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_rhea's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
5.0
aporter16's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
arkaymagnus's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sad to give this such a low rating because it has a gorgeous setting, interesting characters, and a great premise. But it gets mired by the emotional and narrative treadmill that makes up over half of the book. There are several hundred pages of rumination and worry without anything really changing, inside or out. By the time things get moving again, it's too late to salvage what could have been such a great story.
lightbringer99's review against another edition
3.0
Nice and easy read.
The prose used somewhat strange expressions and phrase structures at times, therefore making reading not as smooth and flowy.
Sometimes, too many repetitions of the same words and phrases occurred.
But it was nonetheless an enjoyable story, just nothing very memorable.
The dreamfire was an interesting concept, though.
The prose used somewhat strange expressions and phrase structures at times, therefore making reading not as smooth and flowy.
Sometimes, too many repetitions of the same words and phrases occurred.
But it was nonetheless an enjoyable story, just nothing very memorable.
The dreamfire was an interesting concept, though.
booknerd151's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
srishtis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-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? No
3.75
Really engrossing fantasy read weaving together South Asian culture, religion, & historical details. Mehr annd Amun are so tortured, and I only wished they received a bit more respite during the ending, which felt a little rushed to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Classism
shredderreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
nithyaez's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful world-building, inspired by Mughal India, with strong characters and a lovely, slow-burn romance.
I do think that Tasha Suri’s Jasmine Throne series is marginally better; it’s feels more epic, with more vivid characters beyond the main cast and many interconnected storylines, and Suri’s writing is simply more honed. It makes sense, as Kingdom of Sand is her debut novel. However, if I’d read this first, I’d not have known Suri could be even better, and it was still an easy five stars for me. (Jasmine Throne is just, ugh, so good and deserves six out of five stars).
I do think that Tasha Suri’s Jasmine Throne series is marginally better; it’s feels more epic, with more vivid characters beyond the main cast and many interconnected storylines, and Suri’s writing is simply more honed. It makes sense, as Kingdom of Sand is her debut novel. However, if I’d read this first, I’d not have known Suri could be even better, and it was still an easy five stars for me. (Jasmine Throne is just, ugh, so good and deserves six out of five stars).
brittney_tyler's review against another edition
4.0
Star Rating: 3.5 stars
After hearing about this book through BookTube, I decided to try it as I tend to like Middle Eastern fantasy (The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Charkaborty was my favorite book of last year.). However, the synopsis of this book is very misleading, and ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped. This book tells the story of Mehr, the half-Amrithi illegitimate daughter of the governor of Irinah, as she tries to find her place in a world where her people (Amrithi) and their way of life are slowly disappearing.
The best thing about this book was how healthy the relationship was between Mehr and Amun. Their relationship starts out being an arranged, political marriage, but I really enjoyed them slowly learning about each other and eventually starting to love and care about each other, especially when it came to Amun refusing to consummate their marriage until Mehr was completely consenting even when it caused him actual physical pain to wait. As a Westerner who lives in the Deep South, I don’t have much exposure to arranged marriages or other cultures in general, so it was really exciting to see one portrayed that was actually healthy.
Although I do think that their relationship was very healthy, I did not think that it should have been the main focus of the novel. The story is about the Amrithi’s connection to the land and how the empire they live in is manipulating that connection or at least it is supposed to be, but in my opinion, the romance completely takes over and the plot is just there to further the romance. I prefer stories that have deep and complex layered plots, and if they have romance, it is just icing on the cake, and that is not what I got with this book. 3.5 stars and on to the next one!!!!!!!!
After hearing about this book through BookTube, I decided to try it as I tend to like Middle Eastern fantasy (The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Charkaborty was my favorite book of last year.). However, the synopsis of this book is very misleading, and ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped. This book tells the story of Mehr, the half-Amrithi illegitimate daughter of the governor of Irinah, as she tries to find her place in a world where her people (Amrithi) and their way of life are slowly disappearing.
The best thing about this book was how healthy the relationship was between Mehr and Amun. Their relationship starts out being an arranged, political marriage, but I really enjoyed them slowly learning about each other and eventually starting to love and care about each other, especially when it came to Amun refusing to consummate their marriage until Mehr was completely consenting even when it caused him actual physical pain to wait. As a Westerner who lives in the Deep South, I don’t have much exposure to arranged marriages or other cultures in general, so it was really exciting to see one portrayed that was actually healthy.
Although I do think that their relationship was very healthy, I did not think that it should have been the main focus of the novel. The story is about the Amrithi’s connection to the land and how the empire they live in is manipulating that connection or at least it is supposed to be, but in my opinion, the romance completely takes over and the plot is just there to further the romance. I prefer stories that have deep and complex layered plots, and if they have romance, it is just icing on the cake, and that is not what I got with this book. 3.5 stars and on to the next one!!!!!!!!