This is a book about the badass women of the Asian steps, who fought as warriors alongside their men. Their nomadic lifestyle and traditions which honored matriarchal rule, was developed from legends of Amazonian women and recent archeological discoveries in Central Asia.
This story follows the emotional journey of Akmaral, a fine young warrior, who encounters the rigors of warrior training, the jealousy of a clan rival, a passionate tragic love affair with an enslaved rival, and her own battle to find peace with making war.
This book reminded me a bit of The Clan of the Cave Bear series, but on steroids and in a shorter format.

Thank you to Netgalley, Regal Hpuse Publishing, and Judith Lindbergh for my egalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my review!

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The premise is intriguing with a strong female warrior similar to the Amazons. I was pretty disappointed that Akmaral's character development fell a bit flat. While the setting was phenomenal and the prose kept you engaged it just seemed as if her character fell to the wayside. She starts off a fierce warrior and then she gets diminished and shuffled to the background in favor of the male characters in the story which happens to most women even in today's society. The ending redeemed the story a little bit and gave Akmaral's character arc a satisfying ending. I wish that she had been more of the fierce leader that I thought she was going to be in the book's description. While the characters felt a little flat the descriptions of the steppe and their lands felt so vivid. It was easy to imagine that you were right there beside the characters and it helped to ground you in the story.

Akmaral was a slow burn. Not necessarily in a bad way, you just needed patience at times. Akmaral is a woman, warrior, mother, and leader struggling to find balance between peace and war (both figuratively and literally) to protect her people, and herself. While her ability to achieve so much is inspiring, her story was also unfortunate and sad. While some may find it difficult to connect with some of the characters, I almost felt it was at times intentional. Contextually, that just wasn't how things were. Even Akmaral acknowledges that; you are not meant to show your children a lot of affection, couples often joined out of duty/obligation/tradition rather than love, and open emotion/friendship was frowned upon at times. We aren't always meant to grow attached to the characters, just as Akmaral was never meant to. People live, they serve, and they die. I found Akmaral and Erzhan to be the characters with the most depth, though I wished we had gotten a bit deeper into Timor's character. I've got to commend Judith Lindbergh for all of the time/effort/energy I imagine went into the research behind this book. It is easy for us to tell stories of that which we are familiar or well versed, but to touch on something largely unknown to the majority and do it well is impressive. As with most historical fiction type novels I read, I always wind up very curious as to how much truth/accuracy there is to the stories being told. To be left with that lingering curiosity, I feel, is part of the author's success in writing the novel; to get someone to pay attention to and give credit to that which otherwise would have went unknown. In works like this, cultures get to live on. Overall I gave this book 4/5 stars, a very solid read but lacked some character development and did seem to skim over things at some times.

I loved the history behind Akmaral- non-Western history is finally being explored more in-depth, both in fiction and non-fiction, and these are complex, heartbreaking, and beautiful stories that need to be told. Being immersed in this period in the Asian steppes was a true delight- it is such a rich setting the contributed so much to the story. And Lindbergh's writing truly brings it to life.

I found the pacing of the book to be on the slower side; I think that with a little bit of trimming, it would be a much tighter story.

Akmaral is an amazing story of a woman who trying to protect her nomadic matriarchal tribe as warrior and also queen. Take set at Central Asia the 5th century BCE, author successfully bring readers to long journey of this amazing woman.

I love the writing style. The prose rich but not overly descriptive. It is easy to access even for readers who not usually read from historical fiction genre. This book is captivating and make me care of Akmaral personal growth from children become skillfully leader.

This is type of book we should read at least one in our life. So inspiring, rich with details imagination and enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 7 May 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review.

Review Summary:
This is a historical fiction following the Sauromatae, a nomadic group descended from the Amazons. We meet the main character, Akmaral, as a young girl with only vague memories of a terrible tragedy she witnessed as a child. There are also even murkier memories of an encounter with a priestess in which Akmaral is foreseen in a prophecy as the 'flying deer', a prophecy forever materialised in the deer pendant she wears around her neck. We follow Akmaral as she comes of age, and in her tribe must prove herself as a formidable warrior and protector of her people before she can find love and start a family, as her tribes tradition dictates. All the while Akmaral finds herself intrigued by spiritual sights and experiences but especially the exiled dark priestess who lingers on the outskirts of the group, much to the dismay of the light priestess and matriarchs. The story follows Akmaral and her peers try to live up to the expectations of their tribe and their Gods and find their resolve tested by love, fear and ambition when they encounter the enemy Scythians and their relatives.
Positives are that the author has clearly put their heart and soul into this story. The amount of research, which the author confesses to be frustratingly elusive, put into the novel is evident and I admire the effort to theorize any knowledge gaps by comparing with contemporary cultures and traditions descended from the region. The world-building was strong and I think it's impressive to bring to life a world we realistically know very little about. I felt immersed throughout. The writing was emotive with some strong characters.
Negatives are that the romance storylines could have been a little more developed. Certain scenes, namely those involving the more spiritual elements of the story, felt difficult to follow sometimes. While there were definitely some strong characters in the story some could have benefited from some more distinction in their personalities and dialogue. The storyline is a slow burn but the climax felt rushed, with a somewhat predictable plot twist.

4 stars. A testamant to the author's dedication to their research and bringing a forgotten, mysterious world to life. The prose was consistently excellent and a comfortable read, with natural dialogue. The friendships and rivalries are convincing, however I felt the romance element had flashes of greatness but fell a little short for me. The last quarter of the book, which arguably could have been the most interesting, felt more rushed with a somewhat abrupt ending.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS.

World-building:
Trying to develop a world for a constantly travelling nomadic tribe, with no single settlement, was always going to be a challenge. But the author manages it. I felt truly immersed in the character's traditions, beliefs and rituals. I adored the references to artefacts that have been found in real life and their incorporation into the story. You could really feel the character's desperation to appease their Gods, through rituals and rites of passage. It was fascinating to read about a more matriarchal structure of a society during a time where patriarchy reared its ugly head, with both men and women having to prove themselves in battle as soon as they come of age. We learn about the resources they had, their migration to the most fertile steppes for their herds and their resilience through harsh terrains and climates. Times of celebration and fun such as the games the tribes had for courting were sweet. The different roles amongst the tribe too and the kinship with other Sauromatae tribes they encountered during their migrations. I wish the spiritual aspects of the story, namely those while characters are under the influence of the 'black seeds', had been a little clearer as I found myself not really understanding the symbolism of certain things and the significance of it. Even after reading I still don't really understand the 'flying deer' prophecy.

Characterisation:
For me, the strongest character was actually the antagonist come deuteragonist Erzhan. His dialogue, his values and beliefs, his ambition and his loyalty are all clear cut and indisputable. His development from the start to the end of the book is the most interesting of all the characters. His relationship with Akmaral and the evolution of it was really interesting too. I feel Akmaral needed a little more of Erzhan's detailing, which was a shame as she was the main character. This is especially true towards the end of the book, when her role in the tribe is at its peak significance. I didn't really feel her growth was expressed an awful lot through her, rather I was just being told what she was doing and achieving. It would have been nice to have seen it more in her dialogue and interactions with others. Akmaral and Timor's relationship was my biggest frustration. At the beginning I was so excited, their scenes while Akmaral oversees Timor and his friends had some genuine tension, excitement and angst. But beyond that point it fell into the 'being told rather than being shown' trap again. There would be mentions of Akmaral and Timor's laughter, brightness and Timor's gentleness... but there wouldn't be any scenes to show any of this such as conversations where we see this humour and this closeness. So I found it quite difficult to invest myself in them because I felt I wasn't seeing an awful lot of their positive connection, just the negative. Therefore when the issues between them reached their peak I found it difficult to rekindle that feeling of anxiousness because, well, I didn't like him much anymore. Erzhan and Timor's relationship was a surprising source of this, though. I found Akmaral's connection with Marjan more palpable and heartfelt, and Marjan's angst with her lover.

Story:
The majority of the story is following the tribe's migration, so there is some repetition of the travelling and settling and traversing the steppes. However there are plenty of scenes with action, battles and politics. Amongst that we have friendships, romance and family storylines. This book has plenty of betrayal, tragedy and heartbreak.

Prose:
Beautiful, but as mentioned some scenes felt a little unclear and hard to immerse myself or make sense of what was going on, mostly the more spiritual experiences. This was probably intentional to some extent as it is while characters are under the influence of psychoactive substances so everything will be pretty hazy. but I found myself scan reading the scenes. In the same vein I found the scene of Akmaral and the boar confusing because the character placement/positioning was a little off. I found myself asking how Akmaral 'ended up here or there when they were supposedly caught there'.

This was a wonderfully researched novel with a fascinating setting, and I would love to give it five stars, if I didn't have the two big gripes that I have.

For one, the pacing:
Akmaral is a very slow paced book. That itself isn't anything bad, it's just slow in the wrong places. We spend a lot of pages and a good part of the wordcount on both Akmarals childhood and her time with Timor. And then we skip through ten years of Akmarals life in about five pages, and let me tell you, I would've cared much more about those ten years than a single word on Timor in the first half.
The whole "find her strength to defend her people and find her destiny" bit from the blurb is really quickly glossed over in the last third, where she just suddenly found her destiny and her people are defended, and we see barely anything on it. Instead, we spend a long while with Timor, who I couldn't form a connection to at all. Not because he was an unlikeable character, but because he didn't feel like a real person at all. So, it took me forever to get through to the 60% mark, and until then I considered dropping it, because the book did not spark joy.

My second gripe is Akmaral herself.
She's a cool main character, with her history and her destiny and all that jazz, but she is an extremely passive person for the most part. Things happen to her, and she never really took action until the last bit. Until the "find her destiny" bit, that, as I mentioned, only happened in the last third of the book, she really is just not a strong character at all, and I thought that was a petty. I would've loved if she had taken matters in her own hands way earlier, became a main player sooner, but she didn't.


Otherwise, this was a deeply fascinating book to read. It's well researched, and gives a deep understanding of the way Akmaral's people lived and breathed. And you all know I love books that also help me become a history buff. But unfortunately, despite those stellar points, the pacing just kept me from enjoying the book more.
I loved the last third of the book, and the finale would've been wonderful, if it hadn't been so rushed.


@Regal House Publishing and NetGalley: Thank you for this ARC!

This book, Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh, is a great novel about a time and place back in the ancient past. A story that begins with Amazon clans at war with the Greeks. The Greeks won and tried to enslave the Amazons, however the Amazons rose up and defeated the Greeks. This story continues about the life of the Amazon culture, and a woman named Akmaral. Very interesting story with great plot and characters. I give this book 5 stars, highly recommended.

I am so fascinated by women warriors and a book with a strong and powerful woman as the central character. The blurb of this book seemed really promising, the setting intriguing. The writing is also good but sadly I couldn't connect with the character and the storytelling. The story is told in an old fashioned way. Too much of telling.

We are told that Akmaral is strong but I didn't see that in her personality, her dialogues etc. The incidents/situations, chapter by chapter, didn't seem very interesting. ‘What next’ factor was missing and I didn't want to know what happened next.

Thank you for the review copy, sadly it didn't work for me.

“The evidence lies in Kurgan mounds, the countless burials that dot the Central Asian steppes…women warriors lie at rest beside their daggers, swords…their thighs bowed from lives spent on horseback, their bones betraying battle injuries.” Author Judith Lindbergh creates life lived by a Sauromatae female warrior, a member of a matriarchal, nomadic tribe.

“The Kara Kam foretold that I would be important…she sang strange chants…sprinkled small black seeds over her smoldering fire…steamed…koumiss, the intoxicating drink…bring[ing] us closer to our ancestors.”

The Sauromatae tribe moved with the seasons, seeking grasslands for their herds, always mindful of possible enemy raids. From an early age, Akmaral was taught that “a warrior does not cry out…no matter what.” She was embraced by a new aul upon the death of her parents. She watched girls practicing weaponry and learning to hunt. Ten year old Akmaral rode with the hunters, her arrow nocked. She learned that “Death comes riding when a warrior falters.” Akmaral was stunned by the jealousy displayed by male warrior Erzhan, furious that her weaponry expertise was second to none.

Akmaral observed others becoming ana-women. Only upon birthing a child, would a female’s role change to child protector and be exempt from battle. A warrior could not take a lover unless she proved her fighting worth. After a first kill, she could mate. Erzhan, her nemesis and occasional confidant, desired her.

As battles and raids continued, she begged for the life of a captured outsider, a choice that would have repercussions. The well entrenched matriarchal society would be tested. For a time, patriarchy would override the pre-existing mores. Would the prophecy of Akmaral’s importance create community and the return to matriarchy?

Author Lindbergh’s extensive research was evident in her depiction of a strong-minded, determined female Sauromatae warrior. The glossary allowed the reader to truly understand customs and traditions, including offerings to Targitai, the war god. The Scythians, their arch enemy, was always in their purview.

Life on the Central Asian steppes in the 5th century BCE was wrought with hardship, hunger and death. “We are warriors. We are already meant to die.” The Scythians would continue to come and challenge their existence. Akmaral’s vulnerability created mistakes, some of a great magnitude, however leadership could occur only after lessons learned and strategic adjustments made.

Highly recommended.

Thank you Regal House Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I love historical fiction and the author did such justice with this one. Bringing to life Akmaral from childhood to the end of her life. I would love to read more of Ms. Lindbergh’s works. I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys historical fiction.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review

Note: I received a free digital copy of Akmaral through Net Galley to read and review.

Akmaral is a sweeping adventure novel of historical fiction set in almost prehistoric days in a part of the world seldom used by novelists as background for an epic tale. As set forth in the author’s prologue, the story begins with the Amazon clans of the eastern Mediterranean werer defeated in war by the Greeks, enslaved and set on boats back to the Greek isles, there to be enslaved. But after somehow rising up against heir captors, took over the sailing ships, knowing nothing about sailing the seas, managed to beach the ships and survivors an a shore of the vast eastern plains we call the steppes of Central Asia.. There they made their homes.
Ma. Lindbergh’s story is of a like of Akmaral from the days of her young life through her rise to the leadership of her clans. Doing this provides the author with the opportunity to develop a world of Hunter- gatherers, living in felt and skin yurts in a arid land.The heroine Akmaral strives to earn her place in her band of woman warriors , gaining experience and respect that, guided by her teacher of lore and tradition, provides her with the ability to conquer the harsh world in which she lives.
The author’s ability to build and describe the novel’s novel world is excellent, as are the characters in that world. It is quite an amazing effort , giving the reader a look into another ancient land besides Egypt , Rome or Greece.
Akmaral is not a “feminist”novel, but. Very good hidstorical fiction and certainly worth reading

Love the writing style and the atmosphere of the book is so vivid. One of my favourite quotes from this book is "A Warrior is not alone, Akmaral. She is accompanied always by those who have gone before her." I love all the women warriors, it's so cool.

Akmaral
By Judith Lindburgh

This is the story of Akmaral, an orphan who lived in the Central Asian steppes in the 5th century BCE. Akmaral, in this story, is a warrior much like the Amazons, who were reputed to have come from this same area, according to legend and ancient writings.

But Akmaral is much more than a warrior. She is a leader of her people, almost a priestess. In this story she leads her people away from the constant internecine fighting to a position of peace and strength in numbers. The Sauromataes, as her people were known historically, were probably the source of the Amazon myth.

This is a novel, but it is based in large part on what archeologists have discovered in this area. Death mounds have been discovered in which the warriors buried with great honor were most certainly women. And the Scythians who were the "enemy" did indeed thrive to the west of the Sauromatae. While not much is known about the gods the Sauromatae worshipped, it is known that the peoples of the steppes worshipped multiple deities.

I was fascinated by this book and all the history that I had not previously known much about. For history buffs, this is a must read.

Akmaral is a wonderful book. I was instantly hooked. The author did a lot of research to make the story very rich in details. It was interesting to read about a warrior woman, and how their lives might have been. This was a pleasant diversion from the endless WWII novels.

"For most of us, it does not last long-this life. A warrior's death always comes early. Yet mine has lasted long enough, longer than I would have thought"- Akmaral

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Possible triggers (this is not a complete list): murder, murder of an infant (on page), animal sacrifice, hunting animals, violence, enslavement, and mention/threats of murdering a child. 

Spice/steamy scale: 0-5, I give it a 2
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Akmaral has an essence similar to nature. It's a wild, brutal, beautiful and magical thing. 

Akmaral took me by surprise. I like it and I still feel it linger in my mind. I was captivated by the world Lindbergh created. The writing felt like poetry. Akmaral was a fascinating and somewhat emotional read. 

I was engrossed in Akmaral's life, watching her become a warrior, then a mother, and then a warrior again but with the heart of a mother. She was an interesting character, strong of spirit and body. All the characters in this book are interesting though. They are complex, each with their own beliefs, agendas and values. 

While it was a great read, there were some things I wish were different or disliked. I hated reading about the death of that infant. I did want more personal scenes and interactions with the characters. And I'm not exactly satisfied with what happened regarding Akmaral's son. 

I recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction, books with a strong female main character and don't mind some brutality. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

When a tale is worthy of praise we talk about its plot, its characters. When a prose is eloquent, we talk about the use of language.
Akmaral does them both well. Very well. You will feels the social themes represented through this tale deeply in your soul, question the kind of society that could be and that is and come to appreciate the character that has lived through them all.

Akmaral is the story of a woman that grew up in a Amazonion type of matriarchal society in central Asia. Her growth and understanding of her society, through her experiences at different age makes for a heart tearing and stifling experience for the readers as well.

Live in an Asian culture myself, it was an emotional experience to connect with such a possibility of the past.

I do love a story set in a distant past in a distant place. This particular novel is based on archeological finds and tells the story of a woman warrior. For part of it I loved it, for part of it I just liked it. It ended up somewhere inbetween.

I think the first half of the book is very strong. We follow Akmaral as she grows from a girl into a woman, experiences first kills and first loves. She feels very human, even if some of her actions are somewhat questionable. I was fully invested in her story.

As the novel went on I lost a bit of my connection with Akmaral. The narrative was still centred around her, but now I felt like I was kept at arm’s length. Maybe this was deliberate, so that as Akmaral gets further from her old self, the reader feels further away as well? Or, more likely, it is probably just me.

I do think this is an interesting story and I would definitely recommend it, but it left me feeling a little bit frustrated in the latter half. It did have an ending I liked, but again, I felt removed from it. Having said that, as I finished it I was happy to have read this novel and overall I enjoyed it.

Imagine a time, far distant from living memory, when nomadic clans roamed the vast grasslands of central Asia. They derive strength from the animals they rely upon for nourishment and transport, from their devout religious beliefs, and from the tight unity of their clans, in which their training as warriors in defense of their people is deeply engrained from birth. Then imagine that many of these warriors are women, fighting with their clan alongside the men.

This is the world of Judith Lindbergh’s Akmaral, a saga both lyrical and fierce that evokes the spirit of its heroine, a woman of the Sauromatae in the 5th century BCE, who unspools her story as her own life draws to a close. “I do not like battle,” she says. “Only know that a show of strength is required to keep the peace.” The Sauromatae were documented by Herodotus, and may have given rise to the legends of the Amazons.

By the time of her impending death, Akmaral has united many wandering clans into a large confederacy which claimed her as its leader, although she never sought power for herself. Her narrative, rooted in conflict and betrayal, effectively establishes its theme of the struggle for balance amid opposing forces. These tensions play out at different levels: the wars between the Sauromatae and the Scythians and their allies, who conduct raids against peaceful camps; the encroachment of the patriarchy on matriarchal culture; and individuals’ internal battles on whether to conform or rebel. Yet the story also exudes amazing beauty, as shown through its poetic writing and images of the verdant steppes through the seasons.

Akmaral, orphaned as a child, grows up believing, as an exiled older priestess told her parents, that she is destined for greatness. Like all young women, she learns the techniques of fighting on horseback, attracting the enmity and desire of Erzhan, a male warrior. Her aul (clan) takes three enemy captives following a brutal raid, and Akmaral feels drawn to one of them – a silent, fair-haired prisoner called Timor. Her decision to take him as a lover spurs dramatic changes within their society.

These were ruthless times, and Lindbergh shows how the Sauromatian culture makes the continuity of life dependent on violence. This is poignantly personified through the story of Marjan, Akmaral’s friend, a young woman desperately in love who isn’t allowed to take a lover and bear a child until she kills another man. The descriptive passages and insightful characterizations make this a novel to read slowly rather than rush through. And although Akmaral tells a story of war, it’s not a typical one, since it’s layered with the insights of a influential woman with tender vulnerabilities and self-doubts – qualities that ultimately make her story and life all the more heroic.

This book is a masterpiece to say the least. Lindbergh really nailed bringing this book to life with descriptive character and world building. This book is one of the first historical fictions that I truly fell in love with. At first I had my doubts but I am beyond happy that I took the dive. I love that we see Akmaral life from child to adult and everything in between. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for providing an ARC ebook.