My favourite kind of book magic strong stubborn heroine and well written. I loved this book so much and cannot wait to read more from this author in future. Well paced, kept me interested, on the edge of my seat and wanting more. Amazing world building I think this might be one of my favourite reads for 2018.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

Empire of Sand was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2018. It sounded like it would be the perfect book for me -- it ticks so many of my reader boxes. When I finally got my hands on a copy, however, I found that the reading experience wasn't quite what I had expected.

This is such a difficult review to write because I should have absolutely loved this book and given it a perfect score. Seriously, there is so much to love about Empire of Sand and many of the elements of the book are perfect on paper. However I found it to be a fairly difficult read -- it took me nearly a month to finish this book, and that involved a lot of effort.

To start with the good, the world building and magic in this book are absolutely astonishing. Suri has clearly done her homework in terms of the history and mythology that influenced Empire of Sand, and as a result the book feels so incredibly real. The setting is lush and beautifully written -- it feels like you’re reading a story based on fact rather than fiction. The accompanying rites and dancing, the storms of dreamfire, and the daeva are absolute gorgeous perfection. I could not get enough of this world and desperately want more -- I'd happily read books set in this world for years to come.

The characters, particularly Mehr, were absolutely incredible. Mehr is such a confident and capable woman, yet she still has the capacity to grow and learn. I never once doubted her or her ability. She’s easily one of the best characters of the year for me. In addition, the romance in Empire of Sand is one of the best romances I’ve ever read, seriously. Anyone who loves a slow burn romance and marriage of convenience should stop what they’re doing and read the perfection that is Mehr and Amun. The mutual trust and respect that builds between them, even before feelings grow, is just so good and watching their relationship come together was so rewarding.

So I seemingly love everything about this book, right? So why four stars instead of five? I had a good long think about this problem and I think it all comes down to pacing. This book is so incredibly slow. Now, I certainly don’t mind a slow read when I’m expecting it. After all of the praise and hype for Empire of Sand, I had fully expected at least a standard paced novel. The opening chapters are so fantastically paced and exciting, however it slows down significantly after that and the middle was a bit of a slog. I think the problem here is the dense writing and repetition. There were some passages that could have been trimmed down or cut out completely because they essentially said the same thing over and over (and over). I think a bit more creative editing would have done Empire of Sand a world of good.

Overall, I’d highly recommend Empire of Sand. It is bursting with beautiful world building, a wonderful romance, phenomenal characters, and a gripping plot that stays with you. I would warn that it isn’t the easiest book in terms of pacing, but it is such a rewarding read -- it is a book to be savoured rather than devoured (which is always my problem). I am so eager to read Realm of Ash in 2019.

4.5 stars

Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri's debut novel and it was really fantastic! It is a book inspired by India’s history, epics and myths and it is set in the Mughal Empire, while the Hindu belief and epics influenced the magic system. It was such a mesmerizing story and despite not being a fast-paced book, I loved it nonetheless. The characters were portrayed very well, with their strength and flaws, and I adored Mehr and Amun (my cinnamon roll *hearteyes*) so much! It could be considered as a stand-alone, but a companion novel is in process, and I cannot wait to read it!

Empire of Sand was very slow paced read with beautiful world building and characters. I really enjoyed it. Mehr is a strong female protagonist. I really liked her strength and cleverness. I loved Amun and Mehr relationship. It was realistic. It grow with time. The book written very beautifully. Elder Mother part was beautiful. I can't wait to read the compain book.

This is possibly my favourite standalone of the year!

I loved everything about this book, the characters, the setting and the story line. Mehr is a really likeable and relatable character who you cant help but feel a bond with from very early on in the story.

This book had enough twists and turns to keep me entertained through till the last page, and is one of those stories you wish wasnt a standalone. Would highly recommend this 5/5 stars

Let me start by saying that I adored this book. I read it in a day (yesterday in fact, if you're reading this on the day of posting). I read it on the bus on the way into work, I read it in a café on my lunch break, I read it on the bus home from work, I read it in the bath at home - you get the picture. This is one of those stories that totally swept me up, by the last third or so I don't think you could have persuaded me to stop reading even if the house was on fire (I was in the bath, it would have been fine). Irritatingly, I can't always put a finger on what makes a book fly by like that for me, if I could I would be much better at choosing what I read, but it is one of my favourite things as a reader, to kind of fall outside of time whilst you're reading, and this book definitely did that for me.

I loved the setting and the world building that accompanied it, you very much got the sense of the pain of the loss of Amrithi culture as Mehr learned what was left to learn about it. This was one of the most poignant descriptions of that kind of loss that I can remember reading (with the possible exception of some short stories). But the worldbuilding is still rich and has so many little details, how Tasha Suri managed to come up with some of them I'll never know, but suffice to say this setting is wholly it's own. One can draw comparisons to other desert based fantasies but this book definitely stands out to me. 

The romance, honestly I just want to talk about the romance. This is a lovely slow burn romance which feels (to me) perfectly paced and positioned within the rest of the story. It does play quite a significant part in the plot (no spoilers so I can't say too much more) but this doesn't read like a fantasy romance hybrid, it's more integrated than that. What I adored and appreciated was how this story handled consent.

In this case, I do mean sexual consent but this book also features consent for other 'smaller' actions, by which I mean there is a lovely moment where one character asks for consent before they touch the other. I...I just...I love to see consent modelled in fantasy books where so often the excuse is made 'oh I based it on the past and women were mistreated so I'm off the hook'. This proves it friends - you're not off the hook. 

That's not to say there isn't violence in this book, and I should definitely give the content warning of extreme violence specifically directed towards female characters. In some ways this is very effective in the plot, setting up a contrast between the more lovely characters and thus making the villain even more terrifying (and it's a pretty terrifying villain).

This is one of my top adult fantasy reads of the year, and I've read quite a number of them so that's high praise. Tasha Suri manages to balance romance, culture, enslavement, magic, religion and a whole host of other incredibly tricky themes like it's easy and I could not be more happy to recommend Empire of Sand to you!

My rating: 5/5 stars (no surprises there)

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have this book on my radar for some time and when I get it on NetGalley I read it immediatly.

What I have undoubtedly liked in this book is the richness of the universe. The author was inspired by her origins and she created a kingdom that has beliefs in gods, but also some immortal king and the existence of magical creatures. The mix is ​​just perfect and brings a lot to the story. And then, through her characters, she brings tradition with dance rituals, tributes to the gods and frankly, I loved immersing myself in this culture. After, we remain globally in a world of fantasy quite classic, there is a king who conquered new country, magic, and bad things, but the universe really brings an unique side to the book.

The book follows Merh, she is a woman from a mixed culture, her mother belonged to the people of the desert and believed in respect of tradition, her father is governor of his region and he applies the rules of the kingdom, which are rather modern, she is divided by what she believes to be her duty to her mother and also the one from the governor's daugther. And when she is going to have to leave her family and get married, her life will be turned upside down. She is a young woman who shows a lot of courage, she finds herself in an untenable situation and will do her best to stay true to herself, I really liked her personality and it's really a character that marked me in the best way.

For the plot, the novel has a certain slowness peculiar to the adult genre, but we are not bored at all. The universe is so captivating that it is easy to get immerse. The plot is very well developed and the novel can be read as a one-shot. Besides, the sequel will be a companion book. If you like a well build universe, touching characters, a realistic romance and especially fantasy this book will please you a lot and it's been a long time since I've read something so qualitative because in addition the writing style is sublime.

I wanted to read this book since I read the synopsis for the first time as I'm fascinated by India and was curious to read a fantasy book with an Indian inspired world building.
I had high expectations and they were met because this book is amazing.
Even if it's sometimes slow paced it kept me hooked till the last page and I wasn't able to put it down.
The world building is amazing, something completely different from the usual fantasy world. It's complex and enthralling, a parallel history setting very fascinating.
The plot start slowly and for a long time it seems that anything is happening then - WOOSH - the plot starts going and it's a wonderful reading experience.
The characters are amazing, well written. This book features one of the best villain I read in quite a long time.
The style of writing is elegant and clear, I really liked it.
I cannot wait to read another book by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this ARC

Empire of Sand gave me The Wrath & The Dawn vibes, but I liked it nonetheless.

First of all, I need to say "Tasha Suri, your writing is so elegant and beautiful !"

This is the story of Mehr, an illegitimate daughter of a governor of Ambham Empire and how she becomes elemental in saving the Empire. The book started strong, and I was hooked into Mehr's world, but it slowed down its pace somewhere in the middle and picked itself back up again before providing a satisfying conclusion to the story.

I loved the interactions between the daiva and Mehr, Mehr and her sister Arwa. There is romance, and yes, it was slow, but I liked the progression.

Overall, I look forward to the next book in the series -Arwa's story- and I would recommend it to someone who can read slow-paced fantasies.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!

Trigger Warning: This book features violence against women, extreme pain, and an attempt to force someone to rape another.

An Indian inspired high fantasy, I'd been looking forward to reading Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri from the moment I first heard about it. The world Suri has created is beautiful and dark, and the story was even better than I was expecting!

Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor of Irinah, and an Amrithi woman. Because of her father, she is a noblewoman living in comfort; because her mother is Amrithi, she is loathed and abhorred by the Governor's staff and his wife. Thought to be heathens and barbaric, and because they refused to support the Emperor centuries ago, the Amrithi are outcasts, nomadic people living in the desert, who are shut out from society.

Because of this, Mehr must practise the beliefs and rites of the Amrithi people - taught to her by her mother and, after her mother's exile, by her mother's friend, Lalita - in secret. The Emperor is coming down more strongly on Amrithi people, and wants them sought and thrown out or killed, and she is urged to be more careful when it comes to practicing the rites. But when a storm comes, showering Irinah in Dreamfire, and Lalita doesn't show up to perform the rite, she goes searching for her, performing the rite among the Dreamfire as she does. Doing so alerts the mystics - the servants of the Maha, the first Emperor who is now immortal, and leader of their faith - of the magic in her blood, and through strategic politics, forces Mehr into a marriage with one of their people. When she gets to Maha's temple, she discovers there's more to prayer and more to the Empire's success than she believed, and that there is darkness and cruelty hiding behind the Maha's benevolent mask. She is wanted for the magic in her blood, to be used as a tool, but it might just be the magic in her blood that saves the world from the revenge of the awakening Gods.

I am unable to tell you how amazing this book is! The world building is just incredible! The empire is based on the Mughal Empire, and the Amrithi magic and the daivas are inspired by Hindu beliefs and epics. Long ago, the Gods had children - the daiva, spirit beings who once walked the earth along with people, but they have grown weak over time. The Amrithi people are descendants of the daiva, so their magic comes from the Gods themselves. Now, the gods sleep, their dreams shaping the world and all that happens in it.

This is the world Mehr lives in, absent her mother for the past nine years. Amrithi people do not make vows or contracts, so Mehr's mother refused to marry the Governor. She lived and loved as his mistress, but after the birth of her second child, Arwa, she became home sick for her people and the desert, so the Governor exiled her, forbidding her to return. It's his guilt at sending her mother away that allows Mehr to privately practise the rites of her mother's people, with the guidance of Lalita, an Amrithi woman who masquerades as a woman from Chand for her own safety. Mehr has the privilege that comes with being a nobleman's daughter - the wealth, the luxury, the right to wear the veil when around men outside her family - but suffers from the prejudice that comes with being her mother's daughter, especially from her stepmother, Maryam, who despises her. Along with this prejudice is colourism; the Ambhan people - her father's people - have light brown skin, while the Amrithi people have dark brown, so you have Ambhan people spotting Amrithi just by looking at them.

'To be Ambhan in an Ambhan world, to have light brown skin and lighter eyes, and straight hair and fine bones, was to be beautiful and to belong.' (p186)*

But with Lalita's disappearance during the storm, and Mehr performing the rite amongst the Dreamfire, trying to find her, the mystics become aware of her, she's forced into a marriage no-one but the Emperor and the Maha want, and taken to the Maha's temple. It's then that the story really gets going. There is a reason Amrithi people do not make vows and do not marry, and the Maha knows this. Now Mehr is married to a mystic - a fellow Amrithi - she is under the Maha's control.

Oh my god, the Maha has got to be one of the worst villains I've ever come across. The mystics were pretty much illegitimate or orphaned children who had no place in society, and would not have survived. But the Maha took them in, gave them a home, food, and a purpose in prayer. The Maha was kind and good, and the mystics are pretty much fanatical in their worship of him. Because that is what the Maha expects, worship. He has found a way to keep himself alive for centuries, he has power, and he thinks himself a god. But he rules with an iron fist. The mystics are so grateful for his kindness, they fall at his feet, and he needs not treat them any differently. But he is power hungry, and he needs Mehr, and Amun, her husband, to use the magic in their blood for his ill-gotten gains. He is also a man who delights in his power over other people. He likes to see others suffer, especially women, and if you fail him, the consequences are extreme. Mate, he made me feel sick. He is beyond cruel, he is evil. But there was also something familiar about him. Yes, he has magical power, but it could be seen as a metaphor for male privilege, with the Maha a man who uses that power to subjugate, hurt and control women, and do whatever he wants with them. He is absolutely terrifying.

'He was not as a God to her. In his smile--even in his eyes--she saw his humanity like a blazing light, a harsh desert sun that illuminated all and left all secrets bared. [Redacted]--so his mystics fell at his feet, worshipped him. He was still nothing but flesh. He hungered for power as a human hungered. He enjoyed hurting her as a mortal man enjoyed crushing another mortal underfoot. He was a man who took pleasure in hurting a woman. His evil was born from his humanity.' (p258-259)*

But it's now all awful. There is a beautiful slow burn romance between Mehr and Amun. Neither of them chose this marriage, and both are bound to the Maha, doing his bidding without choice. But Amun is kind, and he tries to shield Mehr from the worst of it. Partly because he's just a good and decent guy; being the Maha's tool is practically all he's ever known, and he doesn't want the suffering and the pain and the lack of control for Mehr. And partly because he's not a monster, trying to resist a vow he's made for as long as possible, a vow that will lead to pain for Mehr. And Mehr sees that. She sees that he's decent, and she sees that he's fighting for her sake. The other mystics aren't Amrithi, so they share the prejudice against Amrithi people, and treat Amun awfully, though being half Ambhan saves Mehr from it. They are each other's light in a world that is dark and with very little, if any, hope. And slowly, they begin to fall for each other, and it's just so gorgeous and so pure, and I loved it!

Mehr herself was just incredible. She's not badass. She's lived in comfort and luxury her whole life, has never worked, and so is not physically strong. But her strength lies in her hope, in how it keeps her going, her search for escape for her and Amun, her plans and her strategies, and the actions she takes. And her strength is in her resilience, when things are beyond hard, when despair is all there is, when she doesn't feel she can take any more, she keeps on keeping on, and tries to shield Amun from the worst she is feeling. She is just incredible, and I was in awe of her, of her and Amun. Just incredible.

'She allowed herself to tremble, feigned being a thing bent and broken by his cruelty. She did not have her jewels or her fine clothes, but she had this power, at least: She could give him a simulacrum of what he desired from her, and hold her crumbling strength tight.
Let him think he had broken her. As long as he believed he already had, as long as she fooled him, he would not succeed in truly doing so.' (p259-260)*

Empire of Sand is an absolutely fantastic novel, and not only that, written by one of our UK authors of colour. It's lush and dark, beautiful and ugly, full of hope and full of fear, and it is just a triumph. I am so, so looking forward to reading the follow up, Reign of Ash

Thank you to Orbit via NetGalley for the eProof.

*All quotes have been checked against a final copy.

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I really liked the setting of this book, but I just wasn't invested in the characters or the story. The two small issues I had was the entirely predictable romance and the pacing was a little uneven at times. Other than that, this was a good book - just not for me. I do think this is going to be a popular book and I would recommend checking it out if you love YA fantasy.

[this review will be up on my blog, acquarimore.wordpress.com, on December 7, 2018]

Empire of Sand is a slow-paced desert fantasy novel set in a world inspired by the Mughal Empire.

As I had never read a book inspired by this part of India's history, and as I usually love slow, atmospheric fantasy, I thought I would at least like Empire of Sand, but it just didn't work for me. After loving the first 20% of it, in which a magical world with an unique magic system inspired by Indian classical dance and complex history was introduced, I started liking this book less and less, because of the pacing.

From around 25% of the book to at least 65%, the main character Mehr is trapped in an unwanted (at least at the beginning) arranged marriage, in a place in which she's forced to perform magical rituals that hurt her, and in which there's the constant threat that she will be forced to have sex with a person she doesn't want to have sex with. The situation doesn't change much, I found all of it very difficult to read, and then I couldn't anymore. Maybe it wouldn't have affected me so much had I not read Girls of Paper and Fire just a few days ago, another fantasy book in which the main character is constantly under the threat of sexual assault. I don't know, I just know that I need to step back from this kind of fantasy stories for a while.

I put off DNFing this book and writing this review even though I knew for a few days that I wasn't going to continue because I really didn't want to write a bad review of this. I loved the beginning and the world is genuinely interesting. I also think that fantasy book that follow non-western history and that show women who are strong in a different way than the average fantasy are really important, but I just couldn't get through the middle of this.

I've been eagerly anticipating the release of Empire of Sand, so I was overjoyed when my request to read and review it was accepted.

Empire of Sand had all the things I love about high fantasy in it - a root worthy main character, complex world-building, and a slow burn romance. The diverse and rich setting together with the layered characters had me glued from start to finish.

Empire of Sand is an adult fantasy, but I think it has cross over appeal. I believe it's a stand-alone with companion books to come, which I will definitely be reading!

Thank you to Netgalley, Tasha Suri and Little Brown Book Group for my ARC of Empire of Sand.

If you're a lover of Asian inspired fantasy, set in deserts with magical creatures, myths, legends, good vs evil and a passionate and fierce female lead character, then Empire of Sand is the book for you.

Mehr lives in the Empire, the illegitimate Daughter of the Imperial Governor and an Amrithi mother who was exiled when she was very young. Her stepmother hates her and keeps her from her younger sister and tries to manipulate her father. But Mehr is determined to hold on to her Amrithi heritage regardless of the consequences. That is until the consequences arrive at the front door. Mehr's powers come to the attention of the Emperor's mystics, fiercely religious and fanatical they are determined to use her powers for themselves and if she resists she could risk awakening the gods and bringing their wrath down on the entire empire.

This story was incredibly fast paced I got through the whole book (some 490+ pages) in 4.5 hours. The story was interesting, fresh and new. I'd definitely recommend for fans of City of Brass. Although the story is very different there are some parallels. I thought it was excellent. I loved Mehr's character although she had flaws of course, there was nothing to dislike about her. She was fierce and passionate, steadfast, loyal and made friends easily. Although sometimes enemies just as easily. The villain of the story was perfectly evil and very easy to hate and the love interest/relationship was done very well without a trope in sight.

I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

Full review to follow, but here are quick thoughts from me:

- Reading Empire of Sand requires a lot of patience. I struggled with the first 12% of the book. The middle part seemed to stretch infinitely, without anything substantial really happening. But once I hit the 60% mark, I fell in love.

- It can be tough to persevere with reading because the writing was dense (which is most palpable at the beginning of the book), the pacing was torturously slow, and the exciting parts of the plot were all located towards the end of the story.

- South Asian culture!!! Character values inspired by Mughal women!!! Hauntingly beautiful desert setting!!! Indian and Hindu influences!!! Phenomenal world-building!!!

- Complex power apparatuses and systems!!! Empire of Sand brilliantly encaptured how both the State and Religion work hand-in-hand in maintaining the oppressive, elitist status quo. This also talked about how powerful empires rise from bloodshed (which is timely and relevant!!!).

- This is a story that's centered on resilience and sacrifice!!!

- PROTECT AMUN AT ALL COSTS.

- I loved how Mehr was so self-aware regarding her privilege as an Amrithi raised as a noblewoman. Her growth as a character was also exceptionally done.

- THE. ROMANCE. HAD. ME. SOBBING. AND. VULNERABLE.

- There was a consistent theme of parents ignoring rationality/morality out of love for their children, which I happened to really, really like.

- A lot of well-executed ideas!!! I loved the idea of an empire built on the dreams of sleeping gods.

- Although dense, the writing style was lush, atmospheric, and wonderfully eloquent.

- THE ENDING WAS SO GOOD AND SO SATISFYING!!!

- This book reminded me of Mirage by Somaiya Daud (because the leading character is of a mixed race: half-nobility, half-part of a race that's oppressed and hated), Markswoman by Rati Mehrota (because of the South Asian influences), and Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (because the characters were fighting for their freedom + a romance develops between two "servants"). If you liked these three books, then I highly recommend Empire of Sand.

Rating: 4.5. stars

A powerful tale of magic and legend and rites, i loved it!
It's also nice to read a book that feels so different to western myth and legend without it feeling like a commodity, i found it really beautiful to read about the dance rites and the bonds of partnership and balance with the elements.