“a world run by people who think they’re better will never be better for everyone.”

The author was raised in the United Arab Emirates by a Ghanaian/ British Christian mother and a Sudanese/ Arabian Muslim father, before moving to a village in Yorkshire. Her debut novel is the first part of a trilogy based on Ghanaian folklore and Arabian mythology.

The world is divided by race. The red-blooded Embers are the ruling class, the Dusters the blue-blooded workers and the Ghostings the clear-blooded despised slave class. The four guilds of the empire are strength, truth, knowledge or duty. “Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control. Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance. Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.” Sylah lives in the Dusting quarter, raised to be a warrior, part of the resistance. After the tragic loss of her family Sylah becomes lost in a world of drugs, until a man from her past, Jond Aluna, reappears and challenges her to fulfill her destiny. Anoor is the despised daughter of one of the Ember leaders, the fierce Warden of Strength. Hassa is one of the Ghostings, robbed of her tongue and hands, destined to be invisible. Sylah ends up training Anoor for the Aktibar, the great competition to appoint the next leader. Not everything is as it appears in the empire, with secrets buried and cruelty and poverty tearing things apart at the seams.

The story has straight, gay and trans or intersex characters. There is a bisexual love triangle. Ultimately this book highlights the author’s “desire to prove that all cultures are magical in their own way.” I found this to be an engrossing story with strong women that was hard to put down. I’m not a big fantasy reader but this was a 5 star read for me. It would make an amazing movie.

“Bruises fades, but resilience doesn’t.” ( )

Very engaging fantasy with a lot of world to get lost in, but a few elements just needed a little more polishing. ( )

A really thrilling world with tense conflict, interesting personalities, smart characters and exciting plotlines ( )

This first installment was an absolute joy to read. Character-driven, but with great detail given to the world building and plot pacing. I especially loved the many ways in which El-Arifi queered the genre of fantasy by tackling gender and sexuality in a way that brought the absence of "otherness" to the page. I laughed. I cried. I was angry, and I was heartbroken... and for one book to gift me all those emotions was a read I will not soon forget. Can't believe I have to wait two weeks for the next one to come out!

Definitely don't want to miss out on this one. READ IT! ( )

This story is superb. I enjoyed it a lot and especially love how it comes from the mythology of Africa and Arabia. I always love reading stories with mythology and especially with Mythologies that we don't always know or hear as much about.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:
Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.
Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.
Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts.
Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm.
As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

This story is epic fantasy with blood magic and an interesting take on the chosen one. This story has the chosen one having issues with drugs and missing her calling, which is quite a different take than other epic fantasies of this type. There's some content/trigger warning needed for some gore, violence, child abuse, drugs/drug addiction, and abuse. There's also LGBT/Queer rep, a mute character, and such.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for letting me read and review this great book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )