Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, this book weaves together the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, 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 that has the power to revive the barren land--at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artifact. 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.

Author: Chelsea Abdullah
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 05/17/2022
Series: The Sandsea Trilogy #1
Pages: 480
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.70w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9780316368766


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/21/2022
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2022
Booklist 04/01/2022 pg. 28
Library Journal 05/01/2022 pg. 75
BookPage 06/01/2022

About the Author
Chelsea Abdullah is an American-Kuwaiti writer born and raised in Kuwait, where she grew up listening to stories about mysterious desert creatures and wily (only sometimes likable) heroes.

Consumed by wanderlust, she has put down roots in various states. After earning her MA in English at Duquesne University, she moved to New York, where she currently lives. When not immersed in her own fictional worlds, she spends her free time playing video games, doodling characters, and hoarding books she doesn't have the shelf space for.