The Balloon Thief

The year's must-read YA fantasy – ancient djinn,
an epic adventure, and one girl's courage to seek her own destiny
...

Burn the flame. Seek the night.

'Highly relevant yet utterly original, I was utterly entranced
by this world of jinn, peris and hot air balloons that ache
for the skies.' LAUREN JAMES, author of THE QUIET
AT THE END OF THE WORLD

For Khadija, the only escape from her father’s arranged
betrothal is the sky.

When she spots a rogue hot air balloon fighting against its ropes,
she leaps at the chance for adventure. Khadija soon finds an
unlikely ally in a poor glassmaker’s apprentice, Jacob.

But Jacob is a hāri, and Khadija a Ghadaean. The hāri
are oppressed and restless – their infamous terrorist group,
the Hāreef, have a new fearsome leader. And the ruling Ghadaeans
are brutal in their repression.

Soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their
world. The Hāreef use forbidden magic, summoning jinn –
wicked spirits made of fire – to enact their revenge, forcing
Jacob and Khadija to choose what kind of a world they want
to save …

• A commercial, thrilling and uplifting fantasy adventure
  following sixteen-year-old Khadija, who flees her home in a stolen
  hot air balloon to escape an arranged marriage



• The debut novel from enthralling new talent, twenty-four-year-old
  Aneesa Marufu, which draws on the author’s South
  Asian heritage


• Explores racism, misogyny and discrimination in a highly
  original fantasy universe


• Perfect for fans of Noughts + Crosses, We
  Hunt the Flame and Rebel of the Sands