4.24 stars!

As someone who loves both YA and Adult fantasy, this felt like a a great book to pick up for fans of The Stardust Thief. Though TST is marketed to an older audience, I think both have a similar tone, a sense of adventure, world-building that unfolds through the character's travels, and a vivid desert setting with a full cast and interesting obstacles to overcome.

My only reason for not giving this a full five stars was my slight frustration with how many times the main character gave chances to someone who I felt had crossed the line a few too many times. Everything else, though, I really enjoyed.

Though I'd mostly describe this as a fun adventure fantasy, I do think the devastation shown through colonization was very bleak, yet all too real, which gave the story an additional layer of depth.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this one, and I look forward to checking out the sequel.

An exciting YA fantasy set in a richly imagined world of magic and danger. There are a lot of themes in this book: family, patriotism, social (un)justice, love, just what do you do when beliefs you've held all your life are challenged. and will you make a stand when your life and others are at risk if you do so? It makes for a strong story.

I particularly liked the growth of characters. Some made me frustrated with how blind they could be even when you liked a character over all. But that is very realistic. The writer has been able to create characters who aren't just stereotypes but are complicated.

But that's not to say there isn't plenty of interesting magic and adventure too. The book ends in a good place but the adventure is not over. Danger and action are still to come I'm sure in a future book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

Spice Road follows seventeen-year-old Imani, a shield for the hidden city of Qalia, and has an affinity for iron awakened by drinking the Misra tea. Her accomplishments and family name has been tarnished by her brother, who was discovered to be stealing Misra, the nation’s coveted spice, disappearing soon after thought to have died beyond the Forbidden wastes. When Imani uncovers hidden evidence that her brother may be alive and spreading Qalia’s magic to outsiders, she goes on a journey to bring her brother back before he spills all of the nation’s secrets alongside two unlikely allies: Taha, a powerful beastseer, and Qayn, a mysterious djinni.

Spice Road is the start of a new and upcoming Arabian-inspired new young adult fantasy trilogy. Arabian and Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy worlds are some of my favorites to read, so I absolutely fell in love with the worldbuilding. The worldbuilding was so detailed and vivid allowing me to visualize the setting as the story progressed. The magic system was intriguing, combining magic with tea as a way to activate a user’s affinities. With Spice Road being the first in a new trilogy, hints and teases are dropped as a taste of what’s to come in terms of the magic system.

Our story follows Imani, a determined and headstrong protagonist who acts as a shield and soldier for the hidden kingdom of Qalia. Ibrahim does a brilliant job with Imani’s character development as Imani struggles to question everything she’s been told her whole life. She starts off the story as stubborn, unwilling to change but once she’s revealed to the world outside her own, she grows and changes. Imani’s journey to bring back her brother to Qalia pushes her to confront the change in her life while allowing her to see the privilege she’s had in Qalia and that she’s not so different from the outsiders.

Spice Road does an incredible job of exploring themes of colonialism and family, which can be seen directly in Imani’s story. The themes of family dynamics are done well as we as the readers see Imani and her sister’s interactions with their differing perspectives regarding their brother. Imani’s journey of learning that the outsiders are not so different from herself allows readers to ponder the question that even if you aren’t experiencing oppression yourself, does that mean you should do nothing or take a stand against said oppression?

While Imani was the star of this story, Taha was a very intriguing character often acting as a foil to Imani’s character creating an interesting dynamic between the two. Taha has the potential to be a quite complex character in future installments as he grapples with his internal struggles with a difficult past, conflicting relationships, and loyalties.

The plot behind Spice Road was captivating, feeling like something new and different from other young adult fantasies. While the pacing towards the beginning of Spice Road leaned more towards the slower side, it quickly picked up as the story gets further into the plot and the readers begin to learn of Imani’s ignorance of the world.

Spice Road is perfect for readers looking for an Arabian-inspired young adult fantasy series that emphasizes themes of colonialism and family while providing compelling character dynamics.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Deep in the desert sands there's a place with magic called Qalia. Those who drink the misra tea awaken the abilities inside of them. This city is a secret to all outsiders and Imani is a Shield who works tirelessly to keep her city safe from monsters and outsiders. Imani is working her way to becoming a powerful shield when her reputation is shadowed by her older brothers traitorous stealing of the misra. After he disappears, Imani and her family believe him to be dead. But she soon finds clues that her brother is alive and outside of Qalia. She makes a deal with the Council to take a team to the outside lands to find her brother and return for him to be punished. But there's more than she bargained for beyond the wastes.

This book had such an intricate magic system that was so interesting to read about. Imani and her fellow shields all had different abilities that led to them being important to the mission. With a shield who can use falcons to see from high above, the ability to manipulate the ground, the ability to become a lion, and being able to connect with a blade; the magic system is so much fun to read! The characters were also interesting enough to keep the story moving and they made you care about them enough to see the story to the end. The only issue that I came to in the book was pacing. The action in the story was very spaced out so I found the middle chunk hard to read and I was skimming sections. The inner turmoil that Imani is going through became the forefront and it no longer felt like a fast paced fantasy, but a character driven narration. This might be something that others enjoy if they like that huge character growth, but I felt that it detracted my attention from the high stakes. The inclusion of a society that is being taken over by an outside entity that driven to manipulate and profit off of the spice trade really felt powerful and I think that the next book in this series will really dive into the powers at play with a conquering superpower. I know that the story that we had in this book will build into that and I'm excited to see it play out.

All in all, this book was an enjoyable and fun read about a secret magical city within an area of great turmoil. I can't wait to continue this series.

I did like the concept with the magic going on here plus the worldbuilding made the book a fascinating read.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Spice Road, Maiya Ibrahaim's debut novel, introduces us to a Middle-Eastern-inspired land in which the residents possesses a special type of magic that is unlocked through tea made from a sacred tree that was gifted to them in return for pledging an oath to fight against the evil monsters and spirits they encounter. Imani is one such individual who discovers that there may be more to the world outside her region than she was led to believe; this challenge to her world-view is the bases of the entire book - one that not entirely successful in my opinion.

There are some intriguing elements in the book - enemies who might be more trustworthy than originally thought, the different types of magic possessed by various individuals, even the fact that the taste and the aroma of the tea changes depending on the individual drinking it and their present mood or outlook on life at the moment. However, while the plot is promising, the execution is where things fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with most of the characters, and because almost the entire first half of the book is spent traveling, the pace of the storyline felt like it was dragging.

The manner in which the book ended sets up the continuation of the story into the next book in the trilogy, but since I was not especially emotionally invested in the characters or their goals, I am uncertain whether or not I will join their journey when it resumes in the second book.

From my blog post: I think I’ve been obsessed with this book since I saw the cover and then fell deeper in love as I got into the story. There are various types of magic in this story but how it is accessed is what adds another layer to it. Along with the magic and mythical creatures, there’s lots of trouble to both get into and out of with twists you very well may not see coming (if you can catch me a little off guard, then that’s an accomplishment). I also really enjoyed the banter in this story and the development & break down of relationships. For me, this story read like a movie and I think the world would be at a disservice if it is not adapted for the screen in some way. I also can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Maiya Ibrahim is a genius - who else could combine tea and magic into one. Spice road is an epic book with mesmerizing world building. It starts off with the 17 year old Imani heading out to protect her beloved desert city and bring back her older brother who has been accused of theft of magic. Imani is the best Shield there is in her city- trained to protect her city from djinns, ghouls and all kinds of monsters. The book traces her journey to the outside world without magic and her own coming of age with concepts of justice and humanity. If I can make a comparison without sounding like a crazy fan, it is that Maiya has woven a “Black Panther” for the Muslim fantasy world! And I cannot stop re-reading this beautiful book.

This book is magical, full of love, strife and electrical romantic moments. What more could you ask for? The plot is engaging from page one of the book which makes the reading journey so enjoyable. The story without giving away the plot revolves around sibling love, magical creatures from Arabian and south Asian folklore and an entire magical universe.

This story makes us question- do we believe in fairness and humanity only in relation to "us vs others" OR do we believe in fairness and humanity for all. Very rarely does a story make you question your worldviews as well as enjoy reading non-stop.

This is definitely one of those books that is more teen than adult friendly. It's very quickly paced, but because we're constantly moving from one plot point to the other, our characters don't really get a ton of development outside of our mc, Imari. Imari's development is basically "realizes she has an insane amount of privaledge" and was frustrating to read, though it's something that I went through at that age as well (so again, I think this is just a matter of me not being the target audience). She makes a bunch of silly decisions and I didn't really love her as a character. There's some romance, but that's also pretty cliche and eye-roll inducing. The real miss here for me was the change to do a bunch of worldbuilding - middle eastern mythology is really rich and outside of the barely explained tea magic, all we get are djinnis.

TLDR: This book was not for me, but I think teens, the target audience, will likely like it! Hand it to fans of We Hunt the Flame.

2 stars - it was ok

While I wanted to like this I found the plot, world building and characters something that I was not a fan of and not something I would pick up again.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishers for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book did not disappoint!! I knew before I read it that I would like, the premise of the story intrigued me, but now I sit here in love with the story and the characters. Filled with action from the beginning, magic, monsters, and an unjust society, we are delved into the world of Sahir.

Every page turn I could feel the sand on me, the beating of the sun, the panic, the pain, and the anxiety as Imani faces the possibilities that her brother may be alive, and what she will need to sacrifice if she wants to bring him back.

I have to say my favourite character is definitely a certain djinni we are introduced to, and I love him so much with his dark and conniving personality.

Spice Road was exquisitely beautiful, as each place we arrived to was described, from the tea ceremony of misra, to the journey across the sands, and the injustice that is brought to the people that are outsiders.

I am eagerly now waiting for book 2.

Amazing and spellbinding Middle Eastern inspired fantasy featuring enemies to lovers romance, complex sibling dynamics, and captivating fantastical elements. I adored this start to what I'm sure will be an epic fantasy series!

DNF @ 25%
What I liked: the setting of the town hidden in the desert by magic, & the tea magic
What I didn't like:
The author spent too much time telling us how amazing of a warrior Imani was, yet we never saw it and Imani came across as very naive and unlikable, and while I often enjoy unlikable narrators, Imani was just annoying. Had this been in 3rd person or dual POV, it might have worked well, but because it was first person, I found reading it not enjoyable.
The fact that much of this book is traveling was unfortunate, because very little was happening.
Last but not least, much of the conversations felt cheesy and a bit awkward. However, this is a young adult book, and teen reader probably wouldn't feel the same about the dialogue.

“Everyone hates and distrusts what is unfamiliar to them.”

This quote is perhaps one of the most noticeable driving forces of the plot of Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. The first installment of this new series follows Imani, a young woman who is searching for her missing brother. As she embarks on her adventure she discovers the truth about how others view her based on her family’s standing in her community, and is faced to confront how she views others. There is also a heavy theme of colonialism and how it affects an entire race of people.

I absolutely loved the plot and flow of the book. It builds a beautiful and intriguing world without slowing the plot, and the use of magic is unique without being overpowering. The focus is the plot, although there are some romantic aspects to the story that will likely be explored in the sequels. Imani’s search for her brother and her journey also sets up the series’ larger plot in an organic and natural way, and I will be anxiously awaiting book two.

“Not all who are bad are bad the whole way through.”

The characters in this book were fascinating in many ways. The author makes use of labeling them a certain way when introducing a character, and throughout the book their flaws and strengths are explored and show how people are more than their labels.

I especially loved how Imani, our main protagonist, is described as being the best with a blade, and the best Shield, yet, when faced with the world outside the protective bubble of her home, Qalia, she quickly finds herself faced with her own flaws. She is often fearful and somewhat naive, and this leads her to make mistakes that are uncharacteristic of her label. There is so much room for growth for her character that I can not wait to see where the author takes her in the next book.

Overall I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. The romance is very mild so there is no spice, but the potential for romance in future books is very strong. If you love a good fantasy adventure, I highly recommend this book.

2.5 ⭐ rounded up

I was really excited about this book. The premise sounded great and it was a type of magic system I'd never heard of before. It sounded like it could be similar to The Stardust Thief, which I loved.

Unfortunately, pacing was not this book's friend at all. It was pretty slow in the beginning. The journey to Alqibah dragged on longer than it needed to but it did help you get to know some of the characters and watch them develop. The amount of time they were traveling through the desert was an issue though because I forgot Imani was even bound to a djinni for a while. She didn't talk to him much on the trip due to circumstance but I mean Qayn was honestly the only interesting character. Shelving him for so long wasn't the best plot choice.

The entire first half of the book was just the journey to Alqibah. That's way too much dedicated to one task when there's so much more to accomplish still. Then, shortly after they got there, we got a big info-dump to explain the politics of the surrounding areas.

Character-wise, I had a hard time believing that Imani could possibly be as ignorant to poverty as she is. How is she the only one in their entire group, her sister included, who is unaware of the struggles of others?

Also, Taha'a character was not likeable at all. Does he hate Imani and want to kill her or is he flirting with her? It feels like you're supposed to think he's having some big internal conflict about his feelings for her but it really wasn't done well. It was just so hot and cold that if he really is meant to be the love interest in the end, I'd have a very hard time buying the relationship after everything he's done.

Overall, this in no way needed to be as long as it was and really could have used more editing to move the plot along. Aaannd more Qayn because he really is the best part.

This arc was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim, 464 pages. Delacorte Press, 2023. $20.
Language: R (27 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Sahirans keep to themselves in the desert, protecting their magic and their people from the monsters in the surrounding area and the people beyond. Imani (17yo) is part of the Shields, like her older brother before he went missing a year ago. She’s given up on him for dead, but Amira hasn’t. And Amira might be right after all.
I had a difficult time reading Imani’s story because Imani felt more like an antagonist than a protagonist – she’s arrogant and selfish. When Imani went on her mission, she faced obstacles that continually cut her down, which meant I was watching an unlikable character fail over and over again. I didn’t find any enjoyment in that. Eventually, Imani started to change due to her character arc, but she still made choices I couldn’t relate with. I started enjoying the book three-fourths of the way in, but I can’t decide whether or not I’m willing to read a sequel. The magic system is cool, and it seems like there will be more of it to come; that’s the biggest draw for me.
The majority of characters, including Imani and her family and Taha, are either described as having “tawny” or “brown” skin or else are implied so. When White characters are introduced, it’s as outsiders. The mature content rating is for partial nudity, mentions of alcohol, and sexual assault. The violence rating is for weapon use, mention of suicide, fantasy violence, hanging, mentions of murder, and descriptions of corpses.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A very fresh and different fantasy novel, Ibrahim is definitely a rising voice in this space and this book is going to land on a lot of top 10 books for the year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Young Adult with super minimal romance (I did receive and ARC for my review)

The main plot is VERY politically driven. The main characters live in a magical society away from the rest of the world (purposely secluded). They get their magic from a special tea that they have to drink daily to maintain their gifts. Each person's gifts are specific to them even though they all drink the same tea. 

The mention of familial hierarchy throughout the entire first half of the book happens A LOT. This isn't usually my "cup of tea" but the magic and the djinn makes it interesting. The main character, Imani, is fairly annoying in the beginning with her whole "I'm better and my family's better than you" mentality. She basically looks down on the rest of her traveling companions and doesn't understand why they aren't groveling at her feet. I will say there is some character development for Imani but there's still a lot to be desired by the end of the book. (but there's very obviously going to be more books)

There was a part that surprised me about the main male character Taha...and the ending had a nice little twist. While this book didn't have my most favorite tropes, I did enjoy it and would likely read the next one. 

So main points: 
- Political Hierarchy- Magic- Djinn- Love Triangle (ish)- Prison Break- Secluded Society- War

I absolutely loved this book! The plot was really strong and the way the story developed was just the perfect balance of adventure and magic. It has all the elements of a perfect fantasy novel.
I loved watching Imani's character development throughout the story and I really enjoyed the flow of the writing. The author is very talented and I can't wait to read more books by her!
Thank you netgalley for the eARC!

this book, THIS BOOK!!!
it was literally everything i wanted and MORE!! like no matter what, i couldn't predict what would happen next, and it just had my head SPINNING, i literally couldn't breathe, couldn't put the book down AT ALL!! i could go on and on about how much i adored this book and how much i hated that it ended because i need book 2 like NOW, but let me give you a few bullet points of everything i loved:
• fast paced
• amazing worldbuilding
• TEA MAGIC
• enemies to ???? to enemies
• important themes
• middle eastern inspired
• monsters and djinni
• strong family bonds
• plot twists upon plot twists
• political intrigue
• love, loss, betrayals, pain, complications
• road-trip vibes
• well written characters
• a fallen king
• morally grey characters

i could never praise this book enough!!!