Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I have been looking for a good Middle Eastern/Arab inspired story so I was very excited by the premise of Spice Road. The beginning dragged a little for me and it took me a minute to get into it but I did end up enjoying it.

I will say that Qayn ended up being my absolute favorite and the main reason I'm excited for book 2. Every other character I felt a bit warm and cold with, sometimes I liked them sometimes they annoyed me, but Qayn had me interested the whole way through!

Things you can look forward to in this book are tea based magic, djinn, enemies to lovers, family bonds, all set in an Arab inspired world,

So if any of those things intrigue you then give this one a try!

I will also say that the main enemies-to-lovers relationship in this book didn't exactly work for me, sorry Taha just wasn't for me, and maybe I'm seeing what I want to see but I think there's a potential for another enemies-to-lovers romance to happen and I'm really hoping something happens with that in the second book.

Oh I absolutely adored this gorgeous book!
Imani, a Shield, tasked with keeping her land safe from monsters with the help of a special spice (Misra) learns of her brothers’ alleged betrayal and goes in search of him.
I could talk about the world building, the monsters and djinni and the fantasy aspect. But I’m an Arab. And this is the type of book that I would have loved as a young adult. The Arabic words and references throughout just made this story all the more wonderful. The Arab references to food, music, culture and the loyalty to family just added to the enjoyment of the journey. Flawed young characters, enemies to friends/lovers angst and a wild fantastical journey.
A solid YA debut from a Arab Australian writer, I loved it!

Amazing world building for this epic fantasy! I loved the idea of spice magic. This was a beautiful and wonderfully written story. I look forward to reading more from the author. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

This book is nothing short of outstanding. Maiya Ibrahim delivers a stunning story with Spice Road, sharing with us the lands of Alquibah and Qalia and the magic within them. I was hooked for every moment of this book, anticipation grasping me from start to finish. Imani is such an interesting and complex character, and I really enjoyed watching her evolve throughout the novel. The change in her emotional intelligence was beautiful to observe and I think her character highlights how our life experiences really do shape our perceptions. I look forward to the next installment in this series and I congratulate Ibrahim on a job extremely well done.

This book is definitely something else. From when I read the summary, to when I read it my feelings towards it changed. I thought this would be like Aladdin, but it wasn't. I saw someone on tiktok say it was, so I wanted to try it. However this was not that. It was completely different, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it.

Live live lives everything about this book! The characters, the plot, The works. Absolutely knocked it or off the park with this one and I can’t wait for more!

Imani always dreamed of becoming a Shield like her older brother Atheer. Shields are elite warriors who, after drinking misra tea, can wield magic to protect the kingdom of Qalia from all outside threats including manipulative djinni, horrific ghouls, and other monsters. Known for her metal affinity and skill with a dagger, Imani is one of the youngest Shields from the long-revered Beya clan. A clan that is shadowed by disgrace and grief in the wake of Atheer's disappearance.

Caught stealing the coveted and carefully guarded misra spice, most people are ready to believe Atheer developed a magical obsession and, addicted to the misra, died shamefully in the Forbidden Wastes that surround Qalia. Imani has no reason to believe otherwise. Until a djinni named Qayn reveals that Atheer may be alive. And sharing the carefully guarded secret of the misra with outsiders--an offense that is punishable by death.

Desperate to find her brother before worse can befall him, Imani binds herself to Qayn in exchange for his promise to lead her across the Forbidden Wastes to Atheer. Traveling with Qayn and an expedition of other Shields including Taha--a beastseer and her longtime rival--will lead Imani to a world filled with secrets and betrayals that were previously beyond her comprehension in Spice Road (2023) by Maiya Ibrahim.

Spice Road is the first book in a trilogy and Ibrahim's debut novel. With a world inspired by Arab cultures, all characters are cued as Arab with a variety of names, skin tones, and body types. At nearly five hundred pages, Spice Road is a sprawling series starter that takes its time to introduce readers to narrator Imani and her world.

Vivid descriptions and intense action sequences add drama to the story although the novel's slow pace belies the urgency Imani feels to reach her brother. Slowly, as she sees beyond Qalia's borders, Imani's insular understanding of Qalia and its place in the world begins to expand leaving her to the often unpleasant work of unpacking her privilege both in Qalia and beyond. While this plot thread doesn't always show Imani in the best light with her starting the novel ignorant of her privilege and unwilling to help outsiders, her development is well-drawn and her growth (mostly) earned as she learns more about the larger world and the way she wants to move through it.

With so much focus on Imani's introspection, other characters are underutilized throughout the novel--especially Qayn who is a dynamic foil to Imani and Amira who pushes Imani to question her assumptions about Qalia even as she supports her older sister. As a rival with a vastly different ideaology, Taha plays opposite Imani in a will-they-or-won't-they push and pull that is ultimately unsatisfying and further underscores Imani's numerous bad choices. Imani is unwilling to trust Qayn because he is a djinni despite his staying true to his word at every turn. Instead, Imani assumes best intentions for Taha during almost the entirety of the novel despite his never reciprocating that trust or doing anything to meaningfully support Imani. It's unclear if these three characters are meant to be positioned in a love triangle, but if they are Imani chose poorly in this volume.

Spice Road is the exciting start to a trilogy that tackles privilege and colonialism alongside sweeping adventure.

Possible Pairings: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad, Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena, Mirage by Somaiya Daud, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal, Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier, The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

- thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc to review!

- a solid debut, with intriguing characters and a world that i hope gets expanded on further in the sequels.

3.45 stars
Ultimately I was disappointed with this one. I really struggled with the writing in the beginning. I’m not so good with the technical writing terms but it was just doing too much. Overly descriptive and trying to invoke emotion in a flowery way that did not land. I did like Imani as a main character in general but her interactions with other characters were clunky or didn’t always make sense. I actually considered DNF-ing a couple times as I just didn’t care all that much on ultimate mission. The action scenes were great though and I really liked the Qayn character. I loved every scene he was in. This is the first in a series and I may or may not read the second one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Spice Road is a complex story about a mythical place that bears significant resemblance to a magical Middle East, in the city of Qalia, which exists in an isolated area of the Sahir desert. The people of Qalia are possessed of magic - a magic that is enabled by the spice misra, which they brew into tea; without it, they cannot use their magic, and their ability to use their magic is limited by how long the misra stays in their systems. Through their magic, the Sahir is isolated from the rest of the world; as far as most of the inhabitants of the Sahir know, they are alone in the world - but there is a world outside the Sahir, which is known to a small number of their people, who keep it secret to prevent people from trying to leave. Likewise, those outside the Sahir believe the desert to be empty and uninhabitable - until one of the scouts sent from Qalia to the city of Alqibah fails to return.

Imani is a Shield - a trained protector of Qalia, whose magic manifests through her dagger, which she can morph into any weapon she needs. Her older brother, Atheer, also a Shield, is missing and believed dead; her family is distraught - but what if he's not really dead? The hope that Atheer might still be alive leads Imani across the Forbidden Wastes of the Sahir in search of her brother - but what she learns about the world outside the desert will rock her to her core, as will the behavior of the people who join her mission.

I enjoyed this novel, and I hope the author will write a sequel that will explain the many open threads that remain; the novel itself is complete, but there are plot pieces involving various characters that are incomplete - back stories and relationship that I'd like to learn more about.

This book was...OK. I had really been looking forward to reading this one because it has all of the things I love in a fantasy book. Romance, magic, djinni, adventure. Unfortunately it just fell flat. I kept having to force myself to pick it back up. I felt like it wasn't exciting, it seemed like nothing really happened the whole book. I'm not sure if it's a me thing or a book thing.

Overall, this was a fun, interesting, and layered read. I liked that the main character was sheltered and privileged enough to be shaken up by what she sees and learns, but I didn't dislike her. And I loved that the main love interest was complex and you never quite knew where he stood until the end, just like the main character. This was definitely the set up book for a series, so hopefully the other books have a little more action and a lot more of the jinni Qayn.

An intriguing series opener filled with magic, mystery, and inventive world-building. While the story takes a while to build, the action definitely ramps up in the last third of the book and leaves the reader with on a huge cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed this story, a special shoutout to the Fantasy Frenemies for picking this one as a buddy read! This story starts off with a bang, and right away the action picks up. It remains fast paced throughout the book and it had me turning the pages the whole time. I love a good quest story, and this one felt like a big adventure as Imani sets out to find her brother. I like how the magic system is explained and how the world building was done because I felt like I was able to follow along without actually missing any of the plot. I really enjoyed the setting descriptions and I felt like could really imagine the story.

I generally really liked Imani as the main character. She's never left her city and is naïve to the outside world at the beginning of the story. I did like her character development throughout as she learns more about the world around her. I like that she is strong and firm in her beliefs while also learning to question what she's been taught her whole life. I do wish there was a little bit more development on how she became the warrior that she is when the story starts. As for the love interests, Qayn and Taha, as of now I have a clear favorite. Qayn is the morally grey djinn and Taha is Imani's rival. I would have loved for more character development from Taha. However, I do like the setup of this love triangle and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

With the way this book ended, I'm really looking forward the reading the second book in this series. If you enjoy YA fantasies and stories of adventure, I think you'll really enjoy this book and I would definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Maiya Ibrahim. You are thrown right into Imani's world and while it can feel a bit overwhelming at first, it turns into a pretty magnificent adventure story. While it ends on quite a cliffhanger, I think it's set up really well for the rest of the trilogy and I'm already excited to read the next. Qayn is easily my favorite character and I really hope we learn more of his backstory in the next books.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this impressive debut and it is a series I will continue on with!

Well, I just read nearly 500 pages in less than a day... OOPS! Spice Road, a debut novel by Maiya Ibrahim, just had me hooked from the start. I loved the interesting magic system involving tea from the bark of a tree, the world, and the setting. Spice Road is fast-paced and enchanting from the start as we follow Imani and several members of the Shield along the journey to find her brother and bring him to justice. Even our female lead character, who is SO frustratingly stubborn and naïve at times, did not bother me as much as it normally would in a novel, and I appreciate that her character was genuine.

Book 1 of this trilogy left just enough questions unanswered that I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2. This also had everything I was missing after the conclusion of The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty, except it was different enough that I never wanted to make comparisons.

So excited for book 2, this was 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a FANTASTIC read!! Arab inspired fantasy with magic fueled by tea, I was all over this book! As y’all probably know by now, finding good Arab representation can be a struggle for me and this book DELIVERED!! I really loved the world building and how so much of my culture was found in these places and customs.

The characters and their relationships are one of my favorite parts of this book! You have a super intense enemies to lovers, back and forth between Taha and Imani, as well as the family relationships that I live for with Imani and her siblings. Their developments during this adventure was amazing and I want the next book immediately (also because I want to fight one of them). Speaking of the adventure, this plot sat me down and didn’t let me leave until I finished the whole book- I was GLUED to these pages!

Overall, a phenomenal debut of an Arabian inspired fantasy and I highly recommend! 💜💜

TW: violence, grief, animal death, manipulation

thank you to netgalley and random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the advanced reading copy of Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. this is a new book from january 2023 release that is being raved over. i really did not find it as catching as others suggested. i found the characters to be well bonded with family but made horrible decisions. the magic they used was not as interesting as i hoped. the world building wasnt bad. that ending just made me wish i never picked up the book at all. this is definitely for someone but not for me.

***Justice for djinni to be the major love interest***

In all seriousness, I was a bit disappointed with Spice Road. Tea magic, desert adventure, enemy to lover….they all sound like this is a book I’d love.

Unfortunately, I like the story but really dislike most of the characters.

FMC Imani….home girl has all the intention but made all the reckless decisions and let’s face it, she’s not that bright. I just feel like if I wanna read someone keep making dumb decisions I’d look at my own credit card statement. I get it we don’t need perfect characters to enjoy the book but she absolutely did not learn her mistakes and just kept doing things that made you say GIRL WHAT till the end.

MMC Taha….ugh this dude is just an asshole with no redeeming quality and I don’t know why Imani would even fall for him when the djinni sounds like a much more interesting love interest.

Look I think there’s some cool concepts on world building and I like the strong family bonds but could’ve done without the romance and reckless decisions.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review