I liked it but felt like something was missing. would read the second one though. I felt like there was a lot of repetition in the prose and the story didn’t really go anywhere for a while.

Infuriating, captivating and emotional story of women's fight for freedom set in a fantasy world with elemental magic inspired by modern Egypt.

Why you should read this book:
The topics of women's freedom, independence and suffrage are very relevent today and they are brought vividly and achingly to life here. This also makes the novel more approachable and easier to follow for it's recognizable elements, as opposed to a spanning higher fantasy novel. Both main characters, though very different, are interesting to follow and exciting to root for, especially Nehal who's very impulsive and charismatic. The story is well-paced, moving steadily forward, always keeping you on your toes. A word of warning at the end, hearing men's dismissive, disparaging comments and watching their disregard for women in this book is absolutely infuriating. You'll be rightfully pissed throughout the majority of this novel, thanks to Hadeer Elsbai's great writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing an eARC for me to review!

Wow! This definitely does not pull its punches - nor should it. This is a fantasy novel, but it is also a story about feminism, resisting oppression, and class/privilege. I think the author did an amazing job at exploring the nuances of these topics, and acknowledging how complex and morally grey these situations can be.

This book is deeply rooted in the modern era as well, which did make this an at times difficult or aggravating read, but you can see that the author deeply cares about the topics covered here and I think Elsbai has done them justice. Our two protagonists have different viewpoints about almost everything, and I found this contrast super engaging. Elsbai is able to capture the variety of motivations for protest, as well as the degrees of extremity and the impact of class and privilege on being able to rise up. I also really liked the emphasis Elsbai put on community - especially when many of the women in this book have lost or been disowned by their families.

This isn't a super intense fantasy in terms of magical lore, and I wouldn't say it's the main focus, but I like how magic is a way to show how intersectionality affects protest movements, and how power that can be used by the masses is controlled and vilified.

Overall a stunning debut and I can't wait to read book 2! For fans of Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution and The Poppy War by RF Kuang for sure!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*.

I know that it's too soon to tell you that this is my favorite book of 2023. But I'm gonna say it. This book was EXCELLENT. Although I don't like the forced marriage trope this was so beautiful done that I didn't even recognize it. Nehal and Georgina were an amazing duo of women. It was a really more political for my taste but other than that I enjoyed it a lot. Will I reread it? YES. Will I recommend it? HELL YES!

I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the fantasy and mythology genre, but, I am widening my perspectives and so far loving it. The author has done this brilliantly. The story is beautifully written, the characters come alive on the page, the settings pop and all characters have believable voices. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work.

The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Daughters of Izdihar came as a surprise to me. I fell in love with the premise when I first saw it on Goodreads, but upon starting the novel felt rather disappointed. I found the writing style lacking, and the plot unsubstantial.

My first impressions were, thankfully, quickly proven wrong.

The author takes her time to bring together this richly woven fantasy. She builds up the world from the ground up until the politics of these made up regions feel as real to you as your own. Her characters truly shine with their individuality and unique voices. Harder Elsbai is not afraid to show her MCs both at their worst and at their best, and that is something I cannot appreciate enough.

There were a lot of heavy themes tackled in this book as well, most revolving around feminism in some way. This is where my one critique comes in: I wish I had gotten time and space to actually think about what was happening, to form opinions and the such about the characters and the events on my own, rather than be force fed all that I am supposed to think. This is entirely a personal opinion, however, from an objective point of view it doesn't impact the book in any way, it's really just a pet peeve of mine.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this stunning debut offering from Hadeer Elsbai. Despite the fact that The Daughters of Izdihar has not even been truly published yet, I am eagerly anticipating the sequel.

The Daughters of Izdihar tells a powerful human narrative, and it's just a shame that its fantastical elements don't feel quite comfortable. The fight for women's suffrage and self-determination is compelling and unflinching, with clear attention to how feminist causes intersect with class and queerness. But the addition of fantastical elements actually muddles things a bit: the "magic users as oppressed demographic" is a familiar idea, but it has always been a difficult metaphor to pull off, and has some really weird interactions with the very realistic social justice movements in the novel (the idea of a peaceful protest, for example, is always going to be unsettled by individuals with destructive magic powers). And while elemental magic is a fantasy staple, the "weaving" in this book is so closely aligned to "bending" from the Avatar franchise as to be uncomfortable (particularly once a particular development occurs); if this book had innovated or responded to that magic system, it would be less of a problem, but it feels like a weird add-on (the magic school diversion also feels like it doesn't belong here). With a fairly plain prose style and a very sudden ending, this book just wasn't as good a read as it deserved to be.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc.

This book was fantastic. Sumptuous world-building and compelling characters make for an excellent debut in this new middle-eastern inspired adult fantasy duology.

I was completely hooked as soon as I started this book but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end. The thematic work was particularly interesting, covering topics like minority and women’s rights, the paths to achieving societal change as well as more personal topics like owning one’s identity and standing up for one’s self.

The writing, overall, was well done. I’m v excited to see how Elsbai’s authorial voice develops. Based on what I’ve read, she has a very bright future.

My only criticism is that some of the writing was a little bit repetitive in places. Though not enough to detract from the overall reading experience. With a bit of tightening in editing and more experience, I have no doubt this won’t be an issue in the future. One other thing I will mention is that this is a very character-driven, world-building heavy book. There is plot but it doesn’t really kick off towards the end of the book. This won’t be for everyone, so just a heads up. Personally, I loved it (unsurprisingly).

Wonderful experience and I can’t wait to read the second book. Get yourself a copy!

This book reminded me a lot of The Book Eaters. I valued the message transmitted through the story, but some details refrained me from loving the book in its entirety.

The fight for women's rights and the challenge to the patriarchal system, together with the topic of hegemonic masculinities from a gender perspective, is something I haven't encountered extensively in the fantasy genre, and I appreciated it.

This book handles all of the above issues in a direct, entertaining, and nonetheless crude way. Injustices and oppressions are constantly present in the story, but also the spirit of effort for a dignified life, equality, and respect for the rights of all people, regardless of their gender or personal beliefs. I loved the incorporation of the topic of alliances among minorities, along with the emphasis on raising awareness of the privilege that cis men have in society. (Something extra that's been widely discussed in gender equality studies, that was also addressed in the story, is that being a queer male does not inhibit anyone from following the behaviors of hegemonic masculinity).

Now, some elements prevented me from giving the story a 5-stars rating.

First, the world-building is little, if not nil. It was difficult for me to situate or reference the story to a particular time period, and I mostly felt confused about how to picture a particular setting inside my head. The magic system is not something new in the genre, but it could have been managed more interestingly. It never became clear how it works, and where it comes from to the point it felt very extra to the story. Finally, overall I found the book to be predictable and the pace slowed to a point where I considered abandoning it.

It hasn't been one of my best reads, but I think that for a debut, it was pretty satisfying.

Many thanks to Little, Brown Books and Hadeer Elsbai for the advanced copy of The Daughters of Izdihar via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as not many fantasy books focus on the topic of women’s suffrage. Unfortunately, I did not end up enjoying the book nearly as much as I would have hoped.

Whilst the author was very clever in reflecting both current politics and the age-old problems women have faced in society in the story, the way it was handled and emoted particularly by Nehal was just irritating to me. Whilst this was quite obviously something the author wanted to get across (a privileged woman having everything she wanted), it went beyond the stereotypical rich girl/poor girl things. It was in the writing itself. It just lacked something for me. My reading pathway is character development, and I couldn’t find a character, let alone multiple characters, in this story that I could get ‘attached’ to and follow and like, which left the whole story feeling flat.

Even with the cliff hanger the way it was, I was not enticed enough to want to read the next book and sadly, this is where the series stops for me.

Overall, it was just a tad too slow and too drawn out, with too many unlikable characters. It was a great general treatise on rights for women and women’s suffrage but it left me thinking…does the author really want these women to have their rights?

Moods: challenging, dark, sad, tense
Tropes: arranged marriage
Pace: slow
Character development: weak
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high
Spice: 1.5/5
Trigger warnings: Abortion, Abusive relationship, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence

Rating: 3.5/5
This review will be featured on my blog at www.mymentalshelf.com in future

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this title, in exchange for this honest review.

This book may honestly be one of my favorites of 2022 and for reference, I read over 200.

The worldbuilding was lush and incredibly well crafted, incorporating cultural details as well as the surrounding into the narrative seamlessly. Every thing this book shared about the world, it’s cultures and magic felt natural and never once like it was drowning you in a sea of unnecessary information. The cast is characters were not only likable, but magnetic. They’ll draw you in and keep you there, leaving you with a profound emptiness inside once you’ve finished the book. Their dynamics were intriguing and it was incredible to watch these characters grow and their relationships deepen.

Furthermore, this book has incredible strong themes and the author handles each of them with the appropriate care, making this an incredibly well crafted read that’s sure to satisfy its readers.

Egyptian inspired fantasy: The Daughters of Izdihar is a great debut novel. The blurb announces it as quite political and it is, reflecting recent Egyptian history. We've got women's rights movements and a war with neighbouring countries looming over them. All of this is wrapped in just the right amount of magic and excitement to keep it interesting without discrediting the seriousness of the situation.

Nehal and Giorgina are two very different women who find that they have more in common than they would've thought. Both are strong and proud and I loved the way they stand up for themselves and other women. Unlike many so called "feminist" novels, this one actually shows strong women fighting fot their rights. Both of them also have well written character arcs with nice developments.

While the story starts out slow, it was still interesting to read and once the momentum picked up - wow! Couldn't put it down. And now I really want to read the second book.
World building is nice. It's not the focus of the story, but done well enough that it's easy to imagine the scenery. I am hoping that the world will get more fleshed out in the next book, but I am optimistic that it will be.

One thing I really loved about this book was, how realistic everything felt, despite it being a fantasy novel with magic. Especially the women's rights movement felt so real and it frustrated the hell out of me due to its similarities to current events.

The magic itself is interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing what will come of it in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a world inspired by modern Egyptian history, women begin their fight for equal rights in this wonderful fantasy book.

Nehal dreams of nothing more than signing up for the Weaving Academy to learn to control her powers of water weaving — shaping liquids to her will. This would allow her to join the army and use her skills on the battlefield, but to sign up, she needs a male guardian's approval, and her family does not share her enthusiasm. Nehal decides to her arranged marriage for her purposes, as she persuades her new husband Nico to sign the documents in exchange for her formal acceptance of his affair with his bellowed Georgina.

Meanwhile, Georgina has her own troubles and secrets. She is an earthweaver, struggling to remain in control of her immense power. Especially when she gets involved in the revolutionary movement, the Daughters of Izdihar, that fights for the recognition of women’s rights...

The Daughters of Izdihar is a fantastic read. The novel is fast-paced, has brilliant, vivid characters and a fascinating world inspired by Egyptian culture, with a fantasy twist. It presents a world full of magic and wonder but also a world where woman’s rights are restricted, causing growing outrage. I found the world-building fascinating, as it presents a detailed image of a country torn by war and internal conflicts, including history, political intrigues, the situation of women and the magic of the weavers. On this intricate background, we follow a struggle of a group of women who fight for a right to decide about their lives, bodies and unique magical skills that need the training to fully develop.

I would recommend this novel to all fans of fantasy and literature with a feminist twist.

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

I was very excited about this and I’m so happy it lived up to my expectations!


It is definitely a heavy book and was at times hard to read, as it is so often the case with fiction books that depict the lived reality of ‘real’ humans.
Daughters of Izdihar is a high fantasy retelling of the events of the Arabian Spring revolution in Egypt, and the many parallels between the plot and the actual events are clearly visible.

I typically prefer fantasy books with feminist societies or queernormative ones etc., but the highly misogynistic and homophobic society in DOI served a meaningful purpose, and I think it’s important that stories like this get told.

The contrast between the two FMCs was one of my favorite elements of the book, it was so interesting to see how they share the same goal, yet they have such different approaches, character traits and mannerisms.

I think the author did a fantastic job at telling this story that she wanted to tell. There were some little things here and there that I felt could have been better, and personally I would have liked some more worldbuilding or more relationship development, but that’s more of a personal preference, I don’t think the novel was necessarily lacking any of the two.

Overall, an amazing debut that I would recommend to fans of Babel, City of Brass and The Final Strife.

Rating: 4,5 stars but rounded up.

Excellent feminist fantasy story with wonderful characters and great twists in the tale.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of the book.

4.5 stars

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but it was so so good! It was easy to immerse myself in this world, although I do think that there could have been further development in the worldbuilding as we don't really find out much at all about where the magic comes from - you kind of have to piece it together as you go along which makes the beginning of the story a bit confusing. However, I still found the world fascinating and I'm hoping we get more of an in-depth look into the history of the world in the second novel.

I found it really easy to distinguish between the two POVs of Nehal and Giorgina; they were distinctive, which was helped by the fact that the characters were essentially opposites of each other, They each had a lot of depth and I was invested in both of their very different lives, and enjoyed when they crossed paths with each other too. Despite Nehal typically not being a character I would enjoy reading, as she's quite self-centred and hard-headed, I actually really enjoyed reading from her which I think shows how carefully the author has handled these character traits.

There was a lot of important discussion on women's rights; there is a group of women in this book fighting for their rights called the Daughters of Izdihar, and I really loved seeing how they fought for what they deserved and the oppression they faced, I was really invested in the plot of this and I can't wait to see how this develops in the sequel.

I think this is a fantastic debut and I would highly recommend picking it up!

The Daughters of Izdihar is a story of rebellion, of romance & of women fighting for the right to control their own lives. Nehal is the daughter of a prominent family, never wanting for anything, that is until her family decide she is to marry and she realises she has no say in the matter. Giorgina comes from a poor family who rely on her for income and hope that, if she marries well, she can bring the family up in society. These two women couldn't be more different, and yet through this story they will come to realise there is more that binds them, than sets them apart, not just because of their talent with weaving, the magical ability certain people have access too. Both drawn into the Daughters of Izdihar, a group fighting for the rights of women in a country who sees women as second class citizens, they both have their own reasons, their own goals to achieve, but all that may seem small in light of tensions rising with their neighbouring country, a country who sees weaving, and especially female weavers as a threat. Nehal and Giorgina will come to see just how small their problems are in the broader context of the world, but that wont stop them from trying to achieve their happy endings.

This is going to be somewhat of a mixed review because there was so much about this story that I enjoyed, but I just felt everything needed a little more development to make it great. Nehal and Giorgina are both intriguing characters, and extremely realistic. One rich, one poor, their differences are shown through not only the decisions they make, but the options they have in life. Nehal was your stereotypical rich girl, never had someone say no to her, lived a life of luxury always getting her own way. So when she gets married off to help her family out of debt she ensures that she gets something out of it. Giorgina is someone who wants so deeply to marry for love, but when that gets taken away from her seemingly overnight, she realises that she is a girl with a tarnished reputation who could ruin her family if anyone ever found out. They both have their own reasons for joining the Daughters of Izdihar, one out of need and the other out of interest, but they are both guilty of using the group to further their own, personal, needs first and foremost.

Nehal and Giorgina are our only POV's, but we do spend a large amount of time with Nico, the boy Giorgina loved and Nehal was forced to marry and, if i'm being honest, he was a bit of a wet lettuce. He was someone who was so used to his privilege that he never understood the true benefit of it, and there were times when, alongside Nehal and Giorgina I got so angry at him for just standing back at letting events take place without standing up for the things he believed in. In fact, Nico, as well as Nehal and Giorgina were all quite selfish characters, never quite willing to upset the balance to the point of it affecting their lives, or only willing to join the fight when it directly affected them. They were incredibly one dimensional, and I struggled to empathise with them throughout the story, which meant some of the emotional scenes lacked the impact they should have. However, I did find them growing on me more towards the end of the story, and I'm hoping that they will grow on me more in book two.

I enjoyed the world building and it's easy to see how the author based her world on that of modern Egyptian history. She creates a world where women are seen more as possessions than people, a world where being different is dangerous and adds into this the element of weaving. A form of magical control of the elements that certain people can use. This, as well as the fight for women's rights were our two main plot points of the story, and I was a little disappointed by how little information and history we get around the magic, as well as the lack of page time in general it gets. The women's rights movement, however, was so exceptionally done. She shows the dangers of speaking out for what you want, how those things can be twisted into something else and how men would do anything to keep the status quo, keep control over their wives and daughters, for fear of what would happen if they got a say. There was no real antagonist in this story, rather there were characters dotted throughout who come up against our MC's and are used to show the thoughts and beliefs of many people, not just men, and there was one character in particular who I desperately wanted to get killed.

The romance was ok. It was a little jumpy. Giorgina and Nico's relationship was already in motion, but we do see the drama and fallout of this after Nico has to marry Nehal. And Nehal finds herself in a romantic entanglement that could cause her some serious harm if anyone ever found out. I think, the fact that I struggled to like and bond with the characters meant that I struggled to get invested in the romance arc's. Nehal's felt rushed, and I struggled to feel the angst and drama between Nico and Giorgina.

Overall, I did enjoy this story. It took a little while to get going, but once the story picked up pace I found myself getting more and more invested in our characters. It just desperately needed more development, of the characters, world, magic, romance, and I am sincerely hoping we get this in the next book.

I read an eARC of this on Net Galley so thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing this.

Right up until the last few pages of this book I was convinced this was going to be a five star book. I loved it, it was so gripping, great story, engaging characters. But it all fell down right at the end because so much was left unresolved. The book ended so abruptly and with cliffhangers and lots left outstanding. I went on to Good Reads after and saw it’s a duology so it’s all been left open for the second book. However, this isn’t a long book, there was definitely space to create satisfying resolutions for certain characters even while leaving the door open to continue the story in a second book.

I was really disappointed by this, right up until the end I was thinking, I’m going to buy a physical copy as soon as it’s out, I’ve got two friends I’m going to buy this for too as they’ll love it. However now I’m not sure I will as the book didn’t have an ending and it left me so frustrated!

Ending aside, this is a really talented author and a fascinating story. Character work is excellent, the characters are all distinct with unique voices and their personalities shine through. There’s no wooden characters or unnatural dialogue. Strong, clear characters who I was engaged with and really invested in their stories. I thought the dual POV was a really smart decision by the author and it worked so well to showcase the women’s suffrage movement from two different sides. One POV is a woman with a life of wealth and privilege, the other is a poor bookseller desperate to maintain her reputation so as not to disgrace her family. The supporting cast of characters were excellent too.

The exploration of the suffrage movement was done so well. The variety of viewpoints, the broader movement with the charity work and journalism, there’s so much to make this storyline really come alive. The events that happen in the characters’ lives that highlight why they need this movement really enhanced it too. Little details like a woman being told she’s not being oppressed they’re just keeping her safe! Or the broader impact on other female family members if one is seen to have damaged their reputation. This was excellent and made this book really stand out for me as something special.

The sub plots as well with characters coming to terms with their own sexuality was fantastic and made so much sense for those characters. Also the magical abilities that some characters have based in elements made this feel quite unique.

There was so much I absolutely loved in this novel which is why I’m so disappointed by the ending. I believe this is a really talented author who has written a great book, it’s just a shame so much was left unresolved.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the arc of The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai. This book is an absolute stunner of an adult fantasy book and I implore you to pick it up when it’s published in January 2023!
The world is based on recent Egyptian history combined with elemental magic and it fearlessly tackles feminism, discrimination, privilege, intersectionality, equal rights, human rights and misogyny. This book doesn’t lecture, it doesn’t brow beat, instead Hadeer Elsbai delivers beautiful prose that inspires and she introduces relatable, strong, realistic, and beautifully described protagonists who drive the story forward from their perspective.
The story is told from two points of view, Nehal, a privileged, upper class, fierce, impetuous woman, forced into a marriage for her family and Georgina, a lower class, quiet, overthinker who internally rails against the limitations and judgements of a male dominated society and is in love with Nehal’s husband Nico. Whilst complete opposites, our protagonists are united in their determination to tackle the inherent inequality of life in Ramsawi for women, their fight for suffrage and to be and do what they want in life, rather than what they are told to do by men.
There is so much more to this story and Elsbai delivers in a truly well paced, beautifully constructed plot that explores the inequality of this society, the discrimination and limitations it places on women and all those who do not fit it’s construct. This is truly a 5 star read that I feel so fortunate to have been able to read prior to it publishing but, I am also bereft as I now have to wait even longer for the next book in the series! I can’t wait to see what Elsbai has planned for our protagonists.

A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC.

The Daughters of Izdihar is THE PHENOMENAL adult fantasy book of 2023, and you do not want to miss it.

It's inspired by modern Egyptian history, and it tackles feminism, intersectionality, privilege, and human rights in such a masterful way that it honestly left me reeling. If intersectional feminism had an anthem, it would be The Daughters of Izdihar. Powerful and immersive, this book is a true beauty from the gorgeous prose to representation, relatable and strong heroines, and a fascinating world-building.

It's told in two perspectives, of Nehal's and of Georgina's. Both characters are powerful in their own way. Nehal is the epitome of fierceness. She has a goal, and she forges ahead toward it without any hesitation. I loved even her recklessness, and I'm not the reckless kind (I'm the queen of overthinkers, to be honest). Georgina is the quiet strong, the one who timidly moves forward but forward nonetheless. She was so relatable and moving, partly because Nehal came from privilege while Georgina had none. I loved that the author chose these two widely different yet incredibly strong women as main characters. And I loved how the nuances came alive in the story. It really tackled the whole "It's easy to be fearless when you come from money and power" and "Money and power don't mean freedom when they're not really yours, to begin with".

I thought that we'd have a Nehal and Georgina romance, but it's not the case *at least not in the first book*. Nehal is definitely not straight; though, we have no idea about Georgina. No fear. We have beautiful LGBTQIA+ characters, and it's not a surprise that I liked them all.

But I mean, come ON. We have a women’s rights group!!!!!!!!!!!! In a non-Western fantasy world!! That is actually inspired by Egyptian history!!!!!!!!!!!! Written by an actual Egyptian woman (Egyptian-American, to be precise)!!!

The plot was sooooo good. Well-paced, something always happened yet we had time to breathe, and while their society was problematic, we weren't "almost dying" in every scene. I loved it. Nothing was predictable or irrelevant. Everything was just meant to be in the book.

Simply put, I loved this book from the bottom of my heart. The premise was perfect for me, which made me have high expectations, and I was almost scared to read the book because I needed it to be perfect. And it was PHENOMENAL.

I'm completely in love with this story and these amazing women and the author's stunning and brilliant prose. Truly, 5 stars are not enough.