The Djinn’s Apple | By Djamila Morani | Translated by Sawad Hussain

Synopsis :

Historical fiction meets crime fiction in The Djinn’s Apple , an award-winning YA murder mystery set in the Abbasid period—the golden age of Baghdad. A ruthless murder. A magical herb. A mysterious manuscript. When Nardeen’s home is stormed by angry men frantically in search of something—or someone—she is the only one who manages to escape. And after the rest of her family is left behind and murdered, Nardeen sets out on an unyielding mission to bring her family’s killers to justice, regardless of the cost…

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

Djinn’s Apple is a tale of mystery and intrigue that shines light on the rich culture of Baghdad. Historically, Baghdad had been a cultural capital and growing up reading stories about the Arabian nights and the caliphs,  I have a cursory understanding of the folklore.

The story immediately took me back to those memories when I used to read the story of the caliph’s escapades among the common public and the moral lessons they taught us. The Djinn’s Apple, however, is the story of a simple girl named Nadeera who is caught up in the politics of the royal family.

Characters and Conflicts

Even though the story is shorter in length, it packs a punch right from the beginning. You are immediately rooting for Nadeera after all that she goes through and want her to succeed.

The moral dilemma that Nadeera goes through is predictable, and maybe that was intentional all along. However, in the short span of time, the story established its pivotal characters and their motivations so that you end up curious as to how it would all come to fruition.

The romance was a bit hastily done. Simply because Suhaib came across more like a plot device rather than a love interest and the ending pretty much wasn’t where I thought it was going. Even so, this is a book worth reading for all that beautiful world-building.

Conclusion

More than the plot , I enjoyed the overall theme and the world where this story was set. It is reminiscent of a glorious past and a yearning for all that was lost. It was a quick one time read for me.

I received a NetGalley e-ARC of the book from @TheWriteReads in exchange for an honest review for the Ultimate blog tour.