she will always try that route first. She is self assured and doesn’t question her belonging which I thoroughly enjoyed.
There’s definitely room for a bit more, deeper character development, however there is rumour of a second book in this world with our main characters, so if that does come to fruition, I will definitely be reading it and I hope to see more of our characters on an individual level.
This is a really imaginative novel, I never would have though steampunk and Arabic folklore in a fantasy world would work so well together but he wrote this so very well and the different genres mesh together brilliantly. After reading Hafsah Faizal’s ‘A Tempest of Tea’ and her ‘We Hunt the Flame’ duology, I’ve really been wanting to read more Arabic inspired books and this definitely met my expectations. If you have any recs of fantasy books with Arabic folklore, I would love to hear them!
The steampunk element is very interesting, but I have to admit there were certain characters I had to look up the fanart because I couldn’t quite imagine what they looked like. For example, there are mechanical Angels and I struggled to visualise what that would look like. On the plus side, there is some fantastic fanart out there!
There is a small romantic subplot which was enough to swoon me, I really enjoyed those small stolen moments. However, the heart of this book is the mystery – Who killed these people? What were they doing? Who is running around claiming to be al-Jahiz? I was very intrigued, and although some pieces of the puzzle formed together for me a bit earlier on, there was still plenty to guess about and keep me hooked.
“The world sits at a precipice. Our ability to create has exceeded our ability to understand.”
Lastly, Fatma is a very strong female protagonist. She is written incredibly well. She is resourceful, intelligent, and determined, navigating a world that often limits women. These themes are woven subtly but land powerfully. I wish I got more of her backstory and motivation, perhaps if book two comes then we’ll see a bit more, but this story does come to a complete end and we get our mystery resolved.
Would I recommend?
Yes! This book is highly imaginative and entertaining that will appeal to fans of steampunk, historical fiction, and fantasy. While there’s some room for improvement in character development, this is a unique world with an engaging plot that had me needing to learn more.
Fantastic review ! Going to read this book in the summer time.
Thank you! I’d love to read your thoughts when you finish it and see what you thought.