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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5/5 • Holy fuck. I’m actually shaking that was such a great book. Not only was it everything I wanted it to be, it was everything and more. It hurt me in the best ways and pieced me back together in the worst ways. UGH everything and I mean every detail was pure perfection. I cannot even begin to describe the extent of just how this book ruined me. Even towards the end it fed me hope and now I can’t wait for the next book to experience everything all over again. All I can say is thank you for this experience.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2021 and I was delighted to receive an e-arc from NetGalley. I was about three chapters in when I ordered a physical copy too (I knew immediately my wife would love it) which is a recommendation in itself!
The hook that drew me in was "North Africa inspired military/political fantasy with queer leads" and it didn't disappoint on any of those fronts. The world-building and setting is really strong and feels fully realised from the first page, and it never flinches aware from any of the horrifying details of colonialism that it examines. The Sands occupy such a complicated and liminal place in all the colonial politics and motivations and focusing in on them (via Touraine but also via her soldiers) lets Clarke be complicated in exploring it. I loved that the three characters we're first introduced to (Pru, Beau, Touraine) immediately present this lovely snapshot of how the same situation brings out different instincts and opinions and motives in different people. It sets the rest of the book up beautifully (and heartbreakingly.)
A lot of the plot of this novel comes down to Touraine (and Luca, but I'll come to that) making a series of bad and kind of contradictory decisions, which sounds sort of frustrating, but it’s beautifully complex and nuanced, and I loved it. I loved that Touraine was pulled in so many different directions (her soldiers, her blood family, Cantric, Luca, the rebels...) and that she felt so differently about the same things throughout the book, and not always in a neat, linear way. It felt very real. I really liked that she never just slipped effortlessly back into her homeland, just as she never quite belonged to the empire even when she became a free citizen. It was all those subtle touches, like how hard it was for her to pick up her mother tongue again despite presumably being fluent when she was five, that really sold me on her character and the book overall.
I really enjoyed Luca as a character too, and it was interesting how despite being generally more logical and considered than Touraine (and less off the cuff) her decisions were somehow more frustrating. Her dedication to eventually being on the throne feels so remote compared to Touraine's very present and real motivations: not being executed, stopping her friends and family from being killed. They're a good foil for each other.
I liked that their not-quite relationship didn't really make it into this book. Along with the political fallout of the ending, it's another nice little hook that definitely has me invested in the next in the series. It's a such a complicated and uncomfortable dynamic in a lot of ways, with Touraine being saved from execution by Luca and not yet a free citizen, and Luca being the literal princess of the empire. I'm really looking forwards to meeting them again when this dynamic is in (presumably!) quite a different place.
The hook that drew me in was "North Africa inspired military/political fantasy with queer leads" and it didn't disappoint on any of those fronts. The world-building and setting is really strong and feels fully realised from the first page, and it never flinches aware from any of the horrifying details of colonialism that it examines. The Sands occupy such a complicated and liminal place in all the colonial politics and motivations and focusing in on them (via Touraine but also via her soldiers) lets Clarke be complicated in exploring it. I loved that the three characters we're first introduced to (Pru, Beau, Touraine) immediately present this lovely snapshot of how the same situation brings out different instincts and opinions and motives in different people. It sets the rest of the book up beautifully (and heartbreakingly.)
A lot of the plot of this novel comes down to Touraine (and Luca, but I'll come to that) making a series of bad and kind of contradictory decisions, which sounds sort of frustrating, but it’s beautifully complex and nuanced, and I loved it. I loved that Touraine was pulled in so many different directions (her soldiers, her blood family, Cantric, Luca, the rebels...) and that she felt so differently about the same things throughout the book, and not always in a neat, linear way. It felt very real. I really liked that she never just slipped effortlessly back into her homeland, just as she never quite belonged to the empire even when she became a free citizen. It was all those subtle touches, like how hard it was for her to pick up her mother tongue again despite presumably being fluent when she was five, that really sold me on her character and the book overall.
I really enjoyed Luca as a character too, and it was interesting how despite being generally more logical and considered than Touraine (and less off the cuff) her decisions were somehow more frustrating. Her dedication to eventually being on the throne feels so remote compared to Touraine's very present and real motivations: not being executed, stopping her friends and family from being killed. They're a good foil for each other.
I liked that their not-quite relationship didn't really make it into this book. Along with the political fallout of the ending, it's another nice little hook that definitely has me invested in the next in the series. It's a such a complicated and uncomfortable dynamic in a lot of ways, with Touraine being saved from execution by Luca and not yet a free citizen, and Luca being the literal princess of the empire. I'm really looking forwards to meeting them again when this dynamic is in (presumably!) quite a different place.
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
slow-paced