The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
Published by Tachyon Publications
Age Group: Adult
Format: Novella
Genres and Categories: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Authors, LGBTQIA+ Authors, Multiracial Authors, Blood Magic, Magic Users, Scientist Characters, Medical Fantasy, Medical Scenes, Trauma, Mental Health Representation, Non-Binary Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Transgender Characters, Healing Magic
My Rating:
Published on: 9th August 2022
Pages: 176
Disability Representation: Fictional condition, Pandemic, PTSD, Trauma
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Waterstones
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In this intricate debut fantasy introducing a queernormative Persian-inspired world, a nonbinary refugee practitioner of blood magic discovers a strange disease that causes political rifts in their new homeland. Persian-American author Naseem Jamnia has crafted a gripping narrative with a moving, nuanced exploration of immigration, gender, healing, and family. Powerful and fascinating, The Bruising of Qilwa is the newest arrival in the era of fantasy classics such as the Broken Earth Trilogy, The Four Profound Weaves, and Who Fears Death.

Firuz-e Jafari is fortunate enough to have immigrated to the Free Democratic City-State of Qilwa, fleeing the slaughter of other traditional Sassanian blood magic practitioners in their homeland. Despite the status of refugees in their new home, Firuz has a good job at a free healing clinic in Qilwa, working with Kofi, a kindly new employer, and mentoring Afsoneh, a troubled orphan refugee with powerful magic.

But Firuz and Kofi have discovered a terrible new disease which leaves mysterious bruises on its victims. The illness is spreading quickly through Qilwa, and there are dangerous accusations of ineptly performed blood magic. In order to survive, Firuz must break a deadly cycle of prejudice, untangle sociopolitical constraints, and find a fresh start for their both their blood and found family.

This book was provided for free by the Publisher and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

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The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia follows Firuz-e Jafari from the start of their time working at a free healing clinic that provides help to refugees flooding into the city-state of Qilwa. Firuz is a refugee themselves, a Sassanian blood magic practitioner and fled their homeland when blood magic practitioners were being persecuted. Blood magic is not openly practised in Qilwa, and Firuz practises another form of magic to heal people, subtly using their blood magic when no other option is available. Their blood magic studies are incomplete as they had to flee while in the middle of them, and in Qilwa, there is no one to continue their studies.

That is a problem when they come across an orphaned refugee girl who has exceptionally powerful blood magic. Someone has to train her; otherwise, she is going to hurt herself or someone else, and the only person who can do that is Firuz. Firuz is also determined that their student will not go through the same cycle of abuse that they went through when they were taught blood magic.

As Firuz secretly teaches blood magic to their student, Afsoneh, they begin to identify a new disease that is appearing in patients. Using their blood magic, they can identify that it is related to blood magic; however, due to the way blood magic is perceived, they can’t talk to anyone about it. The Bruising of Qilwa follows Firuz’s investigations, as well as their personal journey through reliving complex trauma and struggling to juggle their duty to family and the people of the city. 

A lot is happening in this book, especially for a novella. That being said, I personally don’t think it was too much, and the book felt very well-paced. Everything was balanced well between personal life, family life, culture and the overall storyline that affected the entire city. I liked that Firuz was not all-powerful, as so often characters with magic are in fantasy. They were also limited by what they were able to do due to realistic circumstances, and Jamnia does a brilliant job of showing the heartbreaking consequences of this.

Firuz’s brother is non-binary transgender, and blood magicians can perform a type of spell called alignments, which change a person’s physical body, allowing them to transition into a body that they feel more comfortable in. Firuz was able to go through alignment before they fled their homeland; however, their brother was too young and had been growing more frustrated and desperate since puberty began. Although the novella is from Firuz’s perspective, Jamnia shows both sides of this situation and relationship through their interaction. While Firuz is desperate to help their brother, they are terrified that their limited studies will result in them harming him. At the same time, they remember being in a body that was changing and being unable to control it as it became something they didn’t want.

The Bruising of Qilwa is a very emotive book, and it is also filled with a stunning exploration of the body, biology and blood. I hesitate to call it medicine because what the characters are practising is magic. This is nothing like medicine as we know it, and Jamnia has cleverly adapted their own medical knowledge (they used to be a neuroscientist) to fit into a fantasy world. This isn’t a book where someone lays their hands on a body, and voilà, someone is healed. Rather, healing is a delicate process more akin to surgery with such surrealism that you’re never in doubt that it’s magic.

There was a lot to like in The Bruising of Qilwa, including the twist I never saw coming; however, I’m afraid this one just didn’t quite do it for me. I can’t pinpoint why exactly that is, so I am going to just chalk it up to not quite being my cup of tea.

About Naseem Jamnia

Naseem Jamnia (they/them) is a Persian-Chicagoan, former scientist, and fiction MFA graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno. Their work has appeared in The Washington Post, Bitch Media, Cosmopolitan, The Rumpus, The Writer’s Chronicle, and other venues. A Lambda Literary Fellow and the inaugural Samuel R. Delany Fellow, Naseem is the managing editor at Sword & Kettle Press, and their debut novella, The Bruising of Qilwa, will be released from Tachyon Publications in 2022.

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Thanks for reading my review of The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia! It is due out on August 9th 2022, and is available to buy from any of the links in this review.

Have you ever read a medical fantasy before? Let me know in the comments!

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