Exquisite Captive (Dark Caravan Cycle)

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. The synopsis was just so intriguing. It ended up being a very well done book, if a bit long for what it was.

Nalia is the only survivor of an elite caste of jinn that can command all four elements. Nailia is also part of the Dark Caravan, illegal trafficking of enslaving jinni to humans and forcing them to serve Masters. Nalia’s master is the mysterious Malik. Malik never ages and is incredibly selfish and cruel but also smart, he has put many safe holds in place to prevent Nalia’s escape.

However Nalia has even bigger problems than Malik, the Ifrit have taken over her homeworld of Arjinna and are set on hunting her down and killing her. Nalia’s only hope is a show more mysterious jinn named Rafe who shows up claiming to be part of a Arjinna’s revolution. Rafe agrees to help free Nalia if she helps him with the resistance effort.

This was a well done book. It is set in modern times but Nalia is from a world that sounds very much like a typical fantasy world (with dragons, etc). We never get to learn much about Arjinna aside from some flashbacks Nalia has.

I enjoyed the world building here and the complex caste system of the jinn. I also was intrigued by the complex relationship between Nalia and Malik. They are both interesting and powerful characters in their own right and both faced with nearly immortal lifespans.

Demetrios has a very beautiful writing style and has some excellent description in here. Some of the scenes really come alive and are just beautifully detailed. The only downside to this is that all this detail makes the book a very slow read at points. This wasn’t the the type of book you can just sit down and devour, you have to read it carefully.

Most of the book is politics and intrigue. There is also some romance throughout. There were a couple action packed scenes, but they were in the minority here. One thing I didn’t like about the book was the cuts to the ghoul who was destroying female jinn. There were too many of them and they took up too much page space. Additionally sometimes Nalia’s flashbacks to her past were in awkward spaces in the story.

Overall a beautifully written book about a creative world of jinn. I enjoyed the world-building and the beautiful descriptions. The characters were complex and well done. My main complaints are that the flashbacks and villain scenes were also too frequent and awkwardly placed. Also the book was a slow read at times and felt a bit too long. I would still recommend this book to fantasy lovers out there, this is a very creative book about jinn that is well done.

I am unsure whether I will read the next book in the series or not, this one was just so long and I am kind of curious about what happens next...but not dying to know what happens next. show less

Review also published on my blog @ Dee's Reads

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've been gunning for more young adult fiction that deals with the Middle East. Anything really, from its vast mythology (which I feel has been left relatively untapped) to just using the setting or having a character(s) speak the languages of Arabic/Farsi. I read The Fire Wish earlier this year and liked it. I was eager to read this one because it seemed to have more mature themes.

Wanna see what Nahlia, Malek, Leilan, and Raif look like?
Check out my post where I cast the characters!

I finished this book over a week ago and had so many thoughts it was difficult to pound out a review. I did, however, have to get show more my images from my imagination onto the blog somehow so I did a post where I casted the characters. (see link above). It was a lot of fun, and I got so much positive feedback it gave me energy to write this review.

Here's the thing about this book: There are many polarized reviews/opinions out there about this. I feel like I need to write a few points to help you decide (if you were on the fence) about reading this.

The things you need to know or consider when reading this book:

It reads more like New Adult - There are adult themes in here. If you're looking for a young YA book and don't care for adult or new adult, just walk away from this. It's not all light and fluffy, it's dark as shit. In fact, I agree with Wendy who mentioned that she thinks this would've done well as a NA book.

There is abuse - There is emotional abuse (and some physical too). The physical isn't what you may think, but stuffing someone into a tiny space for months on end (her bottle), where she could barely breathe definitely constitutes as abuse in my book.

There is NO love triangle - I can address this later, but just...no. Those who think there is either didn't read far enough? or maybe they didn't understand the dynamic of the relationship. Think: Stockholm syndrome.

If any of those things are problematic for you, just walk away. It ain't gonna work. If you like darker books, don't mind tortured characters who are struggling with some major shit, then just be prepared. This is a book with A LOT of stuff going for it. I ultimately do think it pulled it off, but that's not saying I didn't have any hangups (because I did).

Although I'm Middle-Eastern, I don't get over-eager when I about about to read a book that contains ME mythology/ideology/setting. *why* ..because I'm almost always disappointed. If the author is from the Middle East, then -maybe- I'll be impressed. Even then, I don't hype myself up. It just doesn't happen. It's a complex and old culture and it varies (seemingly slightly but significantly to us) from country to country. While trying to relate to one group you may inadvertently be pissing another group off.

Thus, don't go into this book thinking this is an amazing retelling of Arabian Nights. Or that it portrays Middle Eastern mythology to the T. It doesn't. I don't even know why they said that on the cover, it's more like a novel with some flavoring from Arabian Nights. That doesn't mean it doesn't do a damn good job giving a feel for the culture, especially the sub-culture that exists in Los Angeles.

I live in Los Angeles. There is a HUGE population of Middle Eastern people here and while reading this I kept thinking "Oh my God!!! I wonder if that place is based on "The Spot"?" (It's a hookah place in Encino, where everyone goes to just dance and "be seen" and appraise each other.) It's definitely a place where if Raif and Nahlia danced--everyone would stare and gossip about it for a long time. It probably isn't based on that, because there are sooo many similar places here. Basically anywhere there is tea, hooka, loud music, and a late closing time (the place I frequent is open until 4am).

Demetrios got a surprising amount of things right in Exquisite Captive. Surprising to me because wasn't expecting that. Even on the cover, the writing on the cuff is in Arabic. [She consulted some friends and kind of made up her own phrase which fit the book. (I know because I asked around, googled it, checked her website, and finally had to stalk ask her) lol]

There are a few Arabic words sprinkled throughout too. I don't speak Arabic, But the letters are pretty much the same as Farsi (Arabic has additional letters/versions of certain ones that we don't really use, but have to learn when learning Farsi). I was happy to see Arabic in the lines of a YA book. I wish there were more. There are some awesome words and I think the language she did create was so similar to Arabic/Farsi that it gave the desired effect. I just wonder, is creating a new language for a novel/series easier than learning the language and including it? (future discussion post, anyone?)

The Characters:

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Notice I didn't say "like" haha. I enjoyed the characters and their development. There is a character you will hate, so keep that in mind. He's also a main one, so yeah. Each character has flaws, especially Nahlia, Raif, and Malek. Nahlia is chained to her past and kind of stuck in her present by being Malek's genie.

Which leads me to my hypothesis (with research from my nonexistent doctorate):

Nahlia suffers from PTSD.
Is this stated in the book? No.
Can I substantiate this? Yes. (but this review is long enough so I'm not going to include all the quotes. if you're curious though--email me.)
Is this what the author intended? I have no idea.
(Remember when I stalked asked her? Turns out she has done research/work with PTSD before, So it is def plausible).

It makes sense though. She has constant flashbacks to the past. Nahlia's past was beyond rough, she went through crazy stuff. (Think: Iron Trial in the beginning with all the dead bodies..) If you don't get that ref, just trust me, it's bad. Her flashbacks are why so much of the book goes back and forth into the past. Once I figured assumed that about her, I became a lot more tolerant of her as a character.
I notice many people didn't like this back and forth but if you think about it, your main character is a woman suffering from PTSD (undiagnosed) who is living with (circumstances suggest forever) her "master" who is a sadistic man with multiple personalities. If you read the book you know how this is confirmed. Sometimes he's kind and part of him (one personality) really loves her/ believes he does. The other part though, damnnnn.

Nahlia has to figure out why she is responding to this type of abuse and behavior. She (obviously) doesn't get that right away. She also has to understand she needs to open up and be honest about herself. She does this, all while figuring out how to save her brother and evade who/whatever is hunting her.

I was quite taken how well Nahlia was portrayed; in the sense that she was a woman who is very old, in a beautiful body, but who was always trained to be stony and that she could never love. It's no wonder then that when she starts to get a conscience she'd feel shame.

Does it sound like I'm making a psychological analysis?
I kind of am. But you know what? I had fun doing that with this book. The author, whether she intended to or not, accurately portrayed the mental illnesses that the characters have in this book. The results of war, death, abuse, and slavery are far reaching and don't fade with time. This book illustrates that point in a meaningful way.

Raif, the leader of the revolution, enters Nahlia's world and brings with him a seer for a sister and Nahlia's personality deepens when faced with her past actions. Raif's initial reaction to Nahlia can be explained by his psychological state. Raif was a jerk to her and just plain mean. Then again, when you consider how he grew up and that her people were responsible for the death of his father and friend, it makes sense. OF COURSE he will say to himself and others that he hates her.

The element of mystery and fantasy was not lost on me either. The world that was created lie right on top of our own, and even dealt with human trafficking. The slave trade discussed in the book is actually based on human trafficking in our world today, and was intended to bring awareness to the issue. I love that idea, and even though it may be painful to read or you may want to judge and say "how could so and so do this" you have no idea what it would feel like to be a victim of human trafficking, the constant abuse and rape, etc. Especially for as many years as Nahlia and those around her.

I was pissed about the ending, but I'm over it...I just felt it could have been executed better. I would have liked it to be a little more spaced out--it felt rushed. I felt like one character was just included to keep tensions high. I don't know. That was the only reason I wasn't sure whether to rate it 3 or 4 stars. Ultimately, I think now that I've had time to digest it, the ending didn't ruin the book.

I would recommend this book for older readers of Young Adult and people who enjoy New Adult and even Contemporary [all inside a hugely fantastic and unique mythological world]. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Exquisite Captive was seductive, sexy, and chock full of action! I loved every minute of this and would highly recommend it to anyone that loves a good young adult fantasy read! One of my favorite reads of the year!

Opening Sentence: He’d buried her alive.

The Review:

Nalia is the last of her kind. She comes from the land of Arjinna where everyone possesses a type of magical power that is linked to the four elements of earth, fire, air and water. The Ghan Aisouri were the leaders in Arjinna because they had the ability to control all four elements. But three years ago all of the Ghan Aisouri were supposedly killed by the Ifrit, evil jinni’s that use their fire power to perform dark show more magic. Luckily Nalia, the last surviving Ghan Aisouri escaped, but she was captured and sold by a slave trader from the Dark Caravan. Now she lives on earth and is forced to serve the man that purchased her. Malek is wealthy, handsome, and cruel. Nalia would do anything in her power to gain her freedom, and she might finally get her chance.

The Ifrit were not the only enemies of the Ghan Aisouri, there was also a peasant revolution brewing for years before the coup happened. Their current leader is a young man named Raif and he has promised to help Nalia gain her freedom. The price for his help would betray everything Nalia is, but it may be her only choice. Also the dreaded Ifrit have learned that one Ghan Aisouri escaped them and they have sent a very cunning assassin to hunt Nalia down. She is running out of time and the only way she will be able to help the people she loves is to escape her master. But the only way Raif will be able to break the magic binding Nalia to her master is to get her bottle. Nalia will have to convince Malek that she truly loves him and somehow steal the bottle that he always wears around his neck. How far will Nalia be willing to go to gain her freedom?

Nalia is one of those heroines you just can’t help but love. In her life she has done a lot of things she’s not proud of and there are things from her past that continue to fill her with guilt. She is a strong and humble young women that has lost almost everything she has ever cared about, but that hasn’t stopped her from fighting for what she believes to be right. She was smart, funny and beautiful. When faced with an impossible situation she decides to face it instead of running away even though she is scared. I honestly thought that she was an amazing character and I truly enjoyed being inside her head.

Raif is a gorgeous man that can be extremely infuriating, but he is also has a giant heart. His father was the man that started the peasant revolution and when he was killed a few years ago the leadership fell to Raif. He never feels like he is good enough to lead his people, but he would do anything to protect them, even ask the last Ghan Aisouri for help. Nalia was not at all what he was expecting and the chemistry between them was hot and instant. They drive each other nuts but they can’t fight how they feel about each other. I actually really loved Raif and I thought that he was an extremely swoon worthy guy.

So I know that in many ways Malek is the villain of the story and he has proven time and time again that he is a dangerous evil man. But there were moments when he showed his vulnerable and gentle side and that really won me over. Even though I didn’t want to, I found myself totally falling for him. He has a crazy temper and I realize that throughout the last three years he has really treated Nalia bad but that didn’t stop me from loving him. He had these moments where I felt like I could see a good man underneath all the bad. I feel like there is so much more to him than meets the eye and I honestly can’t wait to get to know more about him.

Just the name Exquisite Captive screams sexy and seductive. Having read the story, I can honestly say that both of these elements are definitely present, but surprisingly there was also tons of action and suspense blended into the story. I will admit at first I was a little lost with all the new terms that were presented. The world that Demetrios created was phenomenal and so captivating. But it is so extensive that at times it did feel slightly overwhelming. Once I figured out what meant what, I just got lost in how wonderful it all was. I can honestly say that this story was amazing and everything about it was perfect. The romance was beautifully done, the characters were very engaging, and the writing was flawless. I can’t express how much I truly enjoyed this book. I don’t know how I am going to wait another year for the next book, it is going to be torture! Suffice to say, I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a sexy young adult fantasy!

Notable Scene:

Malek brought his lips to her ear, smiling as her heart threw itself against his chest. “I care, hayati. More than you realize.”

She pulled away. “No, you don’t.”

Nalia didn’t know what to make of this new Malek, with his soft words and caresses. But she preferred a beating to what he wanted. Sickening as it was to admit, Nalia knew she was lucky. Nearly every jinni she met on the dark caravan had been forced to sleep with their masters, slaves to commands that stole their very bodies from them. But Malek had never done that to her.

Not yet.

He reached for her hand and she placed it in his, un thinking—a natural reflex. After so much time in captivity, her body was accustomed to obeying his every command. He brought the inside of her wrist to his lips. Nalia forced herself to meet his eyes, though their hid den depths frightened her. It wasn’t just because her fate was entirely in his hands—Malek Alzahabi was un predictable at best and sadistic at worst. Just when she thought she’d figured out how to play nice, he changed the rules of the game.

“I wish . . .” he whispered.

Her eyes widened, but he just sighed. If he made his third wish, she’d be free.

“No,” he said. “You can’t grant me what I want. You have to give it to me. Someday you will.” He searched her face, a wistful smile playing on his lips. “But can I wait that long?”

FTC Advisory: Balzer+Bray/Harper Teen provided me with a copy of Exquisite Captive. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

3.75 stars.

Still gathering all my thoughts on this one. I really like Heather's writing style, but some of the characters and relationships felt a bit underdeveloped to me which was disappointing because the plot is really interesting and it's clear that there was a lot of research done on the mythology of genies. The diversity among the characters however was really great. I liked that Nalia was different from the average YA heroine, I just wish she had been a little further developed, but there are still two more books so character growth is sure to come!

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I will definitely continue the series when book two is released!

Pros:
Interesting concept, GORGEOUS writing, interesting characters.

Throughout the book, Nalia was focused on her brother, Bashil, rather than her interactions with Raif or Malek.

Cons:
Book was waaay to long for the story it was telling. I was 150-200 pages in before I felt like the plot was actually starting and getting interesting.

I REALLY like Malek, and I REALLY wanted to like that little storyline, but I can't, because it doesn't make sense.

But I will read the next couple.

Nalia is a jinni and the only surviving member of the ruling caste of Arjinnia. Two years ago, she was captured by a slave trader, stuffed in a bottle, and sold to a master on Earth. Now, her enemies have learned that one member of the ruling caste has survived the massacre and have sent an assassin to hunt her down.

2021