Publisher's Weekly Review
Doore wows with this outstanding fantasy debut based on mythology from Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa. After five years of training in the family art of assassination to defend the city of Ghadid, 19-year-old Amastan Basbowen learns his trade has been outlawed. As Amastan prepares to resume his earlier apprenticeship as a historian, a series of clandestine assassinations puts his family at risk of being exterminated by the city's leadership, the often corrupt Drum Chiefs. The victims have not merely been murdered: their bodies have been hidden, and when a body is not promptly discovered, its jaani, or spirit, cannot be quieted and shepherded to the afterlife. If jaan are left unquieted for too long, they turn wild and violent, jeopardizing not only the assassins accused in their deaths but all of Ghadid. As the threat of the jaan looms and Amastan's assassin relatives try to clear their names, Amastan ill-advisedly falls in love with Yusfit, a man who may have information about the true perpetrator of the crimes. Doore is a force to be reckoned with, blending a stirring plot, elegant worldbuilding, effortless style, and diverse, empathetic characters. Her debut is sure to be a hit with fans of Sarah J. Maas and George R.R. Martin. Agent: Kurestin Armada, P.S. Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Nineteen-year-old Amastan has trained for five years to become an assassin who dispenses, with others in his family, divine justice for crimes against G-d and the desert city Ghadid, but it isn't until he passes his final test that he confronts what that means. He'd hoped the training would steel his heart against his discomfort with killing. It doesn't, but circumstances align so that he can concentrate on his work as a historian-scribe. Everything changes when he finds the hidden body of a drum chief, one of Ghadid's leaders, and then the bodies of other assassins. Someone is killing for revenge and without quieting the victims' jann (spirits) to stop them from possessing others. Doore's thrilling fantasy debut is a suspenseful murder mystery wrapped around a coming-of-age story, sprinkled with family intrigue, vengeful ghosts, and a gentle but bittersweet m/m romance. Ghadid, set on platforms hundreds of feet above shifting sands, is vividly described, with a fascinating history and culture that Doore folds in naturally. This author is one to watch.--Krista Hutley Copyright 2019 Booklist
