I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Very complex characters and the setting was wonderful. Thank you

I enjoyed my journey of this storyline it was entertaining and well worth reading. The characters are engaging and kept me turning the pages.

DNF @ 28% / page 100.

Lystra was due to wed the king of Istanolde, Cormek until he dies in a war and his older brother Elerek is next in line. Elerek then sets to wed Lystra to unite the clans of the kingdom to help fight the ongoing war. Unbeknown to Lystra, Elerek also has a curse in which if anyone was to touch him they die by combusting into water.

On paper I should have loved this but there were a few things that I didn't like and so ultimately decided to DNF.

Before reading the story I noticed there was a novella prequel that I read and rated 4 stars. The novella was fun and fast paced and introduced King Cormek and one of Lystra's cardants Ghira (which is like a reptile horse) and I fell in love with both characters and couldn't wait to see more of them. At the start of this story Cormek and Ghira die off page within the first couple of pages.... We also get to briefly meet Elerek, who I immediately disliked and we get his POV in this story.

I found the story slow paced compared to the novella and the writing very descriptive. I found myself having to look up the meanings of words often, that I never normally have to do, and felt like the author had a thesaurus and purposely picked the most obtuse word. At 100 pages in the only thing that had really happened was the war off page and Elerek agreeing to Lystra's Grandmothers marriage proposal.

I found myself only liking Lystra's' grandmother and I think she is a character who we are supposed to dislike!

It is a shame I couldn't get on with the writing as the world and plot seemed so interesting and I would have liked to find out how the story enfolds.

The title, cover, and description of this book drew me in from the start, but didn’t quite live up to my expectations of what I was looking for in a book at the time. The tone of the story was more somber than I anticipated, the pacing was a bit slow, and I didn’t find myself connecting well with the main characters. That being said, I do think there are other readers out there who will enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

This book follows lystra and elerek in a world where they are under threat from an enemy army. A marriage of convienience in a hopes to save their kindom. A curse that might ruin them all.

Overall, i found the book enjoyable. I felt that you got to know the characters very well, and eventually the fantasy world it is set in. The curse was a really interesting element in the book and it just got more complex which was very well written. The side characters for the most part had a purpose and i constantly found myself trying to work out wether i was going to like them or if they we’re going to become a villian. The setting of the book was beautiful and i would have really liked to have seen a map but i could not see it on my copy. The cover is also stunning which was the main reason i clicked to look at the synopsis.

However, i found that not much happens for the bulk of the book. The first 70% could have been significantly shorter and did not serve much purpose to the plot. It was very slow paced. I had to do a significant amount of googling due to the terminology, which is not necessarily negative as it based on a culture i am not familiar with which is one of the great things about this book but i feel there could have been a way to explain this terminology as stopping quite a lot to google disrupted my experience. I also did not feel the romance in the book. I felt no connection between the two characters at all and the unrequited love just did not translate. There was no real ending to the book, the tension was building and then it just stopped completely which was disappointing and frustrating.

Overall though it was an enjoyable read and i can see this becoming an excellent fantasy series if it developed into the next book.

I was really interested in this book, it promised political intrigue, curses and a fantasy world. While we do get that there is a bit of telling and not showing with some pop points and some of the characters decisions don't make sense. Overall I think the author has potential and I'm curious to see how they will grow as a writer.

Queen of Shifting Sands is a fantasy story about an arranged political marriage, a curse, and a country on the brink of war. It is fairly politically focused, which isn't usually my preferred kind of book, and so I did struggle to get into it but the last 20% or so was really good.
Widowed by the death of the last king, Lystra enters an arranged marriage with Elerek, the firstborn of the royal family who was cursed as a child. The kingdom is unsettled by the death of their prior king and the assassins threaten to attack at the end of the summer, leaving Lystra and Elerek to gain as much support as possible before then. Like I said, I found the political plots to be a bit boring (but that's just my preference). However, Elerek's curse really intrigued me. Everyone he touches is doomed to "drown" in the desert and their bodies slowly turn to water over time. I haven't seen a curse like this before and I really enjoyed seeing the way the various characters interacted with it. The ending was also very intriguing and I'm excited for book 2 already. I did sort of call the plot twist, but not entirely.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but the main four were Lystra, Elerek, Razhar, and Myra. Myra grew on me as the book continued, and I didn't mind Razhar. I thought Lystra was a great example of a well-written and strong female protagonist, and I liked her a lot. I also liked Elerek and his inner turmoil. The rest of the cast was okay, but I don't remember them well.
Queen of Shifting Sands is a solid political fantasy story with hints of romance and magic, and I really want to read book 2 ASAP.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5

This was a really amazing debut ya fantasy novel and I cannot wait for the second one! I loved the world building and characters that this author created. I was hooked from the start and finished this in two days. With a slow burn romance we get to see more of El as he battles his curse and Lystra as she comes to terms with grief and new beginnings.

I wished we had gotten a chance to see some of the characters at the beginning who died as well as how Lystra had made an impact on her kingdom and people before jumping into the story, but perhaps we will see more of that in the next book. Which I will definitely read. 3.75 stars

Enthralling debut fantasy novel packed with political intrigue, curses and a fantasy world.
The book has no spice at all so is suitable for young adult. I would actually call it a super slow burn romance and to be honest there wasn't really any romance in the book! Not to my standard but hey, I stil enjoyed reading the book.
Interesting world building and characters but I wasn't really surprised at some of the events that took place.
The book does end in a cliff hanger which I'm not a fan of but it has grabbed my attention and so I will look out for the next installment.

DNF @87pages

Desert royals, deaths & deals.

This just wasn’t for me which is why I chose to DNF rather than keep reading and rating lower.. I felt like I was dropped into the story abruptly- the pre established relationships felt empty as I didn’t know the characters that were quickly killed which resulted in a lack of connection and emotion.
We are also repeatedly told the FMC is beloved and would make a great Queen - but where was it shown?
I am also not a fan of dating brothers and this didn’t book change my mind.
It was also quite slow paced and I did not like the FMC choosing to go flirt and dance with men the day after her beloved burned - it lessened the strength of their relationship to me.
The MMC also allowing a woman to love him and be cursed when he had no intention to marry her also made less likeable.
There were a few things regarding characters, plot, exposition and pacing that weren’t working for me personally.
But I can see that it would still be quite popular with the masses.

3,75 stars
The books was interesting and I did like the writing of it, however it would have been rated higher had it been shown more in the beginning the love the people had for Lystra instead of only being told that they did.

I really enjoyed this book! I absolutely love dual perspectives & having the MMC be bound to a wheelchair was a great inclusion for representation. I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next. I struggled in the beginning bc I had to google quite a few words, but once I was passed that I was golden. I NEEEED the next book!

I was very surprised with this book, it hit the nail on the head in every aspect. I absolutely loved getting to read this and have fallen in love with this authors writing. The characters, world building, and romance were great and I can’t wait to read more!!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC!

I have many different thoughts for this novel. I didn’t know about the prequel once I started to novel about 20% in. Based on my overall thoughts, I am curious as to if it’ll clarify more about her and Cormek if he is apart of the story, otherwise, I probably won’t read it.
I wanted to start by saying that I loved the writing and its style. I thought it flowed very nicely and it was descriptive but done well. The world building and setting was balanced really well. I feel like it didn’t get in the way of the plot and stunt any other aspect of the novel. Also, the characters were very well fleshed out most of the time. The side character’s we’re great as well. I thought Lystra was a very interesting character and I loved her tenacity and her will to do anything for her people. Elerek was also intriguing. I felt like I learned a lot about him without having to have so many flashbacks. The chemistry between was strong, but sometimes I felt that their turning point of having feelings for each other was a little forced and happened too quick. Even though they had a lot of interaction together, it was always short and it still felt like they didn’t develop their relationship. There wasn’t enough of their relationship for Lystra to be in love with him so quickly. I wished I saw them interact more throughout the beginning. They were dealing with their own issues separately for a large majority of the novel.
That all being said, what really took away from a great story was the pacing and plot. I felt that it started off strong, but we didn’t see them together much until they were married and that was about 50 percent-ish in. Even when we reached that point, the plot was still very stagnant. Up until around 70%, we didn’t see anything else until the first attack in the library with Lystra and Razhan. The book synopsis was centered about Lystra and Elerek working together to fight the Jarkins and their attack for the end of the summer months, which begin sooner than they thought. There was no plan or working together seen in the novel, and when the first attack happened to her, the only focus they had was evacuating the city folk away from the river and ports. The pacing was what really took me so long to finish the novel. Because the pace was off and slow, it did take me almost a week and a half to finish it. The plot twists were great, and really added to the plot. But the plot was almost non-existent until about 85%. Even at around 90/95% the climax was starting and the plot was finally really developing. Once we really met Gaudab, I loved him as a villain. The ending really set up for the second book, and I hope that we see a better pace then.

Overall, I thought the writing and it’s flow was great. It was beautifully written. The character development was also very well done, but wish Elerek and Lystra’s relationship progressed stronger. I am excited for the second novel and I’m curious about the dynamic of Elerek’s and Lystra’s shift after seeing now that she is cursed and figuring out how to cure everybody without any more depth. If the pacing wasn't lacking so much, I would've rated this at least a 4.5/5. I give this novel about a 3.5 with my opinions and thoughts.

This is the first installment in the series and it is beautifully penned down by the author. I finished in one go and the writing was amazing. I am eagerly waiting for the next part in this series and the cover art is so beautiful ❤️ i am in love with it.

I'm a bit blown away by how enjoyable this was! For once, a book actually lives up to its summary and delivers what it claims to. It truly was a fantasy romance adventure. The romance was great, the characters solid and the central conflict believable and interesting. Very solid novel, I'm excited to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was blown away by how good this book is. Deep and complex characters who grow and change.
So much of this story is fresh and new. The world building and characters.

3.5 stars

First of all i want to thank whimsical publishing and netgalley for the arc in exchanged for a honest review

Now for the review. I think this book was okay but unfortunately it didn't really steal my heart...

I think the start of the book was good with starting how Lystra and Elerek both grieving over Cormak.

And i like the disability rep with Elerek the main male lead is in a wheel chair.

And i kinda like how the relationship with Elerek and Lystra grew but i don't like how the pacing is with this book

But overall a nice book that you should try giving it a read

the world building, the characters, the SLOW BURN, the banter, the conflicts?!?! i’m screaming! this is probably my favorite book of 2024! i will definitely be purchasing copies as soon as i can!

This book was all stunning imagery, engaging dialog, and faulty, loveable characters. The world and characters were vibrant, and the politics were easy to follow. I felt all the emotions reading this, and I’m dying to get my hands on the next book!