I loved the worldbuilding and magic system in this book. I liked the way it looked at isolationism and colonialism. However, I found the main character extremely annoying. She becomes less annoying by the end but was still bothering me a bit.

Great start to a fantasy series! There wasn't too much action, but I'm hopeful that there will be more in the sequel. I also wish there was more world building. Overall, it was a solid read!

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

This was a fun fantasy novel. Very fast paced and infused with cultural world building. I liked the world building and the main character was well developed but I wanted a little more feeling behind the developed relationships. By the end when twists are revealed I did not feel as invested as I wanted. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Huge thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly there was a lot about this book i really enjoy including the characters as well as the overall setting. With that being said I could not for the life of me get into the book as much as i want hoping too. I like it but for some reason it was missing that extra edge to make me fall in love with the story, this could 100% just be me and based on my mood reading as well.

overall this is a great book with a story with location and characters rarely seen in literature!

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

Spice Road is a YA fantasy with alternative history sprinkled throughout. It started off quite strong, with Ibrahim’s writing being easy to fall into and Imani being a rather intriguing protagonist. I wish it had carried that momentum into the end. I loved the concept, of this magical connection to the Spice Road and the history of colonialism in the East. I am hoping the story will take us into that more in the future. It was missing a piece to take the story from good to great, and for myself, that distinction lies in the world building or lack thereof.

This is not to say I didn’t enjoy this book, because for the most part I did. Imani was a very interesting protagonist, with mixed motives and enough naïveté to propel the story forward. I loved her relationship with Amira, especially as it progressed toward the end of the book. The sisters seemed to be on the same page as one another, or at least, on their way there.

At its heart, this is a book about family and the lengths one would go to see them once again. I love fantasy books with this element, and Imani’s family is certainly a very unique one. I want to know more about their lore, especially about the Council and Qalia/Sahir’s history. I would love to see that discussed in the next book.

Another thing I adored about this book was its magic. Tea magic is always such a cool concept to me and the misra in this novel was interesting to read about, especially how it awakens the affinities within a person. Again, I would have loved to learn more about it in this book, but as is my experience with most trilogies, the second book will be where the majority of the world building and info dump takes place – so I look forward to that!

Spice Road is an ambitious debut novel, one that I am certain will be a favourite for many readers. It does have a romance, or at least the making of one in its blueprints, that I imagine will be enjoyed by many.

Spice Road releases January 24th, 2023

The world building and character arcs in this book blew me away. I loved following their stories and seeing them grow. I will definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy. 4 stars!

A phenomenal first book in a new fantasy series. I LOVED this world and the characters in it. The characters learned about themselves, each other, the world they grew up in, and the world at large. A phenomenal read.

"Spice Road" is the first book in the trilogy of the same name by author Maiya Ibrahim, and it is a stellar beginning. I was captivated by the author’s world-building, fascinated by the mythology and the slowly unfolding history of the land of Sahir and the Kingdom of Aqibah. The main characters are worthy fighters and magic users but also have hidden sides. I rooted for the small group of rescuers and scouts even when their loyalties conflicted. Throw in a compelling storyline, and you have an absorbing and entertaining reading experience.

From the city of Qalia in the Sahir to the nightmarish ruins and desert of the Forbidden Wastes, the First City, and the Kingdom of Aqibah, I was impressed by the descriptions of the locations. I felt like they put me right in the story and the action. Along the way, descriptions of panoramic vistas reminded me of scenes from a historical Kdrama.

There was some phenomenal world-building which included the characters drinking tea made from the bark of a Misra tree, at times in a formal tea ceremony, to draw out the strength of their magic or affinity. A person’s affinity was individual to them and varied from person to person, such as being able to manipulate the earth or fire or, in the case of Taha, exert control over animals.

The land of Sahir is unknown and unseen by the rest of the world, and the people in Sahir have been led to believe everything outside their borders is dangerous wastelands. It was interesting to watch Imani learn of the discrepancies in what she’d been taught about the world outside.

The main characters start out enemies, but as they travel together, they slowly change their attitudes toward one another. I was drawn to Imani from the start, and she matures quite a bit over the course of the story as she sees things outside her usual routine. Things were easier and beautiful in her world, but not for everyone else. I liked that she had discovered her calling to be a Shield at an early age and had trained hard with her older brother to excel at this when the time came. The fight and sparring scenes were well-drawn and easy to follow. Her relationship with Taha is a real rollercoaster, and Qayn offers an enjoyable third party.

The high fantasy plot includes a quest to save Imani’s brother, Atheer, who has gotten involved in a rebellion in the Kingdom of Aqibah. Tension mounts as it is revealed that the members of the travel party have conflicting orders or goals related to Atheer’s “rescue.” Secrets and betrayals are lurking along the way, along with an enemies-to-lovers subplot, and some terrifying monsters to escape. I am already looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

I recommend SPICE ROAD to readers who enjoy young adult fantasy or quest stories.

Thank you NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Road was a slow start, but once Imani ventured into prisons and the unknown to save her brother I was hooked. This novel gave me vibes of Foundryside, but with slightly less world building. The connection between Qayn and Imani reminds me of Sancia and Clef. I can't wait to dive deeper into the world in books two and three!

I love a good fantasy set in a middle-eastern-inspired desert, and this was no exception. It was exciting, and I kept rooting for Imani to find her brother. I'll absolutely be recommending this to my fantasy-loving readers at my library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours for the chance to read and review Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

What do you do when your rose tinted glasses are pulled away?

Imani believes in the council and her brothers death. She believes in keeping Qalia a secret and her family’s honour and place in the clan. When all that is threatened by her brothers disappearance, she throws herself into her duties as a shield until her brothers horse leads her and her sister to his secret letters; starting a journey across the desert.

There are many things to like about Spice Road! Imani is a character that shows tremendous growth throughout the book. She doesn’t question the history she’s been taught; she’s secure in her position as an old clan member and expects members of new rising ones to seek her out; she believes her brother is dead; and that no one goes to sleep hungry at night in Qalia.

For Imani the entire journey is a rude awakening to her own privilege (her sister confesses to stealing for her friends because she knows she won’t be punished) and also the idea that isolation is perhaps not a good thing. This happens partially because of Taha who resents her privilege who has had to fight for what he had, as opposed to Imani who expected it. And yet, even as we understand Taha, we continue to resent him because the book is told from Imani’s perspective and he’s still the bad guy. Taha has to kill the boy who mentored him and anyone who learns about magic because he knows that if he messes up there are consequences because of his father. In turn, his father may not be able to hold onto his position because of Taha if the latter shows weakness. Honestly, a take from his perspective would be really interesting!

I loved the whole dynamic with Qayn and how that also pushes Imani into being better! Not just in terms of her skills but also her learning to respect other people. There’s one scene which really stands out in this regard, but I’ll let you read the book to find out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital Arc in exchange for my honest review.

You guys this book was so good! I really loved the writing style and how the unique the world building and magic system are.
I think my favorite thing about it is the growth the FMC goes through. At times although I understood her position I still felt annoyed with her thought process. I ended up loving her though.

This is an amazing story about family and what lengths you would go to protect your family when they’re in danger. It is a story about privilege and how being privileged keeps people blinded from seeing the reality about situations. It is a story about personal change and growth.

I know there’s kind of a love triangle but I’m sure Taha is the definite love interest. I really want to know why he blindly follows his dad and I need his redemption asap!

4.5 stars

The cover for this book is gorgeous and immediately drew me in.

I usually love YA Fantasy and so I thought this would be a slam dunk for me.

The story itself was good but there was something about the writing style that kept me from really connecting to the story and I'm not certain what it is.

The characters were many and somewhat like a chalk outline. Each character was defined but very simple. It took some time for any action to take place and within that time, there was explanations about a missing brother and interactions with unlikable characters.

When action did take place, it quickly ended and the subject matter faded to the background of the story.

There was fantasy and adventure but the overall story wasn't compelling enough to keep my attention for very long.

Spice Road
by Maiya Ibrahim
Pub Date: 24 Jan 2023

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim is vibrant fantasy, full of swords and sorcery !

Maiya Ibrahim, brings Qalia and Alqibah worlds vividly to life. This immersive enemies to lovers fantasy is set in an Arabian-inspired land. Full of Monsters and myths from Middle Eastern folklore.
We follow seventeen year old Imani, who is the the infamous Djinni-Slayer, the youngest member of the Shields, protectors of the city of Qalia. Imani is gifted with the magical ability to transform her ancient dagger into other weapons. Aided by a tea called Spice, who’s magical properties that comes from the ancient Misra Tree.
Her presumed treasonous brother Atheer, has been missing and assumed dead after his theft of misra. When things come to light he might not be so dead after all. When Imani and her younger sister, Amira are given information about their brother, they find themselves in a retrieval group set out to bring Atheer back. To much to her dismay Imira is paired with her rival Taha and his scouts. Together along with her sister, and a Djinni, who claims he has befriended her brother, they leave the comforts of everyone and everything they know to retrieve her brother.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Spice Road and its action packed adventure across Arabian inspired lands. Imani is off to save her brother who was thought to be dead. That was until she came across a DJinni who told her other wise. Imani is a Djinni-slayer who sets off with 3 others to bring her brother back. I love the world building and the action in this journey. I think it was a fun read. I liked the way it ended, even though you know there will be 2 more books. I think Ibrahim did a good job of wrapping it up.
I will purchase this book for our High School library.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is a bit of a conflicting review for me. This kind of story is right up my alley - a girl removing herself from the only world she's ever known and traveling to find her brother, thought to have been dead, all within an interesting fantasy world is exactly what I like to read. And the premise is really good, and the plot kept me reading. But I think that where this book falls a bit flat is with the characters.

To me, it seemed like the characters weren't quite sure of who they were supposed to be. Which, sure, sometimes characters are unsure, but me as a reader shouldn't be unsure about it. Unfortunately, Imani seems to fall into the "says she's deadly and talented but doesn't really show it" trope. Taha flipped back and forth with Imani a few times, making the fledgling relationship between them appear a bit more forced than intended, like it was there to put "enemies to lovers" on a tagline. I do like the idea of them together and was rooting for them at first, but think that their relationship could have more of an impact if it was delved into some more. I'm also not sure how I feel about the upcoming love triangle that was hinted at the end of this book. :/

I didn't have any big problems with the writing - for the most part, it had a good amount of descriptions and kept me engaged. I did find that some of the points got repetitive and that at times Imani would almost muse too much. But generally, I liked the writing. The chapters are fairly short too, which I always like.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am interested in seeing how the plot progresses. I love stories with a focus on sibling relationships, so I found the ending of this book to be good, and am looking forward to seeing more interactions with Atheer.

Top 5 Reasons to Read:
1. Fierce FMC
2. Fascinating magic that is strengthened with tea
3. Standing up for the good of all people
4. Beautiful imagery and ceremony
5. Family love

I really enjoyed this read and cannot wait to continue the series. Spice Road was full of twists and turns and never boring. I loved seeing the growth in Imani as she learned that there was so much more to the world than her sheltered perspective and she began to make her own choices about what she believes in

Enemies to lovers to enemies again?? Only one horse? Love triangle? (And yes I enjoy them.) If bad why hot times 2? Yes, Spice Road has all this and more including a main character who shows growth throughout the story. Imani is strong and smart and capable but also experiences real emotions and feelings. She cries. She tries to give up more than once. She's forced to question everything she's ever known. She isn't always the most likable and sometimes I disagreed with her decisions, but that all served to make her a more complex character.
I want to know more about all of the characters, I even found myself wishing for Atheer POV chapters (here's hoping for book 2). I'm interested to see where the story goes and what else is revealed in the rest of the series.
The book takes a little while to get started and there are some awkward phrases and stilted conversations, but once it gets going it improves immensely and I found myself drawn in.

"We will fight, but first we will have tea."

This one hooked me with the first sentence. This book is so amazing! It's got everything - adventure, betrayal, mystery, monsters, politics, a little dash of family drama.

Imani is stubborn and young but carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. For me, she started out a bit unlikeable - a kid who thought they knew the way of the world. But she grows so much, I ended up really loving her and rooting for her.

I also really enjoyed the rest of the characters, especially Qayn. I am so intrigued by him and am hoping we will learn much more about his past in the next book.

Pacing was perfect. Medium paced and never dragging. And, as the first book in a trilogy, I think the story in this one was wrapped up really nicely. I'm dying for the next book but there was the perfect amount for me.

Synopsis:
Qalia is a blessed land with magic, but beyond it's walls, monsters lurk. Imani is part of the organization called the Shields, dedicated to protecting the people of Qalia. They drink misra tea to unlock their magical affinities.

Her brother, Atheer, was also a Shield but has been missing for over a year. He was discovered to have been stealing misra. Most believed him lost to magical obsession and likely dead. Imani's sister, Amira, has been struggling since Atheer's disappearance.

One day, Atheer's old horse takes off into the dangerous lands outside Qalia. Amira takes off to save the horse, and Imani follows to save Amira. But what they find changes their world. Atheer may be alive and he may also be revealing their magic to the world outside the desert. Imani makes a plan with the council to go as part of a group to find her brother and bring him home.

"We will fight, but first we will have tea"

Spice Road is the debut novel of Maiya Ibrahim, and the first one in the trilogy of the same name. An Arabic setting gets mixed with tea-based magic in a beautifully written book, in a plot-driven adventure following Imani, a strong female main character, in the search for the brother she thought lost.

Imani is a Shield for the kingdom of Sahir, a magic-user soldier. After she and her sister have to chase her brother's horse, they get to know a Djinn that apparently has information about their disappeared brother; but not for a cheap price, forcing Imani to bind this Djinn to her blade, a kind of pact that is persecuted in the kingdom. Imani brings this information to the council, in hopes of being let start a mission that will take her across the sands; but she gets paired with her arch-enemy Taha and his scouts, with the objective of taking back her brother and incarcerating him.

Our protagonist starts a journey across the Swallowing Sands to the kingdom of Alqibah, getting to know so many lands that she hasn't even imagined before while looking to recover her brother. We are also spectators of how she evolves during the curse of this journey, how her relationship with the other soldiers changes, and how her vision of the world broadens.

The journey theme is an excellent way to portray different places in this Arabic-inspired world, using the eyes of Imani for it; showing how in reality Imani is not probably the most reliable narrator, as she's blinded by her prejudices, something that she will be losing during the journey. How the different places and manners get described is probably one of the best aspects of this novel, showing Ibrahim's strength in using the written word to create colourful and splendid images.

My main gripe with this book was mostly how irrational and angsty Imani behaved many times, and how little sometimes she learned from her mistakes. Despite the evolution of the relationship with the rest of the soldiers, there was always something that made it uncomfortable; personally, I found it difficult to connect with her. Outside of Imani, I found much more likable Qayn (the Djinn), as we can actually appreciate how he changes and how he gets to appreciate different people despite what his initial prejudices were. The rest of the soldier party was kinda okayish, and Taha gets the role of antagonist.

Plot evolution was hooking, especially after we get over the initial 10%, which I found too slow for my taste. It grows with the development of the journey, and at the end sets perfectly what can be the argument for the second book of the trilogy, while still being a satisfying ending.

In summary, if you are looking for an Arabic-inspired fantasy, with a strong MC, Spice Road is a great book for you. It is excellently written, showing an impressive ability to create images just by the use of words; and at this point, I just want to see the second part of this trilogy.