The map of salt and stars

In the modern storyline, sometimes the dialogue seemed to go from one heartfelt, poetic and insightful conversation to another - which sometimes worked really well, but other times seemed a bit improbable for the young protagonist. I really liked switching between the two storylines, and as I'm not very familiar with the places where it takes place, I was also switching between the book and Wikipedia throughout :)

The writing was wonderful, and I really liked the symbolism within the story. I can understand why it is loved by people! It's just not what I usually read and I didn't really enjoy it for that reason, I think. Which is why I've given it 2 stars.

I originally picked it up as the authors next book (The Thirty Names of Night) sounds really interesting, and I wanted to see if I'd like their work before their next one was published. As it is, I'm not sure if I'll read their next book now or not!

Review coming soon.

Interweaving an Islamic Mediterranean folkloric tale with a Syrian refugee's uncertain journey should have worked, but I struggled to connect as it wore on. The terror of war and displacement for children is well handled, by believable main characters.