Decent. I liked Zardi immensely. Competent. Loves her family. Compassionate and loyal. I liked Rhidan for the most part.
It was an inventive tale and a new take on the Arabian nights. (One Thousand and One Nights could easily provide fresh material for those who have had one too many retellings of the western European variety.)
Sadly, this one leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions! Who is Khalilla's husband? Backstory there? Why did Irial abandon Rhidan? Where is Aladdin? So, yes,'ll be picking up a sequel if it shows up. That said, not a lot really got done here and I expected more from this story.
Middle Grade, but some of the situations are grim and pretty violent. Lot of people die.