I absolutely loved the first book in the series and I was so happy to read this book and I was not disappointed. The world building and writing in this book was top tier. I would highly recommend this series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Maiya Ibrahim, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc

4.5 stars

I thought this was an amazing second installment in the series. There was so much going on that I didn’t expect. The love triangle definitely is stronger in this one. But what I loved was the plot and problems really picked up making it hard to put down. Please, give this series a chance.

I highly recommend it!

This book was such an exciting read! I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read more from this author. The plot was fast paced and was never boring. The characters were interesting and unique which made the story really enjoyable for me. Great read!

✨ “There is nothing inherently evil about darkness. Even the light can burn if it shines too brightly.”

- Serpent Sea (by Maiya Ibrahim) 🏹🌊🐍


Ever since reading (and LOVING) “Spice Road” over a year ago, I’ve been desperately waiting for the sequel, “Serpent Sea”. So, when the approval email showed up in my inbox from Netgalley, it FLOORED me! I’m still in disbelief! 😭😂

And as expected, I had SUCH a good time reading “Serpent Sea”! I loved being back with these familiar characters in this Arab-inspired fantasy world that’s filled with enchantment, monsters, and long buried mysteries.

This book takes the characters far beyond the magic of the Swallowing Sands, through a treacherous sea, and into foreign enemy lands - in a desperate mission to save their home from that invading hostile force.

The dual-POV in the book lets us also see through the eyes of a character who is very different from Imani - but who, like Imani in book 1, goes through a challenging emotional journey. And I love dual-POV’s because they can allow us to be in more than one place at once, and that worked so well here.

The book also takes the discussion of colonialism and prejudice a step further, offering a clear-eyed view of its brutalities and deceptions. At the same time, the writing shows a complex nuance in its flawed and very human characters.

Beyond that, the book grips you with escalating suspense, unraveling secrets, familiar and new characters, emotional tension, glorious mythical monsters… and all of that culminating in an exhilarating climactic sequence that has all the magic, peril, and twists I could ask for in a Fantasy novel! 😍

And as in the first book, the authentic Arab rep in a Fantasy book (my fav genre) fills my heart with so much joy! 🥹

Serpent Sea is out Nov 19 🌊⚔️

I absolutely loved spice road so when I saw this was up for requests I jumped on it!

This picks up right where book 1 finished and it’s awesome!

Imani and the whole cast are back but this time we got tahas POV too

It’s full of action packed adventure, battles ,romance and magic!

I think people are going to love this continuation of the spice road story

A proper continuation of the Spice Road brings readers to the Serpent Sea. This sequel picks up just where its predecessor left off, but in this book, we get a second perspective. Joining Imani in telling the story is Taha, though not necessarily taking turns as the majority is still told thru Imani's view. Again we find that there is a quest, this time for the jewels of Qayn’s lost crown to restore his magic. We also get to learn a little more about Qayn along the way. There are sea voyages, a contest of survival that briefly had a low-tech Hunger Games feel, family drama, and the continuation of the warm-cold romance that was started in the first book. Some history is shared that helps explain the nature of their world and magic throughout the book but definitely left with the feeling of an all will be explained in the last book of the trilogy. One nice thing about this series has been that there is a definite quest contained within each book rather than sow some YA duologies trilogies break up a single plot and end each book as soon as they get to a cliffhanger. But then, there is also an overarching plot that ties the series together and each quest (or book) has revealed breadcrumbs that direct the characters to the next quest, the next story. Readers who enjoyed Spice Road will be eager to see how Imani and Taha's story continues and those that haven't read the first book of the trilogy, but enjoy adventures in exotic locations with a bit of magic and a slow-burn love-hate romance should give it a try.
I received advanced access to this ARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.