3.5✨ It was a ok read 🥰 thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book

Three centuries ago, a prince defied his kingdom to pursue a forbidden romance, igniting a chain of events that shattered alliances and left a legacy of sorrow. Now, Esther, a spirited young woman from a remote village, is haunted by vivid dreams of a desperate woman pleading for forgiveness. When the dreams lead her to uncover an ancient curse, Esther embarks on a perilous journey into the heart of the desert, determined to uncover the truth and confront her destiny.

As Esther navigates treacherous landscapes, unravels forgotten prophecies, and faces the pain of long-buried sins, she must find the strength to forgive and the courage to reshape a fractured kingdom. Rich with world-building, unforgettable characters, and themes of love, sacrifice, and resilience, The Queen of Sands offers a gripping dual-timeline adventure that will captivate the imagination.

Step into the sands, where every secret has its price-and every choice shapes the future.

I could not finish this book. I loved the idea of the world building and the premise of the story, but the SHOW not Tell was not working in this case. It was painful to get through the first few pages. I wanted to get further, but it just wasn't working for me in this moment of time.

I believe that this story has potential, but honestly I did love the writing style. I found it a little repetitive and hard to follow, with a good editing I am convinced that this book can be good.

A fractured kingdom, a forbidden love, an ancient curse, a strong female lead, dual timelines, and a whole desert dripping with secrets? Yes, please. The vibes were immaculate going in. Unfortunately, what should’ve been a sweeping tale of fate and redemption ended up feeling like a first draft with a Pinterest board problem.

The worldbuilding really tries to be lush and cinematic, but it keeps tripping over clunky exposition and dialogue that feels like everyone’s reading their emotions off cue cards (think: “I am sad and therefore I must cry”). And don’t get me started on the POV gymnastics: we go from third to first person mid-paragraph like it’s a trust fall we never agreed to.

Esther’s journey wants to feel epic and emotional, but I just couldn't buy into the stakes. The pacing lurches, the prose lacks polish, and by the halfway point, I felt more told-at than immersed. Characters proclaim eternal love after, like, one and a half conversations, and there’s a lot of weeping, fate-whispering, and standing dramatically in sandstorms.

I wanted to love this. Truly. I respect the ambition and emotional depth this was aiming for: love, grief, forgiveness, generational healing, legacy. But it needed sharper editing to land any of it.

DNF’d emotionally around 30%, finished physically out of curiosity. Would check out the author's future book only if it’s been through the editorial trenches.

Review: This narrative or rather dialogue is very strange. It is stilted to the point where every character explains their reasoning and emotions out loud in heated interchanges. Even repeating the obvious. Kind of like listening to six year olds argue. It does work in an odd way, as it enables the reader to skim the bs and focus on the grande story line. Even though you know what is happening at the get go, there are instances where the story line drifts enough to become interesting in a truncated way (abruptly ends).

Although I liked some of the characters, Aphra and Prince Boner were just too much to take. The crwying, twembling, fwaiting and proclaimed love for eternity wore really thin. I do not think I will be following this author unless there is a profound shift in fundamental characterization and the delivery therein.

I received this ARC for an honest review

ARC Review: The Queen of Sands by Mona Tebyanian
⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5 rounded to 3 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Mona Tebyanian, and Koehler Books for the opportunity to read an early copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

The Queen of Sands is a debut fantasy romance with a rich, dual timeline concept and a world steeped in desert lore, forgotten curses, and buried secrets. On paper, it had all the ingredients for a sweeping tale of destiny, betrayal, and redemption. The premise? Golden. The heart behind it? Undeniable.

Unfortunately, I struggled to fully connect with the execution. While the story itself holds potential and the themes are genuinely compelling, the writing style often felt underdeveloped and occasionally distracted from the emotional weight of the plot. I wanted to be immersed, to feel the sand in my boots and the tension in my chest... but instead, I found myself pulled out of the story by awkward phrasing and structural hiccups.

That said, it’s clear the author poured her imagination and passion into the bones of this book. Esther’s journey, the ancient curse, and the emotional undercurrents all show promise. With further polishing, especially in pacing and prose, this could evolve into a captivating read for fans of romantic fantasy set in lush, mythic worlds.

It may not have worked for me personally, but I’m hopeful that others, (especially those who enjoy stories of fate and resilience set against vibrant desert landscapes), might find something magical within its pages.

★☆☆☆☆ - Needs more work

- Fantasy
- First in series
- DNF at chapter 2 (5%)

Thank you to Mona Tebyanian and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sadly I decided to stop reading at the end of chapter 2 (5%). I found this difficult to read and did not enjoy it.

In summary, I feel this needs a lot more editing and work. It comes across as a very early draft.

The majority of the first 2 chapter are massive info dumps with not much else. The dialogue that is included doesn't feel natural, it's very formal and a bit clunky.

There were some punctuation errors, and randomly at 3% a paragraph switch to first person for a sentence.

There are some formatting issues and some pages are huge blocks of text with no breaks. I was reading on kindle but I'm sure this will be corrected.

There was no flow and it didn't feel like I was reading a story, more like someone's notes about an event.

The first 2 chapters seem really fast paced, but there was no real description of the events happening. I felt a lot happened but I hadn't learned a lot about the world or characters, and I wouldn't be able to explain to someone if asked.

This was the fastest DNF of my life. The writing was choppy and hard to read. It changed from third perspective to first in the same paragraph. The dialogue was too formal and structured while she was talking to her mom. The whole first three chapters were complete info dump. This book needs to be rewritten completely.

Definitely needs more editing, it was very information heavy, i understand the scene needs to be set, which is the trouble with fantasy books and pacing therefore it was a struggle to get immersed in the world.

DNF 2 chapters in.

It was all info dump, telling not showing. Esther has no friends, but we are told she is sweet and quiet and charming. There is no evidence of this as she literally only has one conversation in the first 20 pages and it's telling her mother that her life is utterly boring and she wants to leave. My life is too short to continue reading this book.

This was such an enjoyable fantasy! I really liked the desert atmosphere and followingEsther’s journey in discovering the truth that an ancient curse set’s her on. She is such a strong character as she faces prophesies and secrets. This book has dual-timelines, which really helps add to the story, along with vivid world building.