Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted ebook!
I really liked this book. The story felt really immersive, and I was constantly trying to guess what would happen next. The pining had me in a chokehold. I’m glad I decided to read the prequel before this, since I believe it made it easier to get into the book and understand the world/characters.
One thing I wish I understood more was how/why Lystra was so beloved by her people. It was repeated a lot, but we were never really given a how or why. Reading the prequel didn’t offer any insight into this either. So that aspect of the story felt more “tell” than “show.”
I’ll definitely read the sequel whenever it’s released!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The world building was fantastical and beautiful. The plot was filled with intrigue, and I love the main character. This book had adventure, fantasy, and a slow burn romance, Fantasy readers will love this one.

This is the first book in the new romantasy series “Instanolde Chronicles” and is filled with unique ideas with a desert setting. It has a dual POV and a slow pace, but it compensates with the worldbuilding.

We have complex heroes and despicable villains while we discover secrets around every conner. The story made me feel like I was in the heat of the desert feeling grief in the start of it to an impossible fear of the curse that was threatening to end the promises of new love.

I wish the pace was a bit faster, but I enjoyed the story and would recommend it especially for those who thinks disabilities don’t belong in the fantasy world.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley, Whimsical Publishing and Kaitlyn Carter Brown for allowing me to read the ARC to "Queen of Shifting Sands" in exchange for an honest review.

A crownless queen. A cursed prince. One summer to live.

This book was rather slow in the beginning, I will not lie. I will let everyone straight away that at the beginning, you might will not find yourself as taken as you wish to be, but I do promise you, it does get way better, way quicker and by far more intense. What I thought to be a flaw at the beginning, did expose itself to be a beautiful representation of the main trope, a slow burn. Because me and the book, too, had a slow burn love for one another and yet, now it runs deep.

Political schemes, fantasy, a curse and love all merges into a fantastic story.

The world building is outstanding, it was so vivid and so inimitable, you could swear sometimes you feel the wind or water brush your skin during the read, that is the power the author possesses.

From loss, grief, guilt, to slow burn and love triangles, the story delivers and it only goes uphill --- and it does not ever go down, instead, the books end with a cliffhanger THAT I ABSOLUTELY NEED TO HAVE RESOLVED ASAP.

I received a review copy through Netgalley

Unfortunately I realized I am unable to get this book on my kindle app to read and I can't read long books like this on my computer, so I am unable to read this book at this point.

This is a decent book though perhaps too long winded and lacking in impetus. It feels like a prologue that was elongated into an entire book; one where the author wanted to spend a LOT of time developing the characters. As such, the characters do have nuance but the plot and placing did suffer a lot as a result.

Story: The country of Istanolde teeters precariously on the brink of war. The previous king was a vicious war monger well hated by both hisecountry and its neighbors. His son and heir was just brutally murdered in a desert ambush by a foreign country. And now all that is left to hold the country together is a disabled prince and the former fianceé of his brother. Together, Elerek and Lystra will have to unite a country, prepare for all out war, and scramble to find allies amidst nobles and neighboring countries who bear ill will to Elerek's throne. But unknown to either enemies or allies is that Elerek bears a curse that could destroy them all.

Admittedly, it felt like most of the book was Elerek bemoaning his curse and the effect it has on those around him (if he touches someone, they will eventually die a horrible death) and Lystra bemoaning the loss of her beloved fiancé prince, Elerek's brother. The rest of the book was the politics in preparing for a war. It doesn't mean the book isn't decently written; rather, it is that nothing much happens except for a lot of inner dialogue (whose sole purpose was to show that the characters are good people who care about others).

I appreciated that we had a very able disabled protagonist. The politics were somewhat interesting and certainly we could feel the very loose grip Elerek has on the Kingship since attaining the throne at his brother's death. Quite a bit of this first book is about Elerek's curse and his deadly touch; so much so that Lystra's POVs felt almost superfluous at times. That said, I appreciated that time was given to develop the characters so they were not wooden cardboard figures.

I will likely pick up the next book in the series since there is promise here. Hopefully, the pacing is a bit tighter and we get fewer chunks of soliloquys and musings by the main characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This was a fantastic read, I really enjoyed it though it took me a little while to get into it. World creation is immersive and characters were realistic and relatable. The representation was good to see as well.

- Great world building
- NA Fantasy
- Well written
- Interesting plot
- Romance sub-plot
- Romantasy
- Fast-burn
- POC rep
- Disability rep
- Vivid characterisation
- Dual POV
- Arranged marriage
- Found family
- magical creatures and world

Queen of Shifting Sands was such a fun romantic adult fantasy. The world building was extremely well done and the storyline kept me reading well into the morning hours. I cannot wait for the sequel!

This was a beautiful read! i havent read the prequel! I love the premise its set on, I understand the pain Lystra goes through and what she does for her people! I like how we see a differently abled main character! I love the slow burn between them, the tug of war to realise their goals and the journey they go through! Looking forward to the next one!

This book was so good!
I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just summarise.
The world building was beautifully done
The plot was so interesting, I really couldn’t put this book down
The cover of this book as absolutely stunning!
The cliffhanger….
I need more.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and will be very eager to read the sequel when it comes out next year!

I liked both Lystra and Elerek, and I liked them together. On the other hand, it did feel maybe a touch fast for them to both catch feelings, with them both being hung up on other people.

Without spoiling… Certain aspects of the resolution near the end with Razhar I found a bit confusing and am hoping the sequel will provide some clarity on, but other than that, I found El’s curse really compelling both for plot advancement and for providing sort of a never ending sort of trauma for him.

Lystra’s grandma reminded me of Margaery Tyrell’s grandma in GOT! I loved the rest of Lystra’s family, and El’s found family. It was an interesting choice by the author to never show us Cormek directly - makes sense in that the story is about Lystra and El, but also puts a lot on the reader in terms of trusting that this larger-than-life persona will translate through their memories of him… it sort of prevents us from truly seeing what they lost, I think, but at the same time, I don’t know that I would have done it any differently.

All in all, this was a solid YA fantasy that ends on a cliff-hanger. Looking forward to seeing where it goes!!

Queen of Shifting Sands definitely left me wanting more! The book had a well developed plot with some SLOW burn romance. The world building was noteworthy as I could easily envision the scenes the author was portraying in the writing in great detail.

The first half of the book was a bit slow; I had to stop to look up a few things which made it harder to get into but once I was to the scene with Corsha at the night markets I was invested. I thought having both perspectives gave a lot of depth to the characters and story.

The use of starlight (hope) and a few of the quotes are memorable and whimsical but I felt there were times the writing was repetitive or a phrase was overused.

Razhar was one of my favorite characters and I feel there is so much left to learn about him and his story and I can’t wait to see where the author takes these character next. I also loved Sama!

I was very impressed seeing a cursed character/ disabled character shown with strength and in a leadership role! This is something you don’t see often and was giving some Chaol vibes for my Throne of Glass fans but in an entirely different story. His coming into his strength and the choice to finally live was so inspiring.

Thank you NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for my first book selection in change for an honest review!

I wanted to like this more than I did since the premise was so interesting. I think the way the curse works in this world was actually really unique and I liked the desert setting. I will say that the characters were just okay for me and the story itself moved too slow to the point of dragging. I don’t love how much Lystra compared Elerek to her dead husband (even though they are brothers).. it just didn’t sit right with me and I don’t think I’m that interested to continue, even though I didn’t hate it.. It just fell flat to be honest.

Let me start off with saying this book is available, and you should be making this your next read. The writing style is whimsical and the author does a great job of transporting you into the story. There’s not a moment where you question where you are or what something looks/feels like. You feel the sand blowing on your face and the heat surrounding you as you move into this world. There’s grief, war, curses, political struggles, conflict, slow burn romance, delightful banter, and more to this tale.
Lystra is such a well developed character. I never got bored of her and liked the progression of her personality. She embodies what I believe a young queen would be going through, that constant struggle of “what is best for me or what is best for my people.”
Elerek, our poor cursed man is the 1st MMC I’ve read in a long while that has a disability and I thought how his character was written was BEAUTIFUL. I cannot speak from any sort of knowledge on being disabled in such a way but I really thought it was done well. He is strong, sensitive, and devoted to the position he was never meant to take.
Both characters form their bond over a terrible grief and are duty bond to their kingdom/people. I was hooked from the moment I started reading. The book leaves on a cliff. This is no hanging you’re plummeting to the ground at the end of this book. But, I like pain so I found the ledge to be fun jumping off of. Cannot wait to see where this author takes the story.

This book is about Lystra and Elerek who get married after Elereks Brother and Lystras fiancee Cormak (I don't even know if thats his actual name) gets murdered.

First of all: I couldn't have cared less about what happenend in this book. I neither cared about the characters nor the plot.

This is Romantasy but I didn't felt like there was much Romance or Fantasy. The only magical aspect we get is Elereks curse and we know not basically nothing really about that. I honestly feel that making the curses widly unknown was a missed opportunity. I'd love to read a book in which everybody curses everyone.

I also have basically no clue about the world, we know a little about Istandole (?). Shouldn't existing in a desert pose some chanllenges for these people?

The writing was nice but nothing special and the pace was very all over the place: it takes them 100 pages (of 355) to get married and the invasion the entire book has been building up to is like 3 chapters.

I also feel like the book would have benefitted from more perspectives (Myra, maybe someone who joins their army (?) I'm not even sure if they have an army)

4.5/5 stars
First of all, can we talk about this cover? Absolutely gorgeous!
This was such an amazing book, the story of two people who suffered so much, and yet found companionship, understanding and love in each other.
I can’t wait to read how this story continues and to learn more about the world in this book. The cliffhanger destroyed me! I need the next book right now!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was an interesting read. My major issue was I didn't really enjoy the characters but that was a me thing rather than an issue with the writing.

“Queen of Shifting Sands” invites readers into a realm teetering on the brink of chaos, where political intrigue intertwines with a haunting curse and the burdens of leadership weigh heavily on its protagonists. In this fantasy narrative, author Kaitlyn crafts a tale of love, duty, and resilience amidst the looming threat of war.

What I Loved About It
One of the most enchanting aspects of “Queen of Shifting Sands” is its meticulous world-building, which immerses readers in the kingdom of Instanolde with vivid imagery and rich detail. From the sweeping landscapes to the intricacies of court life, every facet of this realm feels alive and tangible.

The characters, particularly Lystra and Elerek, are compellingly drawn, each grappling with their own inner turmoil and external challenges. Lystra’s strength, though not of the conventional warrior ilk, shines through her unwavering determination to protect her people. Elerek’s curse makes things more complicated for him, but it also makes his character more interesting and inspiring. Confined to a wheelchair, he shattered expectations, proving his disability wouldn't hinder him from becoming an exceptional king. His unwavering love for his family and his fierce determination to secure peace for his kingdom were truly inspiring.

Lystra and Elerek's journey towards love felt achingly real. Their grief, both for their lost loved one and the weight of sudden responsibility thrust upon them after Cormack's death, intertwined beautifully, creating a complex and deeply relatable bond.

The gradual development of their relationship, set against the backdrop of grief and newfound responsibilities, unfolds with a sense of authenticity that resonates deeply with readers. Additionally, Kaitlyn’s prose is nothing short of exquisite, evoking emotions and painting scenes with a masterful touch that captivates from start to finish.

What Didn’t Resonate With Me
While “Queen of Shifting Sands” excels in many aspects, there are a few elements that may give readers pause. Sometimes the pacing feels slow, with parts of the story meandering instead of moving it along. This, along with the occasional use of unfamiliar terminology, pulled me out of the story and detracted from the overall immersion in the world of Instanolde.

Also, although the character development is good, some readers might want to see Lystra and Elerek’s relationship grow more emotionally.

Also there was one thing that irked me, but I can't explain it without giving away spoilers. Let's just say there was one character whose motivations I didn't quite connect with, but this minor detail didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story

Themes
At its core, “Queen of Shifting Sands” grapples with themes of grief, duty, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Lystra and Elerek’s journey, as they deal with the complexities of their roles as rulers and the weight of their personal losses, serves as a poignant exploration of these themes. It’s a reminder that love, friendship, and the choices we make can transform our lives.

This book delivers a captivating blend of classic tropes like the cursed prince, arranged marriage, fantastic creatures and found family.

Conclusion
In conclusion, “Queen of Shifting Sands” is an amazing story that takes you to a magical world full of intrigue and the power of the human heart. While it may have its pacing issues and occasional stumbling blocks, its compelling characters, lush setting, and poignant themes make it a journey well worth embarking on for fans of fantasy fiction. Kaitlyn’s debut novel marks her as a talent to watch in the genre, and I look forward to what she has in store for readers next.

3.5/5 stars! This was such a unique read! Curses and preparing a kingdom for war I loved the story and world building. Lystra is such an enjoyable character to read and was my favourite character from the book hehe maybe I’m a bit biased because she was definitely inspired by Middle Eastern/South Asian culture in its own unique fantasy and it’s so difficult to find something to read and feel seen in a beautiful way so I love it! Elerek’s descriptions of Lystra was just so beautifully poetic AH! But boy is it a slow burn which only makes me want to read the next book more I need more scenes with them. The only teeny tiny thing that annoyed me (slight spoiler) was Myra, I’m generally not a fan of putting women against each other over a man but ignoring that I really enjoyed this book and again I cannot wait for the next one!

First, thank you, Netgalley and Whimsical Publishing, for providing me with an ARC to review. I picked this book to read because I felt the premise was interesting, and I am pleased to say it was. I liked the setting and the driving force that made the characters continue to work towards the greater good. However, I will have to take away one star because of the lack of direct communication between the main characters, Elerek and Lystra. They emphasized always giving each other the truth, but neither ever asked the other questions because they decided that the other would tell them when the time was right. This frustrated me, but because I enjoyed different aspects of the book, I had to let it slide.
I look forward to reading more of this series by Kaitlyn Carter Brown!