The Goddess of Dance

This stand-alone sequel to the concurrently re-released The Princess of Dhagabad begins after the titular princess, Gul’Agdar, has freed her beloved, a djinn named Hasan, leaving him both human and all-powerful. They are not, however, free to pursue their love. The Caliph Agabei of Megina has heard a prophecy that one who frees a djinn will possess the power to destroy the world, so he plots with the help of his own djinn slave, the beautiful, mysterious Shogat, to trap Hasan for eternity. Through it all, Gul’Agdar’s own magic, tied to the long-lost Dance of the Goddess, is rising through dreams of an ancient dancer named Thea. Kashina’s arabesque novel alternates between effervescence and repose, retelling old tales with nothing unexpected plotwise but plenty of evocative language that will have readers dreaming of summoning their own djinn. (Oct.)