by P. Djeli Clark
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250267689
Publication: May 11, 2021

**I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

The Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities is on the hunt for a man pretending to be al-Jahiz, a Soudanese mystic, and has recently killed members of a secret brotherhood. However, he seems to be always be a step ahead of agent Fatma and her new partner Hadia.

A Master of Djinn had nearly everything I look for in a fantasy novel, but I struggled to get through it because of the pacing. I originally jumped at the opportunity to read it because strong women were at the center of solving a crime. However, I quickly grew frustrated because the pace was extremely slow. I enjoyed the last half of the book when the pace quickened, and I got a kick out of the ending, but the overall experience was overshadowed by how long it took me to finish the book.

The highlight of the novel is the world-building, which is impeccable. The story is set in an alternate world where magical creatures, particularly djinn, coexist with humans and Egypt is a superpower. I marveled at the extensive history and present-day politics included in the story. This is a world I could have easily immersed myself in. If only all fantasies I read had worlds this well-written. 

If the pacing were more aligned with the last third or so of the book and had the mystery solving moved more swiftly, I would have loved the book.