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A review by baskinkrobbins
Daughter of the Salt King by A.S. Thornton
2.0
I have to be honest. I did not enjoy this ARC, and I did, indeed, DNF it. I do not make a habit of DNFing ARCs since they are kindly gifted to me by the publisher. But when I do, I still like to provide the extensive review that the book deserves.
There were definitely some elements of the story that adhered to the adult fantasy claims (i.e. the daughters of the salt king going to bed with suitors as a means of convincing the suitors to marry them). However, I found that the storytelling never reached the complexity I like to see in adult fantasy. In short, it felt very ya fantasy. This is not inherently a criticism of ya fantasy. It's just not what I thought I was getting myself into. Fans of The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh and Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton will adore this book.
I enjoy breaking up my normal queue of European/medieval-inspired high fantasy novels with a fantasy book featuring a different geographic and cultural focus. The middle eastern/indian cultural elements were front and center in this story, but I found that those elements weren't presented in a unique, original way that the literary world of fantasy hasn't seen before. (see above ya fantasy books aforementioned)
I did not find the main characters motivations to be particularly gripping, and I have to say, I was not intrigued or excited when the love interest entered the picture, which is a huge sign for me that a fantasy romance will fail to capture my interest.
And lastly, I like to quickly comment on the audiobook itself. The narration was very good. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she portrayed the characters effectively and accurately.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook version of Daughter of the Salt King. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF at 23%
There were definitely some elements of the story that adhered to the adult fantasy claims (i.e. the daughters of the salt king going to bed with suitors as a means of convincing the suitors to marry them). However, I found that the storytelling never reached the complexity I like to see in adult fantasy. In short, it felt very ya fantasy. This is not inherently a criticism of ya fantasy. It's just not what I thought I was getting myself into. Fans of The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh and Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton will adore this book.
I enjoy breaking up my normal queue of European/medieval-inspired high fantasy novels with a fantasy book featuring a different geographic and cultural focus. The middle eastern/indian cultural elements were front and center in this story, but I found that those elements weren't presented in a unique, original way that the literary world of fantasy hasn't seen before. (see above ya fantasy books aforementioned)
I did not find the main characters motivations to be particularly gripping, and I have to say, I was not intrigued or excited when the love interest entered the picture, which is a huge sign for me that a fantasy romance will fail to capture my interest.
And lastly, I like to quickly comment on the audiobook itself. The narration was very good. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she portrayed the characters effectively and accurately.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook version of Daughter of the Salt King. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF at 23%