I am a fan, and sometime student of myths, legends and folklore. I actively seek out tales from varied cultures because I want to experience stories from and about peoples and mythologies I am not familiar with. I don’t mind reading the same types of stories more than once, but I don’t want one type of story to be the only story I can access.

So when books like Empire of Sand come along, I dive in with glee.

Our first protagonist is Mehr, eldest daughter of an Ambhan nobleman and an exiled Amrithi desert nomad. The desert around Irinah is a place of mystery and magic that the colonizing peoples are trying very hard to erase from the lands. Even when seeing the creatures known as daiva, the Ambhans still dismiss them as merely legend. Mehr’s heritage means her blood is special, as are her abilities to manipulate the energies that flow across the desert from the sleeping old gods, the dreamfire storms.

Mehr’s insistence on performing the Amrithi rituals with friends faithful to her mother and the old ways puts her entire family in danger, which could bring disgrace to her father’s position as governor. If he loses his position and incurs the Emperor’s wrath, she and her younger sister Arwa would be in mortal danger, even though Arwa has been raised in ignorance of her Amrithi heritage, in the hopes she’d follow in her stepmother’s noble and tamed Ambhan ways.

Next, we meet Amun as he is introduced to Mehr, a servant of the Maha’s mystics to be presented as a suitor for an arranged marriage. He is also a powerful Amrithi, and after Mehr’s display of the magic she controls, we discover that the mystics believe this marriage is a way to keep both Mehr and Amun bound by their vows, and their abilities under their control to further the unbroken rule and continued immortality of the Maha.

As Mehr learns more about the power of vows and what they mean to Amrithi with her gifts, and the nature of the Maha’s power, she begins to understand how much danger she’s in, and begins a journey with Amun through ancient perils, new alliances, and other intrigues.

In addition to the rich new environment crafted for this fantastical tale, we are given a young woman who doesn’t view herself of needing to be rescued, and a young man who doesn’t view his new female companion as a conquest to be pursued or a trophy to be won over. We have two people determined to work as a team to build a mutual connection of their own choosing and learning to navigate the bonds and relationships around them without being controlled by those who would oppress and use them.

The slow evolution of multiple relationships fleshes out most of the characters, and seeing the relationship between Mehr and Amun deepen and grow throughout the story is just as much fun as the magical intrigues they must also navigate.

This is a world and set of characters I can’t wait to read more about.

And don’t miss the interview with Tasha Suri!

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the 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.

Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…

Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha 1) by Tasha Suri
Series: The Books of Ambha
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Orbit (November 13, 2018)
ISBN-10: 0316449717
ISBN-13: 978-0316449717