A review by skconaghan
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
This is a high adventure; a quest that keeps a steady pace with zero lulls along the way; not as loaded with magic bits as one might expect (more tea-drinking than magic tbh), but this sort of magic has certain limits, so it’s contained and guarded, and it’s behind the scenes (with reason) for most of this book. 
 
Imani and her siblings like to live on the edge, and they can, as privileged members of society, without feeling the same repercussions as most. This is a point driven home hard by the author throughout, and it’s not unjustified, but there is a sort of long-look realisation coming to Imani as she journeys far from home and meets people who suffer pain and poverty and starvation, and die unnecessary deaths. She soon comes to realise that even the people with whom she was raised harbour ill-will towards her and her privilege. But Imani is opening her eyes to these realities. [The framework of this portion of the tale is very like the awakening of Siddhartha Gautama to the realities of the world upon which his pristine castle was propped—though, for the most part, the story is based on Arabic Folk tales, characters and elements.] 
 
Imani has come with her own enemy-to-still-hate scout leader for the journey, and she still hates him (but do we?) as she gets to know all his tender bits and rough edges. But then there’s this djinn also (with hefty emphasis that all the people who matter believe djinn to be evil in nature). He’s introduced and explored from a revisionist perspective, and reasonable sympathy is churned up with a heart-tugging back-story attached to the life of this dark, broody, evil character. Those who like a little triangulated romantic confusion will appreciate the extra-curricular connotations involved. 
 
Despite grumbling impossible-to-defeat mystical monsters lurking beneath the sands (we only get a glimpse), the white people—especially the blonds and the gingers—are the real devils in this clashing of peoples in a fantastical setting (an ancient and mystical desert land that comes wrapped in digestible Western dialogues). There is subtle and chafing acknowledgment of recognising internal classism within the same culture and community, though, so the enemies are coming from all sides, beneath and within, and the war is rumbling as we head to the second book in the series. 
 
Yes, this is only just beginning. A few pathetic rebellions have been squelched because the richest and safest have turned a blind eye to the suffering masses. But the younger generation of the protected privileged class are awakening, throwing off their blissful comforts, and arming themselves against the other oppressors of the lower class citizens whom they’ve well ignored until now while living in their own gated community. 
 
Though this ends on a note you could let linger and not need for more, there is more to come. It promises to be big adventure, with bloody battles, a little magic thrown in, an uprising of caste-defying, warrior-trained teenagers, and maybe some desert monsters, our reformed djinn slayer, and hopefully a powerful djinn will also make an appearance. In this build-up novel, there have been a good many details left out, though tasty morsels have been served to whet the appetite for more. 
 
I enjoyed it. I'll read the next.