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setauuta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
msradiosilence's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Tldr; I love Amun and Mehr, and I really liked how well rounded this book is.
Read my full review at: https://www.rainyreader.com/single-post/empire-of-sand/
Read my full review at: https://www.rainyreader.com/single-post/empire-of-sand/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
bookishbutch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
griffinthief's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
morganphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infertility and Suicide
achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
sophieink's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I love fantasy and I love a fantasy romance.
This is quite a slow fantasy but I quite enjoy slower ones at times. It is the story of Mehr as she is the daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother. The Amrithi are treated poorly by society as their magic is persecuted leading to the diminishing of their community throughout the kingdom. During a night where Mehr uses magic, the emperor's feared mystics are drawn to her and after some events she is forced to join them through a marriage. We get to see her navigate all these events and what it might cost her and the kingdom.
One thing I noticed about this book was how it took a little while to get to the events, like it was 100 pages until what would be considering the main event from the synopsis to happen but through doing so we got to know Mehr, the world, the people and why this was such an emotional thing for Mehr to go through so it definitely had its strength through doing this but I think people going in should expect a slow-paced fantasy.
As we got to follow Mehr’s perspective, it meant we got to see her thoughts and plans. It really felt like you were going on this journey with her as she was faced with problems and dilemmas involving different people you could really feel her struggle with what to do and what was right to do. It was really nice to feel so close to the main character. Plus, it was high stakes as the story wasn’t afraid to take away and make it harder for her.
“Like it or not, survival was not a noble cause. It was a necessity.”
“She was no more than human, no more than that, and that would have to be enough.”
The next thing was the marriage that was forced upon Mehr, I think sometimes in these plots it can be quite hard to balance the importance of choice and pressure with the actual romance if there is going to be one so the romance can still feel natural and progressive. But I thought that this story handled all of this really well and put a lot of effect into developing not only the progression but what the situations meant for them and really valued and emphasised choice. I think the main relationship was definitely one of the strengths of this book, it kept me invested and I felt like there was an interesting dynamic between the two that continued to shift and evolve making it seem realistic and pure.
"Those were small things, but at least they were good things."
Amun was a good character and I liked seeing him open up so we could see different sides to him, especially as he always had such a strong, caring side. He was the broody male character but done really well and really sweetly so I loved that.
The villain and plot were interesting. I liked that we got some closeness to the villain even though it was horrible in our main character’s perspective. But through the use of her fear and dread it helped you as a reader to fear him too. I thought he was a really good villain who was explored throughout the novel; why he did what he did, how he wanted to be perceived, how he acts when he loses control and the different things that led to the end. It wasn’t cut down to one fight, it felt more like a descent and I really liked that. The villain was also strongly linked to the plot and Mehr as she had to deal with the consequences for the world, so I thought that was interesting and added a layer to the book.
“His evil was born from his humanity.”
I, also, really liked the magic as it used dance rites and the way you had to train made it different to what I have typically seen in books and I imagine it would be amazing to watch (so fingers crossed for an adaptation to come).
I think this book had a lot of concepts that reflect reality by the real pain and emotions that were felt due to society’s structure, so I think it definitely added a deeper level to the book.
“to be treated in large and small ways as less than entirely human…
The kind of torture had the strength to shatter anyone.”
And, finally, the writing was really stunning throughout this book. It had a kind of flawless grace to it which I admired. I loved the way it built up characters, emotions and the world with its depth. I thought the prose was really great as well, and this is a debut so I can’t wait to see more from Suri.
★★★★
A really good fantasy especially for people looking for a slower fantasy romance. I’m really glad I picked it up. The only reason it isn’t a five star is because it is a little drawn out and as much as this had some strength to it, at times it felt like I would have enjoyed it more if it had a faster pace.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Blood
olivialandryxo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I didn’t expect much from Empire of Sand, and there was more than one instance while I read the first half of the book where I considered not finishing. The world-building was incredible, the magic system unique, the protagonist interesting, but I just wasn’t invested. But oh, I’m so, so glad I kept going. The second half is much better, despite the pace never really picking up, as I became truly invested in both the protagonist and her love interest. Suri wrote an exquisite romance, soft and tender and emotional; it completely stole my heart. It was the reason I sped through the last quarter of the book, desperately hoping everything would be okay. While the story didn’t quite go in the direction I expected, it was still intense and intensely enjoyable. I’m so glad I stuck with this book, and I urge you to do the same. This book deserves much more love. I’m not sure that I’ll read the companion, as I’m not really interested in the younger sister as a protagonist. However, I’m eagerly awaiting Suri's next book. If it’s as great as this ended up being, absolutely sign me up.
Representation:
Representation:
- Protagonist, love interest, and some side characters of color
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Blood
coophone's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Death
Moderate: Slavery