This is one book I just could not put down.

The characters were colourful and bought to life by some great writing.

Although fairly predictable it was a fun read and left me sad when I had finished.

The plot of Sand Dancer is action packed and exciting from start to finish. I was immediately pulled into the story and had a hard time putting this book down. The reader is pushed quickly from place to place, point to point, and there is a lot that goes on. There wasn’t much, if any, down time in the book and while I don’t like too many slow moments in a story, I could have used a breather at lease once in this novel. As many events that take place in this book, I felt that story may have worked better if things had been drawn out and separated into multiple books, rather than all pushed into one together.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to request it! Sand Dancer sounded so unique, intriguing and with a strong female lead character, what is not to like? I really enjoyed reading this book! There was aspects of the story that I was a fan of and aspects that I was not so keen on.

Firstly, the storyline, I was so pleasantly surprised with the storyline as it veered down a route that isn’t often taken in Young Adult fantasy novels. It was great! Without giving away any spoilers, I had Mulan vibes from this book. I was also a fan of the world this story is set in.

Fantasy books used to intimidate me because of how complicated and complex the worlds and world building can be. The world in Sand Dancer was simpler than most fantasy novels which I appreciated but at some points throughout, I found myself wanting more than I had.

I loved many of the characters; Iman and Raj to name two, but I also had my moments of dislike towards Mina despite her being the main character. Mina was just so stubborn, selfish, ungrateful and had quite the attitude on her. These qualities made her seem younger than she is. However, I did notice character development with Mina where I feel she did mature slightly. Despite me not being keen on the character, this shows the talent from the author, to create a fictional person that draws out those feelings of dislike. I also did not care to much for Talin. I feel the author could have done much more with his character.

I am a very big fan of the type of magic used in this book. It is very unique and something I had never come across in a book before. It left me wanting to know more about the history of the magic, more about different characters and for more books to be written! I did get a little confused in the first 100 pages of this book as there was a lot happening but it did not deter me from continuing, it just took me a little longer to follow the story at first. It did not impact my enjoyment of the book at all.

I would definitely pick up another book written by Trudie Skies, she is definitely an author to watch! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

Quite entertaining. It was good. Pacing was okay. Although I had a hard time finishing this for quite some time I was still able to manage to finish. The pacing was a little bit slow first. But started to pick up pace by the middle of the story.

Honestly, when I picked this book up, I thought it would be something to enjoy as a light read. I ended up loving it more than I thought, but then also disliking it slightly too. I have to admit I didn't finish the whole book, but its to no fault of the story or the author. I hope to finish it and do a full review on my blog in the future, but I'm giving feedback while I still have thoughts on this story.

Sand Dancer follows Mina, a young impressionable girl who discovers she is the one thing she was taught to fear: a fire walker. This discovery soon lands her into trouble, and she's forced to go into hiding as a noble boy in order to stay alive. But Mina isn't ready to stop at that. Mina wants to find out the truth behind her people, long forced into hiding, and prove she is as able to wield a sword as any man before her. This ambition could get her killed, but her time to decide is running out.

When I opened this book, I didn't expect such a well-written, diverse, in-depth fantasy world. If anything, the world building and descriptive writing is what hooked me to this story. The history and stories told were clear and developed, it progressed fast and still gave time for emotion during the first few chapters. The writing was beautiful, so blunt yet full of smooth descriptions that made me keep reading, like the words just flowed off the page.

What turned me away was Mina's character. It could be because I'm becoming picky with YA books, but I found her character was too irritating for me. If she had been slightly older, maybe I would have felt more of a connection with her, or maybe her story would have been more complex. I thought she was very naive, which was at odds with her history of being a street-rat and having to fend mostly for herself. And the fact that she thought all her problems would only be solved if she learned to be a Sand Dancer and wield a sword. There was so much potential, but the book reverted back to its YA roots and just kept loosing me with Mina's character.

Overall, this story is amazing for young readers, probably aged 14 and up due to the descriptive action and violence. As I have been gearing more towards New Adult/Adult, I found I did not keep interest in this book, but I really did appreciate the writing and the world building. If there is another story set it this world, or by this writer in the future, I'd be open to reading it and seeing what she can do with an older audience!

Finally had time to finish this!! I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I thought because of that, excuse me, ugly cover (I'm sorry to the person who worked on that).

I love everything about the world setting in this book especially the lore, magic system and the culture. The characters are diverse and didn't feel superficial. I love the character development of Mina though she could get a bit disrespectful.

The writing style is really good and right up my alley. I'll definitely check any books the author will release next. Though I wish the author used the other cities in the map.

The book gets better the more you read it and I love the subplots that combined all together in the end. Overall, one of the best reads so far for me this year.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Tamina's story was a compelling one. The way the author capitalized on Mina's inner turmoil about not wanting to appear vulnerable or too interested in anything "feminine" for fear of not being taken seriously was great. It was always in the back of her mind. I think that was an important insecurity to put emphasis on. The book reminded me a bit of the days when I read all of Tamora Pierce's books. Although Tamora's characters were secure in their femininity, and it didn't stop them from wanting to take on stereotypical men's roles at the same time.

However, I felt like the book spent a lot of time going nowhere for so long, then everything happened within the last quarter of a novel. I believe that Mina's trials could have easily been expanded into a duology, if not an entire trilogy. It would have given the author room to flesh out some of the other main characters like Alistar, Prince Rais, and Raj. I felt like even Talin and Jonan were left behind in terms of development.

Overall, although I found myself intrigued by Mina's story, I would have liked to see a whole lot more character development. I also think the plot could have done with some tweaks in terms of pacing.

I enjoyed this book. Honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than I had expected to. Debut authors kind of scare me because there is absolutely nothing to compare their works to. You just go in blind and hope for the best. Sometimes it works, sometimes…not so much. Luckily, Sand Dancer works.

Pros:

Storyline: When I saw the cover, I was hoping for something a little different and I was NOT disappointed. The concept of Mina going into hiding and, eventually, in disguise in order to train, gain control over herself and ultimately seek revenge is something that I know has been done but not overdone like a lot of YA fantasies. I found it refreshing to see something new for a change.

World: I loved this world. It was very simple whereas some fantasy worlds tend to be overly complicated and confusing. I do wish there was a bit more world building though; not enough to complicate but just a bit more to have a better understanding of this place Mina called home.

Characters: Iman and Raj *insert giant hearts here* I absolutely adored these characters and want more of them!

Magic System: Big fan of the Fire Walkers. A more unique magic, or at least a unique presentation is well overdue. I found it interesting that they were the ones oppressed, slaved, feared and condemned. There is definitely a much bigger story there and I hope that it gets addressed in future books. I need to know more about these people and how they came to be the “monsters” they were seen as.

Cons:

Characters and Character Development: I told you I would get back to this. Other than Iman and Raj, I was not a fan of the characters at all. Mina….I would have punched. I’m okay with having a MC that isn’t overly likeable but I honestly can’t recall a lead character that I have hated so much. She had some issues and I get that but her stubbornness, entitled attitude, selfishness and all out ungratefulness made her so childish that I had to constantly remind myself that she was supposed to be sixteen because she acted like a toddler. There was a little development to her character, but not nearly enough. The same goes for Talin. I wanted so much for him and it seemed like, rather than develop, the author chose to have him revert to some door mat of a character. I wanted to see that tournament champion everyone kept talking about but instead, we got someone who doesn’t hold his ground against a child. The only character that really saw any form of development, in my opinion, was Jonan and I didn’t care enough for him for it to really matter.

Pacing: While there was a point in this book (approximately ¼ the way through) where I couldn’t put it down, it was a lot of work at the beginning to keep my interest. This wasn’t due to the story not grabbing my attention but because of the erratic pace. It seemed like the author tried to move the story ahead so fast that I ended up losing my place and getting confused more than anything else. The ending was quite similar, though less confusing. I feel that the bulk of the book was so well paced and easy to follow that had the beginning and end followed suit the entire book would have been evenly enjoyable to read.

I still have quite a few unanswered questions (where the hell did that damned Butcher keep coming from????) but overall I really enjoyed Trudie Skies’ debut. I think that a younger reader will see value where I did not (Mina’s “I do what I want” attitude) where an older reader will see more that a younger would miss (separation of classes, oppression, genocide) so Sand Dancer is the kind of book that can appeal to any and all who are looking for something just a little bit different.

I will look forward to more works from Skies and will be adding her to my “To-Watch” for new authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

Review edited 7/2/2019

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I was really excited to read this book, especially since I'm a sucker for strong heroines and I also love the idea of pretending to be a man in order to do things forbidden to women.

Mina, the heroine, starts off with the crazy idea of unmasking a man she thinks is hiding fire magic. She wants to prove herself and is sometimes young and dumb and impulsive (traits she keeps throughout the story). Naturally, things go from bad to worse when her plan backfires and she winds up on the run as her own fire magic rears its ugly head. This intro was exciting, with a bit of trauma, and I am thinking oh yeah, this is awesome.

And then she finds sanctuary and the story comes to a screeching halt. Everything is fine, she's being solo trained, and there's absolutely no drama except for this weird, contrived encounter with the enraged guy from earlier. He's conveniently alone with nobody around besides the fire girl he's going to kill even though everyone had been roused to deal with the visitors. Once that oddity is over, the story goes back to training and no drama. This boring stretch starts around 20% in and lasts until around 30%. The good news is, once you slog through this, it's all excitement afterwards as the plot kicks back into gear. There's more training, but this time she's in an academy with other students to make life difficult for her.

Mina as a character can be annoying. She's brash, impulsive, a smart mouth, and basically seems too immature for a sixteen year old who had to scrounge on the streets. Predictably, this gets her into trouble throughout the story. Part of me didn't like this about her, but the other part felt she fit right in with the boys at the academy as she held her own with overconfident swagger -- something lacking in girls all too often, so in that respect it was kind of fun to witness. She's probably a bit too talented with the sword, but I kind of like that about her, especially when she's tackling all these large, bulky men.

The villain is one dimensional, which is too bad, but has enough going on to cause plenty of interesting trouble. There's some good plot - counter plot going on between him and Mina to keep things lively as to who is going to one up the other.

The side characters are decently fleshed out and I love the concept that the blood bond lets each member of a house see key emotional events in their dreams. Mina's friends were also interesting and diverse and I wouldn't mind reading more about them. The only real letdown is the younger prince - I expected him to be or do more.

The world building is exceptional. The description of the environment and the cultures are nicely detailed to where I can almost taste the sand in my mouth and feel the sweat running in rivulets down my back. The author writes description very well and has a very vivid imagination. Lovers of descriptive fantasy will definitely enjoy this aspect.

Overall, aside from the slump at the beginning, the plot moved at a good pace and kept me turning the pages to the end. If you don't mind a teen protagonist and are looking for a detailed fantasy world to invest in, then you should check out this book.

I wanted to enjoy this so much, I was so disappointed that I didn’t love it. The writing is good and so is the world building and story, but I just found the MC so unlikeable I couldn’t get past it at all. It’s a shame because it could have been so good otherwise

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Sand Dancer by Trudie Skies had a great premise and actually really good writing. The world was interesting and if more is ever added to this world, specifically Talin and Jonan, I will jump right on that. These things were great.

Too bad I didn’t care for the MC, Mina, at all. Talin, Jonan, Raj, Ali and Iman were intriguing side characters and helped me get through the rest of the book. Mina just had a level of thoughtless, bullheaded, selfishness that I found it hard to really like or care about her specifically. I’d find myself a time or two thinking oh yay she’s using her head for more than herself, and then that would be wiped away not long after. I did not like her.

But that doesn’t mean a younger reader trying this isn’t going to love finding Mina’s spunk, will, drive, and reckless determination . Younger me would have loved Mina and found her a great role model. Me of now found her ceaselessly whiney and obnoxiously rude.

Different strokes.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for review.
Mina, a girl, who sees her father cut down for protecting her with a forbidden type of magic vows to hunt down and kill the one who did it. Along the way she discovers that there are things she doesn't know about her family and eventually she sees what is really important. Loved the character, the world-building, and the type of magic, but especially the sand dancing. Hope there is another book in this world.

A desert fantasy that takes you on an adventure in the sands, filled with interesting characters. The storyline is a good one with notable characters, like Mina, Talin, and Iman, a family of fire walkers. I believe Mina is on an adventure of a lifetime where she learns who she really is and where she came from. A thrilling and exciting read.

My 14 year old daughter wanted me to read this book. So with her in mind, I requested an advance copy. I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved that Mina is a strong female heroine in this coming of age story. I enjoyed the adventure and pace of the book as Mina discovered her fire power and the new life that came because of it. I feel like she is a relatable character that my daughter will enjoy. My daughter will be able to empathize with Mina, as she learns to deal with becoming a woman in a mans world, and figuring out who she is and who she wants to become.

Over all Mina is a positive role model. She has to not only face her worst fear after she becomes a fire monster, but she endures the loss of her only living family member and home. She is in constant danger and on the brink of destroying not only her life, but the lives of all her friends, her new family, and the community that has accepted her.

As an adult, Mina’s character frustrated me. She was mouthy and disrespectful to the people who had put themselves in great danger to help her. I often wanted to send her to her room. I didn’t think that Mina’s ability to overcome her foes by sword dancing was very believable, because she didn’t have enough time to really grow and develop her skills as a fighter. In the book, it felt rushed. I loved the setting of the book. I hope that there are more parts to it, as a series that either develops more characters from the other cultures or continues with Mina and her friends and family.

I don’t think my daughter will be bothered by Mina’s character, I feel that this is a book 14+ year old girls will enjoy. I plan on recommending it to my daughter and her friends. Mina is a strong character, she deals with self doubt, loss, female teenage emotions, bullying, prejudice, and she has to make some tough decisions and learn to be unselfish. These are all great life lessons and they are dealt with in a book that is going to keep my child engaged through the entire adventure. This book does contain some violence and some strong language. Thus the 14+ recommendations.

Good YA book about Mina, in a world where those with fire magic in their blood are considered monsters and should be killed.. Mina faces struggles on two fronts - she's female and wants to be a warrior; and she discovers she has fire magic. You follow her adventures as she is forced to flee her old life, dresses as a boy and tries to follow her dreams.

Interesting and complex world building, this is a good start of a series.

I wanted to love this book; I really was adamant I was going to fall head over heels for it. Maybe it was too much pressure? Too heavy on my expectations?

Whatever it was, something just fell a little flat.
I liked the dialogue and the action. The plot points, while a little slow at times, were well crafted and I enjoyed the writing. I didn’t like Mina at all, but I don’t underrate books based on unlikeable characters - my problem is that I don’t think she was meant to be unlikeable though!

I think I’ll try this book again, with fresh eyes in a few months and perhaps amend my review. The author has a great writing style and I’d recommend this book based on that. I’d totally read more by Trudie Skies.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

With the release of Aladdin this weekend at the box office, it may be a good time to see what else is available this summer that take young pop culture consumers to desert settings.
Due out July 1st, Sand Dancer is by Trudie Skies. In a story for Sci Fi and Fantasy and for lovers of Teen and YA fiction, Sand Dancer follows Mina. She is 16 years old and discovers she has magic, which is forbidden and can be punished with death.
In the first 50 pages, Skies establishes a world of intricate and complex politics and fast-paced action. There are a few fanciful flourishes here and there that may be off-putting…
There is a fine line in a young woman gaining comfort and appreciation of her body and sexual fetishization of someone modelled from a culture that is different from the dominant white Western culture the author is from.
For a fuller review, check back here closer to the release date.
The book is being released by Uproar Books.
#SandDancer #NetGalley

I actually really wanted to like this book, the premise sounds really cool: using fire magic is a crime and seen as a sin, so when 16 year old Mina realises fire magic is in her blood she knows her life will never be the same again.

Cool, right?

Unfortunately Mina is an EXTREMELY unlike able character...she is whiney and inconsiderate, which I can understand as she’s supposed to be 16, but I can only handle so much before I start rooting for the main character to fail.

It's well written but unfortunately if fell flat. Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I did not enjoy this book. I found Mina to be a whiney inconsiderate girl of 16 that acts like a 12 year old. The story did not flow smoothly and make me like her or want her to accomplish what she is setting out to do. She goes against her "fathers'" wishes putting his and everyone's lives in danger by not doing as he asked like it was nothing. No, just no. As an aside, I was intrigued with the Protectors story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.