This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023…but I hate it.

It’s not that it’s technically bad? But I was expecting lush, gorgeous prose to go with the setting and that fabulous cover, and instead the writing is extremely basic, even blunt. The first few chapters are just a barrage of clumsy telling-telling-telling, all of it far more simplistic than I expect from Adult Fantasy. I was looking for intricate, detailed worldbuilding and politics and all, and I just didn’t find it here.

And it’s boring. The sexism the women have to deal with is appropriately rage-inducing, but a whole bunch of people were acting pretty stupidly because, I guess, the plot required them to. (Using blasphemous magic to attack a counter-protestor? Sure, that’s exactly what a real leader of a movement would do, and nevermind that the crowd is a breath away from rioting already! But the riot has to happen for the plot, so insert shrug here, I guess.) Events moved incredibly quickly, so there was no time for any of it to have real emotional impact, which in turn made them uninteresting. It didn’t help that most of the characters felt two-dimensional at best, defined by just one or two traits rather than being fully fleshed out. There was nothing to latch onto with any of the cast, no way to really make myself care about any of the characters.

It's not terrible. But it feels very, very basic, and I was expecting so much more than that.

I really, desperately wanted to love this. I tried to. But it wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

The Daughters of Izdihar is a solid political fantasy debut following two women in a world inspired by modern Egyptian history. Nehal is a noble woman forced into an arranged marriage in order to help pay off her father’s gambling debts. All she wants is to be able to attend the Alamaxa Weaving Academy and learn how to control her powers over water, but as a woman she can’t sign the admission papers herself. Giorgina is a poor bookshop worker. She feels fortunate that her job is not in a factory and that she has the freedom to work with the Daughters of Izdihar, a political group fighting for the vote for women, and to see the man she is in love with. Nico is a noble but he’s progressive and kind and he loves Giorgina. He also is being married off to Nehal. The two women’s stories intertwine as they fight for their freedom and grapple with their magic.

I enjoyed this book. The magic system is reminiscent of Avatar the last airbender with weavers of the four different elements and even sub types such as sandweaving (<spoiler> and bloodweaving </spoiler>). There is even a historical figure that could weave all the elements and I hope we learn more about her in the next book. The story is very politics focused with the fight for women’s rights being very central to the plot. I really enjoyed how women's rights and weavers’ rights intermingled. If you are a fan of politics in fantasy books, I feel like these were especially well done. The book drew me in at the start but the middle did suffer from pacing issues with the end being much more engaging again. One of the two main characters is sapphic and it is not accepted in this fantasy world. I would love to see those rights being fought for in the second book as well. Overall, it's a good read and I would recommend it!

4.5 || The Daughters of Izdihar is a stunning debut filled with elemental magic, rich Egyptian inspired culture, and feminism. The story is told from a dual POV following Nehal and Giorgina. Nehal is an upper class woman who is forced into an arranged marriage to pay her father’s debts, but all she wants is the chance to hone her waterweaving skills at the Weaving Academy. Giorgina is a poor woman with an inclination for earthweaving who secretly attends suffragette rallies behind her father’s back. The two women’s lives quickly become intertwined as tensions against women and weavers rise.

This book has everything: beautiful and immersive writing, strong female characters, elemental magic, a sapphic side plot, and important social commentary. I loved both of our protagonists and greatly appreciated the dual view, but I have a special soft spot for Nehal. These women fight hard for what they believe in, but they aren’t without flaws. Their stories both inspired me and broke my heart. The author juxtaposes their backgrounds in order to comment on class difference and the privileges that are afforded to rich women. She also speaks to the impact of men throwing their support behind women and amplifying their voices. We also see some of the harder to swallow elements in a fight for equality, including peaceful protests that are intentionally escalated by armed police men. The themes of police brutality and corrupt politicians in this book are hard to read, but are increasingly important.

This book wasn’t quite a perfect 5 for me because I think it suffered from some minor pacing issues and I also would have liked to see more background lore on the weaving, but overall I was very impressed. This was such a promising start to a duology, especially for being a debut novel, and I absolutely can’t wait for book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

All Nahal has ever wanted to do was learn to control her powers as a water weaver and just as the government lifts the ban on women joining the academy to do just that she receives devastating news; her parents are marrying her off to save the family's fortune. But Nahal has a plan that will get her into the Academy with her husband's blessing to boot.

Georgina is positive that Nico is different from other men, that even though he belongs to one of the most powerful families in Alaxama he will marry her so when he informs her that his family has married her off to Nahal Darweesh she is devastated and throws herself behind Daughter's of Izdihar, group of women fighting for women's rights in Alaxama lead by the charismatic Malak.

When Nahal and Georgina's world's collide due to their shared bond with Nico they will become the forefront of the charge to liberate themselves and the women around them and as their country is sucked into a war the stakes become higher than ever.

Alright let's get this out of the way; I cannot stand Nahal. Is her character supposed to be a spoiled rotten child of privilege? Yes, absolutely. Does she grow as a character at all throughout the book? Not even a little bit. Nahal continually makes selfish decisions that effect everyone around her while somehow justifying these decisions. I found no justification for any of them. She simply makes things worse.

The pacing is maybe a bit too fast as well. All hell breaks loose almost immediately and just doesn't let up. A fast paced book is nice but sometimes a break from everything that's going wrong is nice. Actually not sometimes all the time. Especially when the topic is the oppression of women on a monumental scale.

Which brings me to everything that's good about this book. Reality is that even though I can't stand Nahal I can almost guarantee a woman like her was fundamental in brining about women's suffrage in the U.S. back in the early twentieth century. So while I can't stand her I also believe that her character is, based on my oddly limited knowledge of the key players in women's suffrage, probably highly realistic. Georgina's character is absolutely wonderful and she does have a lot of character growth here so she makes up for Nahal's lack of it. What The Daughter's of Izdihar must endure to simply get to the right to vote or sign something on their own is absolutely reminiscent of the real life struggles women the world over have gone through to gain these rights that men have taken for granted for basically ever. And Georgina's story, (which I won't spoil) is a poignant reminder of what many women in this country right now have faced or will face due to laws that are attempting to be or have been passed currently/recently.

Overall, this was a blatant, in your face reminder that women still face battles in terms of equality and while yes the setting for this book is a part of the world that resembles the Middle East in real life, I think women from almost anywhere can relate to much of this. And I 100% am looking forward to reading the next book!

My favorite part of The Daughters of Izdihar is the setting. This Egyptian inspired world is full of culture and adventure and feels immersive without info dumping. The alternating POV between Nahel and Girogina works very well. Each character has a distinctive voice and their own plot to explore, and they overlap and interact with each other wonderfully.

I really expect great things for this book and imagine it will become the favorite of many young readers!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of The Daughters of Izdihar in exchange for my honest review!

This book follows the lives of Nehal and Giorgina as they struggle in a world dominated by the patriarchy. Nehal is a spoiled noble women with a talent for water weaving. Giorgina is a commoner and earthweaver who struggles with anxiety. Both main characters are complex and fully realized with both having moments of joy and weakness.

As for other characters, I’m most interested in Malak, she is also very complex and mysterious and I hope we learn more about her in the next book! Nico is another important character and he is just as complex as the female characters.

The book can be a bit heavy handed with some themes, however, other moments are done wonderfully. Overall, this was a quick and easy read with great pacing. My only complaint was that the ending felt very abrupt. Without getting into spoilers, I was fully expecting both main characters to get one more chapter to set up the next book. Instead, it felt almost unfinished.

This book is heavily inspired by Egyptian history and culture. I don’t know enough about Egyptian culture so I won’t go into that but it is important to note. Especially because the world feels so natural and lived in. There was none of the “I have no idea what this is saying” feeling that fantasy books often have. While I would love a map, the world is easy to understand and get into.

I don't even know where to begin with this review. This book has:

Fantasy set in a world where people can control the elements
A fantasy world that is reminiscent of Egypt (not another Medieval Europe fantasy story, thank you)
Incredibly well displayed dichotomy between the wealthy elite and the regular citizens
Characters of every different age, gender, and race.
A group of oppressed individuals (Weavers) trying to prove their worth
A group of oppressed individuals (women) trying to prove their worth
Strong, brave, and intelligent female characters
Romance
Impending war

If any of this strikes your fancy give this book a try. So much happens within the covers of this book that to tell you more than I already have would risk spoiling something important.
I am already dying to have the second book and see where the characters are headed next.

Nahel is the daughter of a nobleman who wants nothing more than to join the Academy and fight in the military. But she discovers that she is going to be married off to help her family’s finances. Giorgina is from a poor family, and she spends her time working at a bookshop and fundraising for the Daughters of Izdihar, an activist group for women’s rights. The paths of the two women begin to converge as they find themselves both struggling to learn about their magic and to fight for their rights.

I loved the setting of this work. The author did an excellent job incorporating cultural details as well as details of the surrounding world into the narrative without it ever feeling like an info-dump. I wanted a bit more from the worldbuilding, especially more details concerning the magic, its origins, etc., but there was enough included to make the setting feel realistic and give it depth. The only thing I disliked was that the parameters of the world weren’t clearly established – the beginning of the work made this feel like a traditional fantasy world, but then there was a casual mention of travelling by rail/train, and some more modern words were used in the dialogue. This did break the immersion a bit for me.

The characters were well written and had great depth and development. I enjoyed that the work was told from Nehal’s and Giorgina’s POVs and that they were almost opposites of each other. This added interesting depth to the story. Despite Nehal being hard-headed and a bit spoiled, it was impossible not to like her. There wasn’t much romance included in the work although there was a love triangle (which was surprisingly well done and added much needed depth/tension to the plot!). That being said, I did feel that there wasn’t much plot in this work. Plenty of things happened that were interesting and added to the characters and the world, but it was light on plot overall.

I highly recommend this work to fantasy lovers, especially non-western fantasy that explores women’s rights. I’m looking forward to reading the second book! My thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this work, which will be published on January 10th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What would you do to create change in society? How far would you go to fight for justice?

Nehal, a highborn lady, must marry wealthy Nico to settle her father's gambling debts -- but she would rather be one of the first women to attend the Alamaxa Weaving Academy in order to learn how to control and use her waterweaving powers and possibly join the first all-female military division.

Giorgina, a poor young woman working in a bookshop, has joined the Daughters of Izdihar, a women's group determined to advocate for women's right to vote and to lift up women from poverty. She dreams of someday marrying her studious suitor Nico, but she also struggles to control her earthweaving and to remain anonymous at the Daughters' rallies.

Instead of being at odds, though, these two women find ways to learn from each other and support each other while fighting for women's rights in a society where most traditionally-minded men (and some women) believe women should be protected and confined. And when the pushback to their resistance movement becomes violent, they learn how to step into their own power.

I was captivated immediately by the early 20th-century Egypt-inspired setting that reminded me a good deal of A Master of Djinn -- as well as by the elemental magic system described in the book. The story alternates between Nehal and Giorgina's points of view, so the reader gets greater insight into both characters, their motivations and their reactions. After a somewhat info-heavy beginning, the story moves along quickly, racing to a dramatic cliffhanger finish.

I really appreciated several ways in which the author developed the characters:
--While Nehal initially comes across as a spoiled brat, we also quickly see her idealism and her absolutist views of society and women -- and her total willingness to use her privilege to fight for other women. Are her actions and views entirely sensible or helpful? Not always. But you can never deny her commitment.
--Giorgina is slower to find her voice and her strength, but we continually see how her impoverished and more conservative upbringing, as well as some of her adult choices, would make her more hesitant to stand up publicly for what she believes in. The Giorgina at the end of the book is a much different, stronger woman than the one we first met.
--The love triangle between Nehal, Nico, and Giorgina gets a radically different treatment here than in most books, and while Nico often appears passive and unwilling to get out of his comfort zone, he does support both women in their activities and does nothing to pit them against each other. I look forward to seeing his character grow further in book 2.
--Malak, leader of the Daughters, is a charismatic woman, confident in her independence and cool under fire -- but she also reveals herself to be very, very human at times, which was pleasantly surprising.
--I hope to see more of some side characters (Etedal, Yusry, some of Nehal's cohort from the Academy) in book 2 -- there's more I want to know about them!

I'm also intrigued by the religious system in the book (the Tetrad, four gods representing the four elements) and how the original practices developed into the more restrictive form shown in the book.

Note: There is apparently going to be a map (maps?) in the front of the book, but they were not included in the eARC. Color me sad.

The book contains many layers that feel very relatable to today's society, between the pushback to conservative views of women's rights and the fight for justice and the desire for bigger societal changes, and while some of the characters' actions may seem extreme at times, they are still believable, given historical precedents and current tensions. The thoughtful reader will find much in this book that raises the question, What will you do with your privilege, whatever that privilege may be?

A strong, captivating start to this fantasy duology -- I can't wait to read more.

Thank you, Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Told from the perspectives of two women on opposite ends of the social hierarchy, Daughters of Izdihar is an exploration of privilege and the role of intersectionality in utilizing privilege. It illustrates how truly harmful it can be when those with good intentions do not use their privilege to give a voice to the disenfranchised.

Elsbai’s world building feels so rich and tangible without getting bogged down in pages of description. I became so immersed in the environment that it felt like it’s own character. I could feel, see, hear, and smell the streets of Alamaxa as though I was walking them myself. The culture and environment are both so vibrant and enchanting and the politics are just as well developed since this is ultimately about the fight for women’s rights.

The protagonists are practically opposites in personality, identity, and background, but both showcase so much strength and resilience in their own ways. Despite their differences, their stories mirror each other in that they are able to find empowerment in the face of their oppression. It’s so empowering to read as a woman and a member of the queer community. The side characters are all well developed and unique in a way that adds to the conversation on intersectionality. The villains are complex and way too realistic (in that they mimic our politicians, police, and public officials far too closely).

My only criticism is that in building such a rich world with such nuanced politics, it does feel more as though it is setting up for the second book rather than telling a complete story on its own. That being said, I could not put this book down once I started it. I can’t wait for the second book because I’m so obsessed with this world, the characters, the magic system, and the themes of this story.

Damn damn damn ….. first of all I would like to personally thank the author (whether they see this or not) because I’m Egyptian and it was my first time reading mythology and fantasy with Egyptian themes in them. On top of that, I’m also queer and that was more representation than I had ever encountered or thought I would encounter in my life.

Plot
The story follows two women who are from a different social class as they are protesting for the right of women to vote.

The plot was magnificent and well thought out. It was very action based as opposed to thoughts based which kept me reading. I think the pace slowed down from 30% to the 50% mark but overall it was intriguing.

The story talks about a lot of modern issues in Egypt and in the world. Police Brutality, Sexism and Misogyny, Classism, Colorism and Homophobia. I found that very entertaining. It didn’t shy away from giving the characters their flaws or admitting that some people have worse problems because of their lack of privilege.


Writing
The writing was very entertaining and poetic. Hadeer has a nice way in constructing sentences that generally keep you going!

Aesthetics
Because I’m well aware of what Egypt looked like around the time period in the novel, it was easy to imagine it and the amazing aesthetics it got. I imagined it sometime around 1880s to 1940s. The clothes, the buildings, the streets, everything had this old vintage feel to it.

Criticisms
Someone mentioned before that they would have liked to see more Giorgina and Nehal together and I agree. I also expected and was rooting for them to fall in love. Malak is nice, but she could play a role of an older wiser lesbian.

Research
Every non English term made sense to me. I could even understand where the author got their names from and general layout of the book.

Ramwsa is Egypt. Alamaxa is Cairo. Ramina is Alexandria. Talyana is Italy. We actually call Italians in Arabic Talayna so I guess that’s where it came from. The only one I couldn’t figure out it’s origin is Zirana. The other places like Bulaq & Tanta are real places with these exact names.

Recommend
I would totally recommend this novel, and I’m patiently waiting for the sequel. The

This was absolutely delightful. I loved the magic system, the Egyptian-based culture, and the feminist themes and angry suffragettes. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys dangerous women, fantasy, and Egyptian culture.

Set in the fictional land of Alamaxa (based on modern Egypt) two very different women struggle with having less rights than rights men.

Nehal is a young woman being sold off to the highest bidder in marriage by her aristocratic but broke parents. Giorgina is working in a book shop and desperately clinging to her reputation to protect her relationships with her family and her boyfriend. Both women are part of a group of people called weavers that have power to control the elements. Society ranges from suspicious to outright hostile towards most of these weavers. These women cross paths and make unexpected allies as they join the movement for women’s suffrage.

This is a good read. Alamaxa is interesting and has all the same problems the real world has with gender equality. The battle these women face feels pretty hopeless at the end of the book and I’m hoping that turns around in the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phew this book took me some time to get into. Once I did get into it, it moved fairly quick. This story is primarily about impulsively outspoken Nehal and the varying characters she interacts with. Nehal is a waterweaver who is forced into a marriage with Nico. While Nico does not like conflict and bends to keep the peace, Nico is progressive in his views and often supports Nehal when others do not. I think Nehal definitely wishes he would take more action with the power he does have.
The novel switches perspectives between Nehal and Giorgina, an earthweaver who is Nico's primary love interest. Both Nehal and Giorgina are part of the Daughter's of Izdihar, a group fighting for women's rights.
At the end of this book, it definitely is left open for the continuation to the next novel and didn't really tie anything up. I mostly read stand alone stories so maybe that's how it's supposed to go. Hopefully Yusry will play a larger role in this second novel.
Overall I liked the novel but didn't love it. I felt like it had so many elements (haha get it) to it that got skimmed over and would have like a deeper dive for some people/events.

There’s a lot of tension in this adult fantasy suffragette remix. Romantic tension between two wildly different women; crushing tension between patriarchal values and women’s rights; and the unfairness of who has magic and who doesn’t. There are two perspectives that alternate chapter by chapter, if anything I wish the book were longer to see the two characters overlap more, They occupy the same space but don’t really interact. There is a cliff hanger ending— and I suspect book 2 will give us more magic!

The Daughters of Izdihar was an excellent, timely read. I loved the characters and the world inspired by Egypt. The magic system was so interesting, and I felt that the prejudice the weavers experience was very well done. Nehal and Giorgina were great main characters, and I was equally interested in both POVs, which doesn't happen too often. The romances were interesting while not overtaking the plot, and I also think this is was the perfect time to read this book given what is happening in the United States with abortion rights. I'm so excited for the second book and can't wait to see what happens to Nehal and Giorgina next! 5/5 stars.

I LOVED this book. This is a fantasy book with magical characters, set in Egypt, fighting for women’s rights, to be heard and treated as equals, and just demanding some respect!
This is a dual POV book, switching between 2 women, Nehal and Giorgina. Both of these women have great character development and relatable flaws, as well as things they overcome that really have you rooting for the both of them. I was celebrating their budding friendship and the girl power they’ve got together!
You can really feel yourself in the world they are in, There is a large group of women banded together to fight the government, police, and general populace to have their voices heard, and you just want to join this group with these ladies immediately, as its a beautiful group of found-family sisters.. Very timely issues brought up, both with dismissal of women and police brutality.
Be warned though, it will end on a cliffhanger, so if you can’t handle those maybe wait until the second one comes out to read this one, as I now really need to know whats going to happen next to these characters and this world!!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my review!

What a fun book. Adventure- check. Smashing societal norms- check. Crushing the patriarchy - double check. Beautiful imagery- for sure. I can’t wait to see more from this duology!


Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review!

When I first saw this book show up on Netgalley, the description caught my interest, and thought I'd give it a try. But, after reading a few pages, it ended up not holding my interest, and I ended up deciding to not finish it. Which isn't to say that it was good or bad, just that it just wasn't for me at this time. However, after it's published, if I find that I'd like to try this book again, I'd definitely would be open to picking it up again and giving it another go.

Summary: In this fantastical tale inspired by modern Egyptian history we follow two powerful women. Nehal, a spoiled noblewoman that gets what she wants. Secondly we follow Giorgina, a bookseller which has next to nothing in this world. These two women have far more in common than meets the eye and together they must fight the struggle of women's rights with forbidden magic.

Review: Firstly, we must appreciate the beautiful cover 😭. Secondly I must say how thoroughly I enjoyed this book. The characters were fluid, three dimensional, and well thought out. The setting, immaculate and seemless. The story, a journey which I wanted to repeat time and time again. This book truly took my heart hugged it then smashed it repeatedly, I loved every second of it. My overall rating for this book is a 4.75/5.

Extended Breakdown:
Story: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Magic System: 4/5