Shackles of the Storm by D. & L. Kardenal
Kahlaran hasn't had a djinn in decades. At least none that they know of.
Zaira has so far successfully avoided being found out as a wind spirit, steering clear of trouble and living the life of an ordinary human. Her luck finally runs out when she meets one of her own kind: a water djinn somehow hell-bent on evicting her for a murder she didn't commit. Without her past djinn powers and the whole city against her, the odds of a happy ending are quite slim.
Luckily, she's not alone. Forming a hasty alliance with fellow scapegoat and hot-headed mercenary Ezair, the pair has to navigate through the slums and shady brothels of the city, fighting guards, ghouls, magicians, and occasionally each other. But can they really overcome an enemy capable of peeking through every puddle, cup, and teardrop?
About the authors.
Dar and Lory Kardenal are a pair of indie writers, and authors of the new fantasy novel Shackles of the Storm. Writing characters and creating worlds and stories on internet forums with other fantasy geeks for a decade, their first novel encompasses that experience to breathe life into the magical world of their work. In their other life they are Hungarian medical student and a neuroscientist on her way to PhD, and devoted servants of two cats.
Review
I found it very hard to put this book down. What first intrigued me was that beautiful cover as it caught the eye and it's different from quite a lot of fantasy covers out there at the moment. I'm quite new still to reading this genre but I loved ‘Shackles of the Storm’ as it had a great heroine and hero, a well-built world and the superbly plotted narrative. I also adored Chai!
Zaire is a djinn but is also the adopted local perfumers daughter and has been accused of poisoning the treasurer and his wife. She knows she didn't do this and an investigator also believes this but when he stood up to the Prince he was thrown into jail. His nephew Ezair is determined to prove his innocence and the unlikely duo team up to find out the truth!
This world was built so well - I was getting Middle Eastern vibes from like a hundred years ago! Plus, all the mention of the food made me think of that area as well. Some books which I have read has spent so much time building the world that the first book can feel a little slow. But that is definitely not the case here and it's built up simultaneously with the narrative and it felt effortless reading this book.
All three characters were well fleshed out but I think I fell in love with Chai a little bit more than the others! I adored her! Ezair showed the most character development as I felt I liked his character much more by the end of the book!
Thankfully, the resolution of this book has set us up for book two - hopefully there isn't too much of a wait!
