Book Review: The Bird King

Andalusia, 1491. A band of soldiers and a novice nun with Inquisitorial authority come to the court of the sultan to offer terms, for it is the Reconquista and Ferdinand and Isabella want a Spain that is wholly Catholic.
Fatima, the sultan's favorite concubine, soon realizes that if these soldiers--and especially this nun, Luz--fully understand the ability of Hassan, the sultan's mapmaker and her best friend, he will be caught and tortured as a sorcerer. For Hassan does not simply make maps; he can make perfectly accurate maps of places he's never been. And even more interesting, he can make maps of places that don't exist...and then, once he has drawn them, they do. (And if someone destroys the map, the place disappears.)
Of course, Luz finds out about Hassan, and it is partly Fatima's fault, for she trusts Luz, who seems so kind and curious at first. When Fatima learns the sultan has agreed to give up Hassan to guarantee the safety of everyone else, Fa runs to Hassan to warn him--just in time.
Hassan draws a trap door in his room and they flee through it (destroying the map showing the trap door as soon as they're through, of course). They do get away, but not without peril or help. A djinn or two, a queen with mysteries behind her eyes, a fisher-monk, a horse named Stupid--all help the friends in some way.
When they reach the sea, Hassan and Fatima realize they don't know where to go. They only wanted to get away, and now that they have, they are lost. So, Hassan draws a beautiful sea chart, showing an island called Qaf, home of the King of Birds, a mythical place they have told each other stories about for years, a game they have played to keep boredom at bay. But, if Hassan draws the map, the place exists. They hope.
Even thought they don't know how to sail, they steal a boat and set out. The way isn't easy, and their pursuit isn't over till the very last page, but Hassan and Fa do find their Qaf and the King of Birds (kind of, but not exactly as they expected) and a somewhat happy ending.