The Djinn’s Apple

Nardeen is only twelve when her home is raided, and her family is slaughtered. She is the only survivor. As fate would have it, she ends up in a hospital, and is taken under the wing of a doctor. He treats her as his daughter, and teaches her the art of healing (as her father used to do). As she settles in her new life, she seeks to avenge her family’s murders, and we as readers are enticed into nineth-century Bagdad during the time of Harun Al-Rashid – a exotic world of intrigue, mystery and magic.

The book in divided into two parts: Part I is when Nardeen is twelve. Part II is when she is sixteen, comfortable attending to patients, and plotting her revenge. Things really pick up when she meets Shuaib (adding a dash of romance to the story). The book is a page turner with several twists and turns. Even the last page contains an unexpected twist. Readers unfamiliar with nineth-century Bagdad are given a brief introduction on the age of Harun Al-Rashid and the functions of a bimaristan (hospital). While the book targets YA, general readers interested in mystery, magic and exotic places may find it enjoyable as well.