I had been wanting to read A Master of Djinn since reading and loving the prequel short stories several years ago, but up until the Spring 2026 readalong, I never actually prioritised it, which is an absolute shame.

The first thing I will say is that I should have made a point of rereading the prequels. I do not remember them very well, and there are so many barely explained references to them strewn across this novel that I felt, at times, a little lost. So, consider this a heads-up: Do yourself a favour and (re-)read the prequels.

Apart from this tiny issue, I had an amazing time with A Master of Djinn. The writing, setting, world building, and magic system are phenomenal and imaginative; Fatma is a great character and an amazing protagonist, and the mystery is entertaining. I will say that I guessed the identitiy of the villain very early on, but I proceeded to be dissuaded for quite some time until I went back to my original (and correct) hunch, which was a very fun experience. Despite the engaging mystery, the plot does leave a few things to be desired: The pacing remains slow for a very long time and only picks up its pace within the last 100 or so pages, at which point it introduces more new elements than I knew what to do with. Everything gets wrapped up neatly in the end, though.

If I am informed correctly, A Master of Djinn is currently the only full-length novel in this series, but its ending leaves room for a sequel, which I would be very interested in reading, considering how much I liked this "first" installment.