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lktx's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Colonisation, and War
kingdom_of_bookish_things's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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? N/A
5.0
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love love loved this book. The worldbuilding, plot and characters, everything was absolutly perfect.
The way the author depicted the arab culture was chefs kiss. If I am not mistaken the specific arab culture in the book is from the levant area, like Syria, Lebanon etc. I will never get over the feeling of seeing my culture and language represented accuratly and with care. The worldbuilding was so imensly developed and well built that I felt as if I had been int the same places that the characters was. The magic system and portrayals of the goverments made so much sense.
Imani, the main charcter was in my opinion very lovabel and changed through the whole story. Her character developed and the way the author portrayed her changing world view was very realistic. I like how visibly her change was throughout the story and how she recognized her flaws and worked on them. She was also so much of a badass and very inspiring.
The way that the plot thickens throughout the story and the plotwists left me at the edge of my seat to the point I couldn't wait to turn the page. I also loved the authors writing style and how alive it made the story feel.
Overall this was definitly one of the best books I have read in a while and definitly will recomend to everyone I know. It also reminded me of Hafzah Faizal's We hunt the flame duology and Sabaa Tahir's An ember in the flame series, which if you haven't read you should definitely read but if you have read them and liked them then you should definitely read this one.
I love love loved this book. The worldbuilding, plot and characters, everything was absolutly perfect.
The way the author depicted the arab culture was chefs kiss. If I am not mistaken the specific arab culture in the book is from the levant area, like Syria, Lebanon etc. I will never get over the feeling of seeing my culture and language represented accuratly and with care. The worldbuilding was so imensly developed and well built that I felt as if I had been int the same places that the characters was. The magic system and portrayals of the goverments made so much sense.
Imani, the main charcter was in my opinion very lovabel and changed through the whole story. Her character developed and the way the author portrayed her changing world view was very realistic. I like how visibly her change was throughout the story and how she recognized her flaws and worked on them. She was also so much of a badass and very inspiring.
The way that the plot thickens throughout the story and the plotwists left me at the edge of my seat to the point I couldn't wait to turn the page. I also loved the authors writing style and how alive it made the story feel.
Overall this was definitly one of the best books I have read in a while and definitly will recomend to everyone I know. It also reminded me of Hafzah Faizal's We hunt the flame duology and Sabaa Tahir's An ember in the flame series, which if you haven't read you should definitely read but if you have read them and liked them then you should definitely read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I pushed myself to finish this book last night, because I just didn't want to wake up in the morning and know that it was still waiting for me. I kept hoping it would get better. And sometimes, it did, but only briefly. All in all, it just wasn't enough.
I'll start with the positive, which is the Middle Eastern-inspired setting and the magic system. The world itself is interesting—Qalia is a city hidden by magic that the rest of the world has forgotten. The source of it is a spice called misra, from which they brew a tea. Once they drink it, they can use magic for a limited amount of time. Each sorcerer has a specific affinity as well—our main character, Imani, can manipulate the iron in her dagger. I liked the idea of tea fueling the magic. They take it very seriously, and have brewing ceremonies with which they start their day.
The plot itself is fairly straightforward, and consists of a lot of traveling. Imani's brother disappeared after stealing a large amount of misra, and Imani finally has a lead on where he is and is determined to bring him home. They encounter some precarious situations along the way, but none of what happens is very surprising what with all the foreshadowing. Except if your name is Imani, then everything is a shock to the system.
I don't mind reading about unlikeable characters, although I will say that I usually prefer not to read them in first person POV. But Imani was completely insufferable. For someone who is supposedly a great warrior, the Djinni Slayer, you'd think she would be much less naïve. Instead, she spends nearly half the book insisting that her brother would never do something like this and must've been brainwashed, despite all evidence to the contrary, including discussions she had with him that she reflects on. She's also extremely privileged but completely unaware of it, as if it is the most normal thing in the world that everything will be forgiven once she returns with her brother, including her blackmailing Qalia's leaders. She does get called out on this by Taha, but it still takes her an embarrassingly long time to figure out that she is the asshole to all the people in her life.
And even after she has this realization, she really doesn't do anything with it. The biggest example of this is her relationship/romance with Taha. Every interaction between them would start with Taha treating her almost kindly, and then suddenly doing a complete 180 and reverting back to his usual cold aloofness. And I can understand Imani being first confused by this, and then giving him the cold shoulder right back. Instead, she keeps joining him in this ridiculous cycle so that we can get constant internal monologues of, "wow he's so different when we're alone, maybe I like him, why did he just say that to me, he is the WORST I will never trust him again".
This book is also an excellent example of why I don't like first person POV, and actually think that a lot of authors don't write it well. This is a snippet from one of their countless confrontations:
I pushed myself to finish this book last night, because I just didn't want to wake up in the morning and know that it was still waiting for me. I kept hoping it would get better. And sometimes, it did, but only briefly. All in all, it just wasn't enough.
I'll start with the positive, which is the Middle Eastern-inspired setting and the magic system. The world itself is interesting—Qalia is a city hidden by magic that the rest of the world has forgotten. The source of it is a spice called misra, from which they brew a tea. Once they drink it, they can use magic for a limited amount of time. Each sorcerer has a specific affinity as well—our main character, Imani, can manipulate the iron in her dagger. I liked the idea of tea fueling the magic. They take it very seriously, and have brewing ceremonies with which they start their day.
The plot itself is fairly straightforward, and consists of a lot of traveling. Imani's brother disappeared after stealing a large amount of misra, and Imani finally has a lead on where he is and is determined to bring him home. They encounter some precarious situations along the way, but none of what happens is very surprising what with all the foreshadowing. Except if your name is Imani, then everything is a shock to the system.
I don't mind reading about unlikeable characters, although I will say that I usually prefer not to read them in first person POV. But Imani was completely insufferable. For someone who is supposedly a great warrior, the Djinni Slayer, you'd think she would be much less naïve. Instead, she spends nearly half the book insisting that her brother would never do something like this and must've been brainwashed, despite all evidence to the contrary, including discussions she had with him that she reflects on. She's also extremely privileged but completely unaware of it, as if it is the most normal thing in the world that everything will be forgiven once she returns with her brother, including her blackmailing Qalia's leaders. She does get called out on this by Taha, but it still takes her an embarrassingly long time to figure out that she is the asshole to all the people in her life.
And even after she has this realization, she really doesn't do anything with it. The biggest example of this is her relationship/romance with Taha. Every interaction between them would start with Taha treating her almost kindly, and then suddenly doing a complete 180 and reverting back to his usual cold aloofness. And I can understand Imani being first confused by this, and then giving him the cold shoulder right back. Instead, she keeps joining him in this ridiculous cycle so that we can get constant internal monologues of, "wow he's so different when we're alone, maybe I like him, why did he just say that to me, he is the WORST I will never trust him again".
This book is also an excellent example of why I don't like first person POV, and actually think that a lot of authors don't write it well. This is a snippet from one of their countless confrontations:
"We have nothing," he says finally, his words palpably laced with despair.
I revealed my weakness for him yet again in some naïve hope that my feelings would be reciprocated, but all he gave in return was that impenetrable defensive wall.
So which is it? Was he palpably despairing or was it an impenetrable defensive wall?
I wish I could say that the rest of the characters make up for it, but they really don't. I was mildly interested in Qayn, but the author teases a love triangle between Taha, Qayn, and Imani, and I have no interest in going down that road. I'm really sad that this didn't work for me.
If you want a taste of the drama, there's a final quote from the end of the book behind the spoiler tag.
I pull him by his tunic. “No!” I scream in his face. “I will forgive you once you’ve offered your neck to my blade!”
Tears sting his forlorn eyes. “It’s yours,” he says quietly. “End my misery like I did your horse’s, and we will be even.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
behindpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Spice Road was an immersive read with cinematic action and a strong heroine, for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and Crier's War.
Imani is one Qalia's youngest Shields in history - a warrior sworn to kill djinn and other monsters, with an affinity for iron, brought by the secret spice magic. When Imani's brothers goes missing and Imani finds clues he might have sold the spice to a foreign country, she is sent on a mission to retrieve him and bring him to justice. Convinced of her brother's innocence, Imani goes on the mission through the vast desert, joined by her rival Shield, Taha and a trickster djinn.
Spice Road was a fast-paced read filled with cinematic action and fantastical monsters. What I loved most about this was the worldbuilding and atmosphere - from fights with ghouls and giants to secret deals with the djinn. Imani was a great heroine to follow - brave, though extremely stubborn and hot-heated at times. I liked the focus on familial relationships, as Imani's relationship with her brother and little sister is at the heart of the book. Beyond that however, we had a pretty run-of-the-mill YA fantasy. There's a foreign empire terrorising the local people and a rebellion trying to free the people, some betrayals and romance, which was by far the weakest point of the book.
I didn't buy the connection between Imani and the love interest. There were simply too few meaningful scenes between them for me to care. In that regard, the pacing was a bit off- the non-stop action left little time to just sit with the characters and get to know them more beyond a few sparring sessions and superficial conversations. I'm also sensing the possibility of a love triangle and sincerely hope it doesn't happen.
Despite that, I still had a fun time reading the book and will continue on with the series. I recommend Spice Road to fans of Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes, or Nina Varela's Crier's War. 3.5/5 stars.
Imani is one Qalia's youngest Shields in history - a warrior sworn to kill djinn and other monsters, with an affinity for iron, brought by the secret spice magic. When Imani's brothers goes missing and Imani finds clues he might have sold the spice to a foreign country, she is sent on a mission to retrieve him and bring him to justice. Convinced of her brother's innocence, Imani goes on the mission through the vast desert, joined by her rival Shield, Taha and a trickster djinn.
Spice Road was a fast-paced read filled with cinematic action and fantastical monsters. What I loved most about this was the worldbuilding and atmosphere - from fights with ghouls and giants to secret deals with the djinn. Imani was a great heroine to follow - brave, though extremely stubborn and hot-heated at times. I liked the focus on familial relationships, as Imani's relationship with her brother and little sister is at the heart of the book. Beyond that however, we had a pretty run-of-the-mill YA fantasy. There's a foreign empire terrorising the local people and a rebellion trying to free the people, some betrayals and romance, which was by far the weakest point of the book.
I didn't buy the connection between Imani and the love interest. There were simply too few meaningful scenes between them for me to care. In that regard, the pacing was a bit off- the non-stop action left little time to just sit with the characters and get to know them more beyond a few sparring sessions and superficial conversations. I'm also sensing the possibility of a love triangle and sincerely hope it doesn't happen.
Despite that, I still had a fun time reading the book and will continue on with the series. I recommend Spice Road to fans of Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes, or Nina Varela's Crier's War. 3.5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Spice Road is an epic YA fantasy set in an Arabian-inspired world. This is a solid debut novel where the dessert world is full of magical and immersive atmosphere. We follow our main character Imani who has been sent to an adventurous mission with a crew of warriors to find her lost brother.
Spice Road held my attention from start to finish! I loved the dessert world and the whole journey was really tense with all the danger lurking around. I really loved fighting and action scenes as they were very well done with many twists and tension. The writing style was immersive with a beautifully descriptive prose. Apart from the actual mission, the story involved themes of colonisation, slavery and the effect it has on the people living there.
Our main character Imani felt very young adult, so I was frustrated many times with her decisions and attitude that was sometimes annoying. However, I found her internal fight intriguing. She had to adjust her thinking about her priviledged world as she has known it previously to a truth she has found out recently. I really liked how her mind was changing and evolving with new information. That's why I liked her character a lot and I hope we will see her further character development in the next books.
The reasons why I didn't give it a full rating are romance and rules of the magic system. The whole romance felt really forced and like an insta-love (which I hate in books). Their mutual adoration and feelings suddenly emerged from nowhere and it just wasn't believable at all. The second thing I didn't like was the magic system's rules. Although I found the tea magic quite unique, the rules of using it were not really clear. At the end, the magic was used at the current situation's convenience. I hope it will be explained more in the next book though.
Overall, it was a great introduction to a new world, characters and story. I definitely want to continue with the series!
Spice Road is an epic YA fantasy set in an Arabian-inspired world. This is a solid debut novel where the dessert world is full of magical and immersive atmosphere. We follow our main character Imani who has been sent to an adventurous mission with a crew of warriors to find her lost brother.
Spice Road held my attention from start to finish! I loved the dessert world and the whole journey was really tense with all the danger lurking around. I really loved fighting and action scenes as they were very well done with many twists and tension. The writing style was immersive with a beautifully descriptive prose. Apart from the actual mission, the story involved themes of colonisation, slavery and the effect it has on the people living there.
Our main character Imani felt very young adult, so I was frustrated many times with her decisions and attitude that was sometimes annoying. However, I found her internal fight intriguing. She had to adjust her thinking about her priviledged world as she has known it previously to a truth she has found out recently. I really liked how her mind was changing and evolving with new information. That's why I liked her character a lot and I hope we will see her further character development in the next books.
The reasons why I didn't give it a full rating are romance and rules of the magic system. The whole romance felt really forced and like an insta-love (which I hate in books). Their mutual adoration and feelings suddenly emerged from nowhere and it just wasn't believable at all. The second thing I didn't like was the magic system's rules. Although I found the tea magic quite unique, the rules of using it were not really clear. At the end, the magic was used at the current situation's convenience. I hope it will be explained more in the next book though.
Overall, it was a great introduction to a new world, characters and story. I definitely want to continue with the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Grief
helenareadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
4.5
Maiya Ibrahim’s Spice Road is a captivating YA fantasy debut. The magic system in this book revolves around secret spices and tea which awaken powers in those who drink it. Imani channels her magical affinity for iron into her dagger, which aids her in her pursuits as a powerful warrior. Imani’s brother is thought to be dead, but she discovers signs that he may be alive and spreading their magic in other nations—a forbidden and unforgivable act to Qalia, the hidden desert city they call home. Imani has built a reputation for battling monsters and she is known as the Djinni Slayer, but to find her brother she has no choice but to team up with a mysterious djinni named Qayn. Imani is tasked with finding her brother and bringing him home, and the story that unfolds is an adventurous and action packed tale.
Imani is a smart and fierce protagonist, and I love her character development in this book. She has lived a sheltered life and is driven by her love for her family and her duty to protecting her home. As she discovers the truth about her home and her brother, she struggles to accept that not everything is as it seems. Spice Road wonderfully explores the themes of loyalty, justice, and anti-colonialism, and Imani’s journey to understanding these concepts and her world is well written, relatable, and reflective of the real world. This book also explores sibling relationships and my favourite part was the devotion between Imani and her siblings. It’s the heart of the story and is what makes it such a compelling read.
Qayn is an intriguing character and I enjoyed the dynamic he brought to the book. The magic system is interesting and I love how it involves tea ceremonies. I also love that there is a wide range of affinities people can possess.
I mostly enjoyed the romance and think the chemistry between Imani and her love interest is great. However, his increasingly toxic behaviour was too much for me by the end of the book. I’m sure his behaviour will be explored further in the next book, but for now, I can’t support them as a couple.
Overall I enjoyed Spice Road and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series! Pick this up if you enjoy adventurous fantasy books with sibling relationships, magic, monsters, and explorations of justice and anti-colonialism.
Thank you NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Maiya Ibrahim for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Imani is a smart and fierce protagonist, and I love her character development in this book. She has lived a sheltered life and is driven by her love for her family and her duty to protecting her home. As she discovers the truth about her home and her brother, she struggles to accept that not everything is as it seems. Spice Road wonderfully explores the themes of loyalty, justice, and anti-colonialism, and Imani’s journey to understanding these concepts and her world is well written, relatable, and reflective of the real world. This book also explores sibling relationships and my favourite part was the devotion between Imani and her siblings. It’s the heart of the story and is what makes it such a compelling read.
Qayn is an intriguing character and I enjoyed the dynamic he brought to the book. The magic system is interesting and I love how it involves tea ceremonies. I also love that there is a wide range of affinities people can possess.
I mostly enjoyed the romance and think the chemistry between Imani and her love interest is great. However, his increasingly toxic behaviour was too much for me by the end of the book. I’m sure his behaviour will be explored further in the next book, but for now, I can’t support them as a couple.
Overall I enjoyed Spice Road and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series! Pick this up if you enjoy adventurous fantasy books with sibling relationships, magic, monsters, and explorations of justice and anti-colonialism.
Thank you NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Maiya Ibrahim for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Fatphobia
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
3.0
This book was such an unusual ride. One minute it was painfully slow, the next thrilling and compelling.
The world is fascinating and dark, and the mysteries around how it became what it is kept me guessing throughout. The magic system is unusual. I love the method of attaining magic through tea!
Ibrahim clearly is a talented writer. When she is on point, her prose is lovely and poignant. She doesn’t overdo the language, steering clear of the flowery descriptors often present in epic fantasy stories. The result for me was an easy-to-read book with lots of passages highlighted.
Where this book excelled was in depicting the horrors of oppression and colonization. It’s clear from the beginning Imani is going to need to go through a paradigm shift to succeed on her journey. She has such deep-seeded trust in the messages she has been told her whole life, that she has no idea how others could have a different perspective. Her starting point in the novel promises huge opportunity for her to grapple with privilege and lack, and what happens when the powerful abuse their position. This is the most realistic and insightful conflict in the book. I’d love for people to read it if only to get a compelling perspective of a character interrogating her own beliefs she once thought irrefutable facts.
Where this book faltered for me was in the character development. The characters are oddly changeable…they seem to have a basic defined identity, but the book rushes them through conflict and all the ensuing emotions at an unnatural pace. The result was characters I liked most of the time behaving in completely confusing and nonsensical ways for their circumstances and who they seemed to be. And once you step away from the main cast of travelers, the supporting characters start to feel somewhat thin and left me wanting…Farida in particular felt like a thin copy of an archetype I’ve seen time and again in stories.
I think I will likely read the next one. I hope that the character development and behavior improves as Ibrahim continues to write, because she really has created a vibrant cast of characters. I would like to see them grow and continue on their adventures.
The world is fascinating and dark, and the mysteries around how it became what it is kept me guessing throughout. The magic system is unusual. I love the method of attaining magic through tea!
Ibrahim clearly is a talented writer. When she is on point, her prose is lovely and poignant. She doesn’t overdo the language, steering clear of the flowery descriptors often present in epic fantasy stories. The result for me was an easy-to-read book with lots of passages highlighted.
Where this book excelled was in depicting the horrors of oppression and colonization. It’s clear from the beginning Imani is going to need to go through a paradigm shift to succeed on her journey. She has such deep-seeded trust in the messages she has been told her whole life, that she has no idea how others could have a different perspective. Her starting point in the novel promises huge opportunity for her to grapple with privilege and lack, and what happens when the powerful abuse their position. This is the most realistic and insightful conflict in the book. I’d love for people to read it if only to get a compelling perspective of a character interrogating her own beliefs she once thought irrefutable facts.
Where this book faltered for me was in the character development. The characters are oddly changeable…they seem to have a basic defined identity, but the book rushes them through conflict and all the ensuing emotions at an unnatural pace. The result was characters I liked most of the time behaving in completely confusing and nonsensical ways for their circumstances and who they seemed to be. And once you step away from the main cast of travelers, the supporting characters start to feel somewhat thin and left me wanting…Farida in particular felt like a thin copy of an archetype I’ve seen time and again in stories.
I think I will likely read the next one. I hope that the character development and behavior improves as Ibrahim continues to write, because she really has created a vibrant cast of characters. I would like to see them grow and continue on their adventures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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