Chelsea Abdullah

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp. Neither here nor there, but long ago... Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land--at the cost of sacrificing all jinn. With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything--her enemy, her magic, even her own past--is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

The Stardust Thief

Rina

"May the stars guide your path and the gods keep you safe. And remember, Mazen." He clapped a hand an his shoulder. "When in doubt, there is no better person to be than yourself" 

He glared at her. "You all are killers; no one could ever mistake you for soldiers." Aisha looked at him for a long moment. And then she snorted and turned away. What did he think soldiers were, if not glorifed murderes?

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp. Neither here nor there, but long ago… Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land—at the cost of sacrificing all jinn. With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

Mel 

I thought this was well written but I am not particularly invested in the central plot/conflict. I found Aisha and Qadir to be the most compelling characters in the story and I liked the integrated stories that we get.

Overall - 3.75 stars 

I would continue this series.

Winona 

The Stardust Thief gets off to a to a slow start and suffers from some corny dialogue in the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised by how everything came together at the end. I’m glad I continued reading, despite the difficulties at the beginning, as I found myself unable to put the book down once I moved past the halfway mark. There’s some really good foreshadowing here and the stories are interspersed throughout the novel without disrupting the flow and creating exposition jumps. Some of the characters thoughts/inner monologues can feel a bit repetitive, and the dialogue does have problems throughout. Mostly with the way how characters address each other or speak in a manner that’s just unnaturally snarky at times. Overall, I liked it by the end and felt that the sequel was set up really well. I’m looking forward to reading the second book.

Kendi Dockum

This was an epic start to what is I'm sure to be a phenomenal trilogy, if this wonderful debut novel is anything to go by! I'm having trouble believing that it was a debut novel, it was so good!

This book was filled with loads of action, adventure, and of course, magic. And oh, gosh, the world building! I am in awe! 🤩🤩🤩

Admittedly, the beginning of it was a tad slow, and I had trouble focusing on some parts (although, that's probably just because I'm easily distracted...), but the pace quickened throughout the book.

There were twists and turns throughout that no one will expect. They were just the kind of twists that will keep you on your toes! It really turned into one of the most exciting fantasy adventures I've read in a while! I will definitely keep an eye out for this author. 🧐 She is so talented! 😍😍❤️❤️❤️

So do yourself a favor... Go... Read... This... Book!

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a magical lamp. Neither here nor there, but long ago... Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp. With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan's oldest son to find the artefact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen and confront a malicious killer from Loulie's past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything - her enemy, her magic, even her own past - is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality.

I really liked this book and can't wait for the second one! 

Jo Ottmann

Enjoyed it, would love to see as a movie 🙃😧

Susan

Amazing! Magical! Beautiful! It was full of secrets, betrayal and magic. It was a beautiful story even though it was full of heartache. 

Jodie Reads

Fatima Kadri 

The Stardust Thief is a glittering and adventurous tale about a merchant, a jinn, a prince, and a thief who set out on a perilous quest to retrieve an ancient relic from the mystical Sandsea. 

Did I use enough fancy words to convince you to read it? No? Well then, I guess I’ll try to convince you by gushing about what might end up being my favourite read of the year. 

The book follows three main perspectives: Loulie, a merchant of magical relics with a jinn bodyguard; Mazen, the youngest and most cowardly of three princes who has a heart for the desert he longs to explore; and Aisha, a fierce and uncompromising thief who I didn’t expect to love but ohmygosh I love her. 

All of these characters have such distinct voices throughout the book and there wasn’t a single boring moment with any of them. Even characters without a POV like the mysterious jinn bodyguard, Qadir, and others I won’t name so you can find out for yourself, were full of personality and life. 

Nevermind the way that Chelsea Abdullah described each location and setting in such a beautiful yet digestible way. Or the super fascinating and most imaginative magic system I’ve read in a while. Despite being able to tell that this was a debut every now and then, everything else made up for it. EVERYTHING. This book was so compelling from the very first page (not an exaggeration, I had such a struggle to put it down that only my stress over school was enough to surmount). Especially the clever and smooth way that the tales/interludes were incorporated (and told). This world and The character’s stories will sweep you up and take you along a whirlwind ride you won’t regret embarking on. 

Extra extra kudos for some freaking good Arab rep. I know this isn’t the only adult fantasy book with Arab rep written by an Arab author out in the world but it’s the first one I’ve read and it’s everything I’ve ever wanted. 

Ok there did I convince you now? 

Netgalley blessed me this Ramadan. Thank you for the ARC.

Vengeful jinn. Hidden worlds. Lore and legends. A perilous adventure into the sandsea. Deception, lies, and secrets abound. Four unlikely companions will set out to find a mythic, magical lamp.

This was SUCH a great debut! I really enjoyed my time in this tale. With smooth writing, action packed storytelling, and endless plot twists, I was left on the edge of my seat from start to finish! The world was magical and enchanting. The fables and lore timeless. The characters flawed yet incredibly endearing. QADIR ✨ And sweet Mazen. Loulie’s heart and determination! This story just kept on surprising me. I’m so excited to see where it's headed.

If you’re a fan of City of Brass or An Ember In The Ashes, definitely pick this up.

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

Vengeful jinn. Hidden worlds. Lore and legends. A perilous adventure into the sandsea. Deception, lies, and secrets abound. Four unlikely companions will set out to find a mythic, magical lamp.

This was SUCH a great debut! I really enjoyed my time in this tale. With smooth writing, action packed storytelling, and endless plot twists, I was left on the edge of my seat from start to finish! The world was magical and enchanting. The fables and lore timeless. The characters flawed yet incredibly endearing. QADIR ✨ And sweet Mazen. Loulie’s heart and determination! This story just kept on surprising me. I’m so excited to see where it's headed.

If you’re a fan of City of Brass or An Ember In The Ashes, definitely pick this up.

YOU CAN ALSO EXPECT:
⏳ ancient artifacts
✨ magical relics
🐪 stories x legends
🕌 jinn x ghouls x ifrit
🗡️ hunters x the 40 thieves
🧭 a perilous quest
🤫 secret identities
👑 hidden royalty
🗣️ multiple POVs

Suzanne

I absolutely loved it!
A beautiful, moving, and tense fantasy.
The book has different narrators and really short and snappy chapters. I read this book in like two days because of this. Loulie, the Midnight Merchant, is a kick ass amazing protagonist.
I read quite a bit of fantasy, and what I loved about this book is that it's set in the middle east, written by a middle eastern author, using some Arabic in the book.
I'm so happy this is a trilogy and can't wait for the next two books.

Amanda

Great story, really interesting characters. A little disappointed in the ending which wasn't very satisfying somehow, even knowing it was the start of a trilogy. But I'm interested enough to keep at it and check out the next one

Perfect for fans of the Daevabad trilogy, The Stardust Thief is full of adventure, betrayal, magical items, and compelling characters that break from the typical “hero” archetypes.

Liz Griffin

Absolutely incredible. Can't wait for the next one. 

Tina Abbott

Lillian

29-05-2022 -
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5, rounded up

As a consummate storyteller, as soon as I saw the synopsis for The Stardust Thief, I was super excited! I enjoyed the plot and the character dynamics of this book, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

While I love fantasy books, it usually takes me a while to get into them. In the case of The Stardust Thief, however, I actually found it surprisingly easy! The worldbuilding is fairly simple, and although you don’t feel like you’re getting info-dumped on, you do feel like you know everything you need to know to understand what’s going on at the moment. The dynamic between the humans and the jinn was really interesting to read about, and I really enjoyed seeing how those conflicts played out on an individual level.

I’m not Arab, so I can’t speak to the representation, but I thought the incorporation of the culture and stories was really cool to read about! I love books with interspersed stories in them, and this was a very clever way to do it.

The characters were where this story really shone, I think. I love all of Loulie, Mazen, Aisha, and Qadir, and even the more minor characters like Hakim and Dahlia! Loulie is so wonderful. She’s tenacious and caring, and although she doesn’t always make the best decisions, her heart is in the right place. Mazen is the prince of my heart—respectfully, he’s a little incompetent and bumbling, but in the most endearing way. He’s trying, and that’s what matters to me. He’s a good egg. Aisha was such an interesting character and so badass. Qadir was sooo fun and his relationship with Loulie was one of my fav parts of the book!

One of the issues I had with this book was actually in the very beginning. I felt kind of iffy on the way it handled what was essentially an SA scene, but I don’t think it was too bad. However, if that is something that is a sensitive topic for you, I would take note of that. Moreover, while I did love the characters, I do wish we got a little deeper into their relationships with one another. The plot was very fast-moving and sometimes there wasn’t really time to let things sink in and really feel those emotions, if that makes sense. Overall, this book leant more on the simplistic side of SFF, which isn’t necessarily bad, but ultimately led to a less engaging reading experience for me. I think I went in with expectations that it would be a lot grander than it was, but as it stands, it feels quite baseline, even slice-of-life with a side of adventure.

All that being said, this is just the first book in a trilogy, and I can only see it getting better from here! I’m looking forward to the sequel.

18/02/2022 - oh wow

Aditi

This was really interesting right from the start. I loved the writing and I was never bored while reading this even though I found the plot to be very predictable. The characters were definitely the strong suit here, especially the three pov characters. All three stand out on their own and I was interested in all of their individual storylines. Aside from a few plot issues this was a really fun read.

Lia Yuliana

Update 20/05/2022

You can find  this and the rest of my reviews at  An Ode to Fiction. | Subscribe to my Booktube channel. 

Official Release Date : May 17th 2022
Buy the book :
Amazon|Book Depository

3/5 ⭐️


  
    "The desert is no place for bleeding hearts."
  


ARC provided by the publisher Orbit Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stardust Thief is an okay first book that have potential to be better in later sequels.

Amongst the 2022 debuts that have been circulating and highlighted on multiple blogs, Twitter threads, and general buzz from readers The Stardust Thief by—Kuwait-American author—Chelsea Abdullah takes the top spot. This debut has caught my eye ever since I saw the cover reveal. The cover is designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio and illustration by Mike Heath / Magnus Creative. The illustration of the compass with intricate detail and the enchanted fire means a lot to the story than meets the eye. The book is marketed as,


  “Perfect for readers of The City of Brass and The Bone Shard Daughter, this epic quest will captivate and enthrall you, sweeping you away into a land where the line between stories and reality blur, and where magic lurks in the most unexpected places.”


I haven’t read City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, but I have read The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart; which is one of my favourite reads in 2021. This promising marketing line and a very interesting blurb—“Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.“—promised an epic adventure.

This line was enough to catch my attention and immediately request an ARC on NetGalley. It is the perfect teaser for an adventurous story across the vast dessert with an unlikely group of people to find an ancient artifact. The art of the character cards for the pre-order campaign done by Sara Mirzaa and sticker designs by Samohsai adds to the hype for the book. Before the release Chelsea Abdullah did an interview with a close of friend of mine Ness from Talks of Tales (Talking of Tales — Interview with Chelsea Abdullah, Author of ‘The Stardust Thief’) where Chelsea talked about the writing process, the inspiration of the story in detail, and many more. Truly the hype for the release of— The Stardust Thief—Chelsea Abdullah’s debut is quite large.

When I finally got my hands on The Stardust Thief I was excited and buzzed to read this Arabian epic fantasy. Yet.. my ratings didn’t reflect the excitement and hype I had for this book.


  
    "There was a fine line between being set free by the truth and being shackled by it."
  


The Stardust Thief is the first book to an epic trilogy—The Sandsea Trilogy—by debut author Chelsea Abdullah. The story is inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights or also known as Arabian Nights—a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. The Stardust Thief follows the perspectives of multiple characters : a legendary merchant—Loulie and her jinn bodyguard—Qadir; a cowardly prince—Mazen, and his fearless bodyguard—Aisha— that hunts jinn. The merchant is tasked by the sultan to find an ancient artifact that is believed to be buried in the desert. Escorted by the sultan’s son and his bodyguard they travel across the desert to find this artifact.

The Stardust Thief takes readers under the scorching heat of the sun and the golden sands of the deserts. The world building in this story is truly expansive and magnificent. Abdullah described the world in vivid detail from the bustling markets, the dusty secretive bars, the lush gardens sprouting from jinn blood, and to the gilded riches of the sultan’s palace. The sensory descriptions also adds another layer to immerse readers fully into the story.

Throughout the story readers will be treated with stories from legends and mythology about jinn kings and queens, enchanted artifacts, magical lamps, and heroes. A story within a story never fails to catch my attention. It is certainly one of my favourite parts in The Stardust Thief. Abdullah dances between illusion and real life using these stories to weave an adventure that is wondrous and fantastical. The magic itself is pretty straight forward as it all stems from jinns that have powers to enchant things or do any certain kind of magic. But seeing the progression of the story there is a potential for the magic to be expanded even more in future sequels.


  
    "Magic had destroyed her life. But perhaps when sharpened into a weapon of her making, magic could help her reclaim control of it."
  


The beating heart of The Stardust Thief are the cast of characters. From the brief descriptions of the cast of characters readers can get the gist that there will be a lot of trials and interesting character interaction throughout the story. Out of the four main POVs, Loulie and Mazen is the most important as they are the two most prominent characters that fuels the plot of The Stardust Thief. Qadir and Aisha are mostly there as plot tools that help Loulie and Mazen to move forward. Knowing this I had high expectations for the characterization and growth of these characters.

Abdullah meticulously gives snippets into the characters personality and overall motivation for readers. Each character came with a particular role to fill, equipped with a certain of skills, and a background that was expected to be interesting enough to grip readers attention. Yet for me the characters didn’t give me enough of a hook to fully invest in them.

There are certain things in the characterization that seemed one dimensional for me. It is understandable that this is a subjective view from here on out. Don’t let my opinion differ you from reading this book because this view may be different person to person. I had high expectations for the characterization and character development because it is something that I have preference towards.


  
    "This is not a story, he told himself. This is reality, and I am living it right now."
  


The first half of The Stardust Thief introduces each character to readers in separate scenarios in which their paths slowly converges by the second half. Though for me this comes at a cost that resulted in slowing the pace and ended up having certain parts feeling quite dragged out. If you are a reader that don’t mind a slow paced plot progression this shouldn’t be much of a hindrance.

There is a few pre-established relationships between characters in this book. The relationships unravel with the continuation of the story, which resulted in something similar to a domino effect of revelations. Yet these revelations were executed in a very monotonous and predictable way. It is obvious while reading how easily predictable the actions of the characters in my eyes that it definitely affected my reading experience.

The dynamics and interaction between the characters is quite standard. It is not what I hoped it would be. The characters serve their purpose for the plot and so the plot moves forward. I expected to be kept on edge by the intensity of their predicament and filled a sense of emotion but I ended up feeling like Qadir, which is very neutral about everything. This led to me slowly lose interest in continuing the story.


  
    "Blessed, blessed sand. Ground beneath their feet. An end. Or, perhaps, a beginning."
  


Final thoughts, The Stardust Thief is a good debut book, with okay characters, a somewhat interesting premise, and fine execution. Subjectively, for me, it didn’t hit the mark as a fantastic and compelling read. The Stardust Thief has all the potential to bring something new to the table. I really hope that the sequel will be better in so many ways because I can truly see how the world and characters can grow to be something more. I am truly saddened that I didn’t like The Stardust Thief as much as I hoped I would but I am positive about the future. And I will indeed read the sequel!

I recommend for readers that have similar taste as me to proceed with caution. While I highly recommend if you are a reader that likes a slower pace and have preference towards plot over characters. The Stardust Thief is also a good book for new readers to get into fantasy because of how epic the world is and the easy to grasp fantastical elements. The story within a story adds a lot to the wonder and awe that will truly entice readers to read more.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Celeste Richardson

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.

The Stardust Thief is the first in what is sure to be a solid, atmospheric new fantasy trilogy. This is Abdullah’s debut novel, and I found it to be a strong, well written story with compelling characters and an enchanting setting. A new riff on the classic tale of The Thousand and One Arabian Nights at its core, The Stardust Thief carves a new path into uncharted territory while still beautifully honoring its inspiration. I’ve read very little Arabic-inspired fantasy, but this book made me thirsty for more.
“Death in a free land is better than life in a gilded cage.”
Loulie is the infamous Midnight Merchant, a seller of jinn relics that are nearly impossible to locate. In the land of Madinne, jinn are viewed as monsters and killed on sight, harvested for their silver blood, which is the only thing that can breathe life into the arid landscape. The more lush the oasis, the more jinn blood has been spilled there. These jinn often leave behind relics, magical objects that can do different things, and these objects are considered priceless. Thus, Loulie has a booming business. Her secret? A magic compass and and inhuman bodyguard. She is our main perspective character, joined by Mazen and Aisha. Mazen is a prince, the youngest son of the sultan. He’s obsessed with stories, and I found him and his development delightful. Aisha is one of the forty thieves, and she took a while to grow on me. 
“We’re all afraid, Prince. The only difference between a hero and a coward is that one forgets their fear and fights, while the other succumbs to it and flees.”
I ended up really enjoying all three perspective characters. I was never tempted to skim through one to reach another. All three of these characters had some serious issues to work through, but they all experienced some pretty fantastic development over the course of the story. But, while they had faults, they also had characteristics that drew me in from the beginning, especially Loulie and Mazen. I came to care about them quickly, which made me even more invested in their development. They felt realistic to me.
“…one cannot know the outcome of a journey if one is not brave enough to take it.”
While I very much enjoyed the characters, the setting was probably my favorite element of the story. I loved the descriptions of the oases, and found Abdullah’s dark take on their existence fascinating. The idea of a people being brutally slaughtered because their deaths bring life to the desert is horrifying, and not a concept I had seen before. The descriptions of the markets, and the food, and the palaces, and even the desert were all equally enchanting. Speaking of enchanting, I found the magical relics populating the story fascinating. They were so varied; some held immense power, while others may do something small, like an endless hourglass or a ring that lets you breathe underwater for a few seconds. But whatever their power, they were always unique.
“No one knows what the dead want, Loulie. All we can do is honor them in the ways we understand.”
Periodically throughout the book, Abdullah would include little stories in the style of the Arabian Night tales. I loved these, and the subtle shift in the voice of the writing that accompanied them. These stories, and what Abdullah says about the power of stories, were in my opinion the heart of the entire novel. The stories we tell have such power. The power to keep those we love alive, the power to shift perspective to such an extent that we essentially rewrite history, the power to inspire and enrage and transport. Abdullah’s belief in this power shone through in her writing.
“If there is only to be one more tale tonight, let it be the one about the storyteller who changed her fate with her fables. Let it be a story about stories and the power they have to sway mortal hearts.”
If I had any qualm with The Stardust Thief, it would be the pacing. Sometimes things seem to be trudging along for so long that, when the action suddenly hit, it felt a bit like whiplash. There were points where it was both difficult to keep up and keep going. In that regard, it felt very much like a first novel. And while I loved the characters, there were points where I became so exasperated with their stubbornness or lies or what have you that I would have to put the book down for a time and cool down before continuing. However, these complaints were infrequent, and I thought that overall this book was a strong foundation for whatever comes next.
“Though only the gods know how long we may live, we humans are the ones who decide when legacies die.”
The Stardust Thief is a truly enchanting debut, with a lush setting and characters who are easy to root for. There were times when I was reminded of Strange the Dreamer, a story I adore. And I loved the ways in which this fresh, original story paid homage to one of the oldest and most revered sets of stories in written history. This was a wonderful first installment for a fantasy series, and I can’t wait to see where Abdullah takes the story next.

All quotations taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Stardust Thief

The Stardust thief is a wonderful and enchanting fantasy inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights. The author did a fantastic job at subtly weaving the tales into the story. 

DUDES WITH EARRINGS ALERT! 😏

It was so refreshing to have a male character who's not a muscular macho warrior. Mazen is a h̶̶̶̶̶i̶̶̶̶̶m̶̶̶̶̶b̶̶̶̶̶o̶̶̶̶ curious prince who loves stories. Loulie or Layla is the midnight merchant who sells relics (objects with magical powers). “I would rather marry a dust-covered relic than a man,” Loulie, mood. She travels with Qadir w̶̶h̶̶o̶ ̶i̶̶̶̶̶s̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶̶a̶̶̶̶ ̶̶̶̶d̶̶i̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶l̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶f̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶̶, her jinn bodyguard and father figure.

“You rely on me, but I also rely on you. We are a team, you and I.”

“You are the most courageous person I know, Loulie al-Nazari. Without you, I would still be aimlessly wandering the desert, lost in my grief. You are not weak. That is why I follow where you walk: because I trust you.”

“The compass led me to you, and it is with you I shall stay until destiny demands we part ways.” 

Tell me this isn't the most beautiful thing in the world 😭. 

Loulie is brought before the sultan, and he blackmails her into going on a quest to find a relic, to which a powerful jinn is bound. He appoints his son Omar, a jinn hunter, to supervise her. It is actually Mazen who joins her—in return for a favor from Omar—disguised as his brother (with the help of a relic), and Aisha, a badass woman as well as one of Omar's 40 thieves. They travel into the desert and face many dangerous creatures. At the end, we find out who the true villain of the story is, that fucks everything up. 

We never really get Loulie's and Ahmed's backstory, so I'm missing a bit of context there. And to the Stardust thief, I hope both sides of his pillow are warm. 

Can't wait for the next installment. I've recently finished The city of brass, so if you're looking for similar vibes I'd definitely recommend The stardust thief.

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stardust Thief

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