Empire of sand
(Book)

*Starred Review* Exploited for the protective power in their blood, the Amrithi are scorned by the rest of the Ambhan Empire. Mehr is the product of an extended liaison between an Amrithi and an imperial governor. When her mother, who does not believe in vows, abandons her, Mehr is raised by her father to be a proper, dutiful Ambhan female. She tries to follow the household rules but values her mother's blood heritage and practices the rites she learned as a child. During a sandstorm, Mehr calls upon powerful desert magic, which attracts the notice of the emperor's dreaded mystics, a group of whom arrive at her father's palace with a marriage proposal and veiled threats. Mehr cannot imagine why the Maha, the mystics' leader, would want a bastard half-Amrithi for one of his acolytes. Nevertheless, she agrees, only to learn from her new husband that their wedding vow binds her to him and to the Maha and that the Maha has great plans for her, plans that could arouse the wrath of the gods. The desert setting, complex characters, and epic mythology will captivate readers of Suri's debut fantasy.--Lucy Lockley Copyright 2018 Booklist

Dark secrets lurk at an empire's heart in this complex, affecting epic fantasy from debut author Suri. In a land inspired by Mughal India, Mehr is a young noblewoman of ambiguous status: her father is a governor from a powerful Ambhan family, the most privileged group in the Ambhan Empire, but Mehr is an illegitimate child, and her exiled mother is one of the outcast Amrithi. Her mother's people claim descent from the daiva, strange, djinnlike creatures that roam the desert, gathering around magical storms said to be the sleeping gods' dreams. Mehr's latent magical abilities draw the attention of the empire's spiritual leader and his mystical coven, including a young Amrithi man named Amun who possesses similar abilities. Alongside the fantasy setting's courtly intrigue and magic, Suri explores deeper questions of power, love, and the human cost of prosperity and order. That cost falls heavily on the subjugated Amrithi, who are "the kindling wood that [feed] the fire of the Empire's strength"; on women, whose complex relationships with one another are brilliantly portrayed; and on the young people unwillingly caught up in the Ambhan arranged marriage system. Intricate worldbuilding, heartrending emotional stakes, and Suri's well-wrought prose ("Dreamfire bled across the sky, swift as spilled ink on paper, its jewelled edges tinged with darkness") make this a worthy addition to any epic fantasy fan's bookshelf. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada U.S. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an Ambhan Empire governor and one of the Amrithi, a group of feared and despised nomads descended from spirits. In conflict with her stepmother, Mehr nonetheless lives a privileged life until she performs a rite that brings a band of mystics to her father's door. They are tools of the Maha, the powerful near immortals who created the empire. Faced with marrying the group's Amrithi mystic, Amun, Mehr sacrifices her freedom for the safety of her father and sister. While the mystics would rather see the Amrithi expunged from the empire, the couple's magic will fulfill the mystics' plans of continuing to extend the Maha's life and rule. With lives and beliefs at stake, Mehr must use her skills and growing abilities to thwart their plan. Familiar tropes such as overthrowing evil and a heroine finding love through adversity are given fresh life through the influences of Indian culture and history on both setting and plot. VERDICT This intriguing debut by a London-based librarian is a fabulous South Asian epic fantasy and recommended for those who enjoy S.A. Chakraborty (City of Brass). [Prepub Alert, 5/21/18.]-Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A woman confronts the evil at the source of a powerful empire in this fantasy debut that draws from the history and culture of India's Mughal Empire.Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the governor of Irinah in the Ambhan Empire and an Amrithi woman, a member of a feared and despised race of nomads descended from spirits. She lives a sheltered and privileged existence despite her ongoing conflict with her stepmother, until she performs an unwitting act of magic. That draws the attention of the Maha, the apparently immortal and infinitely cruel man who founded the empire, and his worshipful disciples, the mystics. They coerce Mehr into marrying Amun, their Amrithi mystic. Although the other mystics loathe the Amrithi and Amun in particular, they need an Amrithi couple to dance the Rite of the Bound, a magical act that warps the dreams of the sleeping Gods to fulfill the prayers of the mystics, maintaining and expanding the empire, and extending the Maha's life. Is there any way for these two to escape the vows that bind them and find their own way toward freedom, love, and the possibility of honoring their own traditions? One must hope that this book is a harbinger of a coming flood of other fantasies that draw on traditions and cultures outside the confines of Northern Europe. Certainly, a post-colonial narrative in which a minority is both exploited and forced to assimilate has painful relevance in our own world and time. And there is something undoubtedly refreshing about a form of magic that is expressed in gesture instead of words. Those accustomed to the usual run of epic fantasy will find familiar elements: an obviously evil villain set against a heroine who has an unpleasant stepmother and who, despite being the chosen one, is struggling against overwhelming odds. But Suri's deft and textured characterization breathes new life into these elements; she even takes a tired and often cloying tropethe triumph of the power of loveand makes it seem genuine, painful, and beautiful.A very strong start for a new voice. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Exploited for the protective power in their blood, the Amrithi are scorned by the rest of the Ambhan Empire. Mehr is the product of an extended liaison between an Amrithi and an imperial governor. When her mother, who does not believe in vows, abandons her, Mehr is raised by her father to be a proper, dutiful Ambhan female. She tries to follow the household rules but values her mother's blood heritage and practices the rites she learned as a child. During a sandstorm, Mehr calls upon powerful desert magic, which attracts the notice of the emperor's dreaded mystics, a group of whom arrive at her father's palace with a marriage proposal and veiled threats. Mehr cannot imagine why the Maha, the mystics' leader, would want a bastard half-Amrithi for one of his acolytes. Nevertheless, she agrees, only to learn from her new husband that their wedding vow binds her to him and to the Maha and that the Maha has great plans for her, plans that could arouse the wrath of the gods. The desert setting, complex characters, and epic mythology will captivate readers of Suri's debut fantasy. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Nomads descended from desert spirits, the Amrithi are reviled throughout the Empire yet sought for the magic in their blood—and now a mystic close to the emperor has his eye on Mehr, the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an Ambhan Empire governor and one of the Amrithi, a group of feared and despised nomads descended from spirits. In conflict with her stepmother, Mehr nonetheless lives a privileged life until she performs a rite that brings a band of mystics to her father's door. They are tools of the Maha, the powerful near immortals who created the empire. Faced with marrying the group's Amrithi mystic, Amun, Mehr sacrifices her freedom for the safety of her father and sister. While the mystics would rather see the Amrithi expunged from the empire, the couple's magic will fulfill the mystics' plans of continuing to extend the Maha's life and rule. With lives and beliefs at stake, Mehr must use her skills and growing abilities to thwart their plan. Familiar tropes such as overthrowing evil and a heroine finding love through adversity are given fresh life through the influences of Indian culture and history on both setting and plot. VERDICT This intriguing debut by a London-based librarian is a fabulous South Asian epic fantasy and recommended for those who enjoy S.A. Chakraborty (City of Brass). [Prepub Alert, 5/21/18.]—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Dark secrets lurk at an empire's heart in this complex, affecting epic fantasy from debut author Suri. In a land inspired by Mughal India, Mehr is a young noblewoman of ambiguous status: her father is a governor from a powerful Ambhan family, the most privileged group in the Ambhan Empire, but Mehr is an illegitimate child, and her exiled mother is one of the outcast Amrithi. Her mother's people claim descent from the daiva, strange, djinnlike creatures that roam the desert, gathering around magical storms said to be the sleeping gods' dreams. Mehr's latent magical abilities draw the attention of the empire's spiritual leader and his mystical coven, including a young Amrithi man named Amun who possesses similar abilities. Alongside the fantasy setting's courtly intrigue and magic, Suri explores deeper questions of power, love, and the human cost of prosperity and order. That cost falls heavily on the subjugated Amrithi, who are "the kindling wood that the fire of the Empire's strength"; on women, whose complex relationships with one another are brilliantly portrayed; and on the young people unwillingly caught up in the Ambhan arranged marriage system. Intricate worldbuilding, heartrending emotional stakes, and Suri's well-wrought prose ("Dreamfire bled across the sky, swift as spilled ink on paper, its jewelled edges tinged with darkness") make this a worthy addition to any epic fantasy fan's bookshelf. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada U.S. (Nov.)