In this excerpt of The Bird King, Fatima is a slave and the sultan's concubine but she wishes to be free. She is close friends with Hassan, who can draw maps that have a magical ability to become real. The premise thus far is intriguing, but from the blurb it sounds like this is only the beginning of what promises to be an exciting adventure tale. I am very curious about what will happen to Fatima and Hassan. I also love the cover! It is exquisite.