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charlotte_fantasticalreading 's review for:
Spice Road
by Maiya Ibrahim
An Arabian-inspired adventure that stresses the importance of family.
Imani is the middle child who is good at what she does and always meticulously follows the rules. Her affinity for iron has served her well as a Shield, one of the warriors who protects the cities from the dangers outside in the sandy wastes. Her little sister Amira is great at not following those rules and getting herself in trouble ever since their big brother Atheer disappeared. One dat Amira gets into trouble when she was out and Atheer's old horse goes running off. Imani has to jump in to help her sister once again, but this time, they find some hidden secrets out in the sands and a djinni, Qayn, who knew of their brother. This little escapade leads to some interesting developments and sets them on a whole new adventure with her biggest rival, Taha, accompanying her.
Maiya Ibrahim creates a great immersive world where the Arabian mythology really comes to live with its ghouls, djinn and other mythological creatures. There are glorious cities, ancient and abandoned cities and cities under siege by external forces and a whole lot of sand and danger to get through. The magic in this novel comes from drinking tea from a very special tree's bark. It has a lot to give as everyone who uses it has their own unique ability and within these different abilities there is also a lot of depth that will probably be explored even more throughout the next books.
It starts of feeling like a YA that is aimed towards the younger audience, but as the story progresses it becomes obvious that the world and the people in it can be very cruel and commit gruesome acts against one another. The main character, who initially comes across as naive, undergoes quite a bit of growth because of her being exposed to these new people and new surroundings which I thought was very well done. Also the growth that she goes through as a sister was beautiful to see, especially the way Imani's relationship evolved with her sister Amira and also how she gets to know the djinni during their journey.
As for Taha, there is still a lot to unpack I'm sure. His upbringing was everything but conventional and all for the sake of his family name getting more recognition. He still carries all of this around but it looks like there is more going on than just a tyrannical father. Who knows what this will bring for the rest of the trilogy and his place in it.
This book was engaging from start to finish with its fast pace and ever-evolving characters that keep exploring new settings. I'm looking forward to see where the story will take me next.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.
Imani is the middle child who is good at what she does and always meticulously follows the rules. Her affinity for iron has served her well as a Shield, one of the warriors who protects the cities from the dangers outside in the sandy wastes. Her little sister Amira is great at not following those rules and getting herself in trouble ever since their big brother Atheer disappeared. One dat Amira gets into trouble when she was out and Atheer's old horse goes running off. Imani has to jump in to help her sister once again, but this time, they find some hidden secrets out in the sands and a djinni, Qayn, who knew of their brother. This little escapade leads to some interesting developments and sets them on a whole new adventure with her biggest rival, Taha, accompanying her.
Maiya Ibrahim creates a great immersive world where the Arabian mythology really comes to live with its ghouls, djinn and other mythological creatures. There are glorious cities, ancient and abandoned cities and cities under siege by external forces and a whole lot of sand and danger to get through. The magic in this novel comes from drinking tea from a very special tree's bark. It has a lot to give as everyone who uses it has their own unique ability and within these different abilities there is also a lot of depth that will probably be explored even more throughout the next books.
It starts of feeling like a YA that is aimed towards the younger audience, but as the story progresses it becomes obvious that the world and the people in it can be very cruel and commit gruesome acts against one another. The main character, who initially comes across as naive, undergoes quite a bit of growth because of her being exposed to these new people and new surroundings which I thought was very well done. Also the growth that she goes through as a sister was beautiful to see, especially the way Imani's relationship evolved with her sister Amira and also how she gets to know the djinni during their journey.
As for Taha, there is still a lot to unpack I'm sure. His upbringing was everything but conventional and all for the sake of his family name getting more recognition. He still carries all of this around but it looks like there is more going on than just a tyrannical father. Who knows what this will bring for the rest of the trilogy and his place in it.
This book was engaging from start to finish with its fast pace and ever-evolving characters that keep exploring new settings. I'm looking forward to see where the story will take me next.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.