Description: She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.
But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?
As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.
My Thoughts: This was such a good read. From the first time I saw the word, "Habiba', I was hooked. Aladdin was never one of my favorite stories as a kid, but this was a pretty good retelling. Aladdin was my favorite character, even though he wasn't actually the main one of this story, and I can only hope more retellings like it.
There were some weak points. A lot of the magic is ambiguous, without much so far as explanation, and the fights between the jinni were a little hard to keep track of because I was not sure how to interpret how badly someone was losing.
However, the other conflicts were well portrayed, with stakes that were both personal and far reaching. There are also some really strong female characters, and not the typical "strong" heroines in YA who are really just brooding jerks. These girls are tough and loving, setting a good example of how to be feminine and still stand on their own to feet. I highly recommend it.
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