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annatsp's review against another edition
5.0
WOW. Where do I go with this review other than... WOW!
I picked up Empire of Sand when Tasha Suri was at SRFC in March last year. And then I sat on it because I had so many other things to do and so many other things to read and... now I am filled with regret for wasting all that time.
Empire of Sand is stunning. It stuns you with the sheer beauty and intricacy of its world-building, inspired as it is by medieval India. It stuns you with the depths of its emotions as Mehr is entrapped within inescapable silk cages by her words and her honour and her love. It stuns you with its brutality, where even the simplest choice can become an issue of life or death. And as you read, your heart bleeds with Mehr, with Amun, with all those who serve the mystics, whether from fear or from love.
Love is a funny thing. It gives you courage to do the impossible, but it also takes away your choices. Protected by her father's love and his power as Governor of Jah Irinah, Mehr is also looked down on as the illegitimate daughter of an Amrithi nomad. Within those strict confines, Mehr exists as neither one nor the other, until she's caught performing a forbidden rite. And it's there, out of her love and fear for her sister, that she makes a tough decision, the first in a long line of many harder choices. Yet, if there's anything to be taken from this book, it's that love also empowers you and helps you find ways where there is no obvious solution.
I'd go as far as to say that Empire of Sand is the best book I've read this year, even if it's only February.
I picked up Empire of Sand when Tasha Suri was at SRFC in March last year. And then I sat on it because I had so many other things to do and so many other things to read and... now I am filled with regret for wasting all that time.
Empire of Sand is stunning. It stuns you with the sheer beauty and intricacy of its world-building, inspired as it is by medieval India. It stuns you with the depths of its emotions as Mehr is entrapped within inescapable silk cages by her words and her honour and her love. It stuns you with its brutality, where even the simplest choice can become an issue of life or death. And as you read, your heart bleeds with Mehr, with Amun, with all those who serve the mystics, whether from fear or from love.
Love is a funny thing. It gives you courage to do the impossible, but it also takes away your choices. Protected by her father's love and his power as Governor of Jah Irinah, Mehr is also looked down on as the illegitimate daughter of an Amrithi nomad. Within those strict confines, Mehr exists as neither one nor the other, until she's caught performing a forbidden rite. And it's there, out of her love and fear for her sister, that she makes a tough decision, the first in a long line of many harder choices. Yet, if there's anything to be taken from this book, it's that love also empowers you and helps you find ways where there is no obvious solution.
I'd go as far as to say that Empire of Sand is the best book I've read this year, even if it's only February.
mycouscous's review against another edition
2.0
This one is soooo overlong. It has great world-building detail, but it took forever to get through the story without much pay-off. Plus the arranged marriage trope - ick.
ariadnesthread's review against another edition
4.0
“But little hope was still ‘hope,’ and Mehr had learned that even the smallest kernel of it, preserved in the darkness, could bloom into a miracle.”
I read this book because both S. A. Chakraborty and R. F. Kuang blurbed it, and I’ve loved both of the books they are releasing this year! It’s a beautiful heroine’s journey about a girl who isn’t the typical assassin/gifted at fighting/badass and I loved that. The story moves slowly and is very different from a lot of the fantasy books I’ve read (which is a great thing!). Lastly, the world is a bit small but is full of historical Mughal Indian culture. I totally expect things to expand in the second book, both story-wise and with the world building.
Empire of Sand is a beautifully written debut, and I’ll definitely have to check out the next book in the series when it’s available.
I read this book because both S. A. Chakraborty and R. F. Kuang blurbed it, and I’ve loved both of the books they are releasing this year! It’s a beautiful heroine’s journey about a girl who isn’t the typical assassin/gifted at fighting/badass and I loved that. The story moves slowly and is very different from a lot of the fantasy books I’ve read (which is a great thing!). Lastly, the world is a bit small but is full of historical Mughal Indian culture. I totally expect things to expand in the second book, both story-wise and with the world building.
Empire of Sand is a beautifully written debut, and I’ll definitely have to check out the next book in the series when it’s available.
brokenrecord's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this well enough, but I felt like I should've gotten more invested in the romance than I did, since a slow burn arranged marriage romance plot is 100% my thing. I also was interested in reading a fantasy in a different setting than I usually read, but unfortunately I'm generally not that into fantasy where gods play a huge role (in any setting, not just this type — it's very much a, "It's not you, it's me," kind of thing. Those kinds of stories rarely capture my interest for whatever reason), so while I didn't dislike my plot, it just wasn't really my thing. I don't think this was a bad book by any means, and I did enjoy reading it, just not as much as I would've hoped. But I do think it's likely to work better for other people than it did for me.
thebookishking's review against another edition
Buddy Read with Mels (who I'll link to later xD)
I'm super excited for this and have a week to finish it so let's see if I can do it !! Still in that Kingdom of Ash slump and it's killing me.
ARC received in Exchange for an Honest Review.
I'm super excited for this and have a week to finish it so let's see if I can do it !! Still in that Kingdom of Ash slump and it's killing me.
ARC received in Exchange for an Honest Review.
_rhea's review against another edition
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.