May 5, 2014
Debut author Lough introduces two courageous, resilient heroines in this series opener, a historical fantasy set in Baghdad’s Golden Age. Humans and jinn once lived in peace, advancing scientific knowledge through cooperation, but are now at war. Zayele, a free-spirited 16-year-old from Zab, where the war began, dreads her upcoming marriage to the caliph’s son Kamal; she’ll have to leave behind her blind brother. Zayele makes a wish to trade places with the unwilling jinni Najwa. Reflecting the author’s background in military intelligence, Najwa, part of the prestigious Eyes of Iblis Corps, must investigate the game-changing weapon Kamal is developing. As both girls struggle to undo Zayele’s wish, they uncover their shared, hidden past and become targets of deadly intrigue. Though sometimes predictable, Lough’s novel distinguishes itself by its willingness to follow through on the consequences of its protagonists’ actions. “We know you didn’t mean to harm
Najwa, but what is disturbing is that you so freely took from someone else,” the wise Faisal explains to Zayele before sending her to rescue Najwa and reverse her mistake. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
May 15, 2014
The Thousand and One Nights meets The Prince and the Pauper.In what can only be termed quasi-historical fantasy (the geography checks out, the mythology not so much), two girls-one headed to Baghdad to marry the caliph's son, the other a jinni who spies on humans as part of an interspecies war-switch places. They look exactly alike, and both of them are closer to the secrets behind the war, which began in their infancies, than they know. Alternating chapters in occasionally indistinguishable (but generally well-written, albeit with occasional flashes of purple prose) first-person voices detail their worlds (the historical world aboveground and the jinni's anachronistically modern-feeling underground Cavern); their parallel romances (the swap was good for kissing, at least); and the escalating war. Someone has been inciting trouble for a long time, and Najwa and Zayele's accidental switch brings it all to a head. Yes, it's first in a trilogy, but its arc is satisfying enough on its own.Fast-paced and reasonably respectful, this Middle Eastern-flavored fantasy will appeal to a growing readership clamoring for exactly this kind of girl-powered intrigue, magic and romance. (Fantasy. 12-16)
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May 1, 2014
Gr 9 Up-In this fresh new twist in the fantasy genre, Lough places a decidedly human spin on the jinni (aka genie) myth, the diabolical creatures of Arabic lore. Zayele, a human princess from Baghdad, forces a wish upon Najwa, a jinni, and the consequences are dangerous and life-altering. The wish causes the teens to switch places and they must contend with the very different worlds to which they are transported. Both main characters are distinctly developed, and even when the switch occurs, they maintain their disparate identities. Lough's stylistic prose is simple and accessible; she employs many elements of imagery and figurative language in easy-to-understand ways that will appeal to younger teens and reluctant readers. A tense and mysterious mood pervades this book, but the pacing picks up too rapidly in the latter part of the novel. The world-building falters, and many teens will be discouraged and confused by the lack of development of background information and the novel's internal mythology. The use of occasional deus ex machina methods also disappoints. An uneven debut.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2014
Grades 7-10 In this Middle Eastern fantasy reinvention of The Prince and the Pauper, a soon-to-be-princess swaps places with a jinn training to be a spy in the decades-long war between the jinni and the humans for survival and supremacy. Najwa, the jinn, is still learning the extent of her powers, training under the famous magus Faisal for the Eyes of Iblis corps. Zayele, a daring young girl set to wed the caliph's son, wants nothing more than to stay with her family. The two girls should be enemies, but when they accidentally meet on the way to the caliph's palace, Zayele makes a powerful wish that switches their lives and points of view, making each girl a linchpin for their respective sides of the ongoing battle. There's a promise of romance, though it remains slight in this first installment in a planned series, and the focus remains mostly on the intriguing schemes the girls find themselves in. Debut author Lough's lovely and lyrical writing fills this fascinating fantasy world with delightful, lush detail.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)