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 hari, and Khadija a Ghadaean. The hari

are oppressed and restless - their infamous terrorist group,

the Hareef, 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 Hareef 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