Spice Road by Maiyam Ibrahim

Title: Spice Road

Author: Maiyam Ibrahim

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Published: 31^st January 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 488

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: Set in an Arabian-inspired land, in this epic young adult fantasy, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now her nation’s greatest threat. The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation’s coveted spice – a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.

But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation’s magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city’s location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.

Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes – and in her own heart – but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?

In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.

~*~

Imani lives in the magical city Qalia, where spice magic brings magic that lies within people to life. Yet Imani’s family reputation is ruined – ever since her brother, Atheer, was caught stealing the precious spice and everyone assumed he was obsessed with magic. Atheer disappeared into the Forbidden Wastes, never to be heard from again. But Imani and her sister, Amira do not grieve for Atheer – the don’t believe in his betrayal that everyone has labelled him with. When she hears that he could be alive and people think he is giving the magic to outsiders. Imani is determined to prove he is innocent, so she joins the mission to hunt him down. Yet Taha and those on the mission are determined to stop her. In spite of this, it seems that Imani is falling in love with the beastseer Taha. In a thrilling story and start to a new series, Imani is caught between loyalty to her family, her brother, her country and love – which will she choose?

The first book in the new series by Maiya Ibrahim spends much time setting up the world and the mission it takes place in, but there is no meandering. We need to know where everything fits and what the world looks like – at times I could see that it was a combination of the Middle East, a fantasy world, and the modern Western world – and that worked well. In fact, it felt so real, I kept wondering what part of the Middle Eastern world formed the basis for Qalia. There was so much in this that worked well – the class system, the magic system, and the gender equality I could see coming out – I think it was a well-constructed world for the story. It is a world where you are judged on actions it seemed – where reputation is everything and your standing can be determined by the actions of those you know, though I am sure there is more to this, as I have only read the first book in the series.

I liked the way the characters were represented – not as stereotypes, but as individuals who have their own flaws and strengths, so this made it powerful and realistic, as we get to see what makes the characters tick beyond what they might be assumed to be like. We see the world and story through Imani’s eyes, so there are times we lose sight of some characters and I think this was done really well too, as it added to the story. At first I found the journey long, and then once I reached the last third or quarter, I could see there were threads that needed to be wrapped up – before I realised this was a series, I wondered how this would happen in the pages that were left, but now it makes sense because the book left off on a decent cliff-hanger but also a sort of resolution that leads readers into the second book of the series and beyond – so it will be interesting to see where the series goes, how Atheer’s theft is dealt with and how everything comes together at the end.

In terms of the series aspect, I liked that this book gave us a decent world building alongside the story – this always works out well for me as a reader, as  I was able to dive into the world as well as the story at the same time. I hope that people enjoy this book and find that they have a fun new series to enjoy.