A.S. Thornton’s "Daughter of the Salt King" is a romantic, fantastical romp. It possesses some grim details, but they add to the dire stakes.

Emel is the daughter of a king. Her one role in life is to secure favorable allies for her father through marriage. If she does not do this before her twenty-third birthday, she is cast off. When her fiance is killed trying to protect her father from rebels, Emel finds herself in possession, for a brief time, of her father’s jinni. Slowly they fall in love, even as the king continues to try to marry off his daughter. Because Emel freed the jinni from his vessel once, she can make wishes, but what are the right wishes to make? What consequences will she face for her decisions?

This was a tight, fun story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It probably could have used a couple of trigger warnings for other readers (Emel is not always welcoming of the advances of her suitors). But it is a solid romance with an exotic flair. More authors should explore the fantasy and folklore of parts of the world other than Europe in the world-building.

The narrator of the audiobook, Vaneh Assadourian, did an excellent job with the source material. She was able to flesh out the different characters and perspectives well. It was easy to tell the difference between the characters, and her accents added to the flavor of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Daughter of the Salt King by A.S. Thornton. It would make for an excellent vacation read, perfect for any upcoming summer vacation. I received this audiobook from NetGalley.

It is a marvel to me when I read a book like this. An unexpected gem that reaches beyond the scope of the confines established in fantasy stories these days. There were many aspects of this story that I enjoyed and some that took me to the edge of uncomfortable, but it was that uncomfortable that made me think in a mindset bit my own. It allowed me to reach past my own culture from what is and isn’t acceptable and embrace the tale being told.
I must warn you, the story is told from the perspective of a daughter basically enslaved to a father with a harem whose sole cast in life is to please the men her father brings to his dessert oasis with the sole purpose of advancing his fortune and kingdom. She is bred and educated for this purpose and is expected to perform her duties and marry the man who chooses her after sleeping with them. That was the part that was harder to get over. BUT Ekel, our main character, doesn’t quite fit the mold her father has designed for her. She is rebellious and, despite the rule that she may never leave her palace confines, bribes guards to turn the other way as she dresses like a maid and enjoys her father’s kingdom. She even has established friends outside.
Long story short, her father rules over the dessert and it’s many settlements (ruled by the men her father forces his daughters to sleep with) by seemingly impossible means. Salt being the currency by which he has some ownership. He got this by enslaving a jinn. Emel stumbled across the jinn and thus beginning the most remarkable tale of her freedom.
There were lulling moments in the story that fizzled a bit, but it picked up quickly and I was back in the story in no time.
Would I read this book again? Yes! Do I recommend it to others? Highly!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher CamCat Books for the audio copy! Thank you as well to the author A.S. Thornton for this remarkable tale.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emel is the daughter of the salt king, and to bring honor to him, she must wed a man of good position, but first she must show him what a good wife she would be. As a royal harem, the daughters of the salt king “up for rent” until a man decides he would like to take her home as his bride. Emel, being the most beautiful of the daughters, still was unwed and nearing the age in which she would be banished for being “un-useful” to the king by not securing an alliance through marriage. She dreams of leaving the palace and harem and living a life of peace. And that just may very well be true when she finds the source of the king’s fortune, a genie. Will she be able to craft her wishes well enough to fulfill her dreams? Or will she find a different dream within the glass container?

I really really really enjoyed this book A LOT! It’s not my typical type of book, as I have a hard time stomaching non-consensual acts, and abuse, but this book was just so riveting. The world building was wonderful and I really enjoyed learning about a culture I didn’t know much about. I also have never read a book containing genies and I really really enjoyed it and the magic within. I loved how cunning and unexpected the outcomes of the wishes could be. And most of all, I absolutely loved the romance between the 2 characters in this story. I loved their chemistry and the way it all happened and flowed, nothing felt forced or pushed or rushed, it was just the perfect amount of tension throughout. Did I love the ending? Not particularly. I loved the way the last wish came to fruition, I thought that was so clever of the author to twist everything to work out the way it did, but I wish we had more closure with the romance for sure. I hate being left wondering if it ever worked out! But all in all I really enjoyed this book 4.5/5 stars.

I ended up really liking the Daughter of the Salt King. Even though it was a retelling of some sorts, it still ended up feeling like a fresher idea than most books. It wasn't overly predictable and didn't manage to be that way by being so unrealistic that you couldn't have come to those conclusions on your own. I can't wait for the next book to come out!!

I read this shortly after it came out in early 2021 and was then lucky enough to be able to listen to the audio book. I loved the story just as much the second time as the first and the narrator, Vaneh Assadourian, was fabulous. She really brought the magic of the jinn and the desert to life.

While there is some very blatant sexual abuse in this story that may turn off a lot of readers, none of it is graphic and it is part of the story, not just added on to make the reader feel uncomfortable. It's the world that Emel grows up in and it shapes both who she is and what she wants out of life. Seeing (or listening) to her growth and her stand up for herself is a cheer out loud type of moment. I love who she becomes at the end of the novel.

As a daughter of the Salt King, Emel ought to be among the most powerful women in the desert. Instead, she and her sisters have less freedom than even her father's slaves … for the Salt King uses his own daughters to seduce visiting noblemen into becoming powerful allies by marriage.

Escape from her father's court seems impossible, and Emel dreams of a life where she can choose her fate. When members of a secret rebellion attack, Emel stumbles upon an alluring escape route: her father's best-kept secret—a wish-granting jinni, Saalim.

But in the land of the Salt King, wishes are never what they seem. Saalim's magic is volatile. Emel could lose everything with a wish for her freedom as the rebellion intensifies around her. She soon finds herself playing a dangerous game that pits dreams against responsibility and love against the promise of freedom. As she finds herself drawn to the jinni for more than his magic, captivated by both him and the world he shows her outside her desert village, she has to decide if freedom is worth the loss of her family, her home and Saalim, the only man she's ever loved.

“You forget that with hope, we can be the most dangerous people here”

Daughter of the Salt King is a fantasy book, about a girl Emel who falls in love with a jinni. a book about love, freedom, magical adventures, exotic dessert setting. i enjoy 1st person POVs the most when reading books it gives you an idea of being in the character's mind.

there are triggers in this book, slavery, sexual assault, violence

Daughter of the Salt King was an enjoyable read to say the least. It has depth and such an interesting plot. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. The daughters of the Salt King each had their own personality traits which they brought to the story. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the daughter who was so unhappy with anything and everything. I loved the way the main character and the Genie interacted. Some people might not like the way the daughters are portrayed as basically sexual barter for the king to use in order to secure the support of the suiters who would come to the desert. But it really is an integral part of the story, and it all ties into the bigger picture. I love the way the author leads you to make a conclusion and then it changes direction, not just once, but a few times. It kept the story interesting. I thought that the content and story line are excellent, so I figure any other books by this author would be just as good. I would gladly read another of A. S. Thornton's books.

Daughter Of The Salt King somehow manages to be lighthearted and sweet, while having characters in dark situations. Emel is one of the MANY daughters of the Salt King who are used as bargaining chips to secure trade and protection deals. Except in this case the daughters are treated basically as the court whores with suitors getting to test drive their potential wives before making their choice on the third night. Obviously this is a pretty miserable life. Emel is an engaging character. Enter the jinni. Of course, wishes are always dangerous and tricky, but in this case, even the jinni doesn't have control over how a wish will be fulfilled. Enjoyable, fast read. The only thing I wish it add was fuller side characters. There are a lot of chracters who fell a little flatter than they had the potenial to be. Set up well for the second book without being TOO much of a cliff hanger.

As the daughter of the salt king, Emel is treated more like property than as a person. Emel wants to escape her father and the very small life that he has given her, yet when she finds the jinni Saalim, she does not do senselessly begin making wishes for freedom no matter the consequences. Emel is intelligent and befriends the jinni, their relationship slowly becoming much more as she searches for a way to not only free herself, but to free Saalim as well. I enjoyed the romance and tension between the two and the way in which both found love when the odds seemed ever against them. The ending I found heartbreaking yet hopeful and would love a little sneak peak into what became of Emel and Saalim ten years down the road.

Emel is a daughter to the Salt King, the mightiest ruler in the land thanks to his monopoly on the precious commodity. She and her sisters don’t have a life of luxury though. They are expected by the king to entertain his guests and wed the nobility that visit. Emel has yet to be married and fears that her time is running out to escape her father’s court. As rebels begin to rise against the Salt King, Emel stumbles across a wish-granting jinni – is it possible that her luck is about to change?

I felt that the setting of this work never came to life. The worldbuilding was barely adequate; it wasn’t full of rich cultural history or lore, which left me wanting more. Stereotypical tropes were used to define this Arabic-inspired world but weren’t explored in a meaningful or critical way (several of these tropes might also be considered racist). However, the author did do a good job at painting the court as a place of confinement and suffocation, which helped the reader to empathize with Emel’s struggles.

The characters were fine but not outstanding. Emel was disappointing as a protagonist overall. She defines herself throughout the work by her worth to men, which is reasonable at the beginning based on her situation. But by the middle and end, she’s still defining herself by Saalim to the point where escaping isn’t a priority anymore, just being with him is. This would have been an excellent chance for character growth. Instead, the characters are stagnant.

There were a few things that I didn’t care for. There were graphic sexual scenes throughout the work, some of it non-consensual, that didn’t forward the plot or character development at all. This work probably could have been about 100 pages less with some decent editing – there were scenes that were honestly quite repetitive and didn’t add anything meaningful to the work. Also, this work didn’t have much of a plot, which led to it slowing down drastically in several places. I disliked how after something major happened, the author wrote, “If only I’d know nothing would go as planned” – this not only spoiled the current scene but made me less interested in reading more since I know events were going to backfire.

The premise of this work was interesting but wasn’t executed well. The setting, plot, and characters were all lacking in depth and meaning. This was an okay read, but I didn’t enjoy it overall.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love this book! This lush fantasy is fast paced and I couldn’t stop listening! I love middle eastern inspired books with Jinn, and this one was perfectly done! I really like the characters they were well written in the nearest did a great job bringing them to life! I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens next especially after that ending!

Yes!! I loved so many things about this read. It too 1/3 through i was invested AF. Jinni magic? That’s a first for me!

There were a lot of trigger warnings here. Sexual slavery, implied rape, implied rape of a minor, all that stuff. Just beware, they’re necessary for the story!

Anyways, i love the jinni thing, i love that he doesn’t have free will to grant wishes Willy-Nilly. I love that wishes don’t always turn out like you want.

SPOILER ALERT- And i LOVE the ending. It’s not the HEA you’re looking for…

An intriguing romance with a lot of gut punches, including the ending! I am definitely interested in following their story further and seeing how things unfold!

Daughter of the Salt King is a must-read for fans of The Daevabad Trilogy. It is the story of Emel, a daughter who is thought of as a commodity by her greedy and powerful father. Emel’s father controls salt, which is worth more than gold in the desert. When Emel learns that her father has a jinni helping him, she befriends him. However, Saalim is just as bound as her and they must work together to try and create a different future.

Daughter of the Salt King has excellent world-building, capturing the heat and grit of the desert. Magic is something to be feared in this world and salt matters more than gold. The political power plays, life at court, and relationship between Emel and Saalim make it very difficult to put this book down. Emel's complex relationships with her sisters felt genuine and heartwarming. I listened to the audiobook of Daughter of the Salt King; the narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life and her voice was pleasant to listen to.

One of my favorite parts is the depiction of the love between Emel and Saalim- a slow-burn, achingly desperate love. Their love story was filled with pining and yearning. After that ending, I can’t wait to find out what happens next and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel! I would highly recommend The Salt King for fans of S.A. Chakraborty, fans of lush world-building, and slow-burn romance. Daughter of the Salt King is out now. Thank you to A.S. Thornton, CamCat Books, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, Wordpress blog, and Barnes & Noble etc

There were definitely some elements of the story that adhered to the adult fantasy claims (i.e. the daughters of the salt king going to bed with suitors as a means of convincing the suitors to marry them). However, I found that the storytelling never reached the complexity I like to see in adult fantasy. In short, it felt very ya fantasy. This is not inherently a criticism of ya fantasy. It's just not what I thought I was getting myself into. I think fans of The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh and Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton will adore this book.

I enjoy breaking up my normal queue of European/medieval-inspired high fantasy novels with a fantasy book featuring a different geographic and cultural focus. The middle eastern/indian cultural elements were front and center in this story, but I found that those elements weren't presented in a unique, original way that the literary world of fantasy hasn't seen before. (see above ya fantasy books aforementioned)

I did not find the main characters motivations to be particularly gripping, and I have to say, I was not intrigued or excited when the love interest entered the picture, which is a huge sign for me that a fantasy romance will fail to capture my interest.

And lastly, I like to quickly comment on the audiobook itself. The narration was very good. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she portrayed the characters effectively and accurately.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook version of Daughter of the Salt King. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emel is one of many daughters living in her father, the king's, palace tent in the desert. She longs for a life where she can be free to go out in the world, to interact with the townspeople and maybe find love. Instead she is forced to serve the many suitors who come through town on their caravans, hoping that after he has slept with her he chooses her and allies with her father. When she discovers the key to her father's power is a jinni, she is intrigued with how she might wield that power herself. Quickly, she learns that wishes may not be granted in the way you imagine. Over time she learns that there are complex politics at work in the kingdom, a world beyond the desert she never imagined and that the gorgeous jinni has a kind heart and a slave's cuff about his wrist.

If you love the Daevabad Trilogy or any Middle Eastern folklore, you should definitely check this one out. I wouldn't label it as fantasy so much as magical realism. Other than the jinni and his wish granting powers, there isn't any complex magic or magical creatures to wrap your mind around. Simply the life a woman bound by her culture and dreaming of experiencing all the world has to offer her, to feel love and save the futures of the people around her. I loved that we get real depth to the backstory of the jinni as well. The writing is beautiful, the images of the desert, the depth of emotion and the power of fate make this an intense read. I really loved being immersed in the culture of the desert. If romance is your thing, there are quite a few scenes in this one to steam you up, these two are definitely star crossed lovers.  ️ ️ ️

I listened to this one on audio and the narrator was fabulous.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book and will read the next one. The main storyline kept me engaged when I might have lost interest. The narrator was very good as well. I don’t usually read fantasy books set (however loosely) in a middle eastern type mythology. Hearing the thoughts of Emel and her sisters was compelling. Being from a completely different culture, I admit I find the idea of multiple wives abhorrent. I guess it gave me a different perspective on something I don’t know much about. I can’t say it’s the kind of lifestyle I would choose, but I can understand how these women might still find happiness.

There were things I didn’t like as well. For one, Emel. She wasn’t awful but she was absurdly naive when it came to the djinn. I was shocked when she first set him free and all she could think to do was wish for her slain suitor to return to life. Then she tells the djinn to return to his prison and lets her disgusting father have him back! Emel is supposed to be the smartest and prettiest of her sisters. If she’s the smartest, I feel bad for the rest. Even later, when the djinn, now Saalim, grants her as many wishes as she wants, her first wish is stupid. He warned her to be specific, but she throws out a massively vague wish. I know she’s had a sheltered life and her culture is different. If it were me though, I’d be thinking very hard about a wish that the goddess could not twist. Instead Emel just tries to put it out of her mind and never wish for anything.

The romance was lacking. Emel and Saalim do fall in love over the course of months, so it’s not instant love. If they were actors in a movie though, I’d say it felt like they had no chemistry. The author really builds up Saalim’s reasons for loving Emel, but not vice versa. I don’t know why Emel loves Saalim other than he’s a nice guy.

The world building was not great. I know they lived in tents in a big desert, but that’s about it. Why were only tents allowed? Why did the King treat his daughters so poorly. Why did they live like the poor when he was the richest and most powerful man in the desert? It’s brought up a few times, but there was no answer. Maybe the next book will have an answer, but it seems irrelevant now.

I am invested enough in the story that I do want to know what is next for Emel, Saalim, and her sisters.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I absolutely loved this audiobook. I immediately fell in love with characters and needed to know what would happen next. I only wish it had a bit more conclusion as I wasn’t ready for it to end. A great book with a great narrator that kept me company over many days while cooking, doing dishes, and sewing. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a good read/listen! I loved the main character, and thought it was really well written. I loved the narrator's voice too! I will definitely be looking into getting my hands on the next story.

I can't help but see this as a Aladin retelling but from Jasmines perspective. Maybe it's the whole genie thing.
I do love how he becomes the genie and how the higher power has more to do with the outcome of a wish. Makes me excited to see other work from this author