Jinnistan: Scary stories to tell over chai

by Ayesha Muzaffar

If there's something Pakistanis love more than December shaadis and desi food, it’s jinn stories. Jinnistan is a gripping collection of South Asian short horrors featuring paranormal entities in all shapes and forms- including the form of a loved one, perhaps your neighbor... even your child. So close the curtains, grab your chai and get ready to read spine-chilling tales based on true events.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Asian Literature

195 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2022

Reviews

[Clace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idk man, I feel like narrating this book out loud to my friend every night attracted something paranormal in my house 🧍🏻 or I could just be paranoid 🧍🏻 but I'm never ever reading horror stories alone ever again.
___
Yes, I did make the decision of reading this book as soon as I started living alone 🧍In my defense, I was procrastinating because the cover is downright terrifying. A month ago I found the courage to star this but stopped when I noticed her feet on the cover 😭 but it's finally time

[areeba ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ★

"My mum called. I told her about the stories I’m reading, and she was like, ‘Please don’t read them alone.’ And I was like, ‘Mama, the stakes are too high’. And it’s not like I’m reading alone - I’m telling you. So if something happens to me, the same thing will happen to you." — Clace while putting my life at stake because he felt like it.

this book was sm fun to read (if u take out all the screaming and shaking and dying and crying and being scared stuff). i do think the narrative structure was sometimes hard to follow, and a few stories didn’t feel as strong or scary compared to others, but overall it was a top notch experience. the cultural integration was just chef’s kiss. jinn stories are so deeply rooted in our culture, and the religious and cultural elements were absolutely relatable.

but the real fun was the chaos that happened when we were reading it 😭 i made a list of things that happened while reading this book because it was genuinely one of the most unhinged buddy reads ever:

- clace stressing me out at 10:30 pm by forcefully telling me a story i absolutely did not want to listen to (it was traumatizing and a person in that story was studying in the same university i'm studying in? 😭✋🏻)

- clace refusing to go to the beach after that story 😭

- 10/10 voice acting from mr. clace (he portrayed: an old man's voice, old lady voice, vlog voices, jinn voices, vendor voices, kid voices, kid possessed by jinn's voice - extremely immersive experience)

- CLACE ACTING OUT BOTH THE MALE AND FEMALE SIDES OF A COUPLE AND HAVING A FULL BLOWN ROMANCE WITH HIMSELF

- me shaking so much because i was scared and telling him that i'm scared and shaking but it turned out it was actually an earthquake - and the bed was shaking the entire time 😭🙏🏻

- A STORY IN WHICH THE FMC'S NAME WAS AREEBA? 😭 and her fav ice-cream was the same as mine bye.

- a story in which a jinn was ON THE FAN and me having to check my fan every two seconds after hearing that 😭😭😭 + us sending pictures of our fans to each other after that for some days (Clace refused to turn the fan off after that even though he was shivering)

- A LIZARD STORY IN WHICH THE LIZARDS = JINNS? (and clace getting NOT ONE BUT TWO lizards in his house the same day pls).

- 99.999% problems happening because of cheating men 😭😭☝🏻

- my hair falling out of my bun and spooking me out cause they were touching my neck and i told clace that i’m scared because something is touching my neck and mr. clace told me to chop my hair off 🤡

- this one story which started with a dog barking, and a dog barked outside my house at the same time 🧍🏻‍♀️

last time imma read scary jinn stories at night man 🧍🏻‍♀️🙏🏻

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

clace thought it'd be a good idea if we both read scary jinn stories at night, so now i'm forced to read this with him.

p.s. i don't have the physical copy of the book, so he’s been narrating the entire thing to me from the start 😭😭😭 (the only good thing he’s ever done).

[Maliha Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Boy! You will NOT be able to sleep after reading Jinnistan by Ayesha Muzaffar! I read this book a few years ago when a friend talked about it in her instastories. She made me buy it and I made many others buy it since then, oops.

A collection of horror stories inspired by true events. What more can you ask to send a chill down your spine? Intriguing, jaw-dropping and very unbelievably believable. Oh, I forgot blood-curdling.

The reason why these horror stories are scarier than usual is their relatability. They talk about Jinns and demons that we are somewhat familiar with and heard of from your own friends and family. It’s too close to home and that, my dear friends, is terrifying!

If you love jinns (please don’t) and horror stories, then you NEED to get this book.

[Imroze Aslam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it was nice and entertaining. The use of Pakistani references, specific details and occasional Roman Urdu makes it interesting, relatable and easy to read. It had a touch of cosmic horror too, which I like. There was a lot of weird stuff too, but I mostly like that as well.

[Saba Khaliq · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last Pakistani anglophone fiction book that completely captivated my time and thoughts was The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali. And now it's this gem!
I WILL NOT TALK ABOUT MUZAFFAR'S LITERARY FINESSE AND LANGUAGE HERE!
Not everything needs to be placed at an elite literary pedestal. Some books are to be read as the writer wants them "over a cup of chai" or "told aloud to your kids or cousins in the evening". I want to read these stories again and again; recount their magic and horror to my friends and then just happily watch them become uncomfortable and scared.

"Modern Pyar" is my favourite tale in this collection. It's not scary at all but it's so profoundly beautiful and heartbreaking. These two dialogues keep ringing in my ear: "Ap bacha mujhe de dein" and "Paisay nahi chahien".

More power to you, Ayesha!
Please keep writing and entertaining and educating us!❣️

[Mahnoor ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Pre-Read)

I’ve been a huge fan of the author’s work for the longest time this book has been on my wishlist ever since she first announced it on her Instagram. It was sold out at EVERY bookstore genuinely impossible to find like everyone and their moms secured a copy except ME but I finally managed to get my hands on it. I'M SO EXCITED TO READ THIS EEEEKKKKK

(Final Review)

It was when she lifted her upper body from the floor that Yawar noticed her feet were twisted—turned backwards—and yet, he thought those, too, were indeed beautiful.

I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON?? 😀😀😀

Finished this in one sitting and honestly wow. It wasn’t outright scary, but it was deeply unsettling in the way all of her short stories are, yet captivating nonetheless. I absolutely admire Ayesha Muzaffar’s writing so much how she weaves ordinary, everyday Pakistani details into her stories and somehow makes them feel vivid, atmospheric, and strangely beautiful, and for such a short book it definitely delivered 4/5 stars.

[Muhammad Azhar Rafique · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read by a Pakistani author. Not the scariest but very well written. Did not know we had such local talent. Bravo. Definitely recommended. Even if you’re not a fan of horror. This is light horror in my opinion but a must read for all Pakistanis to relive their childhood nano stories.

[Umaima Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

not your ordinary jinn stories. messed up but enough to creep you out

[ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked The Bhabbis of Lahore a lot better, but this was entertaining.

[hadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading this in kashmir>>>

[Khadija · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect introduction to Ayesha’s writings. As a former horror genre lover (yes, I’m a scaredy cat now), I loved this book and all the stories. It reminded me of an experience from my childhood, when my sister, best friend and I were telling each other scary stories and suddenly the lights went out (only in our room), we got so scared and started playing Quran on the radio.

[Seher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to follow Abu’s Jinns on Instagram. I don’t know when I stopped or why, but I do know is that it was nice to see an Instgram story of Jinnistan get published. When I walked into Saeed Book Bank a few days ago and saw it stocked there, I knew I had to try it even though I’ve avoided jinn stories in all forms; after all, if you tell them, they’ll also come to listen in.

If you aren’t from Pakistan, this may not have significance to you. Abu’s Jinns was an Instagram page, which is now private, which posted jinn stories in its captions. You weren’t there for any picture. Ayesha Muzaffar (the owner of the page) made the stories feel real. You weren’t there for some beautifully edited caption that made your heart, you were there for a story that sounded like something a friend would tell you.

This is not a book of happy endings; most stories are gruesome; people disappear and die in terrible ways. But some are ordinary; sometimes you just need to apologize, and sometimes you just need to say hello. A lot of this is centered on human greed and cruelty; where people missed out on being gentle. Some are scary for the sake of it.

I wanted to love Jinnistan the way I loved Abu’s Jinns. I couldn’t. While the author is a good storyteller, and I don’t want to be on a campsite next to her, as a book, this could have been much better. When you’re writing a book and making extensive use of roman Urdu it’s already a bit of a challenge. The author was mostly able to overcome this by making sure her stories stayed conversational, even though there were lapses in that which felt forced.

I think the author could have avoided a lot of these problems had she re-read her book out loud a month or so after writing it and before publishing it. Things just needed to be cleaned up. In one story, that I read out loud to my cousin, I realized that the paragraphs were completely messed up, and it wasn’t a printing issue. I will say that some of the stories stopped feeling really great and could have been removed.

Long story short, I think Abu’s Jinns was a great thing to have on Instagram. I don’t think that it needed to be turned into a book. Stories work on different mediums and platforms, and Abu’s Jinns worked. If you loved Abu���s Jinns, I would recommend that you stay away from this book. If you haven’t had any experience with that, the book is a 3-star read.

[Mishaal M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Are you guys kidding me with the rave reviews? Or did I read an entirely different book altogether.

Pedestrian, poorly written and chock full of grammatical errors (I got so sick of the phrase “considered to be”), unimaginative, stupid, and dull…I can’t even bring myself to write more. I bought this book because I grew up listening to tales of pichal-peris and jinns and thought I’d relive my childhood (plus, I absolutely love Lahore and will read anything that’s set in that magical city)…but, boy, was I disappointed. Not a single one of the stories was even remotely scary…my 5 year old cousin can probably come up with something more frightening at the top of her head. Awful book. Should not have been published…wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

[Its Bookish Me · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very bland😐 Anything but scary

[Masooma Ali Khosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had me hooked, creeped out, looking over my shoulder and sitting curled up in my blanket until my mother came to fetch me from my reading couch at 4 a.m.

My first book of 2026!🥳

[Mazia Qadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was on my TBR for a really long time and I finally bought it a few weeks back. As someone who loves listening to and narrating horror stories, this book was a treat to read. It was nostalgic as it took me back to my childhood. I remember listening to horror stories from an elderly woman and rushing back home to reiterate it to my chachu, who always welcomed such stories. Instead of feeling scared reading this book, I felt nostalgic, almost happy.

It took me back to the time when I would lose myself in jinn stories. Obviously I was reprimanded for it but my chachu remained a constant supporter throughout 😂

The stories were well written with a desi touch added to it. Relatability level? 10/10 hahaha. Although they were not as scary as I was expecting them to be maybe because I now have a strong stomach for such things? Some stories awoke the skeptic in me that my younger version would have disapproved of while other stories were relatable. Yes, I have had paranormal experiences and yes I related (put me to delusion jail now)

Overall, it was a great read. If someone is looking for mild horror stories to share over a cup of chai, or at night to spook younger cousins (i am evil like that) this is the perfect book. I love reading Asian authors even though some may say they ‘do not think out of the box’. Sometimes you don’t need originality or some unique perspective but rather comfort and a hit of nostalgia to feel right at home. This book was just that. I loved it. 🤍

[dibu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories actually kept me up at night, loved it.

[Sila Ejaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the whole book and each story leaves you stunted

[Maha Khattak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it but her book the bhabhis is much better.

[mazzy star · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 — 🙏🏽 I can no longer sleep without gaslighting myself into seeing things. Yay!!!

[Fazal Ur Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review – Jinnistan by Ayesha Muzaffar
Since it’s October — or should we say Shock-tober or Spook-tober — it’s usually the practice of readers to pick up a horror-themed book. In my case, I usually gravitate towards the paranormal — guess it’s something in my birth chart. Anyways! I finally managed to read Jinnistan by Ayesha Muzaffar. At approximately 200 pages long, I finished it in just two days.
The good thing is that the stories are unique in their plots — they aren’t your run-of-the-mill, typical ghost or jinn stories, but come with twists I honestly wasn’t expecting. Some stories were amazing, some were just meh, and some were… well, not worth mentioning. But overall, it’s a good effort by a Pakistani author to write a collection of short horror stories in English.
The stories are unique and relatable for Pakistani readers. The cultural elements are well-defined.
If I talk about the cons, the biggest one is the liberal use of Roman Urdu. If it’s an English book, I can understand using a few Roman Urdu words or sentences to convey cultural nuance — like seasoning, sprinkled here and there. But here, on average, there’s something in Roman Urdu every couple of pages — often long sentences. Now, a Pakistani reader can understand that, but imagine a poor gora from the US or UK picking this up and having to rely on Google Translate or ChatGPT to translate several sentences just to understand what’s going on. So yes, that’s the biggest drawback.
Some stories are very short — just a page long — while others are longer. The grouping of the stories feels a bit confusing, except for a few chapters. There was also a typo in a character’s name; I think it was “Najma” in one place and “Nagma” in another.
Overall, it’s a good effort. It’s nice to see a Pakistani author writing short horror stories in English and setting them against the backdrop of Pakistani culture.
I would rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5).

[Rabia Ikram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was fascinating, although I read 'Bhabis of Lahore' first, which was more phenomenal.
👻
It consisted of numerous stories, making it a bit hard to remember. Still, it was short and amusing. The conversational writing style made it fluent and easy to read. The short stories were tempting, always leaving you wanting to read more.
.
... The fighting stories of 'Kala Ilam' and their tragic deaths were gripping.
. The setting, mostly in Lahore, made me wary of living alone, as objects in the home could invite spirits and jinns.
. It made me realize that even ordinary things can be extraordinary. I also learned not to pee on roads, as places like Murre Borhban can be filled with mysterious creatures.
.
Overall, it was a treat and left me craving more conversational stories..
.

[Fatma Khalil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Undoubtedly, Ayesha is a great storyteller! There's no denying that. She shares stories that often feels too close to home, almost like you've experienced it yourself to an extent at some point in your life; but some stories seem too far fetched and I'm sure that's because its fiction after all, and entertaining the readers is intended from it all.

What I did not like about the book was how off the Urdu Roman excerpts were - spelt all wrong, and even wordings at times were just plain wrong! Even the English in the book is coming across as unproofread. Given that its Liberty Books' publication - its probably on them to have kept all this in check.

I finished the book in two days as its as is a fast read (a compilation of short stories) but also, ever-so-gripping!

[remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book overall but I do feel it needs more editing. While I did not have an issue with the Roman Urdu seeing as I'm Pakistani, it did break the flow of the text at times and I believe it might dissuade non-Urdu speakers from reading the book. If the book was only meant to be targeted to Urdu speakers then it should be entirely in Urdu; if a more diverse audience is what the writer wants, then every part of the book should be accessible to that audience. That's not to say that Urdu shouldn't be used at all, but rather that it should be used sparingly, for maximum effect, and with an explanation for non-Urdu speakers.

Other than that, I quite enjoyed the stories. They scratched that itch we all have for ghost stories perfectly.

[Jamila Murad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jinnistan by Ayesha Muzaffar is such a fun, creepy little read! I'd call it my guilty pleasure —a collection of unsettling short horror stories done in a perfect Pakistani style. The stories are quick, eerie, and have that familiar desi flavor , which made them extra enjoyable. Some really got under my skin in the best way possible.

It's not overly polished, a few stories felt a bit similar in tone, but I didn't mind much —I was here for the vibes. If you enjoy jinn stories, creepy corners, and desi horror over a cup of chai, this book is worth checking out.

[Sajal Ghaffar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jinnistan: Scary Stories to Tell Over Chai by Ayesha Muzaffar is a collection of short horror stories inspired by local folklore, jinns, and everyday supernatural experiences. I found the concept very interesting because it connects horror with familiar cultural settings. However, the book did not meet my expectations. Many of the stories felt rushed and lacked strong suspense, so they were not very memorable or frightening. Although the idea behind the book is unique, the storytelling could have been more engaging to leave a stronger impact on the reader.

[Augustus Amadeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It should be in full English because the mixture of Roman Urdu and English makes it quite difficult for some audiences to understand this book. It's neither good nor bad; it's a 6.5. I think some stories are good, some stories are really good, some stories are terrible, and some are utterly stupid. That's it.

[Aurangzeb Alam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally different genre of book…the world of unseen like Jinns have always fascinated me…it is about common man experience with these creatures….enjoyed narrating them as bedtime stories to my kids & they seem to enjoy it thoroughly

[lovelifeandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find the anthology frightening but my view of scary may be skewed. It did provide a different point of view that I don’t often engage in. I had to keep my translator by my side to keep me from missing too much.

[Rida · Rating 2 out of 5]

0% horror, 100% absurdity. read w cousins so have fond memories of the time spent reading this.