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A review by gilbertbg1
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
3.0
Mild spoilers below!
The Good:
Mehr!!!! She's such a spitfire, which is made apparent pretty much immediately, and I adore her. I think her strength and her ferocity is something so special, because she holds it close to her and she uses it like armor when she has nothing else to use. She fights tooth and nail, through the whole story, to keep her culture and her freedom, and I loved that about her. She takes so much upon herself, to protect herself and her family and her people, and it's really inspiring. She feels so real and honest and I love her.
The Female Relationships!! Mehr and Lalita! Mehr and her sister! Mehr and Maryam! Mehr and Hema! Mehr and (spoilers!!)! The dynamics between women in this story are so varied, different age groups, different power dynamics, its lovely to see! When Mehr is welcomed into the sisters by Hema at the Temple, part of me just hoped that they would be her friends, even though it seemed to good to be true, because a group of female friends can be so warm and healing! The fact that these girls tried so hard to welcome her, even with slightly nefarious intentions (even if they didn't see if that way), felt so honest to the experience of women, I loved it! And I wanted so badly, even though I knew it wasn't going to be that way, for Lalita and Mehr to be the main dynamic of the book. This motherly, cultural and spiritual leader for Mehr, who took her in and kept her close and help to connect her too her roots, that she so clearly loved so dearly, I wanted it so badly! I loved that the story never forced Mehr to be friends with any of the women, but that at every turn a woman was her comfort, her safety net, even when she had no one. Amun was her safe place in the temple, but the women around her, even the ones who she had antagonistic relationships with, ended up being so crucial to her story, and I loved that.
The WORLD!!! A place where Gods sleep, trapped beneath the sands of the desert, and their dreams become Fire that can be harnessed. Where there are creatures of the gods who come down and can touch the human world, who barter and trade with the gifted ones of their culture because of an ancient bond. The Rites!!! The way the author crafted this world was so beautiful, I was totally entranced. I loved the story, and how closely tied to the mythology the plot was, and I loved how incredible the world was. I put the next book on my list just so I can spend more time in this incredible universe.
The Meh:
The arranged marriage! The dynamic between Mehr and Amun wasn't meh at all, I actually loved it and found them to be a very refreshing romantic pairing, but I don't know if I've ever actually read published fiction with an arranged/forced marriage dynamic, and I realised it's really not for me. No criticism of the author, or the story, just not my thing, and it really rubbed me the wrong way during the book.
Aside from that, not much to 'meh' about!! The use of the dancing to tie Mehr and Amun to their culture, the way the story works on themes of culture and oppression, of love and service, of loyalty and commitment and what it means to promise something to someone else, and the rich dynamics between the women in this story, really set it apart. I will be fast to add other books by this author to by TBR.
The Good:
Mehr!!!! She's such a spitfire, which is made apparent pretty much immediately, and I adore her. I think her strength and her ferocity is something so special, because she holds it close to her and she uses it like armor when she has nothing else to use. She fights tooth and nail, through the whole story, to keep her culture and her freedom, and I loved that about her. She takes so much upon herself, to protect herself and her family and her people, and it's really inspiring. She feels so real and honest and I love her.
The Female Relationships!! Mehr and Lalita! Mehr and her sister! Mehr and Maryam! Mehr and Hema! Mehr and (spoilers!!)! The dynamics between women in this story are so varied, different age groups, different power dynamics, its lovely to see! When Mehr is welcomed into the sisters by Hema at the Temple, part of me just hoped that they would be her friends, even though it seemed to good to be true, because a group of female friends can be so warm and healing! The fact that these girls tried so hard to welcome her, even with slightly nefarious intentions (even if they didn't see if that way), felt so honest to the experience of women, I loved it! And I wanted so badly, even though I knew it wasn't going to be that way, for Lalita and Mehr to be the main dynamic of the book. This motherly, cultural and spiritual leader for Mehr, who took her in and kept her close and help to connect her too her roots, that she so clearly loved so dearly, I wanted it so badly! I loved that the story never forced Mehr to be friends with any of the women, but that at every turn a woman was her comfort, her safety net, even when she had no one. Amun was her safe place in the temple, but the women around her, even the ones who she had antagonistic relationships with, ended up being so crucial to her story, and I loved that.
The WORLD!!! A place where Gods sleep, trapped beneath the sands of the desert, and their dreams become Fire that can be harnessed. Where there are creatures of the gods who come down and can touch the human world, who barter and trade with the gifted ones of their culture because of an ancient bond. The Rites!!! The way the author crafted this world was so beautiful, I was totally entranced. I loved the story, and how closely tied to the mythology the plot was, and I loved how incredible the world was. I put the next book on my list just so I can spend more time in this incredible universe.
The Meh:
The arranged marriage! The dynamic between Mehr and Amun wasn't meh at all, I actually loved it and found them to be a very refreshing romantic pairing, but I don't know if I've ever actually read published fiction with an arranged/forced marriage dynamic, and I realised it's really not for me. No criticism of the author, or the story, just not my thing, and it really rubbed me the wrong way during the book.
Aside from that, not much to 'meh' about!! The use of the dancing to tie Mehr and Amun to their culture, the way the story works on themes of culture and oppression, of love and service, of loyalty and commitment and what it means to promise something to someone else, and the rich dynamics between the women in this story, really set it apart. I will be fast to add other books by this author to by TBR.