This novella was a free download from Tor this fall, which tend to be extremely hit or miss for me--sometimes I discover a new author I really love, and other times it's more of an exercise for my speculative fiction reading brain. This definitely falls into the first category for me!
It's set in Cairo at the turn of the 20th century, but it's a Cairo that exists in a world where magic was released about forty years prior, and obviously everything changed. We follow two spiritual investigators, basically, who are a crime solving team mired in bureaucracy. The writing is delightful and the set up is extremely interesting, and all of this is done to the backdrop of women fighting for their right to vote, and revolution occurring all around. The team of Hamed and Onsi are a classic pair of the older, more established investigator being paired with the young, enthusiastic, fresh out of university recruit, and the way they navigate the mystery and the city and everything in between is extremely enjoyable. A very fun read.
Grade: B
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