Land of Sand and Song by Joyce Chua

Book Review #584

Title: Land of Sand and Song

Author: Joyce Chua

Publisher: Penguin Random House SEA

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Historical

Format: Paperback

Source: Times Reads

Publication Date: August 31, 2021

Pages: 264

My Rating: 4 STARS

SYNOPSIS

Legend has it that a magical spring lies dormant in the heart of the Khuzar desert. Said to be a gift from the gods, the spring holds the cure to all mortal woes. 

As mercenaries from everywhere try in vain to find the mystical spring, 17-year-old Desert Rose is on the run after her chieftain father is overthrown and captured by rebel clans. Now out for revenge, she sets out alone to the Oasis Capital to assassinate the person instigating the rebellion: the corrupt Emperor Zhao, who will stop at nothing to possess the elixir of life from the spring. 

To infiltrate the Imperial Guard, Desert Rose must pass a series of trials to test her wit, mettle, and her loyalty. But the real test lies in navigating the cut throat court politics with no ally but a rogue prince and a latent magic stirring in her – magic that can bring a kingdom to its knees or destroy her from within.

LAND OF SAND AND SONG is the first of an East Asian-inspired series. 

BOOK REVIEW

Land of Sand and Song by Joyce Chua is a story about seeking the truth amidst the fantastic world building set in a Khuzar desert. This book follows Desert Rose, Wei and Meng as they traverse through the whirlwind Oasis Kingdom along trials, missions and mischief. This book is such a page turner that made it truly impossible for me to put down and I’m honestly disappointed that the book is so thin because I really need the sequel now!

The writing is absolutely breathtaking, it is truly so well written which is one of the main reasons that made it unputdownable. I wanted to know more about the characters’ journey. At times, I’m not sure what to focus on because everything is happening all at once but I like that its very fast paced.

I honestly wasn’t sure who the main love interest is and its so obvious that there’s a love triangle happening. Though I really didn’t expect that the person who seems to be innocent would turn out to be someone with full of motives under the sleeve. This caught me off guard and I am so looking forward to seeing how the author will further expand the character as well as the rest of the story.

I need more. I really do. This isn’t enough! But now I’ll have no choice but to suck it up and wait for the sequel which I have no idea when that’ll ever be. I would totally recommend you to read this book as it is just an amazing read.

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