A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1)

There are so many things I love about this book (and the novella's proceding it).
The first, and most important one in an audiobook, is the narrator, Suehyle El-Attar. My utmost compliments to the selection of the narrator. I love how she portrays the characters, the voices. The accents she uses are subtle but oh so colorful. They breathe life in the narration.

Then there's the story itself.
I love reading fantasy, but over the decennia, I've grown tired of the same old same old base of legends. Everything seems to be centered on Western European mythology, a few authors excepted. Yes there are exceptions, but they are too few. And one of them, is losing his magic, I'm sad to say.
But here's something fresh. Fantasy centered in the Middle-East. Egypt. And when I say centered, I mean really centered. The mythology is there, and as fresh as a daisy. The author takes the Djinn and puts a new spin on then, but an authentic one.

The main character is a woman, a delightful quirky one. She turns the "exotic dress" on its head and only wears western male suits, because, well, exotic.
The only romance (very light) is a lesbian one, and it is wonderfully done. Usually those romances are only there as fetishes, but here it feels true. It was set up in the previous novella, A dead Djinn in Cairo, and followed through in a meaningful way here.

There is a little bit of 'mystery' in the story, but really, it isn't much of a mystery, as is with the other novella's. Everything is straight forward, no real twists that can't be seen coming from the first chapters.

I rarely give a book 5 stars, maybe this one doesn't deserve the full five, but more 4.75, but that's close enough ;-)
Give this a read, you will love it.