Scan barcode
thenexthing's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Could this book have occasionally used a better editor? Yes. Did I enjoy it immensely? Also yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Blood
Racism and religious bigotry against the primary character are ongoing/primary themes.shams96's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Arwa and this book definitely took longer to enjoy than the initial volume. However, once it got good? It was good! I liked that Zahir was always honest with Arwa and didn’t expect anything of her. I was so afraid S.A. was gonna happen. I did not enjoy the Princess whatsoever’ but the slow friendship with Eshara was everything. It was nice to see Arwa grow as she discovered her truth. I am so glad Mehr was alive! Tasha Suri managed to further develop this world from the other side and she did a nice job of it. I do wish we could’ve got a little epilogue of Arwa and Zahir fixing the Empire after he turned down the Maha’s ash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Genocide, and Racism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In REALM OF ASH, Arwa is steeped in grief and blood, haunted by a massacre and isolated by her widowhood. The Empire which shaped her is crumbling, but she tries to be useful once more by walking in death and memory. She reckons with the weight of generations of grief and trauma, the legacy of a slow genocide caused by the Ambhan Empire forcing generations of Amrithi to choose between death and slavery over and over.
Where EMPIRE OF SAND had a quality to the worldbuilding where it felt like it was being illuminated around the main character as she walked through the world, REALM OF ASH has an actual magical/spiritual which is actually created or revealed as Arwa and Zahir move through it. It also maintains this style in a more mundane way, through Arwa's sheltered upbringing and restrictive marriage, followed by the cloistered nature of Ambhan widowhood, setting her up for learning the nature of many things for the very first time within the story. She's naïve in some things but quick to learn, and the combination of newness and grief drive her attempts to help Zahir with his work. I loved their dynamic, the way they shift from total strangers to depending on and supporting each other in uniquely trying circumstances.
This wraps up a very specific question left hanging from the first book: that of Arwa's fate. The main storyline starts here and wasn't present in EMPIRE OF SAND, the main character is Arwa this time, and her voice is very different from Mehr's. A lot of very major things are introduced and resolved here, it functions almost as a stand-alone book except that it is dealing with the fallout of events from EMPIRE OF SAND. Someone could pick it up and understand 95% of what's happening even if they hadn't read EMPIRE OF SAND. What gives it that stand-alone feeling is that, because Arwa doesn't actually know what happened in EMPIRE OF SAND, except for what is known publicly in the empire, her point of view doesn't require the reader to know much from that book in order to keep up with the main plot of this one. This answers what happens next and how the empire is dealing with the far-reaching consequences of the first book's conclusion. REALM OF ASH feels very complete, taking the time at the end to answer a little of where Mehr ended up, making the duology feel whole, with neither book subordinate to the other.
I adore this book, I like it even better than EMPIRE OF SAND, something I didn't think was possible. There's no more in this series, but I plan on checking out other books by this author.
Where EMPIRE OF SAND had a quality to the worldbuilding where it felt like it was being illuminated around the main character as she walked through the world, REALM OF ASH has an actual magical/spiritual which is actually created or revealed as Arwa and Zahir move through it. It also maintains this style in a more mundane way, through Arwa's sheltered upbringing and restrictive marriage, followed by the cloistered nature of Ambhan widowhood, setting her up for learning the nature of many things for the very first time within the story. She's naïve in some things but quick to learn, and the combination of newness and grief drive her attempts to help Zahir with his work. I loved their dynamic, the way they shift from total strangers to depending on and supporting each other in uniquely trying circumstances.
This wraps up a very specific question left hanging from the first book: that of Arwa's fate. The main storyline starts here and wasn't present in EMPIRE OF SAND, the main character is Arwa this time, and her voice is very different from Mehr's. A lot of very major things are introduced and resolved here, it functions almost as a stand-alone book except that it is dealing with the fallout of events from EMPIRE OF SAND. Someone could pick it up and understand 95% of what's happening even if they hadn't read EMPIRE OF SAND. What gives it that stand-alone feeling is that, because Arwa doesn't actually know what happened in EMPIRE OF SAND, except for what is known publicly in the empire, her point of view doesn't require the reader to know much from that book in order to keep up with the main plot of this one. This answers what happens next and how the empire is dealing with the far-reaching consequences of the first book's conclusion. REALM OF ASH feels very complete, taking the time at the end to answer a little of where Mehr ended up, making the duology feel whole, with neither book subordinate to the other.
I adore this book, I like it even better than EMPIRE OF SAND, something I didn't think was possible. There's no more in this series, but I plan on checking out other books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Racism, Kidnapping, Vomit, Blood, Medical content, Violence, and Self harm
Minor: Cannibalism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, and Genocide
achingallover's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought Empire of Sand was good but this was next level.
Can't wait to read The Jasmine Throne and anything else Tasha Suri writes.
Can't wait to read The Jasmine Throne and anything else Tasha Suri writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gore, Genocide, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
More...