Welcome to this book review, disclaimer : I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but my thoughts are my own and it in no way affected my review of the book.

TW: rape (-ish but like really anything not 100% consensual should've had a trigger warning and is rape) also incest (SWEET HOME ALABAMA)

I requested this book because of the title, I will be completely honest I went into it knowing nothing, not even the blurb and it was a mistake. This is the sort of book that I HAD to go back and read the blurb before going further into it because I was confused. Not to say that you learn nothing from it as you read it, but it got confusing in the beginning and it greatly helped to have a vague idea of where I believed the storyline was going. So beware, this is not a book you can go into blindly or it will get confusing and you will be feeling lost.

Now unto the actual review, or more like what I thought of this book. I was disappointed. There are no other way to put this, I was intrigued at first and once I finally got into it it was okay but nothing that I want to pick up again and again, nothing I will be referencing or thinking about later, it did not leave a lasting mark on me. It is a jinni romance which is a nice change of pace, in terms of what fantasy/paranormal romances are usually about, I enjoyed the character driven part of it and Emel as a character. What got to me is the flowery things the author decided to put in her writing, I enjoyed it until these weird metaphors started appearing, her writing did not need that she was doing a great job before.

This is definitely an adult book, on the stand point that this is a romance in a fantasy world rather than the opposite it was a respectable book, the rape-ish scene is what got to me. BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING BEFORE PICKING IT UP. And while it wasn't an issue for me as nothing is descriptive enough to be, and I enjoy dark books (sad stories are sometimes my jam what can I say I like to cry) I could somewhat get past it. BUT THE INCEST, like okay just some touching, BUT STILL not okay and again my heart went to those with trauma towards it because once again a lack of TW.

Now, story wise not a bad book, but all those things I can't look over the fact that it felt like the author did not appropriately address the issues, rape and incest, that she brought up in a good way. It felt like "oh and here is this", rather than "I am addressing important issues in this book" which is never a good way to feel about a book you are reading. The plot should be fluid, and the metaphors made me lose the focus of the story, even though it was more about the characters than the world.

I would've liked a bit more plot to balance the story, it did not feel like the characters grew much within the story from where they had began and there was not a cumulation of events that propelled the plot further or action began it was sort of monotone in a weird way. The romance was un-organic, it felt forced, there was no chemistry between our main characters.

In the end this story was meh. okay, not memorable nothing REALLY happened in the book. And I just did not feel like the characters were tangible or that their love was believable.

Unfortunately a miss for me.

2/5 stars

Bookarina

***I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley (thank you CamCat Publishing) in exchange for a honest review.***

Daughter of the Salt King was not what I expected it to be (in a good way). This unique debut book, set in an ancient desert, follows Emel, one of the many daughters of the Salt King. As the daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful king in the desert, Emel should be living a life in wealth and prosperity. However, Emel´s life is far from luxurious in the court where she´s not so much a member of the royal family as a slave to be used as her father seems fit. It´s a story of love. The love between mother and daughter, the love between sisters and last (but not least!) a forbidden romance. But it´s also a story of hardship, betrayal and loss.

In a time where it seems like most new fantasy debuts are shades of the same story, Daughter of the Salt King, is a welcome fresh breath of air. The book is beautifully written with a magical air of Arabian mythology which, in my opinion, sets it apart from most of the other newly published books in this genre. Plus, the book cover (and what I´ve seen of the inside art) is absolutely stunning. I definitely want this on my shelf just from how it looks.

The book begins in quite a slow pace but I´m so glad I pushed through because it really speeds up after the first hundred or so pages. All and all, this book is amazingly good considering it´s a debut and I cannot wait until A.S. Thornton publishes her next book - it´s gonna go straight to my tbr list. After reading her debut book, it is more than obvious that A.S. Thornton has a very promising future as an author.

(This book contains mature content, such as rape, prostitution and major violence so it is not suitable for younger readers. )

This book left me wondering if we will get a second book and hoping we do. It’s more new adult than ya and whilst it’s not descriptive of what happens in the bedroom it does give a lot to the imagination. There is abuse in this book that may be a trigger or turn off for some but I found to be in keeping with the theme and genre of the books. The salt king rules the desert and keeps his throne by use of a magic Jinn. His daughters are used to secure ties to other ruling parties. One daughter discovers the magic thought lost and the Jinn and begins a romantic journey filled with magic and suffering.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but I quickly became completely absorbed in the story.
Emel is one of many daughters of the Salt King. Instead of fighting people that might want to take is throne, he just marries his daugters off. He is a horrible dude who makes his daughters sleep with the men before the men have to decide if they will marry the women or not. One day there is an attack and everything changes. Emel meets the Jinni Saalim. Emel finds out some hard truths about her father, and family.

Emel is a strong woman who knows what she needs to do survive. She wants to get married if only because its an escape from her father. Saalim is a jinni who has to grant wishes to whomever has his vessel. However the goddess interprets how the wishes will be fulfilled. When he meets Emel face to face for the first time a connection between them is forged. A bond that will change everything for them both.

The world building was amazing! It wasn't action packed at every turn, but it didn't need to be. Every action and decision built on what was going to come next. Once Saalim and Emel met I couldn't put the book down. They were drawn to each other and I could feel the connection between them, and i needed to find out what was going to happen next.
I really hope that A.S Thorton writes a sequel to this, I need more Saalim and Emel. Especially after the ending we were left with..

I enjoyed this book but felt that it could have so easily been much shorter. For many pages not a lot happens and the story only very slowly advances. The world building, whilst limited (you can only do so much with a tent city) was good and I am intrigued enough to see where the author takes us next. I loved the main character, who chaffed against her physical and mental bonds to grow as the book progresses but felt that the jinn was massively under used. All in all a good solid fantasy that has the potential to grow into a better series.

Thanks to the author, CamCat Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book!

Emel’s life is less than ideal, as an ahira her only role is to use her wiles to provide a useful alliance for her father the Salt King. Her only hope of freedom is to be chosen as a visiting noblemen’s wife. One day, a surprise attack on the Salt King allows Emel to uncover the secret to his success, a jinni. Now, as one of the jinni’s masters, Emel has the power to wish for anything she wants. Jinni magic is tricky and volatile, and as she learns more about Saalim, she’s no longer certain what she wants. With a violent rebellion growing in the village, Emel must choose between her own freedom and something she’d never before considered, love.

Freedom is a multi-layered concept, which Daughter of the Salt King explores at length. This story is an interesting take on the mythos of the Jinn. Instead of the vehicle with which to find love, the jinni Saalim is himself the love interest. The setting of this novel is mainly the Salt King’s village and his palace, found in the middle of an unforgiving desert. A.S. Thornton creates an intriguing and harsh environment for her characters. The main character, Emel, is part of the ahira, which is essentially a harem of the Kings daughters who get outsourced to visiting noblemen. These men get up to three nights with the daughter of their choosing, and if they like them they can marry them, providing the Salt King with a new ally. Daughters are given until their 23rd birthday to find a husband, after which they are banished from the palace and forced to live in exiled squalor. The lives of Emel and her sisters are essentially a mix of slavery and prostitution, so it’s really no wonder that Emel wants out.

I appreciated how dangerous the magic of the Jinni is depicted, it stays true to the mythos of how unpredictable the jinn can be. Saalim however is not an unstable god, but instead comes across as a slave in his own right, forced to grant wishes for whoever controls him, whether he wants to or not. Saalim’s background is very interesting, and I would’ve liked to learn more about his past and where he came from. The length of the book is quite daunting for a romance, and at times I felt it got a bit repetitive. I would’ve liked to see more growth in Emel’s character, and more depth to her and Saalim’s romance. The rebellion plot was more to the forefront for me, and the romance felt almost secondary at times.

For a debut romance novel, I think A.S. Thornton did well. Potentially, the length of the book could be shortened, and more time could be spent developing the characters, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to romance lovers who are looking to try a new author. I think it would also serve for people who like fantasy novels and are looking for a lighter read. Daughter of the Salt King is available for purchase on February 2nd, 2021.

One day. It took me only one day to read Daughter of the Salt King, a book with around 450+ pages. That is crazy. So it goes without saying that it kept me thoroughly immersed throughout the whole story. I mean, a jinni romance? YES.
It tells the story of Emel, a daughter of the Salt King, the most powerful ruler in the whole desert. Like all her sisters, her obligation and end are to seduce and bed the numerous princes and powerful men that visit her father's court.
The book was mainly a character-driven story, and thankfully, Emel was such a great main character, like all the others we meet during the story. I loved everything about her, especially her ambition.
I liked the writing and the atmosphere depicted by it. Even though actions happened mainly in similar little tents, it still felt like such a magical world.
But the ending, THE ENDING! I can't believe it ended that way. My poor heart will never heal.
Definitely worth a read.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is magical. That's how I want to start this review. I won't get into any specifics of the plot, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read this book. But A.S. Thornton is a new author to me, and I will definitely be following her after this. In the book, there's a strong romance, a jinni (genie)... with the backdrop of a setting in the Middle East. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys descriptive writing full of fantasy and romance.

I love any story about jinni/genie/djinn. This one did not disappoint. Set in a traditional desert setting, this book helped warm the cold winter days of 2020. I loved that it was written in first person, so we could experience everything along with Emel. The writing is beautiful, and created a magical and exotic setting. I'm so glad that fantasy romance is really growing as a genre!

I went into this book expecting to be impressed, and up until the 50% mark, I thought I was going to be. To me, it just felt like this book was missing something. The concept was spectacular, the setting was lush, and the characters were conflicted, but I just never attached to any of it.

After reading the other reviews for this book, I’m a bit confused as to what I missed regarding the romance. Other reviewers praise it as “slowburn” and “beautifully written.” To me, the romance lacked any special flair. I felt like it fell on the side of insta-love, which is a trait I hate. I’m also really not a fan of the whole “immortal magical creature falls in love with teenage human girl” trope, so that was a total miss for me. By the end of this, Saalim was even starting to creep me out. Normally I love romance in my fantasies, but I think I would’ve preferred this book without it.

On top of the romance, this book just felt long. Normally I can blow through a 400 page book in a matter of hours. That was not the case for this book. I was constantly getting distracted, and had to actively force myself to continue reading. I think this might’ve been suffering from some pacing issues, because most of the book was just Emel wandering around until we got to the last 10%. Then, everything picked up, but it was too little too late for me. I really wanted to like this, but I found myself underwhelmed.

Thanks to A.S. Thornton and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was an amazing tale of a King, a djinn, and the daughter of the salt king named Emel. I love a good book that will just grab you and sweep you away.

What did I like? The book has an amazingly sordid tale that sucked me in from the first chapter. The Salt King sits on his throne of salt and pawns his daughters off on arranged marriages. Emel is his most prized daughter but she has a different air about herself than the rest. The King keeps his throne through magic and it’s a clever tale.

Would I recommend or buy? Yes, to both. I feel like there should be more... like a second part but I’m not sure if that’s in the cards. I’d definitely read it if there was. My first by this author and I loved it! Five stars!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review.

*This review contains spoilers
You know what, this wasn't awful. I signed up to read this book because I needed something predictable, and I got it. The book gave me exactly what I wanted and I am happy with that.
However, I will say that 99.9% of the time I had a hard time empathizing with the characters. The one time I did was during the sisterly betrayal and then when she saw her sister again. I was actually mad when Emel forgave her sister, she literally got her thrown in jail for a month.
Other than that, this wasn't really my thing, but I respect the hustle.

The premise of this book was great. The world building was lacking. The MC's world was limited to the inside of a tent and sometimes a walk to the harem where her mother lived, but I didn't have enough description to picture even the small space she inhabited. The romance between her and the Jinni was very contrived. Why did he fall in love with her? It was practically instant. And I sort of understand that he likes her because she's the first person who doesn't want to use him. But it isn't for him - it's because she doesn't trust the outcome. Makes sense, ok, so if she doesn't trust him why does she fall for him? WHAT IS THE REASON?! She's essentially her father the King's whore - and the jinni seems to only want to make out with her. They don't have long conversations - he doesn't seem to see her as anything more than anyone else does. I don't feel the connection, and so I lost interest.

Great for lovers of: New Adult Fantasy, strong female lead, dark magic and forbidden love interests

Just to be straight up clear - this is not YA. There are sexual themes all throughout the book and tie into the main female lead, so if mentions of sex makes you clutch your pearls, not the book for you! To be completely honest, this gave me the love romance that "City of Brass" failed to deliver for me, if I'm comparing similar book themes.

Anyways - Daughter of the Salt King starts out with our intro into our strong lead character, Emel. She is an Ahira, and her sole responsibility as a daughter of the Salt King is to seduce and pleasure any man that her father says to, in hopes of securing a marriage. Once the daughters of the Salt King turn 23 and aren't married, they are thrown out to the streets. Emel crosses path with a jinni, Saalim, whose master is the Salt King. She and Saalim start a slow-burning forbidden romance, and in the end Emel has to make a very difficult choice of a wish fulfilled by a very devious goddess, Mahira, in order to change her and Saalim's fate ultimately.

So obviously - not the easiest life for our main gal. I really liked she had grit and actual FAULTS. She was a bit compulsive and lacked the ability to empathize with some of her sisters, but she really acknowledged her faults in the end and made me really love her. She made choices that were ultimately believable for her age.

Overall the story was just so beautifully woven together, I highly recommend this book and it's easily a new favorite of mine. A great debut from A.S Thornton. :)

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and publisher for providing me an ARC.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book really took me by surprise! I had read the summary and it had immediately piqued my interest. And this is a SOLID 4.5 stars!

If you need any convincing on why you should definitely pick this book up (when it releases in February) look no further. This is an adult fantasy novel set in an ancient desert about a young woman who accidentally discovers her father's darkest secret; his wish-granting jinni. If you love your books with a strong female MC, forbidden love, the comfort of friendship, and the complexity of family, with a dash of capricious magic and a touch of darkness, then this is the book for you!

The setting of this book is just magical. It literally transports you inside this ancient desert; you can feel the sun on your back, the sand between your toes, and the heat that seems to stick to your skin. The environment was luscious and very atmospherically, from the colorful tents and clothing to the different foods and drinks, it was truly an immersive experience.

Emel was such a compelling and relatable character. The way she wanted more for herself and her life, while also wanting to explore more of the world and learn as much as she could. I absolutely loved her, she was very raw and real to me. Even when she made decisions I didn't 100% agree with, I at least understood her reasoning for feeling so. Such as when she decides to spend the night with Omar even though Saalim begs her not to... she needed to know and discover this for herself, and this was a transformative experience for her. She is a strong-willed, empathetic, sometimes selfish young woman trying to find her path in a world where she knows no freedom.

SAALIM AND EMEL ARE EVERYTHING. I love them so much I want to scream. Their stolen moments and the ANGST... ugh I was here for it. I love a good build-up in a relationship to really feel the yearning and desire building up...WHEW. When she finally builds up the nerve to kiss him and he tells her, "Wait, stop. Like this." I ABOUT LOST MY SHIT. I thought the romance was so well-written and felt naturally progressive, not too fast, not too slow, PERFECTION. When he takes her to his home and he admits how much he really cares for and loves her...it was something so personal. Watching them both grow more comfortable and secure in each other was beautiful. They both made each other stronger, redefining what it means to be brave, and in the end, chose each other’s happiness over their own. I NEED BOOK TWO ASAP.

4/5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and Camcat Publishing for providing me this arc in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our protagonist, Emel is one of 26 daughters of the salt king. She is an ahira and her role is to sleep with any muhami that wishes to marry a daughter of the salt king. In hope that he will most likely to wed her before she turns 23 or else she will be thrown out into the street. I enjoyed Emel’s fierce personality and her independence.

Saalim is a wish granting jinni. Emel befriends him after him after the only man who wishes to marry her. I enjoyed how he didn’t listen to masira and made his own decisions.

I enjoyed the settings, characters and writing of this book. It was very well done and I would definitely reccomend. Thank you to netgalley and Camcat publishing for providing me this arc.

I didn’t hate ‘Daughter of the Salt King’ but the love was not completely there.

The author could have easily cut this down to 300+ pages. There were many scenes that were redundant and it only allowed the story to drag on. Page by page, I keep wondering, "Okay, soooo was something supposed to happen by now? Where is the excitement? Where is the built up for an epic conclusion?" Sadly, nothing really significant happened besides the fairly decent world building.

It was a fine read and a promising start for this debut author don’t get me wrong but was I the only one that felt like this was missing something? That certain flare to make this a knockout? I can't put it into words, but that spark wasn't there. I had enjoyed this for the most part though 2/4 through the excitement I once had started to fizzle—I wasn't completely wow'd. I wish the author included an unexpected twist or turn to help fully engross me. The plot was thin to say the least and there was no character development (I am looking at you Emel!). I don’t know... I just felt stuck and in my opinion, a whole lot of nothing was happening.

Now with the romantic aspect of this fantasy novel—I didn’t buy into it. The (instant) romance and chemistry between Emel and Saalim was meh. I just didn’t see the connection between them at all and honestly, I probably would have liked them better if their relationship was more platonic. They were boring. My goodness they were boring. Firoz (and his boo Rashid) and Sabra were far more interesting, and they were the side characters.

When all's said and done, was I impressed with this read? No. I thought there would be more action, more adventure, more growth with the characters (especially with the main) but it didn't entirely work for me. The premise was there and unfortunately, it was not fully executed by the author.

DNF around 58% because this was a bit of a strange read to me. The premise is already somewhat hard to believe — a king hides his daughters away as a mystery to the world...but also sells them to men for a nightly price, mainly to encourage the men to marry them.

Er. Okay.

THE GOOD
This book reads indie, which means it’s not as formulaic and predictable as other popular YA fantasy novels out there. The pace isn’t predictable and neither is the perceived “safeness” of the characters. You think our heroine won’t need to endure an experience... only to find out that yep, she goes through it after all.

THE BAD
The idea of the jinn being tethered the way he was could’ve been intriguing...but the connection and relevancy of that for me didn’t quite hit the nail. If we were YA, we’d be plain and obvious. Jinn is a slave. Girl is a slave. Common ground. If we were adult, we’d make a grander case to morals and culture and scheming. Neither of these happens...so what kind of book is this — young adult or adult?

FINAL THOUGHTS
It never drew me in. I couldn’t be invested in any of the main or secondary characters, and with a slow and thin plot to sustain it, there wasn’t much left to justify continuing.

"You are mistaken. Life is not weak, it is infinite, and when faced with trouble, life endures."

Daughter of the Salt King is a middle-eastern-inspired, non-YA fantasy about a jinni and a daughter of a desert king who both are trapped by the same cruel tyrant as a master.

Emel is the Salt King's daughter, which doesn't mean riches and expensive clothing and food-- it means she exists solely to secure him alliances with other rulers and noblemen in one way, and one way only: with her body.

Emel mistakenly discovers that her father is in the possession of a jinni, and that is how he has secured-- and held onto-- all his riches and power. When the two come face to face, they see themselves in each other, trapped as they are in a life they wish they could wish away. The problem is, the jinni can make wishes come true, but they always come with a price.

This premise sucked me in, but I found the execution rather drawn out. This is largely a slow story about an oppressed group of women and the struggles of their daily lives-- being objects for trade, used for their bodies and cast out when they are no longer of use. This isn't uninteresting in itself, but we lingered on these struggles longer than I had guessed from the summary. I kept expecting things to happen, for Emel to take action, to make wishes to save herself or her sisters, but she bided her time, afraid to speak words that would have unintended consequences.

Emel and Saalim's relationship developed rather quickly. I struggled a bit with the pacing in the initial stages, and then later one trope cropped up that I do not much care for: SPOILER: the "I've watched you from afar for years while you grew up and fell in love with you" trope.

Otherwise, I actually liked Emel and Saalim together, I thought they were interesting takes on jinnis and women confined to harems. Emel was depicted not as weak and terrified of her duties, but as someone who stepped up and saw them as her way of life, and the way she could forge a good future for herself out from under her father's thumb. Saalim was not the usual trickster jinni, but rather a quiet, somewhat defeated prisoner who just wanted freedom (at first).

All in all, a good story, some sprinkling of beautiful prose, and a sweet central relationship. (SPOILER: minus that one scene where angry Saalim tryes to pay Emel for sex because he is jealous?! Yikes.)

Another reviewer noted that this book would probably be rated R and I have to agree. This book does not shy away from the nature of Emel's responsibilities and there are depictions of her nights with different suitors.

My largest quibble with this book: the anachronistic overuse of the word "okay". It jarred me EVERY time-- which ended up being quite a few times. Otherwise there were only a handful of editing issues such as using the word "peaking" instead of "peeking" or "secret" instead of "secretive".

Overall not a bad debut-- unsure yet if I'll read the sequel. I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The author of Daughter of the Salt King adventurously unravels her main character’s—Emel—desperate longing for freedom from a world in which her father not only considers her nothing more than prized property but graciously treats her suitors to a humiliating test drive, all in his attempt to beguile the highest bidder.

Stumbling upon her father’s most prized possession, a tarnished bejeweled vessel, Emel discovers jinni do exist outside of myths and fairy tales and that this particular jinn is the explanation behind her otherwise drunken and gluttonous father’s extraordinary power. Tempted by this promising solution to her problem, Emel deliberates her success, convinced that should she not verbalize her wish succinctly that the jinn’s trickster master will gleefully and disastrously pervert her intent.

Sprinkling in descriptive verse, Thornton effectively transports her readers into an arid desert complete with sand-pelted tents beneath a scorching and unforgiving sun, the foul stench of body odor borne of both the oppressive heat and the constant fear of a tyrannical leader’s wrath, as well as the palpable eroticism as shared between Emel and the jinn.

Although fantasy romance is typically not my genre of choice, I enjoyed this novel and wholeheartedly recommend it to all romance, fantasy, and historical fiction fans!