Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Empire of Sand

EMPIRE OF SAND is a transformative story of vows, agency, and choice, a slow-burn romance between two people who didn't get the chance to freely say yes, and the cruel power of a man bending even gods' dreams to his will.

The main character (Mehr) is biracial in a fantasy setting, and part of the story is how this combination of identities is distinct from being merely half of one identity and half the other, but is also/instead its own thing. Her father is from the main ethnic group in the ever-expanding empire which is slowly devouring the desert while exploiting the gods' dreams, her mother is from a nomadic people who are used for the magic in their blood. Often the characters who seek to use her are trying to exploit one part of her heritage rather than treating her as a unified whole, and her narration shifts in how she describes herself throughout the text as her relationship with and self-conception of her identity changes.

The world building is really good, it focuses on the people in a way that highlights the space, and whole effect comes off wonderfully. Information about the setting comes up as it matters to Mehr and the people around her, like walking through a space slowly which is being illuminated as it's described by someone who cares deeply about it.

The villain is genuinely chilling, taking advantage of how easy it is for powerful abusers to control how much of their cruelty is on display to any one person. There's a sense of helplessness (frequently explicit) that Mehr is surrounded by people who wouldn't believe her if she truthfully claimed that the marks on her skin were caused by the Maha, it's made worse when some of the women at the temple keep trying to save her... from the husband she didn't choose but is slowly getting to know. They can clearly see that she's being abused, but because of how totally the Maha has enthralled them they wouldn't believe the truth. Mehr has a lot of compassion for the servants and mystics around her, referring repeatedly to the way that it makes sense that they would love so completely this person, the Maha, who has done nothing but hurt Mehr. The slow pacing helps convey the tension and uncertainty of living around someone who has been unspeakably cruel and might be so again, sometime, but not necessarily right now.

One of the strongest messages around choice in this book is that finally getting to choose doesn't have to mean avoiding something you were previously forced to do. If it did, then it wouldn't really be free, because then every action would still be dictated by that prior lack of agency. I love the slow burn romance, every quiet moment and intimacy has so much feeling behind it, they care so much about consent even though their abuser is contriving to remove all their choices, it's just done so well.

I'm definitely reading the sequel, I want to see what they'll choose to do next!

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aseaoftomes's review

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emotional mysterious tense 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

I thoroughly enjoyed this.

This is a desert South Asian fantasy novel that follows our main character Mehr. She has this special magic that allows her to control spirits and gods, and after being hidden her whole life, her and her abilities get discovered and she's forced into an arranged marriage and into a life she's never known and everything that comes with it.

I really liked the writing a lot. It was really well done and generally flowed well. It was easy to fall into and just really captures your interest.

The plot was mostly secondary to the characters, but it's pretty much what I mentioned above.

The world building is definitely one of the strongest parts of the book. I loved learning about the customs and traditions of the different cultures in here and how they came together, the magic was excellent and the dancing that went with it was fantastic. The atmosphere was also great (desert setting). At the same time, I also wish we got more of the world and the history of everything. There were certain aspects I wanted more of and felt a bit underdeveloped, but I think that might be more of a personal preference than anything else.

Finally, the characters. I really liked Mehr as our main character. She was strong, kind, and incredibly smart. I really liked seeing her growth throughout the book. My favorite character though was definitely Amun and while he was always there, I wish we got to spend more time with him. The Maha was written well and I despised him. I just really liked a lot of the dynamics and themes that were explored as well (family, love, sacrifice, vows/oaths...) it was all just really well done. But like with the world, I would've liked to spend more time exploring the relationships and dynamics. It just felt like something was missing and it's hard to put my finger on what.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book despite feeling like I wanted more and that things could've been expanded on. Definitely the best desert fantasy I've read so far.

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Okay I did like this book though it took a big chunk of it to happen. The story takes its time to simmer introducing Mehr's life her mother's abdonment, the strife with her stepmother over her little sister and how she does everything in her power to still be near her, the discrimination of the Amrithi, and how Mehr has learned to survive in a lonely and secluded household. That slows it down a lot and I struggled. But I really liked Mehr as a character, she's strong willed, compassionate, doesn't feel sorry for herself, and has a strong sense of doing what is right. I liked how she is proud of what she's learned as a noblewoman and even though sometimes the uselessness of growing up as one showed up (not knowing how to sew etc) she didn't let it shame her and rather owned it.

Now, the world building, the set up to the Amrithi power and the dreamfire and the daiva, was so rich and unique. I was really in awe of the concept of dreamfire so much I'll admit I had a hard time following the writing in some points because I was so enraptured trying to imagine how it would look like. It's been a long while since I've actively tried to picture something I'm reading in my mind bc usually it's just words but blank in my mind. Once we get to the crux of the story and Amun is introduced the story finally takes way and I immediately started to get attached to him. He's literally dreamy. Now as for the villain, the Maha took a while to creep me out but the writing makes sure he bore into my bones and when he confronted Amun and Mehr about the consummation he finally made my skin crawl and I wanted to throw up. Even though he's beyond human when we first meet him, the ordinariness of his violence was what made him even more sickening.

But back to lighter notes, I really loved how Mehr and Amun's relationship developed and the night they finally become one was so tender and hurting and emotional and a little traumatic bc of how it came to be but they made it their choice. Their own. It hurt but it also bloomed. I have no complaints about the ending and how the conflict was resolved. I saw Kalini killing the Maha the moment he killed Hema and though it wasn't exactly for the right reasons, I'm glad she did it and I was right. The scene with Mehr and Elder was so fantasy excellence. The description of the veil, the dagger, so incredible. And the ending was exactly how I wanted it to be. This book might not suit a lot of people's tastes; it certainly took a lot of me to keep going and not dnf it because it's in a style I don't usually read, more focused on the intricacies of the characters than a driving plot with more action. The writing pace might be off putting and there's a lot of points where it does get a little monotonous and certain phrases and words are repetitive but in the end I'm glad I got to the end and enjoyed a unique tale. I'll definitely be thinking of dreamfire for weeks to come.

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perpetualpages's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

CWs: Themes of Imperialism; death and parental death; descriptions of blood, injury, murder, and graphic violence; references to suicide and suicidal ideation; references to self-harm and blood magic (for ritualistic magic); manipulation; magical stripping of consent; misogyny

I finally did the thing, and wow I love this so much.

Empire of Sand is a story that unflinchingly examines the long-term, cyclical effects of Imperialism and interrogates how effected communities can ever hope to heal from it. It shows a character who is struggling to find agency within a system that was designed to strip her of her freedom and choice. When your choices are forcibly taken away, how to you navigate intention and how do you reclaim agency over your decisions and your personhood? Over hundreds and hundreds of pages, EOS painstakingly peels back the layers of these questions, presenting us with a powerful heroine determined to restore balance to this world at all costs.

I was completely blown away by the characters in this story, especially, and how they fought every day to stay true themselves—and to each other—in the face of inevitable destruction, pain, and loss. The story argues that choice is not merely about action, but rather it's about connection and intention. It's about forcibly wresting what we've always been taught to believe about ourselves from the hands of those who seek to erase us and taking the time to understand what is true to us on our own terms. It's about how rebellion and the reclamation of power comes begins with small acts of defiance in private, in the margins of what is unspoken.

The relationship between Mehr and Amun is so beautiful and tender. Despite the situation they're in, despite the powers they're both forced to succumb to, they find a way love each other that they get to define themselves, and that reciprocal connection between them was one of my favorite parts of the story. I appreciate how the story shows us that being "strong" doesn't mean you can't depend on other people and lean on those around you to bolster that strength. There was such a wonderful give-and-take between Mehr and Amun that really moved me and kept me invested in the story.

The other highlight, for me, was the magic system and how it deeply ties spirituality, culture, and dance to magic itself. It's rare to see magic that's so concentrated within the movements of the body and the meanings behind those movements, how there's even more power when two people are moving in sync, and I found those descriptions to be especially powerful. There's such a deep connection not only between the magic users, but between the dancer, the earth, and the Gods. That was a major feature in the story, and I think the magic was showcased in such a brilliant way.

The only thing I found slight fault with was the pace of the story. Going into it, I knew it was a slower-paced book—which is totally fine and something I tend to enjoy in my fantasy novels—but I personally didn't feel like the slow pace was quite warranted. There were large portions of the story that felt a bit repetitive, and there were times when we were forced to go through the same routine of chores, practice, failure, and pain without much changing. I thought the story could've afforded to be a bit tighter in some areas, but at the same time I understand that sitting with the characters in those moments is part of what makes their resilience and their triumphs that much more satisfying.

Overall, this was a powerful and unforgettable story that I'm going to be thinking about for years to come. I can't wait to read the companion novel, hopefully soon, and then absolutely anything Tasha Suri decides to write after that for the rest of time!

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