Y’all, Spice Road hit me out of nowhere. It was on my list of anticipated reads for 2023, but it exceeded all of my expectations in every way!

The writing is beautiful (seriously I think I underlined every other paragraph), the characters were relatable, and the twists were *chef’s kiss*.

Imani has a reputation for being the best jinni slayer around. While her heroic feats bring her praise from some, they also bring her disdain from some of her peers. A previous family betrayal/tragedy has already brought her family under scrutiny, and she has no intention of caving under the pressure of the city’s eyes on her.

But when new secrets come to light, everything that Imani, and the city, believed about her older brother’s disappearance is brought into question. Imani sets off on an epic quest to discover the truth, although she is shackled with a band of peers who do not hide their dislike of her.

The twists in this book will keep you flipping the pages well into the night! I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt that Imani was a flawed yet sympathetic protagonist and I really liked being able to see her struggle and change as the story progressed. Her development was well paced in my opinion. The magic system is very intriguing and I loved the setting. I look forward to the sequel. I felt that this book handled big issues in a good way that showed the problems without coming across as preachy. I would definitely recommend Spice Road, especially if you like middle eastern inspired fantasy.

The romance elements seemed a bit half baked but the world building left we wanting more. Can definitely see how it’s the first in a series with more left to tell

This was an amazing YA magical medical fantasy - the MC is from a region/country where people use spices in tea to harness their inner magic, and this region is cut off from the rest of the world on the order of a "Great Spirit" who wanted to protect this magic from others who might use it in a corrupt manner (a Wakanda situation, but where the decision to isolate supposedly came from the gods, and where the people have to use their magic to fight monsters). When the MC discovers that her (presumed dead) brother has stolen magic to help the world beyond their region, she starts on a quest with her enemy to bring him back.

What I loved about this story was how the MC Imani's world view and opinions slowly changed as she gained more knowledge - at the beginning she is extremely rigid wrt the rules she's been taught, and she is ignorant of many real world things. As she gets first-hand knowledge of the world and the people around her over the course of the story, she has wonderful character development. We don't often see these kind of MCs in stories, and I'm glad that this story had it. I also loved her interactions with her family, particularly with her younger sister.

The world building is exquisite, and the author has written a very realistic and raw portrayal of colonization, my heart is still paining from that (💔).

As for the romance, it's a sort of love triangle (?), although there is not a very explicit romance element in this book. I'm particularly hoping for the second ship to be endgame, so fingers crossedddd.

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This book was completely enchanting. I was completely entrantsed. This is so good!! I can't wait for the next book to come out!! And the cover is to die for beautiful. All around perfect.
I just reviewed Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. #SpiceRoad #NetGalley
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As 2023 begins, a lot of books set to come out in January have been in my eyes, and Spice Road is definitely one that made it's way up the ranks to capture my attention. At least in the tea magic aspect.


Because how exactly do you pull tea magic off? I initially thought that heading into this story, it would be a similar road to Swati Teerdhala's The Tiger at Midnight (Because book 1 was excellent despite the rest of the journey being more rocky) but we are met with a VERY different story.


So, here we go.


Short Summary: Girl with dagger hunts down her lost brother who stole some magic and is on a journey with two guys that pull her heart in two directions.



Long Summary: Imani is the youngest shield in the land of Qalia and with a trouble-making sister, a disappeared brother and expectations to remain the best, she sets out on a journey to find her brother to reveal his secrets and to stop the trouble he may cause that can cause more conflict. Along this journey, she is teamed with Qayn typical himbo #1 and Taha, himbo #2 (and yes, both are himbos and I will die on this hill) so she deals with the usual emotional turmoil as she explores that the world is not as honest as she thought it was and that lies are everywhere and can appear at any time.



It was a slow start for me to get into the book, but eventually, the plot picks up and it is heavily focused on the plot and the journey itself, and less about the characters. The tea magic gets explained a bit, but not as much as I would have liked, but it still made for an amusing read and hopefully, it will be more promising in book 2.



Overall: 4/5 stars

The Spice Road takes you on an adventure through the sands to a city that no one even knows exists in order to find Imani’s brother who is accused of stealing misra. From the beginning this book was very fast paced and pulling me through this journey. While the characters took some time getting used to, the plot truly held this book together. There were so many quests and mystery pulling you along that it was hard to put down.

I also really loved the family aspect found within this book. We get to see the interactions between Imani and her sister. See their different perspectives on what happened with their brother and we get to slowly watch these siblings start to understand eachother and become close again which was really heartfelt.

Imani was often times reckless and impulsive which made it hard to sympathize with her character. She often times spoke without thought. As the story progressed Imani began to question everything which really was the turning point of her character that made me start to love her.

I really loved the last 30% of this book and how it left off in order to prepare for the next book in this series. I can’t wait to read the next adventure.

Rating: 5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book will be on my top books of this year, I loved everything about it. Spice Road is the first book of a YA fantasy trilogy, where you will follow Imani on an adventure of her life. She goes out searching for her brother, who everyone has assumed dead, but Imani and her sister have found proof that he might be alive somewhere outside of their magical city. You will be transported through ghost cities of the desert, fight against soldiers who are abusing their power, break in and out of the prison, then an epic battle right to a great ending of this part of the journey and left wondering what will happen next.

I loved the character in this book, I loved how you really got to see the character development throughout the whole book. I think my favorite character would have to be the Djinni named Qayn. I really liked how Imani didn’t just change her ways of thinking, it was slow and she wouldn’t just jump into anything without thinking about it. This and other reasons is why I think the characters in this book are so easy to connect with. We have all known someone in our lives that has acted in some way like the characters in this book. I enjoyed the hint of a possible love triangle in this trilogy, it's not out in the open but just a little hint throughout the book and I can see that happening. I hope I am right and, in the 2nd, & 3rd book we will see more of that.

I thought Ibrahim's writing style was beautiful. It was so easy to follow and understand everything that was on the page. The attention to details was amazing, for me to be able to picture everything that the author is saying really helps to bring a book to life. I loved that this book is set in the Middle East, and you get to picture all the beauty and magic. I loved the magic system in this book, to have tea used to enhance the magic that natural flows but not everyone can access it…or can they and they just don’t know. I can not wait to read the next book of this trilogy and to dive deeper into this wonderful world that Ibrahim gave us.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy, great world building, and connectable characters.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to review this book.

A huge thank you too NetGalley and 'Random House Children's, Delacorte Press' for the digital ARC of 'Spice Road' by Maiya Ibrahim.

This has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2023, mainly because when I first read the description, the magic in the book made me think of a crossover between the 'Mistborn' and 'Dune' series.

I will admit in the first few chapters it was hard for me to initially engage with the book, but as the story progressed it was so easy to fall in love with this book. I absolutely loved the development of Imani throughout the story, and watching her learn to look at the world with not such a narrow focus. Her privileges, and isolation had blinded her from seeing how daily life was like for the majority of people in their world. I was happy when she starts to realize she has "gone too long with a full belly and ignorant heart". It would be nice to also eventually see this same growth for Taha has well, but he has a lot of emotional damage to undo first.

Overall, the only wishes I have is these books going forward is for them to avoid the enemies-to-lovers cliché for Imani and Taha... for Imani's family to be whole again... and for Qayn's outcome to be a good one.

I definitely believe this is a book my students would enjoy, and I can't wait to share this with them... as well as add to my own personal library.

1/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book doesn't deserve even 1 star, but I can't rate it zero. Sad.

Buckle up. I've got some things to say.

Spice Road follows Imani, the best Shield, the youngest Shield in history, the djinni slayer, the not-like-other-girls main character that we should have left back in 2010. We're told over and over that she's amazing and special and The Best, but there is one (1) singular scene where Imani uses her dagger at all.

The book is basically what would happen if the author took a dart and threw it on the most overused YA tropes and tossed them in a blender to make this book. Lying government? Check. Speshul MC? Check. Love triangle? Check. "I didn't mean to kiss you"? Check. I'd say more, but this is getting repetitive.

I predicted at about the 20% mark that Imani, Taha, and Qayn have themselves a cliche love triangle, Imani discovers the council is lying, and joins the outsiders. Spoiler alert: that is exactly what happens.

Why did I not DNF this book, do you ask? I don't know. I asked myself the same question.

Imani isn't necessarily dumb for sticking to what she knows, but it's so painful because the reader is constantly 10 steps ahead of her. The Council is obviously lying. Amira isn't just a stupid little sister. The outsiders aren't the bad guys.

You know what else was painful? Imani's relationship with Taha and Qayn. Let's start with Taha. He's a classic "oh he's mean to you because he likes you!" terrible dude, but Imani likes him because he's really just a traumatized, misunderstood man. Please, no. A douche is a douche. I did think it was pretty funny when Imani was trying so hard to think about how Taha hated her and he was like "lol I just ignored you" and he was so right. Imani also gave me whiplash when she was mad at Taha for killing Badr and putting her out of her misery (again, the reader clearly knew he was doing it out of mercy but Imani is far behind), but suddenly tells him it's alright after he says one (1) nice thing to her.

And now Qayn. Imani hates him because she's been taught to hate all djinni, sure, but at some point I just couldn't help but roll my eyes. He's obviously trying to help, he's never done anything to her, and she continues to hate him and yell about how she's going to kill him. Also, they're bound and she goes into his mind knowing he won't like it and is shocked when he's upset. Sigh. Qayn is also the cliche 1000+ year old handsome love interest, and yet he's still the best part of the book, which is saying something.

Lastly, I couldn't stand how agonizingly slow Imani's development was. She insists on spending most of the book thinking Atheer has just been mislead, not realizing that she's the mislead one, and I really wanted to slam my head against a wall. Even after she supposedly understands, she still treats Atheer's girlfriend, Farida, with animosity, since she "stole her brother away."

I'm going to end this review by saying that this was honestly one of my most anticipated reads this year. I can't believe how far it fell from my expectations.

What I really liked about this is the world building and plot. I am very plot driven reader so that motivated me to continue reading. The pacing was also done well to match with the plot and I enjoyed reading about our main character and her struggles on how to overcome it all.

I almost DNF’ed this book at about 20% in and I kind of wish I had. The plot and story really carry this book but everything else is really subpar. The characters are annoying, flat or so black/white it isn’t funny. And can we please stop with romance arcs where the boy is mean to the girl in public but nice when alone and she still falls for him? That isn’t a healthy relationship. The only slightly interesting character is Qayn. I’m rounding up to 3 stars, but really this is more of a 2.5 for me.

Thanks to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for the complementary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Spice Road is an impressive debut boasting a well-realized world of magic and Djinn. It is a fun coming of age story of learning to care for the other and seek justice. If you are hooked on Djinn fantasy like I am, this one is for you. For those a little more discerning, I have a few criticisms, which may not matter to younger readers. Spice Road did not live up to the hype or the quality of other recent similar debuts.

I rate Spice Road 4/5 because it was more focused on world-building than plot, first introducing us to the characters' hometown and then to the empire they travel to visit on their quest. I also found the various twists and turns of the story unbelievable and the actions of the main character often poorly thought out. Though Spice Road is the start of a trilogy, I do not see myself returning for the sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

The strength in this book lies in the world building and plot line of the story. I appreciated the young and strong female lead, especially as a YA novel. She has flaws and the author is not afraid to show them at pivotal points in the book; Imani struggle with loyalty to her family vs her work, finding love in different forms, and learning patience in a job that's pretty fast paced.

I really appreciated the scenes and sights within this book- at times I felt like I could smell the spices, feel the sand on my face, or the heat of the dessert on my skin. While I wouldn't call it a love triangle, I also appreciated the opposite personalities of Taha and Qayn as they fight for Imani's attention. Overall, the book was not as thrilling as I had hope it would be, but it kept my attention and was a fast read. Overall: 3.25 stars for the easy to get into reading style and the fantastic scene descriptions.

WHAT I LIKED:
-Qayn is cool. If he was the MC, I’d probably love this book.
-The plot was consistently moving and had a nice plot twist in the middle of the book.
-There were moments when the writing flowed nicely.
-The magic and world was fun and interesting.

DID NOT LIKE:
-Imani continues to act like a child. She's, knowingly rude, arrogant, dramatic, and stupid. The sister is worse.
-The romance was almost nonexistent and…. Bad. Which is sad because it had so much potential. Two kissing scenes and one of them right after she barfs in the bushes… gross.
-So much of this writing is trying too hard. It's painfully obvious this is a debut novel.
-The dialog is cheesy and at times cringe worthy.
-Most of the plot was predictable. Just imagine what idiot teenagers would do and you’ve got it.
-I feel like I'm missing the first half of this book. It's like someone ripped off the first 10 chapters and said, “start here.”

OVERALL:
This book is fine.... This would be good for a 11–13-year-old who is entertained easily, prefers a plot driven book and doesn’t mind aggravating characters.

Characters/Depth/Growth – 4
Atmosphere/World - 7
Writing Style - 3
Plot - 6
Intrigue -2
Love/Relationships - 3
Enjoyment/Memorable – 3
Total: 28
Divided by 7 = 4.0 (2 1/2 stars) I gave it an extra half for the potential of the story.

1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5/5

This was a relatively average YA fantasy book. The plot wasn’t as exciting as the synopsis led me to believe and I feel like not much happened. The writing itself was pretty standard for a YA debut and nothing really stood out to me personally.

I also never felt very connected to any of the characters and I found the MC to be a bit irritating. I know she’ll probably have a character arc and grow throughout the series, but she was still far too immature to be very likeable in my opinion.

Overall, it was an okay book if you’re interested in the synopsis, but I myself will not be continuing the series.

Recommended: eh
for an incredible setting, for a story rife with possibilities and big moments, but also there are characters I hate so much I really wanted to DNF this one

Thoughts:
My biggest issue with this book was Amira. I freaking hate Amira. From basically page two she's being a massive immature pain in the ass while also being super preachy about it. She's one of those people who condemns someone else for doing the exact thing they themself are doing, and she doesn't even realize it. It's awful and I couldn't stand her. The only way I was able to finish this book was by skipping anything she said and any reference to her name for the last 50% of the book. There was nothing redeeming about her for me.

<spoiler>And when she was like "I promise I won't come." I knew it was going to be a lie because that's just how annoying younger siblings work in an adventure story, but god did I cling to that hope that she would in fact stay home. And of course she emerges by way of waking a legendary immortal giant full of rage. I hate her so much.</spoiler>

I persevered mainly because this was an ARC and I wanted to get more than twenty (incredibly annoying) pages in before quitting, and also because I had so much hope for seeing more of the world and the lore of it. I did indeed get more lore, and I was able to slowly fall in love with that aspect of the story. There's so much history built into it, both in the small daily lives and the world-shaping historical beings and events that exist. Learning about each kept me entranced (until shattered by an annoying scream -- if you read my spoiler or the book it'll make sense).

As for the plot itself, the formula is also pretty common for what magic adventure stories are where a powerful (young) person discovers the people in power have lied to them about something important, and they question right and wrong and their very beliefs. It was fine, but nothing particularly new. I was impressed with the amount of punches to the main character. I mean, damn, this is not an easy ride where everything just somehow turns out fine. She actually has some pretty massive losses and setbacks and pain to overcome.

As for the romance aspect, there's not a ton of on-page romance, though there's a lot of her thinking about feelings and kisses and stuff. Given they're on a potentially lethal mission, this makes sense. No time for snogging! What was included added to the story for the most part though, by building some uneasy tension between the MC and the others in her group. Motivation was kept very obscure for a large part of it, especially to the extent of dude's goals for their mission.

To be honest, I probably won't continue this series. There are some new characters introduced along the way (as well as the ones throughout) who I sense will hang around more in later books that I also just don't care for. Some I'm neutral about, but that's not enough to sell me on it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

In Qalia, Imani’s affinities are prized and give her the honored title of Shield, a warrior who kills dangerous magical beings in the region. However, Imani’s accomplishments are overshadowed by her brother, Atheer, who was caught stealing Spice, the tea magic granted to the people of Qalia by the Great Spirit. When Raad, Atheer’s stallion, breaks free and runs into the desert, Imani and her sister Amira follow into the Forbidden Wastes only to find a djinn named Qayn. The djinn knows that Atheer is alive in Alqibah, the land beyond the Sands that veil Qalia from the outside world. With selective truth telling, Imani gets the council to grant a mission to Alqibah, but not without Taha ibn Bayek, a talented beastseer in tow. Imani finds the journey perilous and the knowledge she gains is not at all what she expected.

For the first book in a trilogy, this was a decent entry. The world building was one of the strongest aspects of this novel. The fact that Qalia is cut off from the surrounding territories creates an interesting dynamic and certainly impacts each character in a variety of ways. There’s much more to explore in both Qalia and Alqibah. In Qalia, the reader is treated to a tour through the First City, which provides some clarity on not only Qalia’s history but also that of the djinn Qayn. However, a repeated refrain from several of the characters relates to the way that history has been rewritten by the victors, causing the Council to lie. As a reader, I hope we return to Qalia and get some more of the unfiltered history. The outside world of Alqibah is dealing with Harrowlanders, white invaders from a distant nation who seek to exploit the area for resources but care little for the native population. Exploring the horrors of colonization through different lenses is a theme I am always on board with. Given the conclusion of the first novel, I expect the remaining books in this trilogy will continue to tackle this theme.

Though the pacing of this story was somewhat inconsistent, there were definitely highlights. The journey through the desert to the Sands was a bit slow; however, this was important for character development as it gave readers the chance to get to know Imani and Taha. Highlights along the journey included various threats along the road, the First City, and the traversing of the Sands. Once the party got beyond the Sands, the pace picked up significantly and the plot unspooled much more naturally.

As a reader, I felt that the characters were intriguing, but they were the weakest part of the novel. Imani was an excellent protagonist; however, her naivete was endearing initially but grated when encountered further into the novel. While she did eventually grow toward the conclusion, I felt like given several of the things Imani had seen throughout the first third of the novel that it happened very late. I’m also very conflicted about Taha. Is he supposed to be Imani’s love interest? His waffling back and forth between being sweet and tender versus cold, distant, and even somewhat abusive did not seem to make him an appropriate romantic partner, especially since there seems to be no growth or softening to his demeanor as the novel concludes. Weirdly Qayn seemed like a better potential love interest, and I wondered if Maiya Ibrahim was trying to set up a love triangle in future installments. I think these confusing elements created some inconsistency with the characters, which made it difficult to fully root for many members of the cast.

Overall, I did find Spice Road to be an intriguing read with a lot of potential. Additionally, unlike many novels with a planned sequel, this novel has a definitive ending and does not have a cliffhanger. I will be tuning in for the next installment with the hope that Ibrahim clears up the character confusion and pacing challenges.

I learned a few days after being approved for this title that I would be receiving a copy in my Fairyloot subscription box. So while I do intend to read the book, I will be using the fully finished publication version and not the NetGalley ePub. Thank you!

The sand blew across the beaten path, pelting the bare skin of her legs as she moved forward. Her horse trudged alongside her, huffing its impatience in this never ending journey. She knew their destination was coming up and her weary feet and mind were looking forward to the arrival. But little did she know what was at the end of this path.

Spice Road is the first book of a YA fantasy trilogy, following the main character Imani, who is searching for her brother who was assumed dead, but rumor has it he is alive. Battling with the will to save her brother, but worried his motives may have been for evil… she wonders if the magic and her city is safe from the outside world.

This was a great start to this new fantasy trilogy and the adventure was a lot of fun to read. I liked the characters and the creative magic system in this world, as well as the creatures and setting. It took a while to lead up to the journey and interaction with various creatures and destinations, but overall a very entertaining book. I look forward to seeing where this trilogy goes!

If you’re looking for a new Arabian-themed YA fantasy to check out, I’d recommend this one!