This is a fantastic young adult fantasy. The story has a mix of magic djinn and those who don’t have magic. The story centres around a quest to find a missing brother who has become a traitor or so his sister thinks.
This looks set to be a great series.

A magical and exciting read! I have been in the worst reading slump for some time now and this enchanting book has fully taken me out of it! Fans of the daevabad trilogy, Ember quartet and We hunt the Flame will fall in love with this world of magical tea, monsters, ghouls and jinn.

"Whoever controls the Spice . . . controls the Kingdom itself.

The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. With her affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani can wield a dagger like no other - and for that she has gained a reputation as the next greatest Shield, battling djinn, ghouls, and the other monsters spreading across the sands.

But ever since her brother was discovered stealing their nation's coveted spice - a tell-tale sign of magical obsession - and disappeared into the deadly Forbidden Wastes, Imani's reputation has been in tatters. Despite Atheer's betrayal, there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't grieve him.

Then Imani discovers signs her brother may be alive, and spreading their nation's magic to outsiders. Desperate to find him - and to protect him - she joins the mission sent to hunt him down. Accompanied by Taha, a powerful beastseer, who enthrals and enrages her in equal measure, Imani soon discovers that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes - and in her own heart.

Caught between her duty to her nation, and her love for her brother, Imani must decide where her loyalties lie . . . before it is too late."

thank you to netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc, all opinions are my own.

"the truth is the thorn, not the rose."

I think the fact that I finished this book in three hours on the same day I received it should say enough- I literally could not put it down!

first things first, the writing. it was absolutely MESMERISING. the descriptions were so richly evocative, I felt like I was there in each scene, running away from monsters and danger, exploring the market places, watching them make the tea. sometimes, especially in fantasy, the writing can get dreary but here, it was just wonderfully immersive. imagine Tahereh Mafi x sabaa taahir. a match made in heaven, I know.

the characters;
I am a sucker for heroines with faults and Imani was exactly that. she was stubborn, proud and naive. she made bad decisions and at times was a little bit annoying and that was brilliant because it made her a real person, someone we can relate to. (minus all the magical abilities. unless you're a magical creature) characters who are just brilliant and superb and amazing at everything get really boring, really quickly so Imani was just The Girl for me. I love her.
and then qayn. like pretty much everyone who has read the book, I LOVED HIM. dark haired, sarcastic, kind, a djinn and possible enemies to ???, SIGN ME UP. his character arc was *chefs kiss* and his whole shoeless journeying was a vibe
now, taha. I was a bit conflicted by him. I enjoyed the whole brooding, arrogant soldier vibe but his whole intense rule following mantra, especially in certain scenes, spoiled his character a little for me especially as a love interest. however, the little seedlings we have of his backstory have been planted in this book so maybe the next book (which I will definitely be getting, and you all will be too) will have the big tree of taha character arc.
those are the main three we have character art for but an honourable mention to Amira because I just want to give her a big hug and be her best friend. fierce family love that is a big theme in this book and she is the epitome of this love. her dedication to her siblings and her passion for justice made her one of the most interesting characters I've ever read about. in case it wasn't clear: I love Amira with all my heart and I would honestly recommend the book just for her.

the plot:
AMAZING. the synopsis read a little bit like an ember in the ashes (another brilliant book that you should all read) but it wasn't, besides the whole brother-gone-missing-so-rescue-mission idea. every chapter blended seamlessly together, making this masterpiece. I can't share too much because I don't want to spoil it but I shall sum it up like this: AAAAAAAHHHHHHOMGAAAHHHHH.

world building: this book was a lesson in world building. I could imagine the whole spice road world and the theme of colonisation not only brought life to the world, but was also incredibly both eye opening and heart breaking. when just the world building evokes an emotional response, you know that book is good and this book excelled in that.

overall, you deserve to get this book. you deserve to get lost in a lush world, full of magic and intrigue. you deserve an enemies to ???, buckets of betrayal and beautifully strong family relationships and this book will give you all of this. so get it <3

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodderscape for the arc!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Fans of The Ember Quartet series by Sabaa Tahir or The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty will not be disappointed by this first installment of an epic new Arabic fantasy series!

Written from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Imani, I grew to like her over the course of the book, as she challenges her preconceptions of class and privilege, and comes to learn about the effects of colonialism and what it means to be human. Her journey is an interesting one: as a character who has very fixed notions of what the world is supposed to be, she resists change at first, wanting to stay within the comfort of her ignorance until she is confronted with a reality that cannot be denied, and realises that she is the one who needs to change, befriending djinnis and expanding her worldview along the way to find her brother in a place she never expected to exist.

What I liked about the book: I loved the world-building, especially in learning more about the Forbidden Wastes and the magical creatures who inhabit it, monsters and djinnis both. I enjoyed the magic system which was straightforward but still intriguing, as well as the spice that activates the magic both serving as enhancers and limitations to the magic users who wish to use magic. The strong familial ties between Imani and her family were also great to witness, as well as Imani's character growth in the latter parts of the novel. I also really loved learning more about Qayn's backstory and I'm certainly looking forward to finding out more about him in the next book!

What I liked less: The romance between Imani and Taha. I truly hope that after he left her for dead that they don't get back together because I can't really imagine how his actions can be redeemed. While it was truly awful how much abuse he has been subjected to, outside of his father's direct influence, he still had a choice to try to save her, yet he chose not to</spoiler>. I understood why it was included, and how it helped drive the plot forward, however, I didn't find it compelling enough and it seemed as if all they had was attraction. I wasn't convinced that Imani fell for Taha so quickly. The first half of the story was also slower and it took me a while to become immersed in the world, especially as I didn't find Imani very likable at the start. Nevertheless, once it picked up, I felt that the flow of the story worked out well and built up to a strong end that sets the scene very well for a sequel.

Overall, I thought this was a splendid debut and I look forward to reading more of the Spice Road Trilogy!

so you’re telling me there’s no release date for book 2 yet? but, but i want moooore. i must be honest, it took me a good 20% to really get into this book but once i was in, i was IN (to be fair, the small crumbs of romance we got are what really made me interested😅). however, though the romance (the crumbs) is reallyyyy good, the plot was too, as well as the world the author developed but also their characters. i found the tea magic very original, i liked the adventure/travel aspect of the book and our main character, Imani, is truly interesting as she can be slightly unlikeable in her ways of thinking or behaving and i think she has potential in her development as a character. taha is giving me aaron warner vibes in the sense that he clearly has an abusive father in a position of power in their society (i know i’ve only read book 1 and 1.5 in the shatter me series SO WHAT). the other characters have pretty distinctive voices but i can’t say much about them so far. finally, this book started conversations about classes, privilege and colonialism, mostly through imani’s character and i’m particularly curious to see how this develops in the next 2 books. 4.5⭐️

Spice Road is set in an Arabian inspired world with vivid imagery and mythical creatures including djinn, ghosts and giants!

In the book, characters are able to access their magical affinity by drinking tea and take part in a tea drinking ritual. The spices are a valuable commodity and a closely guarded secret but have clear limitations on their use which makes for an interesting magic system.

I like that the main character, Imani, is written as a strong and capable young woman in her own right although I would have liked this reflected more in the events of the plot rather than being told this was the case. Imani does go through some good character development though and demonstrates an awareness of her flaws and actively strives to work on them to mixed results. It’s this part of Imani that feels the most the real.

The other characters are a bit of a mixed bag, I enjoyed Qaid and the sibling relationship between Imani and her brother and sister but her travel companions are far from likeable. Taha, a rival and love interest of Imani, is particularly perplexing. He continually blows hot and cold in how he treats Imani, you get glimpses into his background and complexity but you never quite understand his motives. I really couldn’t understand what Imani was supposed to see in him.

This book does a good job of touching on important topics, including class systems, privilege and colonialism. I was glad to see these themes included and they made sense given the setting.

Overall I enjoyed Spice Road but it didn’t blow me away. I think it would appeal more to the younger end of young adult, the character’s dialogue didn’t always seem to match their ages. It’s a pretty strong debut though and I’m still invested enough that I want to see how the story develops so I probably will be reading the sequel!

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book. The characters developed well and the setting was written beautifully. The plot was great, and leads well into book 2 (hopefully!)

Review in exchange for e-arc

Magic tea? A unique fantasy book set in an Arabic inspired world? I was already excited to read the book and it did not let me down! Such a well thought through, detailed and unique magic system; beautiful world building and a plot you can sink your teeth into. The book had so much depth and so many layers, I sped through it in next to no time! It does move slow at times but despite that, I still loved every page because I felt so immersed in the world and with the characters! This is a fantastic first book from the author and I really hope there’s more to come, I can’t wait to return to this world!

The book started off un shaky ground when it comes to writing and characters. But the good thing about that is that the story hits the ground running, so, for those looking for a fast read, this is a good choice.

I'll admit that the first 40% of the book is hard to get through, I wasn't invested enough, there was a lot of immature dialogue between the characters which got really repetitive and plotwise nothing much was going on. The story truly picks up after that and from then on, it got really fun. The character building and interactions improved, plus the adventures and twists were good.

As always, I wish it took some time before the very obvious attraction was mentioned between characters. It felt a little forced but oh, well. It's YA.

I really liked Qayn's character and I'm very very intrigued with this sassy, mysterious djinni king. Imani was... alright. She felt super immature and impulsive for all the hoo-ha surrounding her name. Amira and the rest of the characters were fine, I wish we had gotten to know everyone better though.

I have a lot of questions about the world and especially the magic system. Definitely needs to be explored more becausetea magic? Hello? We need the tea on that. Also, I'm curious about the title of this book, the Spice Road didn't have much of a role or significance that I felt. Maybe I missed something?

Thank you net galley for providing me with the e-arc! I had the best time reading Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim ! Spice Road is a YA fantasy set in an Arab-inspired word with tea/spice magic! We follow Imani, a gifted Shield with an infinity for iron who needs to find her missing brother. To follow her on the journey, she must ally with another Shield, a beast-seer she can’t stand. (Rivals to???). But between duty, orders and wishes of the heart, the choices were not easy and I loved how the characters faced them differently!

It was everything! The pacing was so good, very fast and filled with action, it made the book a pageturner and the writing was gorgeous!

The main characters were great, realistic and each with very distinct goals. I do love a scene-stealer and you’ll all find a certain dark-haired Djinni pretty cool!

I adored the unique, fresh magic-system! The world building was filled with dangerous deserts, mirages and mythical creatures!

The book also explore themes of power, privileges and colonialism, slowly unfolding during the character’s journey. This book being the first one in a trilogy I have no doubt we’ll dive into them even deeper in the sequel and I’m really excited!

Congrats on this fantastic debut Maiya, seeing more books by SWANA authors on shelves is so heartwarming and I highly recommend Spice Road! Preorders help authors are lot, so grab your copy now to receive some really pretty prints!

I'll start by saying I could round up to 4/5 but I'm not going to for a couple of reasons.

This book was a bit of a roller coaster, and not in the usual way people use that term. It started very mild, a bit rudimentary in some of the writing (example: "You mean Raad, the black stallion?" Who talks like this? This is not how a normal conversation happens.) and bit standard in that you had a soldier MC who was the best and was the youngest and most impressive in their squad blah blah blah. After a while the story started to build. The characters became interesting, the various happenings were more interesting, conversations actually appeared like real, human conversations. Then suddenly everything was going off all at once, there were a number of chase scenes that for some reason had me mentally thinking about One Jump Ahead from Aladdin. (Particularly when they jump into the river.)

It took me to checking on the book a bit more to see it was 1/3 in a trilogy becuase the ending is so tied together I thought surely it must be a stand alone. To an extent the conflict is done, Imari made her decision and has her 'I've grown up and learned many lessons' round up and it ends very softly. Now if it was a cliff hanger I'd probably also be complaining 'How could it end like this?! I need more!' but we'll never know. I think, based on this writing, I can guess what each book is going to do. Next book we'll see Imari, Amira and Atheer convince the Council to help Alqibah and third book will be the stand off with the Harrowlanders before the whole continent is reunited and everything is roses. This is complete speculation, I have no evidence of this.

Qayn and Amira are by far the most interesting characters and I really hope we get to see them shine more in the next two books. Taha is going to have a 'Coming to the Great Spirit' moment at some point and apologise then declare his undying love for Imari I'm sure (again total speculation) but obviously something is going to happen with those two some more. I would like to know if we're going to find out what happened with Fey at some point. She's just off in some prison, probably. Who knows. Again, I really just want to see Qayn and Amira shine some more. They're great.

Because the writing developed noticably even from early pages to ending ones, I'm interested to know what is coming next (beyond my speculation) so I'll be keeping an eye out for Book 2 when it makes its appearance.

TLDR: It's not a book that will knock your socks off and leave you gasping for more to come but it's enjoyable enough and the start of what will hopefully be a good trilogy to see through.

I really enjoyed this book! Arabian and Middle Eastern inspired fantasies are some of my favorite books and this one is no exception! I just love the beautiful and fascinating world building and the mythological creatures in this story! The characters were very well written and had a lot of depth. The main character Imani starts out very naive and stubborn in her beliefs and views. By the end of the book she was a very different character and she grew so much. I hope Taha has some growth in the next book. There were definitely some plot twists in this book and things I did not see it coming! I can’t wait for the next book to continue with Imani and the crew’s story!

Firstly thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc of Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I was really, really impressed with this being a YA debut. The plot, the characters, the world building and the magical system are complex, interesting and truly well thought through.

The story is very much told from the POV of Imani, following the loss of her elder brother Atheer she is trying to continue her life but, her younger sister has other plans and Imani is thrown into the midst of a rescue operation for her brother, who may still be alive.

Unfortunately for Imani, this involves companions including Qayn, a devilishly handsome djinn who she totally does not trust, and Taha, a powerful and rather arrogant beastseer.

As I said previously, this book delivers fantastic, well constructed and intriguing world building, which is delivered at an excellent pace in parity with the plot. There are definitely no lectures! The characters are well rounded, with layers that draw you in…even when they aren’t that likeable.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t find Imani that likeable at the start of the book, but I was intrigued by her, her background, beliefs, thoughts and opinions. Qayn is a totally intriguing character, there is so much we don’t know about him, but Taha is truly a character that I felt for, there is so much about him that was initially unseen.

I really enjoyed this book and the plot, pace and characters drove me to the end, and now I’m sat here bereft as I have to wait for book 2! If you’re looking for a YA fsntasy with a truly intriguing plot, fabulous world building and great, complex characters, pick up Spice Road!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Spice Road is a decent YA fantasy debut, but I think there is room for improvements.

First of all, I loved the setting and worldbuilding. I’m a big fan of Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy so it wasn’t hard to win me over. I loved the descriptions, the hidden world of Sahir and the shock when they traveled to what lay outside. I also appreciated that colonization was brought into the story, and the depictions of the reality and horrors of it were done so well and I think it’s great to have this in a YA novel.

The plot is decent, nothing we haven’t seen before, but it was done well and I think it does a great job at setting up the trilogy. I do wish the marketing surrounding the book was a bit different, there’s a big emphasis on the tea magic and I felt like we didn’t really see much of it.

My main issue were the characters.
It’s YA, they’re teenagers/young adults, and while they certainly acted their age, I also just really struggled with them. I didn’t like any of the main cast characters, least of all the FMC.
She was so stubborn and selfish, and imo didn’t really have any redeeming qualities.

The other three characters of the original traveling party all felt very similar to one another. I didn’t like that all three of them disliked the FMC (not that I blame them lol), but for a good 10-20%, the plot was carried by this conflict and it didn’t do much for the tension. I can see this becoming a nice found family over the course of the books, but I wish we would have gotten a bit in this one.

The love interest, Taha, had his good moments but after some of his actions, I don’t see myself liking him in the sequels.

The most disappointing character to me however was Qayn. He had so much potential and I always enjoy djinn characters, but for a centuries-old being, he acted a lot like the teenage characters of the novel.

There were also moments here and there were I found the characters’ reactions to be unrealistic and some of the conversations felt a bit forced.

The book and author certainly have potential and I will be reading the sequel because it is a promising story, I just really hope for a good character arc.

I recommend giving this book a try, it’s a great concept and story and I’m excited to see the author grow as a writer.

Spice Road
by Maiya Ibrahim
Pub Date 24 Jan 2023
Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA

This book is set in an Arabian land and is the first in a series. Ameer and Imani are sisters. What would you do to protect yourself, and where do you live? Great battles.

After discovering her brother may be alive, she deals with the council to find him.

After the brother Atheer.
Duty bound to kill all Magical creature which roams the earth. This is the rule until she meets the djinni Qayn, who knows her brother.

This book kept me capacitive as I needed to know what would happen next.

I have enjoyed the relationships between the two sisters, Imani and Arima.

This gives me an Aladdinish vibe. I did feel the second half of the book was done at a slower pace than the first.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-ARC through Netgalley!
SpiceRoad #NetGalley.

Firstly thank you to netgalley for providing me both the E-arc and the audiobook for this novel! This was an amazing debut book from Maiya Ibrahim. The story follow Imani who uncovers that her missing brother may still be alive and must travel to bring him back home, she is accompanied by Qayn, a devilishly handsome djinn and Taha, a powerful and rather arrogant beastseer. This book was exceptional and has all the ingredients of an well executed fantasy; the world building is both intriguing and not overwhelming, the characters have a depth that is sustained throughout the story and the plot is incredibly interesting too! Imani was such a brilliant main character, I found myself empathising with her, her beliefs, her thoughts. She really embodied what it means to be a sister, especially bc of how important family is to her clearly. Qayn was also such a brilliant character, and I really grew to love him by the end of the book but the character that really tore at my heart was Taha. He was amazing, the juxtaposition of his personality, his strength, his beliefs. I was blown away honestly because he kept surprising me throughout the book. I’m so excited for book 2 which I most definitely will be buying because this has to be one of my favourite books this year!

This is a fun YA fantasy read, but I struggled a little to engage with it purely because I'm very burned out on the genre, and there's little here to differentiate its heroine, romance, and adventure from anything else on the same shelf. If you're a fan of the typical YA fantasy style, and are looking for one that's well-executed and fast-paced, then Spice Road is well worth a read.

We will fight but first, we will have tea.
I loved this middle-eastern inspired YA fantasy full of spice, magic, djinns, rebellions and magic tea- here is my review of Spice Road, the first book in the Spice Road Trilogy by Maiya Ibrahim.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Imani is the first-person narrator and the talented knife-wielder with an affinity for iron and Djinn Slayer from a noble family whose influence goes back generations. Her family still grieves the loss of Atheer her older brother but then she finds out her brother is alive outside the safe boundaries of Qalia but then her view of the world is shattered when she finds out her brother not only chose to leave his family but he has shared the special tea that helps people find their magical abilities. She volunteers ( or demands ) to join the team of scouts to find Atheer and bring him back. But finds the journey changes her in more ways than one.
Imani was an intriguing character- a seventeen-year-old overachiever blind to her privilege, the advantages her wealth and family have brought her and the suffering of people in her own country. At the start of the book, I didn’t like her- spoilt, stubborn, insensitive, conservative, volatile and rude but she changes as the book progresses to become a little less of those things but more compassionate. The fact she doesn’t completely change into the perfect person was realistic.
One of the more interesting subplots was her relationship with Djinn, Qayn, especially considering she is sworn to kill Djinn more so than the complicated, messy relationship with Taha.
The world-building in Spice Road is lush, colourful and vibrant. While the magical abilities people possess aren’t particularly unique, the drinking of magical tea to obtain was a particularly nice touch. The horrors of colonisation and the devastation this wreaks on the country being occupied are suddenly introduced but more effective because of this.
There is plenty of action, magic, and teenage angst but this will appeal to anyone who would like a non-western based fantasy and who loves tea
Content Warning
References to sexual assault, parental abuse, torture
Perfect for Fans of
The Ivory Key by Akasyha Raman and The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

This book is outstandingly beautiful, the building of an Arabian inspired land is breathtaking.

Im a huge fan of a traveling trope and this book does traveling fantasy beautifully, mixed with a politically driven plot and rebel elements. The character arcs are complex, all relationships and friendships go through every emotion possible, they grow, develop and flourish within the story.
The epic journey to find Imani's brother is filled with adventure and excitement and I found it really well balanced.
The emotional turmoil these characters put me through is second to none, Taha is such a complex character to unravel, one who has an internal struggle with a turbulent past, conflicting emotions and loyalties, I enjoyed trying to suss him out the most.

If you love a romance that will take you from distain to resistance and beyond, adventure and rich world building, political driven plots, glorious characters that will put you through an emotional roller coster, travelling tropes, well thought out magic systems and a satisfying start to a series, you really need to pick up Spice Road.

I got a free copy from Netgalley all opinions are my own.

So I received both an e-arc and the audiobook arc.

I most likely wouldn't have finished this book if I didn't have the audiobook.
I liked the narrator, but that's also the only thing I liked about this book.
I didn't mind having this book in the background whilst doing daily things like cooking or cleaning.
But it didn't really pull me in, or make me want to continue with it.
The story was pretty meh to me.

Imani annoyed me with her naivety.
And we're told of how good and amazing she is, but we're never actually shown what she can do.

Taha was so annoying with his being all cold and mean towards Imani, then suddenly being all nice and flirting only to turn around and being a douchebag.

Her sister was annoying lol.

And I didn't really mind Kane.

The magic system, is not something I really understood. I felt like it wasn't fully explained, they just drink tea and suddenly have magic powers?
Or what did I miss lol
I didn't care for any of the characters, and I didn't care for the story at all.