3.5
Empire of Sand
ByPublisher Description
*Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time
A nobleman's daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri's lush, dazzling, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.
The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Ambhan Empire for the power in their blood.
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. When Mehr's power comes to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.
And should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance. . .
"An ode to the quiet, fierce strength of women. . .pure wonder." —Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
"Stunning and enthralling." —S. A. Chakraborty, USA Today bestselling author of The City of Brass
"A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story." —R. F. Kuang, award-winning author of the The Poppy War
By Tasha Suri:
The Books of Ambha duology
Empire of Sand
Realm of Ash
The Burning Kingdoms trilogy
The Jasmine Throne
A nobleman's daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri's lush, dazzling, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.
The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Ambhan Empire for the power in their blood.
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. When Mehr's power comes to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.
And should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance. . .
"An ode to the quiet, fierce strength of women. . .pure wonder." —Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
"Stunning and enthralling." —S. A. Chakraborty, USA Today bestselling author of The City of Brass
"A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story." —R. F. Kuang, award-winning author of the The Poppy War
By Tasha Suri:
The Books of Ambha duology
Empire of Sand
Realm of Ash
The Burning Kingdoms trilogy
The Jasmine Throne
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesEmpire of Sand Reviews
3.5
“Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri is exactly the kind of fantasy novel I have been searching for: a richly imagined, Indian-inspired fantasy that is not rooted in mythology, as so many books in the genre tend to be.
Suri’s characters are thoughtfully developed, and she has a remarkable ability to draw the reader into their emotional world. This is especially true of the protagonist, Mehr. Watching her growth and following her journey is deeply satisfying, and Suri ensures that the reader feels each of Mehr’s struggles, fears, and triumphs along the way.
The setting is loosely inspired by the Mughal Empire, and the worldbuilding is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. Suri’s descriptions are vivid without being overwhelming, making it easy to picture the landscapes and feel immersed in the culture and atmosphere of the world.
The novel does have a couple of minor drawbacks. Some major plot events feel slightly anticlimactic and could have benefited from more narrative focus, and a few of the journeys throughout the story feel rushed and might have been stronger with additional detail.
Despite these issues, I thoroughly enjoyed Empire of Sand and am eager to continue the story in the sequel, Realm of Ash. I would recommend this book to fantasy readers who prefer minimal romance, to fans of Indian-inspired fiction, and to anyone who enjoys a clear, classic struggle between good and evil without a heavy emphasis on moral gray areas”
About Tasha Suri
Tasha Suri was born in London to Punjabi parents. She studied English and Creative Writing at Warwick University, and is now a cat-owning librarian in London. A love of period Bollywood films, history, and mythology led her to write South Asian-influenced fantasy.
Other books by Tasha Suri
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