‘Empire of Sand’ – Tasha Suri (Orbit)

I'm very much the kind of chap who reads genre fiction purely for enjoyment or to escape from the grim realities of the morning commute (and the evening one too, that can also be pretty grim); that’s all the reason I need these days and it works for me.

However, despite being the world’s biggest advocate of reading purely for the sheer h*** of it, even I know that’s really important to step out of your comfort zone and try something new every now and then. If you don’t do this, not only are you potentially denying yourself books that you might enjoy but you run the risk of just getting all bored and stale in your reading. That’s the last thing this genre reader needs so, every so often, I’ll give a book a go that I wouldn’t normally try.

All of which is a slightly roundabout way of saying that I’ve just finished reading Tasha Suri’s debut ‘Empire of Sand’.

Pretty much the first thing I saw online, after sorting out a new Twitter account, was a tweet saying how amazing ‘Empire of Sand’ was and this was swiftly followed by a whole load of related praise. Well, sometimes you just have to go where the hype is and see what all the noise is about…

‘Empire of Sand’ is way outside what I would normally read and is a timely reminder that when you step outside your ‘comfort reading zone’ then it’s very likely that you will discover a gem or two. A gem is exactly what this book is…

Mehr is a girl trapped between two cultures. Her father comes from the ruling classes of the empire but her mother's people were outcasts, Amrithi nomads who worshipped the spirits of the sands. Caught one night performing these forbidden rites, Mehr is brought to the attention of the Emperor's most feared mystics, who force her into their service by way of an arranged marriage. She discovers that her new husband is a mysterious, enslaved Amrithi with abilities like her own: together they must use every ounce of cunning, power and will they possess to resist the order's cruel agenda - and should they fail, the spirits themselves may awaken seeking vengeance...

It's not often that I come across a book where I’m thinking about it even when I’m not reading it; a book where the sights and sounds invoked on the page stay in my head and make the real world seem just a little bit… different. ‘Empire of Sand’ is very much one of those books, to the point where I’m having trouble articulating just how I feel about it. I shall persevere!

‘Empire of Sand’ is incredibly easy to get into with Suri gradually spreading the canvas of her world for the reader to see, wonder at and then turn the page to find out more. I'll hold my hands up and admit that I know nothing about the Mughal Empire that the book is based on but what really shone through for me was the care and attention that Suri employs in showing us how that Empire translates into the Ambhan Empire of the book. It's all so meticulous but in a good way. Well, there were occasions for me where I felt the story was in danger of drowning in the detail of the worldbuilding but that never quite happened and what you're left with is just this rich vein of storytelling that carries you along like a dream.

And that story... 'Empire of Sand' for me was about being caught between two cultures and realising that you're actually more than strong enough to take the best of both and just be yourself. It was about turning your weaknesses into strength and surviving abuse until the opportunity to escape arises. It was about helping people to grow at the same time as you are trying to keep yourself safe. 'Empire of Sand' is about a lot of things but again, what shines through is Suri's commitment to her characters; their story will be told and it is told with an honesty that saw me commit to those characters as well. Maybe you can see the ending coming but it's definitely the journey that counts more than the destination this time.

I'm so glad that I read 'Empire of Sand' and I'd recommend it to anyone, it's a gorgeous read that I enjoyed getting lost in...