Review: Race the Sands

5 stars. Aww, this was amazing. It's a fantasy book that leads with kindness and offers a warm escape. Made me feel good. Reminded me of the fantasy books I grew up with - easygoing but sophisticated and immersive at the same time. Layered and complex without seeming too academic or pretentious. Heroes to root for and villains to hate. Maybe a lesson or two. Very readable - I inhaled it. It's fun.

The inhabitants of Becar, a desert kingdom, are on edge. The Emperor has died, and his brother is poised to take the throne. He cannot until the previous Emperor's soul is found, reborn into a creature as-yet-unknown. Augers, powerful soul-readers who keep the peace, search high and low. Meanwhile, they prepare for the kingdom's major tournament, a monster race. Trainer Verlas, an ex-rider with a stubborn streak and a checkered past, is determined to find a rider motivated enough to help her win, securing stability for herself and her young daughter. She finds it in Raia, a young and brave girl seeking freedom from her toxic family. But not everything is as it seems in Becar: together they must navigate insidious plots, secret identities, dangerous threats and mortal enemies to claim the big prize.

Really, really appreciated the multiple POVs in this one. Not only was the perspective of the coach refreshing (her age - a maternal heroine! - motives, and driving forces struck me as atypical compared to what's popular these days - and, very, very importantly, they didn't seem OTT intentional or token-y), but each character had a truly distinct voice, plus a reason to be there! It just flowed. Nothing out of place. Nothing obvious or forced. 

I hesitate to express this, but I've been thinking a lot recently about the ~ state of things ~ in the book world, and about how with technology and social media we have gained so much: self-published authors! a sense of community and pride! book sales! rediscovered classics! random viral moments! lightweight ereaders! instant recommendations! terms to describe the tropes we know and love but couldn't identify or articulate before! 

And also lost so much: a sense of quiet, or privacy, around reading, even writing; full autonomy and ownership over content; a reliable, accepted concept of artistic trust and license; perhaps an author's freedom to play around and incorporate things and publish something without needing to do a trope reveal, a cover reveal, a blurb reveal; without needing to post the teasers or seek the viral moment so desperately - and yes, authors, it does come across as desperate. I don't blame you. These are desperate times. 

That was a very long, roundabout way of saying simply this: I really loved reading about a found family without feeling like it was being shoved down my throat.

If I had one teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy complaint, it would be that it ran on a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy bit too long. Maybe one episode could've been cut? Maybe one minor character's POV chapter? IDK - it's irrelevant. This was absolutely a five star read. Consider this an extremely enthusiastic recommendation. 

Race the Sands on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads