The Stardust Thief

‘The Stardust Thief will transport you, enchant you, and revive your belief in the magic of storytelling’ Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a magical lamp.

Neither here nor there, but long ago . . .

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artefact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything – her enemy, her magic, even her own past – is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

Praise for The Stardust Thief:

‘A thrilling adventure about found families, ancient magic and stories that linger’ Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

‘The Stardust Thief is a dream written upon a page – absorbing, lingering and poignantly told. Abdullah weaves a sweeping adventure of tales within tales, while laying bare the ways those we love can both uplift us and break our hearts’ Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

Reader reviews:

‘5 Stars! And a new favourite! I LOVED this book. I mean LOVED IT!’
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‘Quite frankly, I am obsessed. In my more dramatic moods, I need the sequel almost as much as I need air’
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‘Came for the Aladdin vibes and stayed for ALL OF IT’
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‘I’m in love with this book and the author . . . I will be reading anything written by Chelsea Abdullah from now on’
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‘when I say I loved the characters I mean I LOVED them! . . . Abdullah twisted my heart out with this book and the fantasy was absolutely amazing’
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‘If you like The Daevabad Trilogy, I think you will adore The Stardust Thief!’
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‘Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most epic tales I’ve ever read’
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