I gave this a 4 star mainly because the first few chapters are hard to get into because that section is mainly where world-building occurs. (The pacing at first felt VERY slow...)
Also, the language in this book includes many cultural references so knowledge of Egyptian and "African"(Africa is not a country but a continent btw so this is in quotation marks) cultures, and some research beforehand would make the reading experience easier. (Ms. Sadler also made some annotations and notes on the book for many vocabularies and that was very helpful, too!)
Anyway, as for the plot and characters, the book is extremely well written! I loved the hints that were dropped throughout the book that pointed to the mystery's answer but the ending was still extremely exhilarating to read about.
The general atmosphere built for this book is a mix of magic, steampunk, and mystery. The plot and world setting were very well executed. (Especially the action scenes, I swear the descriptions are so epic that you can just visualize the actions in your head)
I honestly loved all of the characters so much. They all have very interesting personalities and it was so fun watching them interact, develop, and figure out the mystery.
If you would like to read a book about a girl boss with a top-tier fashion sense solving a murder mystery in a magical steampunk world with fantastic fight scenes while learning about Egyptian and "African" culture in a semi-historical setting, this one is for you!