Exquisite Captive ( Dark Caravan Cycle #1) by Heather Demetrios
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.
Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?
Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.
-Goodreads description
Ahhh...where to start? Truly, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think that it isn't often when you come across a jinni-inspired book in YA, even in high fantasy which is partly why I decided to pick this one up on my recent trip to B&N. Having read some iffy reviews on goodreads, I had hoped for the best; the best being mediocre to acceptable. I am happy to report that it far exceeded my expectations. As I began reading, I couldn't help but feel as if the style and tone of the book mirrored something I had read before but I just couldn't... quite put my finger on it. After reading some other reviews, I came upon a reviewer who had compared it to Laini Taylor's books....YES, THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Now, while I don't see myself rating Exquisite Captive as highly as the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, it still lands pretty high on my list of favorite YA fantasy's of the year.
The book is written in third person and follows the story of Nalia, who is a Jinni slave on the Dark Caravan, and the only surviving Ghan Aisouri after her caste was massacred by the Ifrit. Having escaped her near death, she is brought through the portal leading to Earth where another dreadful future awaits her. She is sold as a slave to grant wishes for her master, the undeniably handsome and mysterious Malek who has some secrets of his own hiding in the dark. Nalia wants nothing else but to be free of her master so that she can return to Arjinna and save her brother, who has been imprisoned by the Ifrit. However, without her master demanding his third wish, she is bound to him for eternity. Unable to bear the thought of leaving her brother for dead, she strikes a deal with the enigmatic Raif who promises freedom in exchange for an object which could supply the revolution with an undeniable advantage and change the world for all Jinni.
*First of all, I just quickly want to say that I love that this was written in third person. Personally, I think more writers should employ this as it build suspense for the readers and keeps them more engaged *
Nalia is our strong and brave protagonist who is a Ghan Aisouri, a Jinni with access to all four of the elements. Its needless to say that she is a badass, able to hold her own against her master as well as other Jinni. However, at the same time, the reader is able to experience a vulnerability to her character as she feels like she belongs nowhere, not on Earth or in Arjinna. This softness made her all the more likable as it really helped her character develop in between her tough and harsh exterior.
In terms of romance, I'm sad to tell you that there is a love triangle..... yep, a love triangle. The first is Malek, her cruel yet irresistible master whilst the other is Raif, the leader of the revolution. Now, while I might get some heat for this, I totally ship Malek and Nalia. Although I am aware that Malek was callous and brutal and ruthless, he never really crossed the line for me. Whilst he might have pushed her against a wall to hard and held her wrists too tight, it was never without reason as you'll discover in the book. I just can't come to hate him when I know that he is trying to make amends for behavior which isn't really his fault. Despite that, he still takes ownership of his mistakes all the while being positively charming and downright charming. Knowing my feeling on the romance, I'm just gonna skip out on Raif. He's nice and everything but I just wasn't able to make a connection to him like I did to Malek.
Overall, I'd give this a double thumbs up for its unique concept and romance. Definitely recommend.
-Alana,xxx
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