Thank you, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, for allowing me to read Spice Road early!

Adventurous, thrilling and interesting, in other words, a very nice book!

There's a lot that's great about this book. I loved the setting and the magic system, it was diverse and easy to understand while being an interesting aspect of the worldbuilding that fit well. I thought Imani's in particular was interesting. I also liked the set-up for the plot, it's typical for a YA fantasy type journey, but Imani chasing after her presumed dead brother and having to face the fact that reality is not quite what she thought it was, is an interesting premise. Where things faltered for me was the characters, most of them did not catch my attention, and I felt like there was a lot of antagonism between the cast that was unnecessary or not explained well. I didn't care for Imani's character much either, she's consistently set up as a stubborn, strong-willed person, and while she is, it often came across as more close-minded and unbending and felt negative at times. Overall, i'm interested to see how the plot unfolds, but I hope the characters improve in the next book.

This is a solid YA fantasy that I would gladly purchase for our school library or my classroom.

Spice Road tells the story of Imani's quest to find her brother, Atheer. Imani is a privileged young woman from a wealthy and high status family in from a secluded region protected from outsiders by a magical enchantment. Unlike others, Imani's people have access to magic, a secret they are charged with keeping safe from outsiders. Imani's brother, Atheer, has been missing, presumed dead, for over a year when Imani discovers he may be alive after all, helping a rebel faction fight imperialist invaders in a far off land, even sharing with him the secret of their magic. Together with her rival, Taha, and two of his friends, Imani sets out to journey to the foreign kingdom of Alqibah where her brother is supposedly living, intent on dragging him back home and protecting her homeland's secrets.

This book has strong themes and messages about anti-imperialism, power and privilege, and isolationism vs. globalism. Occasionally, the message becomes a bit didactic for an adult reader, but this book was written for teenagers, and I think kids who are social justice minded, or anyone who is just starting to come around to the idea of the privilege granted by wealth or class, will find Imani's journey compelling.

Imani is extremely privileged, but, like Imani, the reader is left largely unaware of just how privileged Imani is until she encounters Taha, who serves as Imani's foil in this story. Where Imani is privileged, Taha comes from a humble background, where Imani is idealistic, Taha is hard and practical. Where Imani is tenderhearted, Taha has been raised to believe that people of his background cannot afford to cede an inch. Taha oozes with contempt for Imani and everything he stands for-- he does not believe she earned her spot in the Shields (the defense force that fights desert monsters to keep her region safe) or that her early initiation as a sorcerer was a result of prodigy, rather than access to earlier and better magic education. He insult's Imani's pride, and it takes Imani a painfully long time to realize why someone like Taha might distrust someone like her. Even by the end of the book Imani does not seem to fully understand Taha's resentment.

Taha himself is a frustrating character, and in future installments I hope we are given more insight into his motives (and what hold his father really has upon him, because we get the sense there is more there than is revealed to the reader), because as is, it is hard to understand how someone who seems to have a good understanding of the dynamics of class and privilege has so little empathy towards the poor and downtrodden in Alqibah. It's a bit jarring that the rich and privileged siblings are the only ones who seem to care at all for the oppressed in Alqibah. Taha seem, ironically, to have very little recognition of the ways that being a magic user in a country magically isolated from the threat of invasion privileges him as well, but I expect he is being setup for a redemption arc in the next installment.

Deserving of a special mention is Imani's sister, Amina. We learn at some point that Amina has been pulling some "Robin Hood" type antics and engaging in petty thievery to help out friends. I sincerely hope we learn more about Amina in future books.

At the center of the conflict is the threat of invaders from the Harrowlands. If the Harrowlanders, who are a rather obvious analogue for the British, come off as mustache-twirling villains, then then are only as bad as their real life counterparts. Labor prisons and political persecutions are downright humane compared to say, the crimes of King Leopold II in the Congo Free State. European colonialism was horrific, and while Ibrahim briefly humanizes the Harrowlanders by showing a young boy soldier who helps Imani escape prison, explaining how he was forced to guard a prison or be sentenced to death, this brief glimpse garners the Harrowlands themselves no sympathy. I am interested to see how Ibrahim handles the ultimate reckoning with Harrowland, if the invaders will somehow be permanently beaten back, or if even magic will prove futile against the forces of imperialism.

Ibrahim's prose is serviceable and competent, although it occasionally veers slightly into sentimental cliché ("grief is mangled love persisting," "light not shared is light diminished."). The story is fairly compelling, and although certain developments are telegraphed to an extent (for instance the true nature Taha's "mission" seems fairly obvious from the beginning, as is the djinn Qayn's secret), there is enough uncertainty as to keep interest. The side plot involving Qayn has the makings of a possible love triangle, although Taha is rather obviously the one who has her heart.

Overall, I think Spice Road is a solid YA book that is written, unlike a lot of modern YA, with actual teenagers in mind. If some adult readers find its approach to certain issues lacking in nuance or its treatment heavy handed, they should consider the extent of the average (non Twitter addicted) fifteen year old's knowledge on topics such as imperialism or class privilege. The world building is vibrant and lush, the idea of magic coming from spice ingested in tea is unique, and the characters are unique. I think Ibrahim is a YA author to watch, and I look forward to seeing what Ibrahim has to offer in the future.

I really enjoyed this book and where the author took the characters in there journey. It was full of action and adventure which I really love on a story. The author gave a very unique plot which allowed the story to easily flow without ever getting boring. Great read!