Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

Empire of Sand is one of those rare debut novels that doesn’t read at all like a first effort; Tasha Suri’s prose is strong and assured, her characters are nuanced and multi-layered, and her world-building is lushly detailed. Since Empire of Sand’s publication in November 2018, a sequel has been announced, along with the news of its being optioned for a television series, which is quite impressive for a book that’s only two months old as of this writing.

I disagree with Variety referring to Empire of Sand as Young Adult; though Suri’s protagonist, Mehr, does experience an intense coming-of-age arc over the course of the novel, the personal growth she experiences come... Read More