Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada, March 5, 2024

Format: ebook

Pages: 400

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (From Goodreads):

A captivating historical novel set in post-war Casablanca about a young man marked by djinns who must decide where his loyalties lie as the fight for Moroccan independence erupts.

Hamou Badi is born in a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains with the markings of the zouhry on his hands. In Morocco, the zouhry is a figure of legend, a child of both humans and djinns, capable of finding treasure, lost objects, and even water in the worst of droughts. But when young Hamou finds the body of a murdered woman, his life is forever changed.

Haunted by this unsolved murder and driven by the desire to do good in the world, Hamou leaves his village for Casablanca to become an officer of the law under the French Protectorate.

But Casablanca is not the shining beacon of modernity he was expecting. The forcible exile of Morocco’s sultan by the French sparks a nationalist uprising led by violent dissident groups, none so fearsome as the Black Crescent. Torn between his heritage and his employers, Hamou will be caught in the crossfire.

The lines between right and wrong, past and future, the old world and the new, are not as clear as the magical lines on his palms. And as the danger grows, Hamou is forced to choose between all he knows and all he loves.

My Review: 

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: character-driven stories, slow-paced.
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The book follows Hamou Badi, a member of the French police in Morocco, even though he is also a Moroccan who wants to see an independent Morocco. We read about his life and his experiences, both in Casablanca and in the countryside.
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I was really excited about this book and it was an interesting exploration of Badi’s experiences, but I wanted to see more about The Black Crescent, which was the nationalist group fighting for independence. Badi was not a member and was minimally connected, and I expected more as it was the title of this book.