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Realm of Ash

(The Books of Ambha #2)

Tasha Suri (Goodreads Author)

4.14 · Rating details · 535 ratings · 121 reviews

The fate of an empire rests in the hands of a young woman with magical blood and nothing left to lose, and an outcast prince determined to save his family at any cost, in this "dark, melodious, and memorable" new fantasy (Library Journal, starred review) from the author of the award-winning Empire of Sand.

The Ambhan Empire is crumbling. A terrible war of succession hovers ...more

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ebook, 480 pages

Published November 12th 2019 by Orbit

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· 535 ratings · 121 reviews

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Nov 27, 2019 Charlotte rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: women-and-nb-of-speculative-fiction, poc-author, rest-of-2019

Read for my 2018 women of speculative fiction challenge.
"The lamp of truth reveals the world. But when we lift the lamp we see-knowledge that cannot be unknown or undone."

Ready to get all teary over a deeply heartfelt romance? I KNOW I AM. This is Realm of Ash, the sequel to Tasha Suri's 2018 fantasy Empire of Sand.Spoilers follow!

So What's It About? (from Goodreads)

The Ambhan Empire is crumbling. A terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon. The only hope for peace lies in the mysterious ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Sophie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-read, 2020-books

I am so happy to have discovered a new favorite author. The writing is beautiful, her women are well written, and I love both the love interests and how the romance is done. I was looking forward to reading this one because I was curious about Arwa after the first book and I wanted to see how events from the first book impacted this one. Interestingly enough, not as much as I would have thought. Still, I loved looking at a very different type of story and character from the first one, with more ...more

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Nov 05, 2019 Hiu Gregg rated it it was amazing

There’s something about Tasha Suri’s books that is just… wonderful. Both in the sense that they are wonderfully written, and in the sense that they evoke a sense of wonder.

There’s magic in the pages, dangerous but alluring. A sense of flow that keeps you reading long past the time you should have stopped. A world that is striking and enchanting and dangerous. Characters that march through the front door of your heart and tell you to make room, because they’ll be staying a while.

Realm is Ash is There’s something about Tasha Suri’s books that is just… wonderful. Both in the sense that they are wonderfully written, and in the sense that they evoke a sense of wonder.

There’s magic in the pages, dangerous but alluring. A sense of flow that keeps you reading long past the time you should have stopped. A world that is striking and enchanting and dangerous. Characters that march through the front door of your heart and tell you to make room, because they’ll be staying a while.

Realm is Ash is something of a sequel to Suri’s debut novel, Empire of Sand, but written in such a way that it functions as a standalone story. It explores some of the consequences of the first book, but never uses it as a crutch. Arwa’s story is not Mehr’s. They see and experience the world in different ways. Which, to be honest, is one of the many things I loved about this book.

Arwa has never quite been able to live her own life. Born to an Amrithi mother and an Ambhan nobleman, raised by her father and stepmother, she was never able to explore her maternal heritage. She was raised to be an Ambhan noblewoman. A dutiful wife.

But when her husband lies among the dead after the brutal and mysterious Darez Fort massacre, what is she to do? Her life has been defined by how she should serve other people. First her parents, then her husband. She doesn’t really know how to be her own person.

But she finds out, and we find out with her. She’s empathetic. She’s determined. She’s intelligent, resilient, and strong. She can feel scared and fragile and vulnerable at times, yes, but anyone in her position would be. If anything, her vulnerabilities make the scenes where she shows her strength so much more powerful.

As a widow in a society where widows are expected to behave a certain way, she is forced to call upon that strength often. Especially at court, where she and an illegitimate prince must research and practice illegal magic (in secret!) to rid the Empire of its curse. A magic tied to the culture that was denied to Arwa as a child.

If you’ll forgive me a brief tangent… A month or so ago, I was able to catch a panel with Tasha Suri on the subject of translated works of fiction. During that panel, Tasha theorised that any translation necessitates a “confrontation with loss”. Some nuance, some meaning, some thing is always lost along the way.

And for me, that phrase fits Realm of Ash so well. Over the course of Arwa’s story, she confronts the loss of her mother’s culture, the loss of her family, and the loss of the life she was supposed to have had — which in turn was a direct result of the loss of her agency.

But what I love about this book is that it doesn’t stop there. Arwa confronts the loss of all of these things, and then she does something about it. She fights. The fight might be impossible. She might never win. But she fights anyway.

I’ve seldom read a more elegant, romantic, and empowering piece of fantasy.

Why haven’t you started reading it yet? ...more

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Nov 13, 2019 Justine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorite-authors, review-copies, read-in-2019

Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free for this book and for Empire of Sand.

Empire of Sand is one of those books that has left a lasting impact on me as a reader — it is a beautiful book with gorgeous magic, a lush world, and one of the best slow burn romances I’ve ever read. So naturally I was absolutely thrilled to hear that the next book, Realm of Ash was coming out this year. I had ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 michelle (magical reads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviews, arcs, 2019

4.75 stars

read on my blog + see some hand-lettered quotes

**I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you, Orbit Books!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

If I were a man, I would give my grief a purpose, and to the sword. I would fight for the sake of my Empire. But I am only a widow, and I have nothing to offer beyond my blood.

I only read Empire of Sand earlier this summer, so the wait shouldn’t have been as excruciating as other people’s, but ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Runalong rated it it was amazing

One of the best fantasy novels I’ve read this year. Powerful, intelligent and wonder emotional character development - one everyone should read

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

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Nov 25, 2019 Jocelyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: magic-witchcraft, queer, poc, atmospheric-moody, 5-stars, gods-demons-spirits

not quite what i was expecting, but still just as heart-achingly beautiful as the first.

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Oct 29, 2019 aarya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: year-2019, fiction-genre-sci-fi-fantasy, owned-in-arc-ebook, owned-in-deadtree-nonautographed, rating-5, tag-author-of-color

Is two books too soon to declare Tasha Suri one of my favorite authors?

RTC.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Dec 22, 2019 Bethany rated it really liked it

Actual Rating: 3.5-3.75 stars

Realm of Ash is a companion novel to Empire of Sand, which is one of my favorite books read this year. (Seriously, I'm obsessed!) While I didn't love it in the same way, Realm of Ash is still a solid follow up with beautiful writing, great world-building, and thought-provoking thematic content. Set 10+ years after the events of Empire, this book follows the story of Mehr's younger sister, Arwa.

Mehr and Arwa are both mixed with Amrithi blood, but while Mehr looks Actual Rating: 3.5-3.75 stars

Realm of Ash is a companion novel to Empire of Sand, which is one of my favorite books read this year. (Seriously, I'm obsessed!) While I didn't love it in the same way, Realm of Ash is still a solid follow up with beautiful writing, great world-building, and thought-provoking thematic content. Set 10+ years after the events of Empire, this book follows the story of Mehr's younger sister, Arwa.

Mehr and Arwa are both mixed with Amrithi blood, but while Mehr looks like their mother, Arwa can pass as Ambhan (the dominant and ruling race). The book begins as Arwa journeys to a house of widows after losing her (much older) husband in a brutal and traumatizing attack by supernatural creatures. As the plot progresses, Arwa is drawn into dangerous court politics, and encounters an opportunity to find the love that is culturally forbidden to her as a widow.

Arwa is a much quieter and more compliant character than Mehr, and I had a harder time connecting with her. However, I kind of love that Tasha Suri is writing the stories of women who often go unnoticed in history despite their significance. I would have liked to see more of her earlier life with marrying the general, because so much felt missing, but that might have been too long a book?

In terms of plot, this felt much more meandering than Empire of Sand and involves a lot of people traveling together from place to place which I tend not to love in my fantasy. (Traveling band stories are kind of a hard sell for me, but that is definitely a personal preference.) I was more interested in the widows house and palace and would have been happy to get more there. I also kind of wish that the romantic relationship had just stayed a friendship because I never really bought into the chemistry between the characters but found their friendship to be compelling.

That said, it was still interesting and this author does a great job of writing deeply character-driven stores. There is also a really interesting theme here that examines what it means for an Empire to build their strength on the backs of an oppressed people group. It felt very reminiscent of the treatment of African Americans in the United States and I appreciated that as a thought-provoking sub-plot. I will definitely be picking up whatever she writes in the future. I was sent a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Dianthaa rated it it was amazing

Finished, this was so beautiful.

It took me about half a book to get over it not being with Mehr, but I eventually let it go and enjoyed the book.

RTC

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Jan 25, 2020 Andi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: on-kindle, recommend-to-anyone

Ah! What a glorious treat to find an author who writes such gorgeous stories featuring women who shine like a thousand diamonds from the broken husks they once were.

I absolutely was thrilled that we would see what became of Mehr's sister, Arwa. Not only that, see how she grew up under the care of her nasty step-mother.

The first 40% of the book was getting to know Arwa. She had grown up burying the heritage that her birth-mother was and pretending to be a noble girl. Unfortunately, after her Ah! What a glorious treat to find an author who writes such gorgeous stories featuring women who shine like a thousand diamonds from the broken husks they once were.

I absolutely was thrilled that we would see what became of Mehr's sister, Arwa. Not only that, see how she grew up under the care of her nasty step-mother.

The first 40% of the book was getting to know Arwa. She had grown up burying the heritage that her birth-mother was and pretending to be a noble girl. Unfortunately, after her marriage she becomes a widow and tries to figure out if she is cursed or is there something she just does not know about herself.

We meet Zahir who my goodness is the perfect goth boy. Born a bastard, he was taken in by his half sister and hidden away deep in the recesses of the kingdom. He is to find a cure for the now nightmare fueled Empire (as we saw what happened by the end of the first book).

Again, Suri gives us the most glorious slow burn and inner weaving of two people whose lives are full of hurt, pain, and confusion. To watch them learn what their place is and their path, ugh, so many moments that gutted me.

The reason I knock the book down a star is that I feel the last 15% of the book was rushed beyond belief. (view spoiler)

I wanted to give this book three and a half stars, but I gave it four because I love the characters and the writing/overall story was lovely. It just fell flat in the end but I am hoping that we get a third book one day! ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks

This was a fantastic listen. ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Liv (ReadbyLiv) rated it it was amazing

I think I’ve found a new favorite author. Rtc

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Nov 23, 2019 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites

TASHA SURI HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

Find more from me:
Blog || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube

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May 24, 2019 Sabs marked it as to-read

Shelves: high-fantasy, excited

if you read the ebook copy of empire of sand, you might have been lucky enough (like me!) to preview the first three chapters!! I've been aching for realm of ash literally as soon as I finished empire of sand and I'm so, so glad tasha suri gave us those chapters to obsess over for another year! (I'm also intrigued as to what series of events lead up to arwa being at court, despite being sent to live with the widows in the beginning of realm of ash.)

I look forward to see how arwa navigates the ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Shealea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-biases, arc-review, has-asian-rep, books-with-diversity, has-poc, 1-highly-recommended

I’m not even going to try to compare Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash because I love them equally for different reasons. Anyway, much like Arwa, my researcher heart HUNGERS for pretty boy scholars who are soft and curious and kind.

From the brilliant exploration of themes to the empowerment I felt in Arwa’s character growth to the delicious burn of her romance with Zahir, Realm of Ash slaps and IT SLAPS HARD. Full review to follow.

5 stars

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Oct 11, 2019 shri (sunandchai) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, adult-or-new-adult, gods-and-their-myths, in-a-time-past, living-in-a-fantasy, an-abundance-of-magic, author-of-color, found-families, good-hets, you-ll-be-in-my-heart-always

Full review on my blog!

First off, I would like to thank the publisher, Orbit Books, for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I looked up after finishing this long anticipated read, my head was full of a heaviness and my ears were ringing; I’d been lying on my bed for four hours straight, reading like a woman possessed, and I hadn’t realized it until after I read the last words, put down my iPad, and released a heavy breath towards my ceiling.

Flaying the contagious ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Kathy rated it really liked it

I think Jocelyn is correct - you can read this book before the first book if you so choose (although I am now reading the first book). Wonderful magic system (tw for blood magic), and beautiful writing.

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Jan 22, 2020 ☾ h a d e e r ☽ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2020

Masterful and heartbreaking and subversive and hopeful and achingly beautiful.

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Nov 15, 2019 c, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, let-s-talk-diversity, magic-and-fantasy, adult-lit, favourite-characters, non-white-characters, 5-stars, aoc-et-al, just-read-it, lgbtq-authors

THEY WERE A MYSTICAL ORDER OF TWO

Rep: Mughal India inspired characters and setting

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Nov 05, 2019 keikii Eats Books rated it it was amazing

To read more reviews like this, check out my blog keikii eats books!

98 points, 5 stars!

Quote:

Lonely, Jihan had called him. But Arwa could only look at him and think of his vulnerable neck, his wrists, the moonlight on him and think, Starving, he is starving.

Review:
Wow. Enchanting. Beautiful. I already know this review will feel inadequate compared to the elegance that is the book itself. The way the story flows and draws you in just was so well done. I managed to feel like I was the main To read more reviews like this, check out my blog keikii eats books!

98 points, 5 stars!

Quote:

Lonely, Jihan had called him. But Arwa could only look at him and think of his vulnerable neck, his wrists, the moonlight on him and think, Starving, he is starving.

Review:
Wow. Enchanting. Beautiful. I already know this review will feel inadequate compared to the elegance that is the book itself. The way the story flows and draws you in just was so well done. I managed to feel like I was the main character, Arwa, and was so drawn into her story. Captivated, even. The setting was exemplary. Realm of Ash was just so, so good.

While reading, it really struck me how different a book Realm of Ash would be if I hadn't read Empire of Sand first. It would have been a profounding different experience. Both of these books can be considered standalone, and Realm of Ash does take place about ten years after the first book so it does have spoilers for the ending of that amazing book. I think it actually would have been quite fun to read this without the context, which is not something I typically ever say. I would have loved to have had the perspective of Arwa without Mehr getting in the way.

A lot of time has passed since Empire of Sand. The world has become different, worse since the Maha died. Less safe. Famine. Disease. Fear. This setup leads to some absolutely brilliant worldbuilding and a magic system that I wanted to know more about. There was just so much more to learn than I could have thought possible. Yet I still wanted to know more. It was amazing.

And then there is the main character. Ah, Arwa, you poor thing. Before the book began, Arwa was the sole survivor of a vicious attack that killed her husband as well as the entire military installation he was in charge of. Before that, she spent her life trying to be perfect, fearing that she would be found to be less than foolproof, because her bloodline made her cursed. Now widowed, Arwa is considered a ghost and from here her true journey starts. Realm of Ash takes Arwa from her desire to become cloistered away with other widowed women, to her decision to stand up and be useful, to Arwa being strong. I love Arwa, broken bits and all.

The romance is an adorably slow burn. The kind where you know it is going to happen, and you just want to knock these two numbskulls together to make them see what they have. Propriety? A complete taboo against the very idea of remarriage? Bah, who needs any of that? We have some love to get to!

And if all this wasn't enough gushing, just look at that cover. Isn't it exquisite?

I received this book from Orbit in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to Tasha Suri and Orbit for providing the opportunity to review this copy. ...more

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Dec 16, 2019 Kevin Potter rated it it was amazing

What a ride!
Never in my life did I think I'd be so emotionally wrecked over a book! Especially one in which I spent a good chunk not being overly fond of the main character.

Honestly, if you invest in just one fantasy series this year it should be this one.

If you love fantasy romance, this is absolutely the book for you.

If you love complex, character driven fantasy that delves deep into magic, history, and culture but aren't fond of "romance books" (like me) then this is also the book for you!

...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Jordan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, all-time-favorites, 2019

Tasha Suri has not disappointed in any way with her sophomore release! This was simply beautiful. Suri has such an elegant way of crafting her characters and their interactions and conveying the values and traditions that are most important to them.

Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!

Last year I had the pleasure of reading Tasha Suri's debut Empire of Sand and I fell so deeply in love with her writing and her characters. There's something special about the way Suri crafts her world Tasha Suri has not disappointed in any way with her sophomore release! This was simply beautiful. Suri has such an elegant way of crafting her characters and their interactions and conveying the values and traditions that are most important to them.

Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!

Last year I had the pleasure of reading Tasha Suri's debut Empire of Sand and I fell so deeply in love with her writing and her characters. There's something special about the way Suri crafts her world and her stories and I couldn't be happier to say that Realm of Ash lived up to its predecessor in all of the best possible ways.

Realm of Ash takes place about ten years after the events of Empire of Sand and this time around we follow Arwa, Mehr's younger sister who only appears in the beginning of Empire of Sand. One of my favorite things about the first book was the characters, so I was honestly slightly unsure how I would feel about following a new set of characters--would they be as complex? would I fall in love with them even half as much as those from Empire of Sand? will there still be that magic? And, of course, by the time I was halfway through I felt guilty for even entertaining those questions.

Arwa is an incredibly strong character that undergoes so many major developments throughout the course of this story. Her commitment to her modesty and to maintaining her reputation for herself and her family were so beautiful and I just genuinely loved watching her navigate all of the obstacles int his book while trying to stay true to herself, only giving in when she felt something was right, not because of anyone else's influence. I couldn't help but feel connected to Arwa and was fully invested in her entire journey.

Another character that we get to know fairly well is Zahir, Princess Jihan's brother. I won't go into too much regarding him or his role because I feel like it's an important part of this journey. Nonetheless, I'll say that he's a similarly fascinating character and I just loved how Suri allowed us to get to know him slowly but steadily along with Arwa and to understand what his own feelings, goals, and motivations are in this world.

I love everything about how Suri develops her world. Her words are a special form of magic that managed to create a world and culture that felt so real and involved. I really like learning about the different areas and ruling powers that exist and how they function. I'm always fascinated by the 'magic' system that is at play in this world and how it ties into religion and other aspects that are so important to this world. In fact, one of my favorite things is how she conveys the traditions and religion of cultures in her world. There's no question over where certain people stand on things or how various ideas are received in this world and I think that shows Suri's deft at crafting an intricate world that still makes sense and is possible to follow.

I'm not entirely sure what Suri is planning to write next (please let there be another book in this series?), but whatever it is, I will absolutely be reading it. I would love to see even more of this world explored and I feel like there is so much more story that could be told about these characters and this world.

Overall, obviously I've given Realm of Ash five stars (a nice match to Empire of Sand's five stars!) ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: f-sf-for-adults, romantic-fantasy

Ohhhhhh this book - !!!

Last year, Tasha Suri's first book, Empire of Sand, absolutely blew me away. It was my favorite romantic fantasy novel in a very long time, and I couldn't wait to read this second book (set in the same world but with a different heroine, ten years later). But I still wasn't prepared for Realm of Ash.

OMG did I love the heroine, Arwa - and I found her perspective SO emotionally intense and so powerful that I had to stretch my reading experience out, savoring it one Ohhhhhh this book - !!!

Last year, Tasha Suri's first book, Empire of Sand, absolutely blew me away. It was my favorite romantic fantasy novel in a very long time, and I couldn't wait to read this second book (set in the same world but with a different heroine, ten years later). But I still wasn't prepared for Realm of Ash.

OMG did I love the heroine, Arwa - and I found her perspective SO emotionally intense and so powerful that I had to stretch my reading experience out, savoring it one shiveringly intense bite at a time. Arwa was raised to be a perfect Ambhan noblewoman in her colonialist society, hiding the secret, supernatural "taint" in her blood that came from her true mother (one of the oppressed Amrithi). At the beginning of the book, though, all of that work that she did for years (under her adoptive mother's orders) to suppress her real thoughts and opinions and personality and be ashamed of her true self (and forget her darker-skinned older sister, who hadn't been able to pass as Ambhan) has just ended in a metaphorical explosion. The goal all along was for her to fit in to Ambhan society and become a sweet, submissive wife to a respectable man - but now she is the sole survivor of a supernatural attack on the fort where her late husband was the commander. That experience killed her husband and left her a widow - or in other words (in the terms of her society), a ghost, someone with no value anymore. Now she's been sent away to spend the rest of her life in a house for noble widows, a failure to be forgotten by the outside world.

Needless to say, she doesn't stay there.

During the course of the book, not only does Arwa discover her own true value, she discovers the full power of her suppressed rage, too - and the relationships between all the different women in her story are INTENSE. (I keep using the word intense, because that's the single best word for this whole book. It took my breath away!) The older women around her who've found their own different routes to strength; the royals playing for power; the sister she was taught to hate for being different; the adoptive mother who thought she was helping Arwa by teaching her to hate herself...

"She had been molded and erased and silenced for safety. She had been denied the truth for safety. Her history had been cleaved in two, for safety. They had almost broken her, for the sake of making her safe, for the sake of their love for her, and she would carry the wound of it all her life.

"Love was not always kind."

But love CAN be kind, too - and the romance she finds along the way, with a man who values her for her true self? That is AMAZING.

If you love stories about women fighting for (and winning) empowerment; if you love smart, sophisticated and nuanced fantasy novels that have thought-provoking and perceptive resonance with real-world history (while also being full of fascinating, unique worldbuilding of their own); if you love emotional and political complexity; or if you love really powerful romance within your fantasy...

Then you really, REALLY ought to get this book. I loved it. ...more

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Dec 13, 2019 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing

I absolutely adoredEmpire Of Sandthe first in this series, I was so so pleased to return to the story – Realm of Ash is beautifully imagined, just like it’s predecessor, and I adored every minute of it.

Inspired by Mughal India, Tasha Suri built a richly layered world in her debut, one filled with magically engaging characters and telling an emotive, immersive tale, one of politically motivated prejudice, seeped in history and genuinely compelling. With Realm of Ash we find things on the brink of ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Karina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites, books-that-made-me-think, arc, diversity-in-lit, sff, adult-fiction, arcs, november-2019, historical-fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars: (Maybe 4.5? Still deciding on a rating)
Realm Of Ash is the follow-up to Empire Of Sand one of my favorite SFF debuts of last year! Returning to the Ambhan Empire again felt so unreal to me because it'd felt like the wait for this book took such a long time--but now I've finished it and I'm sad I read it SO quickly b/c I'm not sure how long I can wait for future books in this series!

Set 10 years after EoS, we follow Arwa (Mehr's younger sister) who's now in her 20's and is a ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Alicia (A Kernel of Nonsense) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: beloved-books, books-i-own

Tasha Suri returns to her luscious fantasy world of the Ambha Empire with Realm of Ash, the companion novel to her debut Empire of Sand. This newest installation focuses on Mehr’s younger sister Arwa. Having recently been widowed, Arwa as taken refuge in a sanctuary for widows of nobility. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the memories of how her husband and everyone at his fort perished, leaving her the only survivor. Around her the Ambhan Empire is collapsing, a consequence Tasha Suri returns to her luscious fantasy world of the Ambha Empire with Realm of Ash, the companion novel to her debut Empire of Sand. This newest installation focuses on Mehr’s younger sister Arwa. Having recently been widowed, Arwa as taken refuge in a sanctuary for widows of nobility. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the memories of how her husband and everyone at his fort perished, leaving her the only survivor. Around her the Ambhan Empire is collapsing, a consequence of their Maha’s demise a decade earlier. When Arwa’s bloodline is discovered, she agrees to aid one of the Emperor’s sons in an effort to save the Empire. Zahir is the illegitimate son of the Emperor, unacknowledged and hidden away by his sister. He’s spent years trying to find a way to save the Empire, seeking out knowledge only the Maha possessed. Together Arwa and Zahir traverse the realm of ash in search of a way to keep the Empire from crumbling, but on their journey they uncover truths that call to question whether they can or should save the Empire at all.

Suri has created one of the most profound, multi-layered worlds I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The Ambhan Empire has prospered largely in part because of the mystical Maha. As long as the Emperor showed reverence, the Maha blessed the land. Since his death, however, the Empire has been in decline and mysterious illnesses have plagued its people. In Darez Fort a darkness found its way inside, consuming its inhabitants and turning them against one another. Arwa, because of the secret of her bloodline, being Amrithi on her mother’s side, was spared. The Amrithi people have been a part of this land, but have been driven out and their religion has been regarded with distrust. The Emperor and the Maha have collectively taken part in ethic cleansing. Amrithi have been driven to their deaths or forced to hide away. Descendants like Arwa have been taught their heritage must be kept hidden, that her blood has made her a curse upon those around her. In reality the Maha has used these people for the Empire’s advancement, tapping into their special relationship with the gods of old. He and those in power have villainized and dehumanized them, so in the end their receding numbers are regarded justly or indifferently...

Read my full review on my blog here. ...more

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Feb 08, 2020 sigaloenta rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya, tfn, bipoc-authors, sff, 2019-pub

I liked this one a lot, although perhaps not quite as much as Empire of Sand-- largely because the love interest was less compelling and the cast of secondary characters more limited. But overall Tasha Suri continues to be brilliant in her portrayal of Empire and its histories and difficulty of thinking oneself out of them.

I think Suri is one of the few fantasy writers who has a sense of scale. This book takes place more than a decade and a half after the cataclysmic events of the previous ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Janine Ballard added it

Shelves: 2019-releases

I really liked this, maybe even more than Empire of Sand. I’ll post a longer review eventually.

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Nov 28, 2019 Lulai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So great. The world building and magic system is so deep and fun to discover. I love Arwa she is sucha complex character. Sadly I am note a huge fan of the roman but this book is solid

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About Tasha Suri

Tasha Suri

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Tasha Suri was born in the U.K., but toured India during childhood holidays. She is now a librarian in London, and studied English and creative writing at Warwick University.