A dazzling landscape of warrior women on horses — the Sauromatae serving the war god Targitai — and ana-women (childbearing women) in yurts. it's about making artwork of deer, it's about the magic of turning into birds, in a land where death is a returning home, even if "you cannot go back." Physical and spiritual. About social bonds, prediction, doubt, and courage.

Akmaral is one of the most spellbinding, distinctive, and impactful books I’ve ever read. Judith Lindbergh brings to life the ancient world of the Central Asian Steppe in 5th century BCE through a woman named Akmaral who becomes the leader of her nomadic, matriarchal tribe, the Sauromatae. Readers follow the arc of Akmaral’s life from vulnerability to power, from orphaned child to trainee, from murderous warrior to disarmed lover, from cutthroat slayer to a remorseful and insightful visionary. History, legend, and the mystical dream world converge in a book that is both a love story, an adventure story, and a sweeping universe of battles and conquests. This tour de force of a book never failed to captivate me. The atmosphere Lindbergh evokes is rich in detail, evocative, raw, brutal, and very authentic in feel. I appreciated the author’s stunning prose and strong imagery. Her sentences are beautifully crafted. Akmaral is a worthy comparison to Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, which also presents the difficulties and heartbreaks of a strong female protagonist in an ancient culture. Readers who have enjoyed Madeline Miller’s Circe will also relish this novel.

An amazing story of a warrior woman trying to protect her tribe in times so long ago, it might have been real. The author clearly states in the afterward that this is a work of fiction and that she has borrowed many elements from the Mongolian lifestyle, but I wish she had borrowed less. While I understand there are trends and human nomads tend to live similar lifestyles across the globe, the Mongolian elements like the kumiss and the mention of the tall Mongolian headdress for a female leader left me disjointed coming from the Iranian plateau.

Akmaral may be one of the most fascinating warriors in literature…. Written with a wild poetry, the author brings to life a strong woman and her unforgettable story amid stark cliffs and green pastures. Akmaral is pure literary magic.