4.0 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this a lot; it's a cut above your average YA fantasy. I keep reading YA fantasy novels even though they frequently disappoint me, so it was nice not to be disappointed for once. Tasha Suri has given us well-drawn characters, strong prose, interesting worldbuilding, complicated relationships, even more complicated moral situations, and a big win for Team Free Will. Though there will be other novels set in the same universe, this story stands alone and is satisfying in itself.

Mehr, the main character, is a great mixture of prickly and caring, a real survivor. She's got some wonderfully complex familial relationships and her "chosen one" status is much more complicated than that sort of thing usually is (thank God). The worldbuilding doesn't feel like a retread but also isn't too complicated to follow. This is a book that takes its time, which I really appreciate, though I suppose some might find it slow. The tone is a great mixture of dark and hopeful--some very bad things happen, but hope shines through the whole book. The romance has a nice us-against-the-world aspect to it, with two people in an impossible position trying to be good to each other, which I love. At least 75% of the time with romances, I think the book would be stronger without the romantic aspect, but this was one case where I was invested in the relationship itself and thought it was great for revealing aspects of the characters as individuals.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it avoids some of my biggest YA pet peeves. For one thing, it's not in first person PRAISE THE LORD. We've got a nice third person from the pov of the female lead, plus a few short interludes from other characters scattered throughout. Second, the romantic interest isn't a jerk. In fact, he's sweet and kind and gentle! He might fall into the brooding category if only because he doesn't talk much and carries a great deal of self-loathing around with him, but he's got every right to be immense pain, considering what he's been through. This is not a boy whose pain you roll your eyes at. He earns your sympathy. And there's no love triangle.

I think Empire of Sand is a great start to Suri's career and I'm excited to see what she does in the future.