Starred Review In this lushly romantic Arabian Nights retelling, clever thief Aladdin finds a magical lamp and releases a jinni who has been imprisoned within for 500 years. Zahra, the jinni, may look like a 17-year-old girl, but she is really a powerful, 4,000-year-old shaitan, able to shape-shift into any form. Vilified for starting a 500-year war after betraying her previous master, Queen Roshana, who attempted to bring peace between humans and jinn, Zahra now emerges from the lamp into a world where magic has become illegal. Aladdin wants revenge against the king's vizier for executing his parents, who led a rebellion against the king's unjust rule. Zahra persuades him to pose as a prince from a faraway land to gain entrance into the palace. But she has her own reasons for helping Aladdin exact his revenge, and she is willing to betray him if it means saving herself. Thus begins an exciting tale of deception, forbidden love, and dangerous magic, starring a cheeky thief and a powerful but vulnerable jinni. Fans of fairy-tale retellings set in faraway lands and full of romance, derring-do, and pulse-pounding action will fall for this swoon-worthy tale where "even a thief may have honor, and even a jinni may have a heart."

Zahra, a jinni, knows better than to fall for a human, but after a young thief finds her lamp, she is willing to sacrifice even her chance at freedom for him. Khoury's unabashedly romantic "Aladdin" retelling features scheming viziers, sparkling desert palaces, and intrigue and danger heightened by jinn magic. A strong female protagonist who commands great power propels this emotionally charged fantasy.

Gr 7 Up-Lyrically written, this work is a twist on the familiar tale of Aladdin. Seventeen-year-old Aladdin finds the lamp in a cave, and the story is told from the point of view of the Jinni of Ambadya, a girl named Zahra. She must shift shape in order to remain discreet among the humans. Eventually she is given a deal: she is to free the jinn prince before the moon cycles. If she fails, the human race in the city will perish. If she succeeds, then she will return to Ambadya as a free jinni and no longer be a slave to the lamp. Aladdin and Zahra become allies. As she works to free herself, she falls in love with him only to find that if she is to claim her freedom, then she must betray him. Readers, knowing that she can't have it both ways, will want to know what she will do to solve her problem. Other characters involved in the story add to the drama, making it even harder for Aladdin and Zahra. Khoury's writing is evenly paced and well done, making this a good selection. VERDICT A solid choice for anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings and light romance with magic and hope. Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Khoury revisits the tale of Aladdin and the lamp, telling it from the Jinni's point of view. This Jinni also happens to be feminine, but she is no sitcom Barbara Eden. After she broke the rule forbidding Jinni to love humans, Zahra was banished to an isolated cave. Her dear friend, Queen Roshana, paid with her life, and Zahra lost her chance to leave the lamp until someone happened into the cave. Aladdin is the first to find her in five hundred years, and she fears the attraction she again experiences for a human. To complicate an already tense situation, Zahra has the chance to earn her freedomif she can return to Aladdin's city of Parthenia and free the captive son of the only Jinni who can grant her the freedom she thinks she craves more than love. It will cost her relationship with Aladdin, and there are no guarantees of success, but the reward seems worth the risk. Or does it?Khoury's fantasy world of shape-shifting Jinnis and human political intrigue is consistent and convincing. The love scenes are deliciously sensual yet understated, the battles a little less skillful but solid enough. Thematically, the text is rich and compelling. The competing allegiances and ambivalent outcomes test Zahra's long-held assumptions about self and other, her beliefs about love and freedom. Teens will appreciate Zahra's tough choices as ones they face for themselves.Donna L Phillips.