The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan is a beautifully layered and haunting novel that shifts through time. Blending South Asian folklore with the eerie elegance of British gothic literature, it draws you into a story where the past never truly stays buried. Set in a crumbling English mansion called Cilmary, the story follows Ayesha, a teenager who moves in with her father after the death of her mother. She expects grief—but not a house that feels alive, or a history desperate to be uncovered.
The Details
As Ayesha explores, she uncovers the ghostly traces of a love story from a century ago. It’s a tale of forbidden passion, betrayal, and lingering sorrow that still echoes through the halls. Her curiosity pulls her deeper into the mansion’s secrets, until she crosses paths with a djinn—an ancient, powerful spirit who remembers everything. He isn’t just a bystander; he’s been part of the tragedy that unfolded long before Ayesha’s time.
Khan’s prose is lyrical but controlled. Her descriptions feel rich and deliberate—poetic in tone but never overwhelming. Every room in Cilmary is alive with memory. Every detail has weight. The house itself becomes a character, haunted not just by ghosts, but by emotion: longing, regret, and unresolved grief.
This is a slow-burning novel. The pace is deliberate, the tension steady, and the structure full of flashbacks that gradually piece together the past. It’s not a thriller, and readers looking for action or fast twists may grow impatient. But for those who love atmosphere, character-driven stories, and quiet emotional depth, the payoff is powerful. The novel shines in how it draws parallels between past and present, showing how grief, desire, and identity echo through generations.
The djinn adds a distinctive and culturally rich layer to the narrative. He’s not a typical gothic ghost, but something older and more complex—tied to ancient sorrow, unfulfilled promises, and deep emotion. Khan writes him with care. He’s not a gimmick, but a tragic presence who reflects the humanity of the story just as much as the living characters do.
The second half of the novel does falter slightly in pacing. The emotional depth, while powerful, occasionally slows the momentum. Still, Khan’s prose holds the reader. The tension is quiet but constant, and the emotional undercurrent never lets go. When the final revelations come, they hit with quiet force.
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is a rare blend of gothic atmosphere and cultural myth. It lingers like memory, full of sorrow and beauty. This is a novel about longing, loss, and how the past never truly leaves us. But it’s also about survival—of stories, of emotion, of identity across time.
The Verdict
If you love haunted houses, tragic love stories, and atmospheric reads that unravel slowly and stay with you, this book deserves a place on your shelf.
