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mj1588's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
chrisb913's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
This was one hell of a debut novel for Hafsah Faizal. This is book one in the Sands of Arawiya duology. The worldbuilding was outstanding and the attention to details was spectacular. On top of the worldbuilding, Hasah provides such a unique magic system that has left me clamoring for more of her books (as I absolutely love a good magic system in books). The characters themselves felt unique, diverse, and just all around real. Zafira (one of the two main pov) is thrust upon this journey to save her land from encroaching evil and return magic all the while having to hide the fact that she is a woman from the incredibly sexist pig that is the caliph of her region. Nasir is the son of the sultan and the world's deadliest hashashin labeled the Prince of Death. Each are having to fight their way through a land that wants to swallow them whole to obtain an artifact that can restore their world to its rightful state. Along the way they must team up or risk their own survival.
I absolutely loved the storytelling for this book. Hafsah does not shy away from keeping you intrigued and guessing as she crafts this narrative. Instead of info dumping, she provides clues and hints and allows the story to provide the details naturally as to the past, present, and possible future. I am very excited to read book two and all future works from this author.
I absolutely loved the storytelling for this book. Hafsah does not shy away from keeping you intrigued and guessing as she crafts this narrative. Instead of info dumping, she provides clues and hints and allows the story to provide the details naturally as to the past, present, and possible future. I am very excited to read book two and all future works from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse and Misogyny
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I know that I was supposed to care a lot for these characters, but I can't say that actually happened, for the most part. A few of the relationships did hook me, but again, probably not the ones I was supposed to care for. I found the dynamic between Zafira and Deen really compelling. How much Deen cared for her was very obvious, and I have a soft spot for when people throw everything they are on the line to protect/care for someone else. The other relationship I liked was the one between Nasir and Altair. Not that Nasir does much other than brood, but Altair has a fun personality (except when he's deadly serious), and the more I got to see them interact, the more I started to care for their friendship. I know I'm supposed to care a lot about Zafira and Nasir, and their budding romance, but it honestly fell flat for me. Neither showed all that much personality or chemistry.
The Arabia-inspired setting was another highlight. The descriptions of the beautiful cities, the desert, but also the characters wearing keffiyahs gave me a lot of joy. Unfortunately, the (mis)use of the Arabic language didn't.
I'm a native Arab speaker, so of course I zoomed in on the Arabic. The way it's used comes across as someone who isn't a native speaker inserting Arabic words to add to the mood. It's not that the words were wrong, exactly, but they're not used quite right. Umm means mother, yes, but I would never refer to my mother as "umm" while addressing her. She would be "ummi"—my mother. The same applies to Okht, which should have been okhti, and also, why does this start with an O instead of a U like umm when the sound is the same? This annoyed me just as much as Leigh Bardugo's misuse of Dutch in Six of Crows. The Arabic felt clunky in some of the sentences, and the opposite of subtle. I didn't even need to know more about the island Sharr because its name told me exactly what its deal was.
Something I noticed in A Tempest of Tea was the excessive use of pet names. That happens here as well, although to a lesser degree, but I can't say I was all that happy to see "azizi" being used this often.
The last thing I'll mention is that there are parts where the author would chop up a sentence:
The Arabia-inspired setting was another highlight. The descriptions of the beautiful cities, the desert, but also the characters wearing keffiyahs gave me a lot of joy. Unfortunately, the (mis)use of the Arabic language didn't.
I'm a native Arab speaker, so of course I zoomed in on the Arabic. The way it's used comes across as someone who isn't a native speaker inserting Arabic words to add to the mood. It's not that the words were wrong, exactly, but they're not used quite right. Umm means mother, yes, but I would never refer to my mother as "umm" while addressing her. She would be "ummi"—my mother. The same applies to Okht, which should have been okhti, and also, why does this start with an O instead of a U like umm when the sound is the same? This annoyed me just as much as Leigh Bardugo's misuse of Dutch in Six of Crows. The Arabic felt clunky in some of the sentences, and the opposite of subtle. I didn't even need to know more about the island Sharr because its name told me exactly what its deal was.
Something I noticed in A Tempest of Tea was the excessive use of pet names. That happens here as well, although to a lesser degree, but I can't say I was all that happy to see "azizi" being used this often.
The last thing I'll mention is that there are parts where the author would chop up a sentence:
She fell
to her
knees.
I'm guessing this is for emphasis. Thankfully it didn't happen too often, because it's definitely not something I like.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, and Torture
luarna's review
One dimensional characters, no clue where the plot was going, repetitive
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
nozycozy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Beautiful writing but it was very slow and I don’t like that Zafira is 17 and her love interest is 20 (Nasir). I wish she was older or he was younger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
jrae_miller's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was somehow slow- and fast-moving at the same time! The writing is lyrical and elegant, and the world building is solid enough that I only felt out of place because it is an unfamiliar government system. I sometimes lost track of who the others were, to be honest, and who was and was not trustworthy. I had read this before but couldn't recall most of the plot, so the twists and reveals were a surprise this time around as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
rafacolog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Child abuse, and Misogyny
maevedora's review against another edition
what in the THG/TOG mashup set in Arabia is this
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence and Misogyny
melani_e4's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Don’t read it if you’re looking for a HUGE romance plot or something, romance is more of a sub-plot here and im sure that in the second book the romance is more prominent, but both books are long af. That’s all the warning I’ll give but apart from that I REALLY LIKED IT, the world building is amazing and the characters development is even better, i genuinely enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Cursing
elislittlelibrary's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book so, so much! Especially after the first introduction, I was really invested in the story and the characters alike. The dual POV was also a nice addition, because you get to know the characters and their thoughts more closely.
Now, this is YA and while there is romance, there is no smut. I’m personally not a huge fan of smut, so i didn’t miss anything (more on the contrary, actually), but just fyi!
One of the best parts, besides the story and the world, were the characters, mainly the female characters. I enjoyed having strong female characters that navigated a world that is (partially) misogynistic. Also- there was no “not like other girls” or battles between women, just empowerment without rivalry.
And, another thing- the descriptions of characters appearance felt really sophisticated. Not unrealistic, but also not downputting or anything. And there was a certain fluidity, the FMC having some more “masculine” features like broad shoulders, etc. Refreshing to read and encouraging to read in a YA book!
Now, this is YA and while there is romance, there is no smut. I’m personally not a huge fan of smut, so i didn’t miss anything (more on the contrary, actually), but just fyi!
One of the best parts, besides the story and the world, were the characters, mainly the female characters. I enjoyed having strong female characters that navigated a world that is (partially) misogynistic. Also- there was no “not like other girls” or battles between women, just empowerment without rivalry.
And, another thing- the descriptions of characters appearance felt really sophisticated. Not unrealistic, but also not downputting or anything. And there was a certain fluidity, the FMC having some more “masculine” features like broad shoulders, etc. Refreshing to read and encouraging to read in a YA book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Torture
Minor: Child death and Misogyny