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Desert Nights #1
Throne of Sand
A princess with a secret.
A djinni without a past.
A love that could save a kingdom...
Zadie knows she’s nothing like your typical princess. She spends her days reading, riding, and sneaking out of the palace. But between her beautiful elder sister who’s betrothed to a powerful sultan, and her younger brother who’s heir to the throne, nobody seems to care what she gets up to. Until now, that is.
When Zadie helps her sister abandon her engagement to marry for love, it falls to her to play the part of the perfect princess in her place, traveling to the neighboring kingdom of Astaran with the handsome, arrogant sultan she is to marry.
But no sooner has she left her home, Zadie faces a whole new set of troubles. Bandits stalk the desert towns, the palace is under threat from an infamous band of thieves, and there are whispers that the sultan searches for more than just a new bride to magically protect his kingdom’s borders. All is not as it seems in Astaran.
And it’s fast becoming clear to the palace that this promised princess isn’t all she seems, either.
With her secrets piling up, can Zadie prove her true worth to the sultan and his ever-watchful vizier? If she doesn’t, the fate of more than one kingdom hangs in the balance…
A djinni without a past.
A love that could save a kingdom...
Zadie knows she’s nothing like your typical princess. She spends her days reading, riding, and sneaking out of the palace. But between her beautiful elder sister who’s betrothed to a powerful sultan, and her younger brother who’s heir to the throne, nobody seems to care what she gets up to. Until now, that is.
When Zadie helps her sister abandon her engagement to marry for love, it falls to her to play the part of the perfect princess in her place, traveling to the neighboring kingdom of Astaran with the handsome, arrogant sultan she is to marry.
But no sooner has she left her home, Zadie faces a whole new set of troubles. Bandits stalk the desert towns, the palace is under threat from an infamous band of thieves, and there are whispers that the sultan searches for more than just a new bride to magically protect his kingdom’s borders. All is not as it seems in Astaran.
And it’s fast becoming clear to the palace that this promised princess isn’t all she seems, either.
With her secrets piling up, can Zadie prove her true worth to the sultan and his ever-watchful vizier? If she doesn’t, the fate of more than one kingdom hangs in the balance…
272 pages, Paperback
Published February 29, 2020
500 people are currently reading
922 people want to read
About the author
Elm Vince
30 books40 followersElm is a UK-based fantasy author. She grew up on a steady diet of YA fantasy, which pretty much set her up for a life-long love of the genre. In particular, she loves strong female leads, dragons, hate-to-love romances and scenes set in libraries. When she's not hunched over her laptop doing irreparable damage to her lower back, you'll find her road tripping, freaking herself out with true crime podcasts and befriending other people's pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
August 2, 2020
Enjoyable fantasy story
Zaidi helps her elder sister run off with the man she loves and after that, Zaidi has to marry the sultan of the neighbouring kigndom, whom her sister had to be wed. In the new kingdom, she finds unexpected allies in the traditional kingdom which starts her adventures through the desert.
Zaidi is a very interesting character and her rebellious nature and the way she embraced her responsibilities, made me want to root for her from the very beginning.
Enjoyed the book till the very end.
Zaidi helps her elder sister run off with the man she loves and after that, Zaidi has to marry the sultan of the neighbouring kigndom, whom her sister had to be wed. In the new kingdom, she finds unexpected allies in the traditional kingdom which starts her adventures through the desert.
Zaidi is a very interesting character and her rebellious nature and the way she embraced her responsibilities, made me want to root for her from the very beginning.
Enjoyed the book till the very end.
August 5, 2020
I saw this book while I was browsing KU, I haven't read anything good nicely so I thought this would bring a nice change.
The premise was good. Zadie has always wanted to rule but unfortunately for her, her kingdom is patriarchal. When she is given a chance to marry the Sultan of another kingdom she is ecstatic especially as that kingdom has a female who is the Vizier to the king. She reckons if the Vizier is female then she has a chance to be involved in the politics of the nation as opposed to knitting and hosting tea parties.
Zadie's dreams are crushed when she is still being relegated to mundane duties by the king. She tries to convince herself that she just has to do better and then he'd recognize that she can be a good Sultanah. This plan causes her to witness thieves breaking in to the treasury, when she overhears that they were sent to steal a specific item and as serendipity reigns, the item is right at her feet. She finds the ring and wears it, when she tries to take it off she discovers it house a dijinni who can grant seven wishes. She makes a deal with the dijinni that she's going to help him find who trapped him in the ring as well.
This book was very Aladdin-esque, infact the entire series took teams from Disney cartoons. The Vizier was Jafar, Aladdin married Zadie's sister who would have been Jasmine. The King is spineless Kassim that didn't seem able to make decisions for himself.
The premise was good. Zadie has always wanted to rule but unfortunately for her, her kingdom is patriarchal. When she is given a chance to marry the Sultan of another kingdom she is ecstatic especially as that kingdom has a female who is the Vizier to the king. She reckons if the Vizier is female then she has a chance to be involved in the politics of the nation as opposed to knitting and hosting tea parties.
Zadie's dreams are crushed when she is still being relegated to mundane duties by the king. She tries to convince herself that she just has to do better and then he'd recognize that she can be a good Sultanah. This plan causes her to witness thieves breaking in to the treasury, when she overhears that they were sent to steal a specific item and as serendipity reigns, the item is right at her feet. She finds the ring and wears it, when she tries to take it off she discovers it house a dijinni who can grant seven wishes. She makes a deal with the dijinni that she's going to help him find who trapped him in the ring as well.
This book was very Aladdin-esque, infact the entire series took teams from Disney cartoons. The Vizier was Jafar, Aladdin married Zadie's sister who would have been Jasmine. The King is spineless Kassim that didn't seem able to make decisions for himself.
August 3, 2020
I stayed up too late to finish reading this and promised to write a review, so here we are.
First of all, I think the authors to themselves a disservice by comparing Throne of Sand to Throne of Glass. Problematic elements I'll discuss in the latter part of this review aside, this was definitely more enjoyable for me to read than any SJM book (those who know me know the many reasons why SJM's books are definitely NOT my cup of tea). The reading experience is easy and quick, descriptive prose is less annoying, the protagonist is more interesting and less codependent on her love interests, and while the love interest (Kassim) is a dick, he is of the dick variety who deserve the "Less of a Jerk Than He Could Have Been" Award.
That being said, I'm really not sure I really want to read the next book in this series? As of the end of this book, barely more than a week or so has passed of Zadie's two-month "probation" period and I'm not really liking all of the elements thus far, even if I did enjoy the book more than I thought I would just based on the blurb.
Stuff I liked:
- It was a relatively quick and painless read; the prose is easy and doesn't try to be more convoluted than it has to be for a new adult-type fantasy romance read. (At times it dips into the anachronistic, but I can forgive that somewhat, I suppose, since that meant it wasn't bogged down by purple prose.)
- Zadie actually wants political power and believably has the skills and ambition to develop her role as a sultanah, which I appreciated (even though at times I did have to question her familial role as the scholarly child, like, why didn't you learn your lesson about your clever djinn after the FIRST time, Zadie?) Even if I don't get to the other books in this series, I do hope she kicks ass as a sultanah.
- Speaking of, I think Tarak is my favorite character of the story so far. He's quite fun and I enjoyed his snark and sass.
- I was worried from the blurb that Kassim would be even worse in the story than he was, but the story kinda surprised me with making him more of a neurotic control-freak for rather believable reasons for a young sultan. I still don't like that he's in love with Tradition (Tradition! Tradition! Tra-dih-shun!) BUT compared to the love interests SJM writes (only mentioned here cuz the authors deliberately comped her books), he's a steal tbh.
- I can appreciate a story narrative that values language narratives. I'm weak for cool languages and linguistics, okay?
- I liked the mythological aspects and the spirits etc. I appreciated that they're actually dangerous and tricky in this story, as opposed to just extra flavoring for the romantic fantasy setting.
- I almost forgot but I did really like the way the Forty Thieves were adapted into the story and am tempted to read on just so I find out what happens to them and Tarak. (And yes, admittedly part of that is the side of me who jumps at any potential suggestion of a queer found family existing in a narrative.)
- Who's a good horse, Bandit? Yes, you are!
Stuff I didn't like:
- OKAY SO: I DO fully realize that the authors of this series are not the first to be inspired by Disney's Aladdin and want to adapt it into a story for an older audience. I'm sure the folks who adore Disney's Aladdin and who are ignorant of how screwed up that particular adaptation is would adore this series. (If I sound bitter, it's because I grew up reading both translations and alternative adaptations of the original 1001 Nights and adored them.)
- THAT BEING SAID: Several times while reading this, I felt like I was beating my head against the wall over how very Disney Aladdin this book is. With very BLATANT references to the Disney movie(s). As in, basically still European Fantasy in quite a few cultural elements/character archetypes/etc etc but with a vaguely Middle Eastern-slash-Indian-for-whatever-probably-racist-reasons-backdrop. To the credit of the story, it does take a turn later and become more immersive in elements that are more believable to a desert culture and whatnot, but overall, I was just internally going, "Oh no, this is the grown up Disneyfied version of Scheherazade."
- Also, I do tend to always side-eye stories set in this sort of region and based somewhat on traditional folklore/mythology/cultures that don't actually really seem to do much research on these particular elements that are written by people from places known for exerting colonial military power on said region for the past several decades, minimum. It leaves, shall we say, a bitter and gritty taste in my mouth as someone interested in both modern and classical history.
- I felt bad for the handmaids in this story tbh. It's not their fault that they're stuck with Zadie for the forseeable future, even though she does her best to get rid of them and ignores what they can teach her about other cultures and also ignores how they're actually trying to help her, politically, in such a patriarchal society.
- Elian, look, I get that he's a crude soldier and whatnot but like later on the book, I was heavily giving him side-eye for the comments he made towards his future sultanah. Not okay, dude. (What happened to the supposedly very traditional society this nation has and its weird way of treating noblewomen like glass dolls?)
- Hepzibah. OH MY GODS. I DO NOT GET YOU, LADY. This sorta relates back to the earlier point about this being Disneyfied to the point of frustrating me. First of all, how did she get the role she has in such a supposedly TRADITIONAL society? EXPLAIN, PLS. Second of all, if you're gonna change up your Disney Aladdin retelling by making the vizier a tradition-defying, supposedly progressive choice on Kassim's part in choosing a woman for the role, then perhaps consider the messaging inherent in making your Jafar expy an antagonist, hmm? Zadie is compared with and pitted against pretty much all of the women in the story (including her mother, her sister and Safiyyah constantly) and YOU WOULD THINK that maybe, just maybe, Hepzibah would try to be an ally towards a fellow educated woman, but NO. UGH. I am so disappointed bc I really value good relationships (platonic or otherwise) between women in the books I read and the progression of Hepzibah from her first mention to the end of the story made me wanna throw things. WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLLLL.
- Also, it's plainly obvious to any reader with sense that Zadie is actually attractive and it annoyed me how she'd put herself down all the time (after initially saying at the beginning of the novel that she likes her unique looks, mind you). I can attribute at least some of her self-consciousness to being a heterosexual teenager who is trying to impress her handsome and touchy betrothed, but eventually I did get pretty tired of her being put down so much of the time. There's flashes of the confident girl I know Zadie is, but it often falters in the face of all the other stuff happening to her.
- Sending 4/5 of your political leaders into the desert on a dangerous mission in order to secure more political power. Hmm. Makes sense. /s
- Romantic chemistry, or rather, the lack thereof. While there's a couple shippy moments later on in the novel, for the most part, I do NOT see any romantic tension or whatever between Zadie and Kassim. Probably because Kassim is too much of a traditionalist to cheat on his first spouse, TRADITION.
Overall, I still stand by saying that I liked this story and had fun reading it, but I feel rather ambivalent about picking up the next one since there are some crucial elements to the story that make me hesitate before moving forward. (After all, my ridiculous TBR ain't exactly getting any shorter.) If you like Disney's Aladdin, you will probably enjoy this book a lot.
First of all, I think the authors to themselves a disservice by comparing Throne of Sand to Throne of Glass. Problematic elements I'll discuss in the latter part of this review aside, this was definitely more enjoyable for me to read than any SJM book (those who know me know the many reasons why SJM's books are definitely NOT my cup of tea). The reading experience is easy and quick, descriptive prose is less annoying, the protagonist is more interesting and less codependent on her love interests, and while the love interest (Kassim) is a dick, he is of the dick variety who deserve the "Less of a Jerk Than He Could Have Been" Award.
That being said, I'm really not sure I really want to read the next book in this series? As of the end of this book, barely more than a week or so has passed of Zadie's two-month "probation" period and I'm not really liking all of the elements thus far, even if I did enjoy the book more than I thought I would just based on the blurb.
Stuff I liked:
- It was a relatively quick and painless read; the prose is easy and doesn't try to be more convoluted than it has to be for a new adult-type fantasy romance read. (At times it dips into the anachronistic, but I can forgive that somewhat, I suppose, since that meant it wasn't bogged down by purple prose.)
- Zadie actually wants political power and believably has the skills and ambition to develop her role as a sultanah, which I appreciated (even though at times I did have to question her familial role as the scholarly child, like, why didn't you learn your lesson about your clever djinn after the FIRST time, Zadie?) Even if I don't get to the other books in this series, I do hope she kicks ass as a sultanah.
- Speaking of, I think Tarak is my favorite character of the story so far. He's quite fun and I enjoyed his snark and sass.
- I was worried from the blurb that Kassim would be even worse in the story than he was, but the story kinda surprised me with making him more of a neurotic control-freak for rather believable reasons for a young sultan. I still don't like that he's in love with Tradition (Tradition! Tradition! Tra-dih-shun!) BUT compared to the love interests SJM writes (only mentioned here cuz the authors deliberately comped her books), he's a steal tbh.
- I can appreciate a story narrative that values language narratives. I'm weak for cool languages and linguistics, okay?
- I liked the mythological aspects and the spirits etc. I appreciated that they're actually dangerous and tricky in this story, as opposed to just extra flavoring for the romantic fantasy setting.
- I almost forgot but I did really like the way the Forty Thieves were adapted into the story and am tempted to read on just so I find out what happens to them and Tarak. (And yes, admittedly part of that is the side of me who jumps at any potential suggestion of a queer found family existing in a narrative.)
- Who's a good horse, Bandit? Yes, you are!
Stuff I didn't like:
- OKAY SO: I DO fully realize that the authors of this series are not the first to be inspired by Disney's Aladdin and want to adapt it into a story for an older audience. I'm sure the folks who adore Disney's Aladdin and who are ignorant of how screwed up that particular adaptation is would adore this series. (If I sound bitter, it's because I grew up reading both translations and alternative adaptations of the original 1001 Nights and adored them.)
- THAT BEING SAID: Several times while reading this, I felt like I was beating my head against the wall over how very Disney Aladdin this book is. With very BLATANT references to the Disney movie(s). As in, basically still European Fantasy in quite a few cultural elements/character archetypes/etc etc but with a vaguely Middle Eastern-slash-Indian-for-whatever-probably-racist-reasons-backdrop. To the credit of the story, it does take a turn later and become more immersive in elements that are more believable to a desert culture and whatnot, but overall, I was just internally going, "Oh no, this is the grown up Disneyfied version of Scheherazade."
- Also, I do tend to always side-eye stories set in this sort of region and based somewhat on traditional folklore/mythology/cultures that don't actually really seem to do much research on these particular elements that are written by people from places known for exerting colonial military power on said region for the past several decades, minimum. It leaves, shall we say, a bitter and gritty taste in my mouth as someone interested in both modern and classical history.
- I felt bad for the handmaids in this story tbh. It's not their fault that they're stuck with Zadie for the forseeable future, even though she does her best to get rid of them and ignores what they can teach her about other cultures and also ignores how they're actually trying to help her, politically, in such a patriarchal society.
- Elian, look, I get that he's a crude soldier and whatnot but like later on the book, I was heavily giving him side-eye for the comments he made towards his future sultanah. Not okay, dude. (What happened to the supposedly very traditional society this nation has and its weird way of treating noblewomen like glass dolls?)
- Hepzibah. OH MY GODS. I DO NOT GET YOU, LADY. This sorta relates back to the earlier point about this being Disneyfied to the point of frustrating me. First of all, how did she get the role she has in such a supposedly TRADITIONAL society? EXPLAIN, PLS. Second of all, if you're gonna change up your Disney Aladdin retelling by making the vizier a tradition-defying, supposedly progressive choice on Kassim's part in choosing a woman for the role, then perhaps consider the messaging inherent in making your Jafar expy an antagonist, hmm? Zadie is compared with and pitted against pretty much all of the women in the story (including her mother, her sister and Safiyyah constantly) and YOU WOULD THINK that maybe, just maybe, Hepzibah would try to be an ally towards a fellow educated woman, but NO. UGH. I am so disappointed bc I really value good relationships (platonic or otherwise) between women in the books I read and the progression of Hepzibah from her first mention to the end of the story made me wanna throw things. WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLLLL.
- Also, it's plainly obvious to any reader with sense that Zadie is actually attractive and it annoyed me how she'd put herself down all the time (after initially saying at the beginning of the novel that she likes her unique looks, mind you). I can attribute at least some of her self-consciousness to being a heterosexual teenager who is trying to impress her handsome and touchy betrothed, but eventually I did get pretty tired of her being put down so much of the time. There's flashes of the confident girl I know Zadie is, but it often falters in the face of all the other stuff happening to her.
- Sending 4/5 of your political leaders into the desert on a dangerous mission in order to secure more political power. Hmm. Makes sense. /s
- Romantic chemistry, or rather, the lack thereof. While there's a couple shippy moments later on in the novel, for the most part, I do NOT see any romantic tension or whatever between Zadie and Kassim. Probably because Kassim is too much of a traditionalist to cheat on his first spouse, TRADITION.
Overall, I still stand by saying that I liked this story and had fun reading it, but I feel rather ambivalent about picking up the next one since there are some crucial elements to the story that make me hesitate before moving forward. (After all, my ridiculous TBR ain't exactly getting any shorter.) If you like Disney's Aladdin, you will probably enjoy this book a lot.
January 1, 2022
This has the beginnings of an excellent story! The slow(ish) burn romance, the magical mystery, the opposers hidden in … the shadows? Or plain sight? The MC is a wonderful person to follow around she’s headstrong, fast, and interesting.
April 19, 2020
A refreshing, fast paced fantasy set in a brilliantly exquisite Middle Eastern inspired culture. The characters are interesting the plot unpredictable, twisting, and pacy, and the world breathtaking in its vivid detail. Outstanding! I've already downloaded book two.
July 21, 2021
Princess Shahrazade (who prefers her name to be shortened to Zadie) is willful, loves her freedom, has plenty of opinions on governing, love reading, and loves riding on horseback, and prefers pants to dresses, and is the opposite to her sister, the renown beauty Lalana. But when Lalana elopes with a relic trader after being promised to a formidable neighboring sultan, Zadie has to marry the sultan in her sister’s place, and become everything that her sister was. But she finds that the sultan is a whole lot more old-fashioned and traditional than she was led to believe and that his idea of his wife is just to look beautiful and do dainty things and leave the ruling to the men folk. It is up to her to change his mind. So, when a group of thieves inadvertently lead her to a magic ring with a Djinn, she sees an opportunity to open the sultan’s eyes, but she knows to be wary of Djinn who are known to trick people.
This story was entirely focused on finding magical artifacts, which got a bit tedious, especially when at the end of this book, we still hadn’t found the particular item that the sultan was looking for (though they did find other items). The story is in part a retelling of Aladdin with the finding of a Djinn, though the Djinn in this is a whole lot less helpful or useful. Zadie is interesting in being a tomboy who has to disguise herself as a dainty lady, and has to go against everything that she yearns to do. She is perpetually frustrated at the sultan with his rigid way of thinking how women ought to act and do. Considering this is a spin on the Aladdin tale, we know off the bat that the vizir is evil, though she seems to be moving pawns behind the scenes to her own ends, rather than doing anything outright. The sultan I really haven’t latched on to since the only thing to his credit is that he’s handsome, and since I can’t actually see him, that doesn’t sell me on him. Beyond that’s he’s uptight, stuffy, dry, not interested in Zadie except as something to show off, chauvinistic, and I kept wondering why Zadie was trying so hard to get him to like her since he’s really a poor catch other than being rich (which makes Zadie look superficial and power-hungry -not a good look on a heroine. She’s not bothering to get to know who the sultan is at all beyond what she already knew of him). Honestly, I’m not seeing any hint of a romance between the two, and I keep hoping Zadie falls for the Djinn instead who flirts with her (which I adore). Zadie keeps whining at every turn about how the sultan doesn’t let her into this meeting, or want to go riding with her, or hear her views on his trade route. And then there’s the Djinn, who’s potentially very interesting. It took the Djinn pointing it out that half a book after Zadie had made a deal with him, she hadn’t spared a minute to help him, even though it was a simple request. It spotlighted just how self-centered Zadie really is. Helping the Djinn just wasn’t important to her since it wouldn’t further her quest of trying to gain the attention of the sultan. The other thing that annoyed me was that Zadie kept referring to the kingdom as being hers. But it’s not. She’s just there as the sultan’s betrothed, but she hasn’t married him yet. Until she’s officially married, the kingdom isn’t hers. She’s just a guest there. Beyond an awful arranged marriage and treating the woman like she’s an object, there is action and thrill with bandits lurking in the deserts, and thieves stealing through the palace, and Zadie does find herself in some odd predicaments in her quest to win the favor of the sultan (for being such a smart character, she does make rather dumb decisions that put her in those troubling moments like trying to follow the thieves instead of say getting a guard, not realizing from the moment of setting foot into a place that she could get locked inside, that group wouldn’t hesitate in leaving without her, not bothering to help the Djinn, trying to watch the soldiers train -how did she honestly think that would look to the sultan?). I did love the adventure in this story, and the wonderful Arabian setting with the lush palaces, oasis, and desert swallowed ruins, and exotic market, and the trickster magic of the djinn.
This story was entirely focused on finding magical artifacts, which got a bit tedious, especially when at the end of this book, we still hadn’t found the particular item that the sultan was looking for (though they did find other items). The story is in part a retelling of Aladdin with the finding of a Djinn, though the Djinn in this is a whole lot less helpful or useful. Zadie is interesting in being a tomboy who has to disguise herself as a dainty lady, and has to go against everything that she yearns to do. She is perpetually frustrated at the sultan with his rigid way of thinking how women ought to act and do. Considering this is a spin on the Aladdin tale, we know off the bat that the vizir is evil, though she seems to be moving pawns behind the scenes to her own ends, rather than doing anything outright. The sultan I really haven’t latched on to since the only thing to his credit is that he’s handsome, and since I can’t actually see him, that doesn’t sell me on him. Beyond that’s he’s uptight, stuffy, dry, not interested in Zadie except as something to show off, chauvinistic, and I kept wondering why Zadie was trying so hard to get him to like her since he’s really a poor catch other than being rich (which makes Zadie look superficial and power-hungry -not a good look on a heroine. She’s not bothering to get to know who the sultan is at all beyond what she already knew of him). Honestly, I’m not seeing any hint of a romance between the two, and I keep hoping Zadie falls for the Djinn instead who flirts with her (which I adore). Zadie keeps whining at every turn about how the sultan doesn’t let her into this meeting, or want to go riding with her, or hear her views on his trade route. And then there’s the Djinn, who’s potentially very interesting. It took the Djinn pointing it out that half a book after Zadie had made a deal with him, she hadn’t spared a minute to help him, even though it was a simple request. It spotlighted just how self-centered Zadie really is. Helping the Djinn just wasn’t important to her since it wouldn’t further her quest of trying to gain the attention of the sultan. The other thing that annoyed me was that Zadie kept referring to the kingdom as being hers. But it’s not. She’s just there as the sultan’s betrothed, but she hasn’t married him yet. Until she’s officially married, the kingdom isn’t hers. She’s just a guest there. Beyond an awful arranged marriage and treating the woman like she’s an object, there is action and thrill with bandits lurking in the deserts, and thieves stealing through the palace, and Zadie does find herself in some odd predicaments in her quest to win the favor of the sultan (for being such a smart character, she does make rather dumb decisions that put her in those troubling moments like trying to follow the thieves instead of say getting a guard, not realizing from the moment of setting foot into a place that she could get locked inside, that group wouldn’t hesitate in leaving without her, not bothering to help the Djinn, trying to watch the soldiers train -how did she honestly think that would look to the sultan?). I did love the adventure in this story, and the wonderful Arabian setting with the lush palaces, oasis, and desert swallowed ruins, and exotic market, and the trickster magic of the djinn.
June 15, 2020
A well deserved 5 star reading. Where do I start?
It had an amazing protagonist called Princess Zadie. She is vibrant, smart and also has a beautiful heart. One day a prince claim his prize (Zadie) and bring her to Kisrabah. Kassim is cold as hell, has no feeling for the princess because it is a arranged wedding.
I had Aladdin vibes while I was reading it. We had our bad character, the djinn ans the princess. What is missing? Ah yes, an adventurous path. But our lovely writers know that, and they created an engrossing traveling across a desert to find an ancient city which is cursed. I am so curious about the Night Diamond mission....is it wise to search this kind of power? I don't think so. If it gets the wrong hand....that could be a disaster for not jusr the kingdom, for the world.
My charming Tarak is the light in Zadie's life. He has his humor, a sarcastic one which I really liked. I hope they will get along for the next book...they are gonna be a great duo.
It had an amazing protagonist called Princess Zadie. She is vibrant, smart and also has a beautiful heart. One day a prince claim his prize (Zadie) and bring her to Kisrabah. Kassim is cold as hell, has no feeling for the princess because it is a arranged wedding.
I had Aladdin vibes while I was reading it. We had our bad character, the djinn ans the princess. What is missing? Ah yes, an adventurous path. But our lovely writers know that, and they created an engrossing traveling across a desert to find an ancient city which is cursed. I am so curious about the Night Diamond mission....is it wise to search this kind of power? I don't think so. If it gets the wrong hand....that could be a disaster for not jusr the kingdom, for the world.
My charming Tarak is the light in Zadie's life. He has his humor, a sarcastic one which I really liked. I hope they will get along for the next book...they are gonna be a great duo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2020
First off is that not a fantastic cover it just says pick me up and take me home lol and this isn't just a pretty face it is a fantastic story that as soon as you start reading it you know your not moving for awhile because what's inside the pretty cover is a fantastic story that you cannot get enough of .
The main characters are fleshed out and become fast easy friends as you become vested in the choices they make And you have to turn pages way into the night to know how those decisions turn out good or bad .
The world building draws you in the minute you start reading and you feel as if you are right there , need I say more .
The story flows easily and as I said once you start your not going to want to stop so be warned have drinks and snacks lol .
So do yourself a favor but this book read it love it and review it .
The main characters are fleshed out and become fast easy friends as you become vested in the choices they make And you have to turn pages way into the night to know how those decisions turn out good or bad .
The world building draws you in the minute you start reading and you feel as if you are right there , need I say more .
The story flows easily and as I said once you start your not going to want to stop so be warned have drinks and snacks lol .
So do yourself a favor but this book read it love it and review it .
August 21, 2021
Free Kindle Read.
This was ok. I enjoyed the setting and idea of djinn and other fire/spirit creatures.
I wish that Zadie had a tad more depth to her. As resourceful as she is, she doesn't question the "why" of things, but takes everything at face value. This makes her come across as naive, and kind of an idiot, which is in direct contradiction of her knowledge and reading. This inconsistency annoyed me. As a royal princess, you should question people's motives. You should not try to acquire magical objects for an unknown purpose, just because your betrothed wants it.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it does end without resolution, so it feels very incomplete. I probably won't continue with this series.
This was ok. I enjoyed the setting and idea of djinn and other fire/spirit creatures.
I wish that Zadie had a tad more depth to her. As resourceful as she is, she doesn't question the "why" of things, but takes everything at face value. This makes her come across as naive, and kind of an idiot, which is in direct contradiction of her knowledge and reading. This inconsistency annoyed me. As a royal princess, you should question people's motives. You should not try to acquire magical objects for an unknown purpose, just because your betrothed wants it.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but it does end without resolution, so it feels very incomplete. I probably won't continue with this series.
December 23, 2021
Loved the setting. I have never read a retelling of Aladdin before, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It had just the right amount of nods to the tale while still being entirely its own. The heroine sometimes seemed to solve her problems a little easily and seemed a little too determined to get herself into trouble. And the sultan was really unpleasant at the beginning. I had a hard time liking him, but the story kept me interested long enough to begin to forgive the characters their foibles and learn to love them. Solid four stars. Content Rating: Pg-13 for violence and innuendo, maybe some swearing.
July 10, 2021
Quick and easy with City of Brass/Aladdin vibes. I’m intrigued enough to keep going. I love that Zadie is strong willed and independent. Her love interest, Kassim, is a bit of an ass but I hoping he redeems himself in the future novels. Overall, I enjoyed it and hope the rest of the series is as good.
June 1, 2020
Quiet, docile Princess? I think not.
I freely admit that it is the covers for this series that first drew me. I've Rookwood before, but I've always been wary of Aladdin inspired stories since he's a bit of the worst and I didn't particularly care about him.
Zadie however is what caught me. Self-conscious and more of a free spirit, she finds herself forced into the role after helping her beautiful, serene sister run off to marry the man she loved.
From the first moment I liked her. I liked that even though she would have preferred not to deal with it, she's found a silver lining. I appreciated her optimism and how she prepared to meet the Sultan, Kassim. Her awkwardness as she tried to do what her parents said while attempting to see if Kassim was progressive.
She was a go with the punches sort who didn't let a little thing like Kassim's sulky dismissiveness keep her from proving she could do more for the Kingdom than look like a pretty ornament.
I freely admit that it is the covers for this series that first drew me. I've Rookwood before, but I've always been wary of Aladdin inspired stories since he's a bit of the worst and I didn't particularly care about him.
Zadie however is what caught me. Self-conscious and more of a free spirit, she finds herself forced into the role after helping her beautiful, serene sister run off to marry the man she loved.
From the first moment I liked her. I liked that even though she would have preferred not to deal with it, she's found a silver lining. I appreciated her optimism and how she prepared to meet the Sultan, Kassim. Her awkwardness as she tried to do what her parents said while attempting to see if Kassim was progressive.
She was a go with the punches sort who didn't let a little thing like Kassim's sulky dismissiveness keep her from proving she could do more for the Kingdom than look like a pretty ornament.
April 5, 2020
I'll be honest with you, it's been a while since I've read a good fantasy, and this is as good as it gets!
Zaidi is good at heart, but also ambitious. She makes it clear from the get-go that she wants to be sultana with power but finds her husband to be more traditional in many ways and has to slowly negotiate for power. The characters are interesting and nuanced and I can't wait for the next book.
***Spoiler-ish ahead***
I loved the role of the vizier; it highlights how we as women can end up being collaborators who hold other women back to preserve the power we sometimes have. (Let me also be very clear that I do not think that this is a womans fault but just how patriarchal societies teach us to mistrust each other instead of lifting each other up.) But then she's also more interesting than just that; she's smart, clever and ruthless and I really want to see what she'll do next. The sultan himself is annoying, happy to have a female vizier, but unwilling to let his wife have a say in anything.
***Spoiler-y section over***
I got this book from Helena Rookwood a few days ago, but I genuinely mean this review. One of my favourite series is ACOTAR and I think Throne of Sand is the same level of great!
Zaidi is good at heart, but also ambitious. She makes it clear from the get-go that she wants to be sultana with power but finds her husband to be more traditional in many ways and has to slowly negotiate for power. The characters are interesting and nuanced and I can't wait for the next book.
***Spoiler-ish ahead***
I loved the role of the vizier; it highlights how we as women can end up being collaborators who hold other women back to preserve the power we sometimes have. (Let me also be very clear that I do not think that this is a womans fault but just how patriarchal societies teach us to mistrust each other instead of lifting each other up.) But then she's also more interesting than just that; she's smart, clever and ruthless and I really want to see what she'll do next. The sultan himself is annoying, happy to have a female vizier, but unwilling to let his wife have a say in anything.
***Spoiler-y section over***
I got this book from Helena Rookwood a few days ago, but I genuinely mean this review. One of my favourite series is ACOTAR and I think Throne of Sand is the same level of great!
September 11, 2020
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it hadn't had a cliff-hanger ending.
Those of you who are like me: Although Book 2 is out now (as of 4/16/20) Book 3 isn't until May 7. So you might want to wait until you have the whole series handy because I am sure that Book 2 will have a cliff-hanger ending too.
Re-read 9/10/20 - much better this time around, and I can dive into Book 2 right away.
Those of you who are like me: Although Book 2 is out now (as of 4/16/20) Book 3 isn't until May 7. So you might want to wait until you have the whole series handy because I am sure that Book 2 will have a cliff-hanger ending too.
Re-read 9/10/20 - much better this time around, and I can dive into Book 2 right away.
November 10, 2022
77% DNF
Well I didn't know how young she was but it shows, the story has potential but the main character is insufferable.
She thinks she knows everything and anything but girl you are young and a girl in a patriarchal world so if you are so smart as you said you will know to bide your time to act when its right not the first day you came to this new kingdom as a bride to be to change everything in your first day!
Since page one it bothers me how righteous she thinks she is when we don't know why she wants to be sultanah? like her sister was groom to fulfill that role and she was free to do anything, so what were her dreams? Why does she want to rule a kingdom? it doesn't make sense anything she does.
If she was more down to earth, trying to get to know the community like the same way she scape her own palace she can go down to the streets and get to know all the people and/or get to know more of her sister in law and her maidens, like they are people and girls so probably the gossip about anything and everything, she could go and explore the whole palace trying to befriend everyone but instead she sulks and tries to prove herself to the sultan which is just idiotic because one he is what he is and has the power because of the people if you won over the people you can do so much more, just with a little spark a lot of revolution start so why she is so focus on getting in his good side when we dont know her motives, again why she wants to rule a kingdom? What things she knows she can improve in this new kingdom(new to her)?
The author knows how to create and interesting world and really really annoying characters, like even her maiden and sister in law and almost any woman she meets are such a frivolous person like the only thing that matters to them is being dress well and have good makeup while doing trivial things like painting either you are girl like them or like the main character which is insane, like why the other cannot be of help, i'm pretty sure in a royal patriarchal palace surely the help is not truly well enough to deserve such a loyalty to them.
Overall I think there were so many characters that could have helped the story become more interesting and complete but instead we only get to read about a whiny spoiled girl who wants to prove herself in a patriarchal world and does the illogical thing time and time again.
Well I didn't know how young she was but it shows, the story has potential but the main character is insufferable.
She thinks she knows everything and anything but girl you are young and a girl in a patriarchal world so if you are so smart as you said you will know to bide your time to act when its right not the first day you came to this new kingdom as a bride to be to change everything in your first day!
Since page one it bothers me how righteous she thinks she is when we don't know why she wants to be sultanah? like her sister was groom to fulfill that role and she was free to do anything, so what were her dreams? Why does she want to rule a kingdom? it doesn't make sense anything she does.
If she was more down to earth, trying to get to know the community like the same way she scape her own palace she can go down to the streets and get to know all the people and/or get to know more of her sister in law and her maidens, like they are people and girls so probably the gossip about anything and everything, she could go and explore the whole palace trying to befriend everyone but instead she sulks and tries to prove herself to the sultan which is just idiotic because one he is what he is and has the power because of the people if you won over the people you can do so much more, just with a little spark a lot of revolution start so why she is so focus on getting in his good side when we dont know her motives, again why she wants to rule a kingdom? What things she knows she can improve in this new kingdom(new to her)?
The author knows how to create and interesting world and really really annoying characters, like even her maiden and sister in law and almost any woman she meets are such a frivolous person like the only thing that matters to them is being dress well and have good makeup while doing trivial things like painting either you are girl like them or like the main character which is insane, like why the other cannot be of help, i'm pretty sure in a royal patriarchal palace surely the help is not truly well enough to deserve such a loyalty to them.
Overall I think there were so many characters that could have helped the story become more interesting and complete but instead we only get to read about a whiny spoiled girl who wants to prove herself in a patriarchal world and does the illogical thing time and time again.
August 15, 2020
A very easy-to-read Aladdin retelling, with a new look and very likable heroine.
Zadie's dream to become a sultanah now starts to get real - as a second daughter, it was not expected of her in the first place, but her runaway sister is no longer an option. When first laying her eyes on Kassim, her betrothed, she actually considers herself lucky, only to have her illusions shattered very soon. The sultan and his court value tradition above all, he seems to give his future bride a cold shoulder for not being as expected and dismissing her most of the time, and even the female vizier turns out to be no ally. Moreover, Zadie's curiosity leads her to a lot of trouble, and gradually she gets herself entangled in a complicated web of political machinations and schemes, power quests, and life dangers.
Aside from a few elements that did not completely sit well with me (too traditionalist culture yet with modern aspects that however did not reach their full potential, Zadie lacking confidence when it comes to her looks, very little sparks of romance between the supposedly later romantic couple..), this was actually a really good book. Smooth, nicely developing, focusing on the main plot while giving enough details about the backstory, the magical world, the spirits and djinni and similar beings, the strange languages. All the while not spoiling any of the twists and keeping the tension. I really liked Zadie with her affinity for reading and politics, being the unconventional princess among the very traditional women around. I still haven't decided what I think about Kassim, am pretty intrigued by the thieves and their ultimate role in this series, and even though I get annoyed by Tarak at times, I also pretty much love the mischievous side to him. That said, I will definitely continue reading.
Zadie's dream to become a sultanah now starts to get real - as a second daughter, it was not expected of her in the first place, but her runaway sister is no longer an option. When first laying her eyes on Kassim, her betrothed, she actually considers herself lucky, only to have her illusions shattered very soon. The sultan and his court value tradition above all, he seems to give his future bride a cold shoulder for not being as expected and dismissing her most of the time, and even the female vizier turns out to be no ally. Moreover, Zadie's curiosity leads her to a lot of trouble, and gradually she gets herself entangled in a complicated web of political machinations and schemes, power quests, and life dangers.
Aside from a few elements that did not completely sit well with me (too traditionalist culture yet with modern aspects that however did not reach their full potential, Zadie lacking confidence when it comes to her looks, very little sparks of romance between the supposedly later romantic couple..), this was actually a really good book. Smooth, nicely developing, focusing on the main plot while giving enough details about the backstory, the magical world, the spirits and djinni and similar beings, the strange languages. All the while not spoiling any of the twists and keeping the tension. I really liked Zadie with her affinity for reading and politics, being the unconventional princess among the very traditional women around. I still haven't decided what I think about Kassim, am pretty intrigued by the thieves and their ultimate role in this series, and even though I get annoyed by Tarak at times, I also pretty much love the mischievous side to him. That said, I will definitely continue reading.
July 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! Kind of reminded me of Rebels of the Sand because djinni and all. I really love djinni as fantasy characters and there really aren't enough books with them in it. As the middle child, Zadie's never had grand ambitions. When her older sister wants to run away and marry for love, Zadie helps her and takes the role future Sultana to a neighboring Sultan. The best part is the way she embraces the responsibility, she wants to be a Sultana because she wants to help people and she puts the work in to do so.
It was almost a five star read, but I would've liked a little more background into her history. Maybe a couple flashbacks of interactions with her sister? Maybe that's just me looking for a tragic backstory, she has a pretty average life other than that. It would make her seem more selfless and heroic- she isn't shallow she just hasn't had a lot of outside interactions.
I would also like some more interactions between her and Kassim, it's advertised as a fantasy romance but I'm not really feeling it yet as they haven't talked much. I like that the Vizier is a woman in power, but it's interesting how problematic she's being. It's pretty reflective of a constant theme of people who have risen in power, the need to hold back those coming from the same position as them. I'd like to go a little deeper into that rather than just framing her as a typical mean girl.
Looking forward to the next book and totally recommending it thus far!
This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot....
May 6, 2020
A thoroughly fascinating first book in the series Desert Nights, as we embark on a voyage across the desert with Princess Zadie into an arranged marriage which had been planned for her sister. Zadie is totally different to her elder sister Lalana who had always been groomed to make the perfect match for her father's kingdom but when Lalana escaped with the man she fell in love with, Zadie found herself betrothed to the young Sultan Kassim of Astaran. Zadie was used to her freedom to study, to ride her horses and to go into the city without handmaidens, but she had looked forward to becoming a Sultanah, however she did not anticipate being married to a traditional and chauvinistic bullying Sultan who thought he could order her every move. Once she arrives at the palace she finds herself in a totally different culture, surrounded by total strangers who seemed to be intent on spying on her all the time. However she finds allies where she least expects to find these, and none that would be approved by the Sultan for sure. I really love the way this book takes us into the exotic world of the desert, the descriptions are vivid and the world building is beautiful. The character of Zadie is charming, I just love that she is so rebellious and that she is making the sultan respect her, breaking down his rigid stance bit by bit, to the angst of his nasty vizier,Hepzibah who seems intent on becoming her enemy. I cannot wait to read book 2 of this charming adventure romantic series.
April 30, 2020
So I have come to the conclusion that I find the fairytale retellings whether I am looking for them or not.
I got Aladdin vibes all through out this story even if it wasnt the main plot point. Zadie is the princess of the Sultan in a neighboring country and her sister Lallana was betrothed to marry the Sultan Kassim of Kasrabah (lol). She helps her sister fake her own death in order to marry the man she loves and all of a sudden Zadie is thrust into her place. Being the middle child between the sister to marry a sultan and her young brother who is to become the sultan when he comes of age, she was granted a lot of leisure that is not afforded to a sultan.
Kassim is in search of a very important jewel and Zadie is finding anyway possible to make him appreciate her even though she wasnt his first pick. Enter a captain of the guard and Kassim personal assassin who are his eyes and ears keeping an eye on her at all times and a very off putting vizier who isnt all she seems to be.
I enjoyed this a story quite a bit and even though Aladdin wasnt the actual plot line I love that the author threw those in there. I mean Kassim's sister had a pet tiger....and Zadie encounters a gang of forty thieves. There's also a VERY sassy djinni who rivals Will Smith 😉😉😉. It was great and I found it hilarious. Definitely a must read and I'm eager for the next one.
I got Aladdin vibes all through out this story even if it wasnt the main plot point. Zadie is the princess of the Sultan in a neighboring country and her sister Lallana was betrothed to marry the Sultan Kassim of Kasrabah (lol). She helps her sister fake her own death in order to marry the man she loves and all of a sudden Zadie is thrust into her place. Being the middle child between the sister to marry a sultan and her young brother who is to become the sultan when he comes of age, she was granted a lot of leisure that is not afforded to a sultan.
Kassim is in search of a very important jewel and Zadie is finding anyway possible to make him appreciate her even though she wasnt his first pick. Enter a captain of the guard and Kassim personal assassin who are his eyes and ears keeping an eye on her at all times and a very off putting vizier who isnt all she seems to be.
I enjoyed this a story quite a bit and even though Aladdin wasnt the actual plot line I love that the author threw those in there. I mean Kassim's sister had a pet tiger....and Zadie encounters a gang of forty thieves. There's also a VERY sassy djinni who rivals Will Smith 😉😉😉. It was great and I found it hilarious. Definitely a must read and I'm eager for the next one.
July 22, 2020
Very enjoyable. Princess Zadie is taking her sister's place as the bride to the Sultan Kassim since her sister is supposedly dead to the world but she fell in love and ran off with her soon to be husband. Now it is all on her Zadie to be the most beautiful woman in all the kingdom but of course she knew she wasn't but it was up to the sultan to determine, they were sending her to his palace but before she could leave the sultan arrived to bring his bride safely to his home. Zadie finds that he is very handsome and once he has seen her he also agrees that she is acceptable to him. They run into trouble before they can get to the palace, she is of course part of it. Once she gets to the palace she thinks it will be different and he will allow her to rule with him, but she realizes that she will have to do something extraordinary for Kassim to see her worth and that she can be valuable to him now and after they marry. Kassim is beginning to see that he is definitely not getting the demure young woman he was expecting, but for some reason, he is not totally disappointed but he is also being manipulated by a close adviser. But Zadie is not sure why and what is going for sure yet. Great storyline and the characters are very interesting.
Book 1. I was given an ARC as a gift from Bookfunnel without obligations. I am providing an honest review.
Book 1. I was given an ARC as a gift from Bookfunnel without obligations. I am providing an honest review.
November 22, 2020
DNF at 52%
This book is just not my cup of tea. That isn't to say it doesn't have it's perks, only that it isn't what I'm looking for.
Zadia is the second born, 18 yr old daughter of a sultan. She had a lot of freedom growing up - her elder sister is hailed a great beauty, destined to marry a prince to secure political alliance; her brother, the heir of the patriarchal society. However Zadie's sister somehow falls in love with a merchant, and Zadie helped her run away with him. Now, suddenly Zadie is the substitute, bridal gift to a sultan of a neighboring kingdom.
Zadie has trouble adhering to the traditionally meek and pliant princess roll. Her betrothed is kind of a prick, and through some sheer acts of stupidity and naiveté, Zadie finds herself a shackled master of a djinni and involved with thieves.
That's about as far as I could make it. Zadie is naive. She thinks she's well-educated and smart... honestly, her actions are downright idiotic, so I'm not in anyway drawn to her character. She seems like an indulged juvenile, not a heroine I've been looking for.
This book might be appreciated by more youthful, teen readers, rather than a mature thinker.
I'll pass on this series.
This book is just not my cup of tea. That isn't to say it doesn't have it's perks, only that it isn't what I'm looking for.
Zadia is the second born, 18 yr old daughter of a sultan. She had a lot of freedom growing up - her elder sister is hailed a great beauty, destined to marry a prince to secure political alliance; her brother, the heir of the patriarchal society. However Zadie's sister somehow falls in love with a merchant, and Zadie helped her run away with him. Now, suddenly Zadie is the substitute, bridal gift to a sultan of a neighboring kingdom.
Zadie has trouble adhering to the traditionally meek and pliant princess roll. Her betrothed is kind of a prick, and through some sheer acts of stupidity and naiveté, Zadie finds herself a shackled master of a djinni and involved with thieves.
That's about as far as I could make it. Zadie is naive. She thinks she's well-educated and smart... honestly, her actions are downright idiotic, so I'm not in anyway drawn to her character. She seems like an indulged juvenile, not a heroine I've been looking for.
This book might be appreciated by more youthful, teen readers, rather than a mature thinker.
I'll pass on this series.
September 12, 2020
Rating - 2.5/5
Throne of Sand is a tale of the times Sultans ruled their kingdoms woven with magical talismans and mystical beings such as djinns. Throw in a snarky princess with a thirst to prove herself, a sultan with a thirst for power and a djinn who desires to be free, it's a strong foundation for an adventurous tale.
Sounds perfect, no? Except princess Zadie goes from being the middle forgotten child to suddenly wanting to rule as a Sultana, considers herself a know-it-all just because she reads books. For all her claims of being smart, her actions show otherwise, which was frustrating to follow along with the story. The Sultan who appointed a woman as his advisor turns into one of those medieval husbands whenever he speaks with Princess Zadie (his bride to be). And the formidable female advisor to the Sultan is nothing more than a conspiring individual who is overzealous with belittling the Princess. The inconsistencies of the characters and their lack of development take away whatever potential the story held.
To conclude, I am not going to continue with the series, and it definitely doesn't fall into my recommended list.
Throne of Sand is a tale of the times Sultans ruled their kingdoms woven with magical talismans and mystical beings such as djinns. Throw in a snarky princess with a thirst to prove herself, a sultan with a thirst for power and a djinn who desires to be free, it's a strong foundation for an adventurous tale.
Sounds perfect, no? Except princess Zadie goes from being the middle forgotten child to suddenly wanting to rule as a Sultana, considers herself a know-it-all just because she reads books. For all her claims of being smart, her actions show otherwise, which was frustrating to follow along with the story. The Sultan who appointed a woman as his advisor turns into one of those medieval husbands whenever he speaks with Princess Zadie (his bride to be). And the formidable female advisor to the Sultan is nothing more than a conspiring individual who is overzealous with belittling the Princess. The inconsistencies of the characters and their lack of development take away whatever potential the story held.
To conclude, I am not going to continue with the series, and it definitely doesn't fall into my recommended list.
January 10, 2021
A beautiful retelling of the Aladdin/Arabian Nights story line, Throne of Sand sweeps you off your feet and into the life of a desert princess. You'll love how Vince and Rookwood have transformed your favorite childhood story into a compelling Young Adult fantasy.
Princess Scheherazade (Zadie) and Sultan Kassim are everything you can as of main characters in a classic hate-at-first-sight kind of love story. Intelligent, stubborn, and impulsive, Zadie throws caution to the wind as she attempts to earn the trust of her equally stubborn betrothed. Kassim is your classic strict, patriarchal leader who did not receive the delicate, dutiful wife he was originally promised.
In search of a way to prove her worth to Kassim, Zadie quickly becomes entangled in the secret night-life at the palace and forges alliances with the most unlikely people, uses her intelligence to earn a spot on a secret mission, and summons strength to defeat her enemy in the desert.
Highly recommended for those who enjoyed Renee Andieh's Flame in the Mist and Mary Pearson's Remnant Chronicles and Dance of Thieves.
Princess Scheherazade (Zadie) and Sultan Kassim are everything you can as of main characters in a classic hate-at-first-sight kind of love story. Intelligent, stubborn, and impulsive, Zadie throws caution to the wind as she attempts to earn the trust of her equally stubborn betrothed. Kassim is your classic strict, patriarchal leader who did not receive the delicate, dutiful wife he was originally promised.
In search of a way to prove her worth to Kassim, Zadie quickly becomes entangled in the secret night-life at the palace and forges alliances with the most unlikely people, uses her intelligence to earn a spot on a secret mission, and summons strength to defeat her enemy in the desert.
Highly recommended for those who enjoyed Renee Andieh's Flame in the Mist and Mary Pearson's Remnant Chronicles and Dance of Thieves.
April 16, 2020
Absolutely Phenomenal New Fantasy Series!
WOW! This was a fantastic start to what is sure to be one suspenseful, intense and utterly thrilling new fantasy series, with a touch of Aladdin to it. The story is very intriguing with lots of intense and very entertaining action. It kept me on the edge of my seat utterly captivated with each fantastic and unique character.
Zadie is an amazing woman with so much strength, uniqueness and wit. I can see her becoming stronger and fiercer as the story progresses. I love her strength and her ability to find answers and how she is able to get out of tough situations. Kassim still needs to grow on me a bit. Zadie is breaking down his walls and hopefully they can work together and forge a relationship!
The world building is so well done, imaginative and very detailed. I felt like I was right there in the story on the adventure with Zadie.
The story so entertaining that it leaves you wanting more! Highly recommend.
WOW! This was a fantastic start to what is sure to be one suspenseful, intense and utterly thrilling new fantasy series, with a touch of Aladdin to it. The story is very intriguing with lots of intense and very entertaining action. It kept me on the edge of my seat utterly captivated with each fantastic and unique character.
Zadie is an amazing woman with so much strength, uniqueness and wit. I can see her becoming stronger and fiercer as the story progresses. I love her strength and her ability to find answers and how she is able to get out of tough situations. Kassim still needs to grow on me a bit. Zadie is breaking down his walls and hopefully they can work together and forge a relationship!
The world building is so well done, imaginative and very detailed. I felt like I was right there in the story on the adventure with Zadie.
The story so entertaining that it leaves you wanting more! Highly recommend.
August 11, 2021
“From now on, I’d make every wish count.”
I knew this was a retelling of Aladdin, but I was still pleasantly surprised with the plot! Retellings can be a let down if done sloppily, but this one was great! I liked Zadie, but she was a little naive and that naivety bothered me. She kept pushing her individuality down everyone’s throat, but then acted like a pampered princess and it was hard to feel sympathy for her. I think she is a good leading lady and I look forward to her progression as the story continues. I was surprised at how quickly the story moved but nothing was sacrificed with the fast pace. I love Tarak and I look forward to more of him. I’m not sure how I’ll ever really like Kassim, but we’ll see how it goes. I kept being pleasantly surprised at the retelling and it was delightfully original for being based on a fairytale.
I knew this was a retelling of Aladdin, but I was still pleasantly surprised with the plot! Retellings can be a let down if done sloppily, but this one was great! I liked Zadie, but she was a little naive and that naivety bothered me. She kept pushing her individuality down everyone’s throat, but then acted like a pampered princess and it was hard to feel sympathy for her. I think she is a good leading lady and I look forward to her progression as the story continues. I was surprised at how quickly the story moved but nothing was sacrificed with the fast pace. I love Tarak and I look forward to more of him. I’m not sure how I’ll ever really like Kassim, but we’ll see how it goes. I kept being pleasantly surprised at the retelling and it was delightfully original for being based on a fairytale.
August 6, 2020
Loved this book!
Wow! I can’t remember how I found out about this book, but I LOVED it! I didn’t know going into it that it has elements from Aladdin in it, but I was so happy to find that out because I love fairytale retellings. I was only going to read two chapters and then switch back to my library book which is due soon, but I couldn’t stop reading. My kids woke up when I was halfway through, so I had to take a break, but I kept thinking about it and reading every chance I got. I really appreciated that it is a clean story, with a great adventure, as well as fairytale elements. It’s hard to find good books like that, so I’m happy to have found this one! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
Wow! I can’t remember how I found out about this book, but I LOVED it! I didn’t know going into it that it has elements from Aladdin in it, but I was so happy to find that out because I love fairytale retellings. I was only going to read two chapters and then switch back to my library book which is due soon, but I couldn’t stop reading. My kids woke up when I was halfway through, so I had to take a break, but I kept thinking about it and reading every chance I got. I really appreciated that it is a clean story, with a great adventure, as well as fairytale elements. It’s hard to find good books like that, so I’m happy to have found this one! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
June 6, 2020
It was like reading the new Aladdin movie...
...But... with the characters inverted. I loved the story, it was action packed and the characters were real. Zaddie it’s a heroine that takes matters in her own hands and doesn’t let anyone’s attitude to take her down for long. It’s not predictable how the story unfolds, you don’t know what will happen next, but it’s easy to identify some of the villains if you compare it to Aladdin. Well...The djinn (genie) its another matter in itself because he is not so kind as the Disney’s genie
But as I said, the main characters where inverted so the theme song of this book could well be “speechless” by Naomi Scott.
...But... with the characters inverted. I loved the story, it was action packed and the characters were real. Zaddie it’s a heroine that takes matters in her own hands and doesn’t let anyone’s attitude to take her down for long. It’s not predictable how the story unfolds, you don’t know what will happen next, but it’s easy to identify some of the villains if you compare it to Aladdin. Well...The djinn (genie) its another matter in itself because he is not so kind as the Disney’s genie
But as I said, the main characters where inverted so the theme song of this book could well be “speechless” by Naomi Scott.
July 12, 2020
DNF - quit at 18%
I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it, it just wasn’t holding my attention. The flow is very slow, & there really wasn’t any substantial world building to help me get into the story. I didn’t like Zadie as the FMC, she just wasn’t believable in the part- going with the setting or Middle Eastern type of beliefs that this seems to be a part of. She’d have been more believable for another country, like England, Ireland, France.
At my age (approaching 60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it, it just wasn’t holding my attention. The flow is very slow, & there really wasn’t any substantial world building to help me get into the story. I didn’t like Zadie as the FMC, she just wasn’t believable in the part- going with the setting or Middle Eastern type of beliefs that this seems to be a part of. She’d have been more believable for another country, like England, Ireland, France.
At my age (approaching 60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
July 28, 2020
Not what I expected
I thought this was going to be more of a romantic fantasy but turned into more of an Arabian Knights or Aladdin tale which ate not my thing.
I groaned when the djinni popped into the story because it had been such an interesting plot up until then. I almost stopped reading but kept going because of the author's unique way of mixing serious with a little humor and because I really like Zadie's character. She is a no-nonsense type of girl who speaks her mind. I'm glad I kept going.
I think Kassim is a jerk and can't see that changing but maybe he will have his misogyny slapped out of him.
I'm going to read the next book in the series.
I thought this was going to be more of a romantic fantasy but turned into more of an Arabian Knights or Aladdin tale which ate not my thing.
I groaned when the djinni popped into the story because it had been such an interesting plot up until then. I almost stopped reading but kept going because of the author's unique way of mixing serious with a little humor and because I really like Zadie's character. She is a no-nonsense type of girl who speaks her mind. I'm glad I kept going.
I think Kassim is a jerk and can't see that changing but maybe he will have his misogyny slapped out of him.
I'm going to read the next book in the series.
August 1, 2020
5/5 Stars
This was quite the book. This is almost a reverse Aladdin story, but is also super unique.
Zadie is a princess betrothed to the sultan of another kingdom. However, she is not the demure princess this kingdom has been promised. Instead, she gets herself caught up in djinni, thieves, and other adventures.
I enjoyed how Zadie is not this prim and proper princess. She's so lively and opinionated that you can't help but love her. The scraps she gets herself into are quite interesting, and I'm very intrigued on where this story is going.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This was quite the book. This is almost a reverse Aladdin story, but is also super unique.
Zadie is a princess betrothed to the sultan of another kingdom. However, she is not the demure princess this kingdom has been promised. Instead, she gets herself caught up in djinni, thieves, and other adventures.
I enjoyed how Zadie is not this prim and proper princess. She's so lively and opinionated that you can't help but love her. The scraps she gets herself into are quite interesting, and I'm very intrigued on where this story is going.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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