Pros: Good premise; some interesting concepts
Cons: Careless execution; meh characterization
Rating: 2 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

Asrial is a Rim Rat, a scavenger who finds rare artifacts on abandoned worlds and sells them off to the highest bidder. She’s also the last heir of the deposed (and deceased) hereditary ruler of a distant planet—not that this fact has ever done her any good. During an expedition to the planet Maj, Asrial finds a secret cavern recently uncovered by an earthquake. There she finds a perfect, whole piece of pottery, a flask that could make her very wealthy. However, it turns out to have something far more valuable inside of it—a djinn, a powerful warrior imprisoned long ago to act as a weapon against his own people.

Romir finds an unexpected and somewhat elusive sort of freedom when his prison is brought on board Asrial’s ship. His prison still tugs at him, however, and the only thing that seems to solidify his connection to this world is Asrial’s touch. For herself, although Asrial can’t bring herself to believe that Romir is an actual djinn out of children’s stories, she’s happy to have her unusual stowaway warming her bed. Soon, however, she finds she wants more. She wants Romir’s freedom, and that means braving the dangers of her homeworld.

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