The Golem and the Jinni is a historical fantasy and one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It is a character driven story and although it’s not “action packed” it never felt slow because the characters are so compelling, even the minor characters. One of the things I liked about it was that the two main characters are not human. Somehow, nonhuman characters have a way of grasping human nature more effectively in the same way fantasy often reflects reality through the fantastic. I will definitely be reading the sequel, but it wraps up the plot enough to be a stand alone novel. I probably overrate the books I read, so I wish I could give this one 6 stars.