Why I picked up this book:

I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Okay, let’s be super honest . . . I adore M. A. Guglielmo and I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this story years ago. So when I found out the ARC was ready, I was all grabby hands to read Zahara’s story again. She’s the type of character you both want to cuddle and punch in the throat.

This review may contain spoilers.

Summoned (From Smokeless Fire #1)

Zahara, party girl of the paranormal, floats up out of a lamp in Daniel Goldstein‘s apartment ready to trick a sorcerer into giving up his soul. But Daniel, whose Moroccan grandmother has reached out from beyond the grave to command him to raise a jinn, wants to do good—by stopping a vengeful fallen angel. The nymphomaniacal, shopping-obsessed Zahara isn’t the otherworldly ally Daniel had in mind. A do-gooder with a dangerous quest isn’t what Zahara’s looking for, either. Stuck in a magical contract with each other, the two travel to Morocco, where Zahara’s handsome friend Zaid, a jinn who’s converted to Islam, reluctantly joins their quest. As Daniel and Zaid struggle against jinn-hunting mercenaries and their attraction to one other, Zahara is forced to join forces with the fallen angel’s gorgeous but infuriating brother to stop a cataclysmic war between the human and jinn worlds.

What I loved:

Zahara is by far my favorite character. Constantly obsessed with how people see her, this lovely lady is always primping her own breasts, wearing the tiniest, most see-through clothes, and demanding everyone’s attention be on her. But when her true form is revealed, it’s hilarious to see how much it affects her—how something so simple to any other character forms one of the strongest cornerstones of her insecurity.

This story is full of Moroccan beauty and culture, including several words readers may not be familiar with. Each one adds a deeper layer of flavor to the overall world.

What I’d love to see more of:

I’m a huge fan off deep world building and even deeper character emotions. While I loved Zahara’s story, one of the things that kept me a bit distanced from the characters is the emotions didn’t seem to run deep, and some reactions felt a little off-hand to the severity of the drama.

Overall:

This is a beautiful debut for M. A. Guglielmo! Due to some of the content, I’d recommend for older teens and adults, and could hit the sweet spot for both contemporary and contemporary fantasy readers. Can’t wait to see more from this lovely author!

Want to read more reviews like this? Be sure to subscribe to my blog and be the first to know when new content is posted.