The cover is what first made me interested in this book, then the fact that it was a historical fantasy featuring a time and place that I haven't read about before. The idea about Hassan being able to open doors to places with his maps is really intriguing. But what I ended up finding even more interesting was Fatima and her unique perspective in this time of history. I really want to see what adventure she ends up going on. Also, I appreciated the way the author described details such as the tiles going cool under Hassan's shadow.