Empire of Sand

I very much enjoyed this fantasy with romantic elements. The world-building and magic system are delightfully fresh and beautifully rendered with the cultures occupying the landscape. Mehr is a heroine for the ages, sheltered and yet strong, with a wonderful journey. Her arranged marriage and how she and her husband fight against overwhelming odds are also original and satisfying. A bit of a slow start, but persevere because this is well worth the read!

Absorbing, heart wrenching, and triumphant.

Thanks to my local library, I was able to find and borrow Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri. This is the first book that I’ve read by Tasha Suri, and it was a much different Fantasy that I’ve read so far, and I enjoyed it.

Storyline/My Thoughts: I’m so glad I found something different to read because I was having difficulty finding something to read lately. I didn’t want to end up in a reading slump again as I did over the summer. Tasha Suri’s Empire of Sand helped me not getting into a slump. The minute I started reading, I knew I would have a hard time putting down the book.

The story is mainly in Mehr’s POV, with a few others getting a small POV, too. She’s a nobleman’s daughter that has magic abilities due to her Amrithi mother. Her father exiled Mehr’s mother a long time ago due to her being Amrithi. The Amrithi have been known to the Empire to be outcasts, and they have been persecuted for a while in the Empire for their magical power in their blood. This means Mehr has to learn her Amrithi abilities from someone else because she has magic in her blood. One night Mehr’s magical abilities are made known by the Emperor’s mystics, and they have come for her. Her father doesn’t want her to go with them, especially since his daughter is being forced to marry someone they have chosen for her. Mehr doesn’t want anything happening to her father, stepmother, and little sister, so she goes with the Mystics to marry the man they have chosen. Her soon-to-be-husband is going to protect Mehr from the person who has controlled him for years by doing something that will put them both in danger if it’s found out. The Mehr meets the person who wants to control her, the Maha, and she realizes he has his own cruel plan, and she doesn’t want anything to with it.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I will stop by detailing anything else. Here are some things I enjoyed about Tasha Suri’s debut novel:

I loved reading a South Asian Fantasy inspired by the Mughal Empire, as per the author. At the end of this book, readers will find out with the FAQ on how and why Tasha Suri wrote the Books of Ambha. I always love finding out how authors came up with their stories.
The writing style was unique compared to other authors I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. It’s very detailed, and Tasha Suri did a fabulous job with the world-building.
I loved Mehr’s character because she’s different from other female protagonists. She knows she’s in danger with the Maha and the mystics, but she’s not going to give up, especially when she has her husband, Amun, who is there with her.
There’s some romance in the book, but it’s not the main focus in the story, which I enjoyed. I read many romance books, but sometimes I want books that focus more on the story and how the characters grow.
I didn’t think I would like Amun, who Mehr was married to, but he’s a tortured soul. I love a male protagonist who has been through a lot and will fight back. He protects Mehr from the beginning, and in the end, he’s there for her, too. He becomes the one person that Mehr can trust.
I loved the ending of this book because Mehr realizes what the Maha is doing. Nope, not spoiling it for anyone.
I could go on and on, but I don’t want to end up spoiling anything. The only thing that bothered me when reading this book was that it was a slow start for me. The action didn’t come until the middle and end of the book. It didn’t prevent me from getting through the book, though. I was intrigued the minute I started finding out more about Mehr and her abilities. I needed to know what was going to happen. Overall, this book receives four stars from me. I’m anxious, though, to dive into the next book, which has Mehr’s little sister as the main protagonist, and she’s grown up. I’m thankful to my local library for having this book and the next book.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Books of Ambha series.

Trope: Marriage of Convenience; Arranged Marriage; Slow Burn

Triggers: Physical Abuse from Antagonist to Protagonist; Murder/Death

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are a fan of an Adult Fantasy book/series that involves magic, mythology, and gods, then you’ll enjoy this book/series by Tasha Suri. If you are looking for a South Asian-inspired fantasy story, you need to check out this book.

Oh, wow, where do I even begin?
Here is a book that is fresh and new and brilliantly imagined!

First, let’s talk about the narrator.
I’m often leery of narrators at either end of the octave spectrum (deep-voiced males or high-voiced females) as they tend to struggle with opposite-gender voices. I am extremely pleased to say that though she is near the high end of the spectrum, Soneela Nankani did not have that problem at all!

Similarly, sometimes books based on non-western cultures end up being narrated with accents that are not understandable (or close enough to it), such as the narration of Black Leopard, Red Wolf. I’m still disappointed at not being able to listen to that book. But again, we do not have that problem here.

As one would expect, quite a bit of the dialogue is lightly accented in tones that sound very Indian and Middle-Eastern, but the narration is crisp and clear.

The array of voices used is impressive, and even the male voices are excellently pitched and believable. Her vocal inflections border on perfection, as do her tempo shifts throughout the text.

It feels really nitpicky, but if I had a critique on the narration it would be that there are perhaps two or three voices that do not sound the way they are described in the text.

Now, the story.
Let me preface this with the fact that ordinarily I can’t stand romance fiction. The storylines, themes, and tensions explored rarely interest me and I just find the contrivances stretching my suspension of disbelief.

This is absolutely not the case here.

To be clear, this is very much a fantasy-romance book. But it doesn’t read like the usual drivel I come across in that genre. While there are some action sequences, violent conflict, and some really cool visuals, it is not what anyone might call “Action Packed.”

I don’t mean to belittle anyone’s taste here, all fiction has value. I simply personally don’t find most fantasy-romance stories to be enjoyable or the least bit believable.

But this book does not have that problem.

First and foremost, every single character comes across as a fully realized, complete individual with their own goals, needs, quirks, and issues. Each behaves in a way that is consistent with what we (eventually) know of their background. And each clearly demonstrates a wealth of experiences that brought them to the person that they are.

Nothing herein feels the least bit contrived or “convenient.” Every major point is a clear consequence to something else that came before, and every time you think you know what’s going on, something else comes up to remind you of how wrong you are.

There is plenty of dramatic tension here that feels real and visceral and powerful. And while I’m not normally fond of political power struggles (I’m rather burned out on those), this one was so brilliantly put together that I couldn’t help but love it.

Now, about the writing.
Over and above my initial reservations simply from knowing what I was getting myself into, there are a few hiccups in the prose. There are some clunky sentence constructions, a handful of typos (just a bit more that I would expect in a novel of this size), and quite a bit of unnecessary passive voice.

Elsewise, however, the writing is quite brilliant.

And finally, the ending.
This is one of those rare cases of an ending that comes together in a way that I did not foresee in the slightest!

But don’t misunderstand. There is no Deus Ex Machina here. Everything is a consequence of what came before, and it all ties together brilliantly. Shockingly, but brilliantly.

There is a moment near the end that my jaw just about hit the floor. It was a total wow moment. And then the next moment was an even bigger wow!

If you read just one fantasy-romance this year, it should be this one.
Even if you’re not normally open to fantasy-romance (as I’ve said, I usually run very quickly in the other direction when I see them), as long as you don’t demand constant action in your fantasy I think you’ll find something to love in this book.

Well this was glorious in all the ways.
The sheer imaginative immersion was what I loved most about this, and the thick thread of hope running through it. No grimdark here! It was so refreshing to read something new that embraces the lighter side of fantasy and makes no bones about the romance at the centre of the story. It’s not ‘a romance’, however. It a story about the finding of power for the powerless, the self-belief in the downtrodden and the sanctity of choice.

A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story about the ways we are bound by those we love.

EMPIRE OF SAND is a rich and fascinating tale woven out of myths and dreams. Mehr’s story captivates, and her journey is one of resilience and determination — just the things I adore seeing in fantasy novels. Highly recommended!