Jaelyn reviewed Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai
From debut author Hadeer Elsbai comes the first book in an incredibly powerful new duology, …
Review of 'Daughters of Izdihar' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
An Egyptian-inspired fantasy world following women trapped in a patriarchal society on the brink of war.
A small number of people can weave elements (a la ATLA), a practice until recently banned after a woman able to weave all the elements basically nuked a peninsular into the sea during the last war. Now they are training again as diplomatic tensions fray. At the same time, Parliament is debating a new constitution and a suffragette movement seeks to secure the vote and end guardianship men have over their wives or female relatives.
Amidst all this, Nehal is being married off to a rich family to pay her father’s gambling debts, but her future husband is more interested in Georgina, a working-class girl writing for the suffragettes of whom her father does not approve. Nehal is more interested in attending the new weaving academy and joining the military.
It does a good job at weaving (if you forgive the pun) the many facets of oppression women and queer people face in societies such as Egypt. Also the links between hate groups and police and the way they're funded. It does feel a little one-note sometimes (the fantasy elements seem very incidental) and it being a duology means there isn’t much of a satisfying conclusion until the second book is out next year. But the characters and circumstances are engaging and I’m certainly interested in following up with part 2.
A small number of people can weave elements (a la ATLA), a practice until recently banned after a woman able to weave all the elements basically nuked a peninsular into the sea during the last war. Now they are training again as diplomatic tensions fray. At the same time, Parliament is debating a new constitution and a suffragette movement seeks to secure the vote and end guardianship men have over their wives or female relatives.
Amidst all this, Nehal is being married off to a rich family to pay her father’s gambling debts, but her future husband is more interested in Georgina, a working-class girl writing for the suffragettes of whom her father does not approve. Nehal is more interested in attending the new weaving academy and joining the military.
It does a good job at weaving (if you forgive the pun) the many facets of oppression women and queer people face in societies such as Egypt. Also the links between hate groups and police and the way they're funded. It does feel a little one-note sometimes (the fantasy elements seem very incidental) and it being a duology means there isn’t much of a satisfying conclusion until the second book is out next year. But the characters and circumstances are engaging and I’m certainly interested in following up with part 2.