Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha #1)

I am beginning to think that we are at a new golden age of fantasy literature. I grew up on a steady diet of Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Stephen Donaldson, and too many Forgotten Realms novels than were healthy for me. Between Tolkien, the D&D world of Forgotten Realms and Robert Jordans Wheel of time, the worlds were imaginative yet had a lot of similarities to each other. These were tropes I grew up on and always went back to because they were familiar territory and easy enough to jump into. They were also influenced by many of the same Euro-Nordic and Celtic myths. As much as I love those, it is incredibly refreshing when something new comes along or in some cases something that is from a perspective based a different on history and myth

Tasha Suris debut novel Empire of Sand is a book influenced by the Murghal Empire without being a book about the Mughal Empire. It stands in its own universe of myth and lore. The world that she creates is very well realized, both epic in its scope yet is a personal journey. Its use of magic is believable in not only that world but seems like it would have worked in ours a long time ago. The magic rituals seem to be based on Indian classical dances, mainly the Bharatanatyam.

Mehr is the privileged daughter of the Governor of Jah Irinah who serves under the auspices of not only the Emperor, but of the godlike Maha who is the real power behind the Ambhan Empire. His mystics pray for the fortunes and prosperity of the empire and or misfortunes of their enemies. Yet as privileged and sheltered as she is, she is an outcast in her own palace. her heritage is only half Ambhan as her mother was of a race considered barbarous, the Amrithi. Her mother, rather than let vows bind her to her father, she left to join her people out in the desert not to be seen again. Though Mehr is an outcast, her younger sister Arwa has been taken under the wing of Maryam, their step-mother. Yes, there is a (sort of) wicked step-mother. What mainly alienates her from everyone is that Maha still chooses to follow the ancient rites of her people such as ritual dances and the belief in daivas, djinn like creatures descendant from the gods.

It is not only beliefs but the power that manifests when she performs the ancient dances that draw the attention of the Mahas mystics. They come to her father with an arranged marriage proposal. By tradition she has the right to turn down the proposal and her father advises so. but it is not a good idea to turn down the mystics, so to save not only her familys honor but heir lives, she chooses to marry a servant of the Maha.

What will follow is the revelation of the truth behind the Mahas power and his monstrous personality. Mehrs journey becomes our journey as it is her point of view we follow except for a couple of brief chapters. Her journey is a personal one where she discovers the strength of the powers hidden within her rituals and power of vows that are truly binding. With all that going on, the foundation of the story and her motivations is a love story between her and Amun, the Amrithi man whose vows to the Maha and his mystics practically make him their slave.

Ms. Suris world building hints at a deeper and richer history than we are presented with. And that is a good thing. The illusionists best trick is leaving the audience wanting more. Since this is the beginning of a series (but the book can stand on its own) we can expect more of the mysteries of this world to open up on us. What we do get revealed to us is a world where the dreams and nightmares of sleeping gods can shape the very fate of an empire.

I cared a lot for Mehrs struggles whether they be mundane ones or life threatening ones and found her to be a strong heroine who has to grow stronger as the world crumbles around her. There are moments of violence and physical abuse in the book that may be unsettling to some but it is never exploitative.

This is a highly readable book with relatable characters and I cant wait to get to the next installment.

Current editions of Empire of Sand contain an interview with the author and a preview of the folow-up book Realm of Ash. I originally received an advanced copy through NetGalley but went ahead and purchased the book to suppor the author.

Tasha Suris Empire of Sand is an achingly beautiful novel of identity, pain, and dreams wrapped in a fabulously realized south Asian inspired secondary world. This story makes you feel the experiences the characters have. Both the setting and characters are brilliantly imagined and feel real in a way that is difficult to articulate. There will be moments when your heart breaks and moments when you thrill with hope.

There are three elements of Empire of Sand that I cant get out of my head: the characters, the setting, and the magic system. Mehr, our protagonist, is the daughter of the governor of Irinah who has led a somewhat sheltered life. In the midst of this sheltered life, however, she has developed a very strong character. She knows what is right and wrong and acts on those feelings even when it may not be to her benefit to do so. Because the vast majority of the book is from Mehrs perspective we spend a great deal of time in her head but this doesnt become tiresome. The character is very well written and it was easy to root for her. Sometimes, when a book is almost entirely in one characters head, the side characters can feel flat. That isnt the case in Empire of Sand. Suri has given us not only a main character we can relate to and hurt with, but an entire cast of characters with their own motivations and foibles. Each of them feels alive. In fact, this novel works so well because of the relationships between characters. Of course, the relationship between Mehr and various antagonists is important, but her relationships with various side characters are part of what makes this novel so achingly beautiful. In addition to the characters, the setting and magic helped me fall in love with this book. You wont find castles and western feudal lords in this novel. Instead, its inspired by Mughal India. Suri has crafted a secondary fantasy world that really shines. Perhaps most impressive, the world and magic are linked in a way that helps both to come alive. The mythology of the world is linked into the magic system and vice-versa and it all comes together in a way that is complex without feeling overly complicated. I tend to enjoy novels where magic plays a large role in the plot and where the magic system is less mysterious and more scientific, so-called hard magic systems. In her debut, Suri has managed to craft a system that is fascinating and interesting, but still very much mysterious. I loved it.

There were few things that didnt work for me in Empire of Sand. One of those few things, however, was that on a very few occasions I was frustrated by characters seeming inability to protag. Because of the plot, Mehr finds herself often reacting to events, rather than making events happen. There was a particular section of the novel when I felt the story would have benefitted from more agency for Mehr. This was especially irksome because everything else was executed so well. There were a couple scenes in particular when I grumbled in my head about this, but on each of those occasions I was quickly swept back into the narrative.

Alternatingly grim and hopeful, Empire of Sand is a novel that shouldnt be missed. This is character-drive fantasy with epic stakes set in a fascinating and unique would that makes you ache for characters as you come to love and understand them. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel. 4.5/5 stars.

5 I loved this, couldnt put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 I didnt like this book, it has significant flaws and I cant recommend it
1 I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

Generally speaking, most people think of fantasy as being some analogue of western history with the occasional decidedly anthropocentric non-human races and some variation on a theme of dragons. At least, that’s how it used to be, up until a few years ago. These days, fantasy is a much broader and much more diverse playground, and Tasha Suri’s marvellous debut novel does more than its fair share to add to that diversity.

The narrative follows Mehr, a young noblewoman whose mixed heritage imparts her with the power to see and interact with the mystical daiva, along with other, more impressive powers. After dancing a particularly powerful rite one night she is inadvertently brought to the attention of the Maha, the spiritual ruler of the Empire, and finds herself being coerced into marriage with one of the Maha’s mystics.

This is very definitely fantasy on a small scale. Almost the entire narrative is told from Mehr’s point of view, and while we do get hints of the bigger picture, we’re mostly shown how the events affect the individuals. This is where the author’s true strength lies, in showing us not only the individuals but also the world around them through their eyes. Suri breathes life into pretty much every character we meet in this novel, and she does it with some of the best writing I’ve seen in a debut novel in a long time. On top of that, her worldbuilding is exemplary, drawing inspiration from the Mughal Empire and throwing in a dance-based magic system and fully realised spirit world.

All in all I really loved this book. It feels like a standalone novel, though I know there’s already a follow-on due out in November. There are definitely threads that could feed into a second novel, though I wouldn’t be too disappointed if the major characters from this one don’t make it into the next.

I’ll be very surprised if Empire of Sand doesn’t make it on to an award ballot or two this year and look forward to more from Tasha Suri in the years to come.

A young woman is bound by oaths to the religious leader of her Empire and has to dance with her husband to steer the Gods’ dreams into favouring the Empire.

Mehr is the daughter of the governor of Irinah. Her mother abandoned her and her sister and they have lead a sheltered life in the governor’s place, brought up by maids and their disapproving step mother. Married off to a mystic to please the Emperor, Mehr treks across the desert and finds her marriage vows have not only bound her to her new husband, but also to the leader of the mystics, for whom she must dance to control the Daivas and the dreams of the gods.

This is not your usual swords and sorcery fantasy, although there are some swords and some sorcery. The setting takes much from the Mughal Empire, and introduces a magic system based on vows, dance and blood.

Mehr’s story looks at choices and freedom, as she tries to bend her vows while protecting her husband, and meet the expectations of soceity and family.

Mehr is an Ambhan noblewoman, the daughter of a governor no less, but shes also the daughter of an exiled Amrithi mother, meaning shes constantly caught between two worlds and not entirely sure in which one she belongs. Its only due to her fathers love and guilt that shes able to practice the traditions her mother taught her before she left for the desert, but when she accidentally uses magic powerful enough to catch the attention of the Emperors mystics, Mehrs life is suddenly no longer her own as shes forced into an arranged marriage and a life of servitude.

Pretty much everyone whos read Empire of Sand has been singing its praises, so its a novel thats been on my radar for a little while now and one thats come along at just the right time for me; Ive been keen to read a lot more Asian-inspired fantasy this year, meaning this Mughal India-inspired tale had such a refreshing fantasy setting, and Ive also been getting more and more into desert fantasy.

Theres so much I loved and appreciated about this book, and this is especially true of the romance. This is very much a fantasy book but, if youre a romance reader, this is a novel youll want to try because the romance is still a big part of the story without becoming the central focus, and its such a tender romance at that.

In Ambhan society, a woman takes on her husbands duties, responsibilities and loyalties, so Mehr is pushed into a marriage with Amun, who himself has orders he has no choice but to follow due to the vows he has made. Amun so easily could have been written as a rude and brooding type, but I dont think Ive ever come across a love interest, in any genre, who understands consent the way Amun does. Neither Mehr nor Amun are particularly happy about their situation, when Mehr is taken by the Emperors mystics her life becomes a rather miserable one, but the two of them develop a friendship which in turn develops into something more, and in the process the two of them become each others safety net.

Theres a lot I loved about Mehr herself, though; shes magically gifted, but her true power is an inner, moral strength to do the right thing even when the right thing is the thing most likely to get her hurt or killed. She loves her parents, and her parents love her, but neither of them have been what a mixed race girl in the Ambhan Empire has needed, and its been up to Mehr in turn to care for her little sister, Arwa, while their stepmother punishes her for being another womans daughter.

Mysterious, absent mothers are no stranger to the SFF genreparticularly in stories with young women at their centrebut what I loved about Mehr is that while she does understand why her mother made the decisions she made, she also doesnt hesitate to call her out for not being the mother either she or Arwa has needed. I love women who are mothers still being allowed to be complex women who arent defined by their motherhood, but its also so satisfying to see children who have been left be given the opportunity to put their feelings into words.

I want to say as little about the plot itself as I can because it would give away too much of the book, and the joy of reading this novel is not quite knowing where the storys going to go, but Suris writing is moreish and once I got into the meat of the story I found it very difficult to put down. Personally I would have liked a little more world-building, but it didnt bother me because Mehr isnt the right protagonist to teach us about the Empireshe doesnt spend any time there, so it wouldnt feel natural for her to pause everything shes doing to give us a lore dump.

The world-building isnt lacking by any means, it just left me with questions which I imagine are going to be answered in the companion novel. What I didnt quite get from the world, though, I definitely got from the villain; he is the worst, and I cant remember the last time I was so frustrated and disgusted by a villain. I wasnt sure what to think of him at first, but by the end of the novel I desperately wanted Mehr to set him on fire. Hes awful, and the ideal villain if youre the kind of reader who loves to hate your villains.

If youre looking for a desert fantasy, an Asian-inspired fantasy, a standalone fantasy, or simply a good fantasy, you need to pick up this book. Its so worth your time, and Im looking forward to reading more from Tasha Suri.

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