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The Books of Ambha
by Tasha Suri
Book Reviewed by:A nobleman's daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri's captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.
The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.
When Mehr's power comes to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.
Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance...
Empire of Sand is a lush, dazzling fantasy novel perfect for readers of City of Brass and The Wrath & the Dawn.
CHAPTER ONE
Mehr woke up to a soft voice calling her name. Without thought, she reached a hand beneath her pillow and closed her fingers carefully around the hilt of her dagger. She could feel the smoothness of the large opal embedded in the hilt, and its familiar weight beneath her fingertips calmed her. She sat up and pushed back the layer of gauze surrounding her divan.
“Who is it?” she called out.
The room was dark apart from one wavering light. As the light approached, Mehr realized it was an oil lantern, held aloft by a maidservant whom Mehr knew by sight but not by name. Through the glare of the lit flame, the maidservant’s features looked distorted, her eyes wide with nervousness.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, my lady,” the maid said. “But your sister is asking for you.”
Mehr paused for a moment. Then she slid off the divan and wound the sash of her sleep robe tight around her waist.
“You work in the nursery?” she ...
The plot is creative and kept my attention, although the pacing felt a little slow at times...Overall Empire of Sands is one of those books to be treasured as a complete escape from present concerns; it's not a novel one has to think about for a long time afterwards to completely comprehend its inner meaning, and sometimes it's a joy to just disconnect for a while. It is the first book in what is expected to be at least a two-book series, and I'm sincerely looking forward to the sequel...continued
Full Review
(476 words)
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Fran Wilde
Empire of Sand is astounding. The desert setting captured my imagination, the magic bound me up, and the epic story set my heart free. Kat Howard
I was hooked from the moment I began Tasha Suri's gorgeous debut novel, Empire of Sand. Suri has created a rich world full of beautiful and powerful magic, utterly compelling characters, high stakes and immersive prose. I absolutely loved it! Kevin Hearne
A brilliant debut that shows us a rich, magical world with clear parallels to this one...But its core is a heroine defined by her choices, and her journey is absorbing, heart wrenching, and triumphant. Highly recommended. Mark Oshiro
This is the future of fantasy: rich, complex, unflinching. Empire of Sand is a stunning achievement. Miles Cameron
The best fantasy novel I have read this year. I loved it! R. F. Kuang
A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story about the ways we are bound by those we love. S. A. Chakraborty
A stunning and enthralling debut, Empire of Sand thoroughly swept me away. With wonderfully lyrical prose, Suri deftly balances fantastic world-building with a nuanced exploration of family ties and the lengths one will go for love. A quiet, powerful and unexpected love story set in a crushing world of magic and tyrants, Empire of Sand is a gripping tale of survival I'll be recommending for a long time!
Tasha Suri's novel, Empire of Sand, features a heroine named after an influential Mughal woman.
Mehr-un-Nissa (whose name means "Sun Among Women") was born on May 31, 1577, in the province of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on the western edge of the Mughal Empire. Her parents, Mirza Ghias Beg and Asmat Begum, were both Persian nobility, but for reasons unknown had fallen on hard times and decided to relocate. Mehr was born during the journey, and by some recounts was almost abandoned after her family was robbed of their possessions, and saved only by the intervention of a friendly fellow traveler. Her father had apparently formed some influential contacts along the way and was soon appointed treasurer of the neighboring Afghan province of Kabul....
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