In the land of Becar, fear for your immortal soul is at the forefront of every decision. If you are honorable and moral, you’re reincarnated into something good, but if your soul is tainted, you’re reincarnated into a kehok, a terrifying and murderous mix of ferocious animals that race in high-stakes competitions.

Tamra is an ex-rider-turned-trainer who has hit a run of bad luck. Desperate to pay for her daughter’s elite training, Tamra trains Raia, a young woman determined to escape from her harsh family and an unwanted engagement. The two women work together with a rare and formidable kehok in the hopes of winning and securing their future. A well-developed, well-paced story, Race the Sands is an exciting and immersive read.

Tamra is a dynamic protagonist. She feels a ton of pressure in a world where she is considered “less than.” Paying for her daughter’s training and her livelihood is on the line, but Tamra is strong, determined, and relentless. She is also rash and uncompromising which proves detrimental, especially when directed at the wealthy and elite. Though Tamra feels the weight of her role in society, she doesn’t conform easily.


I love the relationship between Tamra and her daughter. She is proud of Shalla and will do anything for her. Shalla is her motivation and what propels Tamra to do better and be better. Though Tamra had a difficult upbringing, she is not a victim. I love the valuable lessons Tamra teaches her daughter about self-worth, love, and family.

One of the other strengths of the story is the amazing world Durst created. The cultures, religious beliefs, societal expectations and more are skillfully explored and developed in a way that enhances the story and creates a vivid, defined and unique fantastical world.

Another fascinating aspect of the story is the political intrigue. Prince Dar must ascend the throne after the death of his brother, but he must locate the vessel for his brother’s soul before he can take the crown. Unfortunately, his search is fruitless, and without a leader, Becar is descending into chaos. People are questioning those in power, and neighboring kingdoms become problematic. The prince, in searching for his brother’s soul among the kehok, starts to question all that he knows to be true. The way that this part of the story unfolded is clever and offers thought-provoking questions about everything the society is built upon.

This is an interesting and immersive story with strong female protagonists, impressive world-building, and fascinating political intrigue. Messages of strength and resilience in the face of adversity permeate the story. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Beth Durst, and HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to read Race the Sands in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the description of this novel, but having let it sit in my queue for a few months until near publication date, I went in with the assumption that this was a YA novel. I mean, the cover looks like a YA novel, and the desert empire setting is quite common among YA. When I started reading, I was like, oh, yeah, this is an adult fantasy. And it is one of the best adult fantasy's I have read in quite some time. While the book felt a bit slow at first as I was getting to know the world and characters, for each new character introduced, it felt sluggish until I found out how each new character tied in to what is going on. This is brilliant writing craft, well thought-out, and just a masterpiece of fantasy. 

The book takes place in the empire of Becar, a collection of cities in the middle of the desert, surrounded by the raging sands, with potential rivals across the sea of sand waiting for the opportune moment to take over the Becaran Empire. In this world, all souls are reincarnated, but what they become in their next life is determined by how pure they were as a person. They could become a beetle, which may then be reborn as a rabbit, which may then become a human once more. Augurs are people of the purest souls who can read the aura of a soul, and they help guide people to make the right moral choices in life for the best possible outcome in their reincarnation. A person who has committed a serious crime, such as murder, will be reborn as the lowest of the low for the rest of eternity: a kheok. Kheoks are mindless monsters that pop into existence in the middle of the desert. They have no recollection of their previous lives. They kill with ease. And they are used by the people of Becar for sport.

Tamra is a kheok trainer. Backed by Lady Evara, a lover of the Becaran Races, Tamra is sent to search for a new racer to win enough money to pay for damages done by Tamra and her kheoks in the past, as well as to continue her payments to the augurs for her daughter, Shalla's, augur training. Tamra is known for being a skilled controller of kheoks. The monsters can only be controlled by a person's force of will. Though she is also known for a race from a year prior, in which a rider died. Who would want to train under Tamra now? Well, not only must Tamra find a good racer, but a rider who is willing to train with such a dangerous monster.

Raia is more than eager to be the rider Tamra seeks to train. She ran away from home for more than a few justifiable reasons, and what better way to make a new life in the world than to win the Becaran Races and use the gold to break away from her past? When Tamra not only brings Raia, a complete newbie to kheok riding, but a massive black metal lion kheok, no one believes they will have what it takes to win.

Meanwhile, political turmoil is about to unsettle the Heart of Becar where Dar, the emperor-to-be, waits somewhat impatiently for the augurs to find the reborn soul of his older brother, the late emperor Zarin. In order for Dar to be officially coronated, the soul of his brother must be found. Based on all the augur readings, his brother must be a golden monkey, or some such being oh high and more pure status that other creatures. When the late emperor's souls still cannot be found, Yorbel, augur and friend to Dar, assumes the worst: what is Zarin was reborn as a kheok? That cannot be possible, as Zarin was read as a good and kind soul. But somehow, this has become his fate.

I love the reincarnation aspect of this book, as I hope to be reincarnated as something...that isn't a kehok. There is also so political highs to this novel. There's the Emperor, but also the augurs, who are esteemed the most pure and are a major aspect to the way this society is run. An upturn of either of these will cause chaos. There is also looming war. The races are one of the fun, exciting aspects of this novel, though only a few are described in detail. 

This fast-paced stand-alone novel has a very fulfilling aspect to it (I haven't read a good stand-alone in quite some time). The writing is eloquent and complex, just like the characters. There is a story here that tells of what it means to be family, the difference between right and wrong, and the importance of giving second chances. I could not put this book down, and I believe the same of anyone who is looking for a unique fantasy read should give this book a shot.

I’m thankful I didn’t realize I’d read one of her previous books because Sarah Beth Durst has really grown in her craft. Yes, it all started with the racing, and the animals, and the sand. However, Race the Sands was more than that. It had a fantastic, full, cast of characters that I loved, in addition to political intrigue. It is epic fantasy at its best, with fabulous lore and a well executed world. It also had plot that was almost philosophical. The story questioned morality, and the idea of a higher power.

I’m deadly serious about how good Race the Sands is. If you love Fantasy, either adult or YA, this book is for you. It’s both. It’s neither. It is bloody fantastic!

I consider this a coming of age story. With monster racing, aura reading, political intrigue, and redemption. The fantastical world building and the characters kept me up past my bedtime. I can see the possibility of another book after this one, or it can stand by itself. Not everyone gets their HEA, but the finish left me satisfied.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three Stars
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Thank you NetGally and Harper Voyager for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Released April 21st, 2020!
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There is something about books with racing competition plots that get my motor running. Be it land, air or sea. Fictional or nonfiction... if there is a race involved, I’m interested! Race the Sand has people riding monsters... I don’t think I need to say anything else!
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What I loved: Its a standalone! My god. Fantasy, especially YA fantasy never has standalone books! The race scenes were epic! The last hundred or so pages 🤯 mind blowing! Hella fun. The second half of this book I finished in a matter of hours, where the first half took me days to tackle. Loved the violence and the life or death situations. Good stuff.
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This was a fun book to experience, but it did fall flat in some areas. The first half was slow, to the point that I contemplated DNFing. Half of this book is watching our main characters train and learn to control their monster. Once the race actually started, the story took off and I couldn’t put the book down! My second issue was the writing. I have tried this author before and didn’t jive with her style. Sarah has interesting ideas, but her writing is juvenile. She puts the YOUNG in young adult literature. Great book for the younger side of YA who are looking for a nice thick fantasy to sink their teeth into.
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I have no idea if I will pick up anymore of Durst’s books. I’m just not connecting well with her. But, this story has inspired me to knockout all of the racing books that have been collecting dust on my shelves! Also... This cover!? Amazing!

We received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes, all opinions are our own and do not reflect the thoughts or beliefs of the publisher or author.

Race the Sands is a standalone adult fantasy set in a desert world and inhabited by lethal monsters. It is in this world that Tamra, a retired racer, and Reia, a young women trying to escape her domineering family and fiance, try to do the impossible and win the deadly Becarran races.

Durst creates an immersive, complex world rich in both mythology and environment. Becar is set in a hot and arid desert setting where monsters called kehoks are captured and raced and the augurs maintain order by reading the auras of those who can afford it and telling them what they be reincarnated as in the next life.

There are numerous points of view in this book and Durst handles them all perfectly, showing us more of the world from the different perspectives Beyond the races and kehoks, there was a lot more political intrigue than I was expecting but it only enriched the story and made it that much more engrossing.

Tamra and Raia are amazing, strong and passionate characters who make mistakes but always fight for what they believe in. I found their motivations very compelling which only added to the story.

One of my favorite parts of the book were the kehok monsters. There were so many different varieties of unique animal combinations. Every race, I always looked forward to the descriptios of the monsters.

Race the Sands is a doorstop, clocking in at just under 600 pages but the pacing was quick and I was invested from the first page. Durst’s writing style is succinct but immersive and O never felt stuff was included just to make the book longer.

If you have loved other epic fantasies by authors such as George R.R. Martin and Brandon Sanderson or you adore books featuring races like The Scorpio Races or Ashlords, you will not want to miss this book.

Sarah Beth Durst is one of my favorite authors after reading the Queens of Renthia series so I had to pick this one up. Once again, Durst is able to make extremely well written characters and have amazing world building skills! This book flew by because of how much I enjoyed reading it!

Fun and fast read. This fantasy has an intriguing and novel back story with strong world building within the immediate context of the story. The main characters are well developed. The reader is quickly welcomed into the story and their interest held. It builds nicely to the end. A worthwhile and enjoyable reading adventure.

What a fun and beautiful story. I think the idea was original and really draws the reader in. Fantastic and unique standalone read.

In a land where rebirth is everything, characters come together to solve a mystery that could upend the nation they love. A trainer, a runaway, a prince, a priest, and a monster form a team that quickly becomes a family. Even a cursory summary of the plot could verge into spoiler territory, so think 1 part Hunger Games, 1 part Daveabad Trilogy, and 5 parts balls to the wall original.

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst 4 stars

A stand alone fantasy by multi-talented author Sarah Beth Durst. I first discovered Ms. Durst in the YA novels of "Into the Wild" and "Out of the Wild" which I loved. I then found "The Queen of Blood" which was a masterpiece. Sadly, I haven't gotten around to reading the other books in that series, which leads me this stand-alone fantasy.

Race the Sands is a wonderful fantasy, engrossing with strong characters and world building. A very long book, it takes awhile to get through it, but it is well worth the effort. The belief in reincarnation is a main theme in this book. There is political intrigue, monstrous deeds and great loss. I loved Tamar and when you read the Author's Notes at the end of the book you will end up smiling, During this time of world upheaval, this book will provide enjoyment and needed respite from the daily news reports.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

A wonderful stand-alone novel. Is it too early to say this is my favorite read of the year? I know it’s only April, but man. This will definitely stick with me.
***
In Becar, who you are in this life determines your next.
Becar is a country that places heavy reliance on readings of their souls by Augurs to help guide them to a better next life, and avoid the fate of being reborn as a kehok, a mindless monster doomed to be a monster for the rest of their life... unless they can win the races and get a chance to be reborn as something else. The races are a dangerous thing though, pitting kehok’s against each other and their riders, you can’t forget you’re riding a monster, they won’t let you.
Tamra was a racer, among the best, and has been trying to train the next best. She was on her way to it until the accident that happened the previous year and has thrown a shadow on her world. Desperate to train a winner that can help her get the money she needs she takes a chance on an unusual kehok, as well as a young woman, Raia, whose never even ridden before but is determined to do and make something of herself with her own choices.
Overshadowing over all this is the unrest that fills Becar, the previous king has died, and his brother can’t take the throne until he brother’s soul, found in it’s new body, whatever that may be, has been brought to the palace’s walls. Prince Dar is scrambling to fill a role he doesn’t want, while mourning the loss of a brother he loved dearly and handling court machinations as best he can.
****
I loved the cast of characters in this book. They have their own motives, their own drives. Tamra is both a soft touch, and really hard as well. She’s not fallen into the mindset of most of Becar about caring for your soul in this life to ensure the next best. She will do what she has to for those she loves, because this life matters more than the future one she’d have. She’s very much in the present kind of character.
Raia is a sweet soul, who grows so much from the scared thing Tamra first met. I love her will and determination.
The world built in this story was fascinating and intriguing and totally terrifying. I don’t think I’d be that person who’d want to be around kehok, but who knows, Raia didn’t think she would either.
This book is definitely my favorite book I’ve read so far this year and I can’t wait for this book to capture other readers imaginations.
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a world where people are reincarnated in different forms according to their behavior in their most recent incarnation, to be reincarnated as a kehok is to be beyond all hope of redemption. Kehoks are chimaeric monsters, reincarnated murderers and worse, whose bestial forms are said to be influenced by the nature of their crimes. They are also the mounts used by the brave or foolish humans in deadly races that can shower gold and glory on the winning riders - or dismemberment and death.

Tamra was a successful rider, but she gave up racing eleven years ago to raise her talented daughter, Shalla, whose soul is pure enough that she is worthy of training as an augur. Lessons for future augurs are not inexpensive, and so Tamra earns what she can by training wealthy dilettents to race for thrills, a task made more difficult by the spectacular bloody failure of her last protege. When a training exercise goes awry and Tamra loses all her students in one fell swoop just as the price of Shalla’s lessons increases, Tamra is forced into a desperate bargain with her patroness: find and train a raw rider and killer kehok, and turn them into champions.

That’s where Raia comes in. Born to a comfortable life, she was once in training to be an augur, just like Shalla, but she washed out, and her parents decided to recoup their losses on her through marriage to a man who may have beaten his last wife to death. When she meets Tamra, she is in dire straits and willing to gamble with her life rather than return to her parents, but the kehok she must ride is unbroken and ferocious, and her odds of ending up dead on the sands are as good as they were ending up dead in her bridal bed. There’s also the small matter that the kehok, unbeknownst to the women whose fates ride upon it, may be the reincarnation of the recently-deceased emperor, which could be a disaster on a grand scale for the entire nation of Becar.

Once again Sarah Beth Durst has gifted readers with an immersive, intriguing fantasy world and given us nontraditional characters to follow. It is not common to see a mother as a main character. Similarly, it is not common to see noble runaways who are brave and daring, but also complex enough to have rational reactions to situations. Not to mention the depth granted to Ladies Evara and Nori, though their roles are smaller. Above all, Durst has given us women who must be resolute and clever to succeed when the odds are stacked against them.

Readers who enjoyed Durst’s Renthia books will find that this new setting is every bit as engrossing, and those who are unfamiliar with her works are in for a treat with Race the Sands. There are definitely similarities between the kehoks and the spirits which must be mastered by force of will, just as reading the synopsis will probably bring to mind Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races, but the rest of the novel is sufficiently different from both that it did not feel as though I was reading another Renthia novel nor Stiefvater fanfic. In fact, I think I prefer this book to any other I’ve read by this Durst (which is to say, the entire Renthia series), and I’m a little disappointed that it’s a standalone, even though the ending is wholly satisfying.

Race the Sands was something I had never encountered before. It was set in the desert nation of Becar, a nation that believes in re-incarnation and races dangerous monsters called kehoks as a national pastime. Eat your heart out baseball, I loved the premise immediately. Another thing I loved was that this story focuses on three strong female characters.
Raia is our young protagonist, a girl who ran away from her family to try and achieve a different life by becoming a kehok rider. Becoming a rider to race the dangerous kehoks- which are monstrous chimeras- is a dangerous career with a high risk of death. But kehok riders are also famous heroes of the people and well-paid. Tamra, is our mother-figure, someone wiser and more experienced than Raia. Tamra is now a trainer to kehok riders after an accident ended her racing career. She has a more complicated backstory than Raia, and has a daughter who features heavily in the overall plot. Lastly, we have Lady Evara, who I really didn’t like much at first. But she grew on me, and as the financier of the whole plot to bring Raia to the largest kehok race of the nation, has more wit than I first gave her credit for.
The key to the plot is the belief of the Becaran nation in reincarnation. The society is heavily dependent on priest-like councilors called augurs, who are able to read the state of a person’s soul and determine what they will be re-incarnated as. A good life will let you be reincarnated as a noble beast, such as an eagle, while those with impure souls might be bugs. Only the most vile, those with black hearts, become kehoks. So when the old emperor dies, and his new re-incarnation fails to be identified, it is no surprise that no one looked among the kehoks for his soul.
I won’t say anything else about the plot, but I was a fan of the fresh worldbuilding in this book. I loved the premise of the augurs guiding people and serving at trusted confessors-slash-councilors. There is a fair bit of political maneuvering in this book (what do you expect when it is the late emperor people are looking for?) but it is easy enough to follow. The story is original and the writing clean. 4/5 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

PS. When you buy this book, be sure to glance at the dedication and then read the Acknowledgements. It will make you smile.


(review submitted. The editors are scheduling the post on Fantasy Hive)

Original and beautifully written. While the outcome was mildly predictable, the journey to get there was fantastic and worth it.

I know you shouldn't go into a book expecting the worst, but these days it's hard not to approach any new YA fantasy without some trepidation. The genre is often tropey and unoriginal. Publishers churn out versions of the same old story again and again. It's hard to find the hidden gems among the pile. But Race the Sands really surprised me.

I don’t really know where to begin with this review. There was so much about Race the Sands that I loved. I adored the world building, the rich magic when it came to the lost souls turned into beasts and learning how THAT insane magic works. Can we talk about the enviroment to!? I just love books set in the desert. I could read them all day. This book had some twists and turns I was just not expecting at all. The magic and determination of the characters could be dark at times which just drew me into this book even more.

I found it extremely compelling. Durst introduces familiar tropes, but then she subverts and plays around with them. The obvious romance was not as obvious as I first believed, and the villains came as quite a surprise. Don't be so sure who are the bad guys and who are the good guys.

It is the kind of story that gets bigger and bigger as it moves along. The quiet mystery keeps on expanding and adding ever more questions. And I think the author really does this unique premise justice.

I really liked this book. I am a big fan of this author's Queens of Renthia series, and I was excited to see that she had a stand-alone fantasy coming out. I liked the world-building here, and I liked the characters a lot. I don't feel that this was as strong writing as I saw from her Renthia books, and there were times when I felt a little deja vu--as if this story reminded me strongly of something else I have read at some point but I just could not put my finger on. Even so, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could not put it down, and read it in one day, I think.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Story (5/5): I really loved this book, it’s an excellent fantasy. This was hard to put down and made for a very entertaining read. I also love that this is a complete story in a stand alone book, those are pretty rare in the fantasy genre. The emperor has been killed and a new emperor cannot be crowned until the previous emperor’s reborn soul is found. Meanwhile Tamra is just trying to make a living training students to race the kehok/monsters that are the bottom of where souls are reborn to. Desperate to win the champion races Tamra purchases a metallic black lion kehok and hires Raia as a racer. Rais is escaping a bad situation and desperate to find a way to make a living for herself.

The story is very well put together, if a bit predictable. I really enjoyed how entertaining it was and how well the story was woven together. There is a good balance of action, world-building, intrigue, and character building.

Characters (5/5): I loved the characters in this story. Tamra is just such a determined woman and so practical. Raia is desperate but willing to push herself in order to make her own way. They are all admirable and easy to engage with. Even the side characters are well developed and engaging.

Setting (5/5): This was an amazing fantasy world that was well thought out and developed. I love the idea of people’s souls being reborn into animals based on how well they lived their previous life. I also enjoyed that the world as a whole was pretty well fleshed out.

Writing Style (5/5): I love pretty much everything Durst writes so it’s no surprise I really loved this book as well. The writing is well done, easy to read, and just flows beautifully. The book does jump around between different POVs and that was masterfully done. I think my only small quibble is how predictable this was from the very beginning.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed everything about this book; the world, the characters, and the story. I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of unique fantasy stories. This was incredibly well done and I look forward to what Durst writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

This book gets a BIG thumbs up from me. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding. The author had a fun time showing us multiple variations of mother/daughter (and parent/child) relationships. The genesis of the "monsters" was left a little hazy, but that just leaves room for the author to do more if she should ever choose to visit the world that this book resides in.

Sarah Beth Durst is at the top of her game with this book!

Her creativity shines through with the fantastic world building - monster racing! magic! corrupt people in power! but most of all, the superb portrayals of women in this story. We have women of all personalities, who aren't in a competition with each other for superficial reasons but rather a cohesive cooperation of different perspectives for a single goal.

The pacing is tight, events move at a good clip, and move seamlessly from one plot point to the next. There are good amount of plot twists I hadn't seen coming and if you wanted more grit from her YA books, then this is the right fit for you. Think more along the lines of her Queens of Renthia series. Her whimsical and hopeful touch prevalent in her writing is still here.

For me, I enjoyed all of the multiple povs used to tell the story. Everyone came from a different angle of how they wanted to problem solve and each voice is clear and different. Best of all, this book is a standalone so it wraps up very nicely with a satisfactory ending.

Definitely recommend and if you're a Sarah Beth Durst fan (like me) you won't be disappointed.

eArc provided by NetGalley.