This is excellent sword and sorcery fantasy, and it is set somewhere other than "medieval Europe". Ahmed takes us to an alternate version of the Middle East where ghuls and djinn aren't just legends. The action is fast-paced and well-written. 
 The characters are intriguing and realistically flawed. Each hero has their own compelling reason for their goals, which sometimes differ but promote the teamwork needed for them all to succeed. Ahmed also uses several characters to point out that human perfection is unattainable, while still showing it as an honorable goal. These characters come to learn that over time and begin to see that berating yourself for not achieving an impossible standard does no good for anyone. We don't see much of the villain, but what is shown is quite dark, revealing him to be power hungry and driven to conquer no matter what dark rites (blood and pain magic being apt names here) are necessary. 
 This work is certainly deserving of the various awards it has been nominated for, and I'm excited to see where the characters go next.