I had no idea what to expect when I started this read, as stories set in NYC at the turn of the 20th century that weave together both Jewish and Arabian folklore are not exactly commonplace. What I ended up getting was a beautifully crafted story that explores a number of themes about human nature, freedom, happiness, love, friendship, and more. 
 The novel is quite dense; looking back, there wasn't a whole lot of action for a 600+ page book. There are a lot of descriptions and flashbacks, but at no point did I ever feel the story lost it's pace. In fact, it read rather quickly for its length. The characters are wonderfully crafted and extremely relatable, which is remarkable considering our two main characters aren't exactly human. 
 I would definitely recommend to pretty much anyone.