I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst Published by Harper Voyager on April 21 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 544
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A thrilling standalone with heart and emotion, Race the Sands is guaranteed to satisfy both adult and YA readers.
When fellow bloggers start raving about a book, I tend to sit up and listen. And there sure has been a lot of raving about Race the Sands! This is my second Sarah Beth Durst book—quite honestly, the first book of hers I read did not work all that well for me—but I’m so glad I decided to read this. While Fire & Heist felt more middle grade than YA, an age group I tend to avoid, Race the Sands was a perfect blend of YA and adult and will certainly appeal to readers in both groups. Durst came up with a tantalizing hook that grabbed my attention and held it for the entire story, a feat that not all authors can pull off. Not only was the story exciting, heartwarming and emotional, but the characters were all fully formed and developed, and the pacing simply couldn’t have been any better. In short, this book was nearly perfect in every way.
Durst introduces us to a world where a person’s goodness determines their fate after death. Those pure of heart are destined to be reborn as animals or even augurs, the elite who are able to read a person’s aura to determine their worth. But those with the worst tainted souls—murderers, liars, betrayers—can only come back as one thing: a monstrous chimera-like beast called a kehok. In the empire of Becar, kehoks are used as racers in the annual Becaran Races. Only strong-minded riders are able to control a kehok, and Tamra Verlas used to be one of the best.
Tamra’s racing days are over, though, and she’s become a trainer instead, working with riders and kehoks to prepare them for the races. Lately, however, her reputation has been tarnished due to a fatal accident at last year’s Becaran Races. When her current students abandon her after a training accident, Tamra knows her time as a trainer could be limited, unless she can pull off a miracle. Tamra’s patron, the Lady Evara, agrees to give her one more chance to produce a rider who can win the championship, so Tamra sets off to the Gea market to find a winning combination.
Fate intervenes when Tamra discovers a violent and angry lion kehok who has the fierce heart of a winner. And even better, a runaway named Raia seems to have an affinity with the beast and is determined to become a rider. Tamra buys the kehok and agrees to train Raia, with only a short time left before the start of the racing season.
Meanwhile, the emperor of Becar has died and his brother Dar, the emperor-to-be, cannot be crowned until the emperor’s new vessel—his reincarnated animal form—is discovered and brought back to the palace. After months of fruitless searching by the augurs of the city, Zarin, the dead emperor, still has not been found, and the citizens of Becar are becoming restless without a ruler in place. It’s up to Augur Yorbel to suggest that Zarin might not have come back as an animal at all, but something much more troubling.
I just realized how tough it is to write a story recap for Race the Sands, there is a lot going on! Luckily Durst masterfully keeps all the different story threads from getting away from her and spins an irresistible tale full of exciting races, engaging characters, tender emotional moments and plenty of betrayal. I would go so far as to say there is something for everyone in this story. But amazing action and great characters can only go so far without a purpose, and Durst uses the idea of reincarnation to show how the characters struggle with being “good,” especially when they are forced to make tough choices. Despite the augurs proclamations that a tainted soul will be punished upon rebirth, it’s clear that not all the characters’ choices are black and white, and that even the kindest souls aren’t perfect. I loved the moral dilemmas presented in this story, and the way Durst presents her ideas add another layer to this complex story.
As for the characters, I loved so many of them. My favorite character by far was Tamra, a world-weary woman who has been through some tough times. Tamra has an eleven-year old daughter named Shalla who is training to be an augur, but the stress of having to pay the school fees and not being able to spend much time with Shalla is becoming almost too much to bear. Tamra needs Raia and the lion kehok to win the championship so she can continue to pay for Shalla’s training, so you can see she has a lot at stake. Tamra goes through lots of changes in this story and I couldn’t help but root for her to succeed and be happy. I also adored Raia and the lion kehok and their relationship with each other. Raia is running from her terrible family and I was so happy when she met Tamra, who treats her like a daughter. You may have guessed who the lion is simply by reading my story recap (I didn’t come out and say it but it’s probably obvious and therefore not a spoiler!), and this adds a wonderful spark to an already engaging story.
I also loved many of the side characters, including Augur Yorbel, a man who has been raised to believe that the job of the augurs is important and holy. Yorbel’s beliefs are tested in this story, to the extent that my heart broke for him when he’s forced to taint his own soul with lies in order to protect those he loves. And I wasn’t expecting to like Lady Evara, but she proved to be a delightfully complex character who surprised me at every turn.
And I can’t finish this review without talking about the world-building in Race the Sands. The idea of reincarnation isn’t new, but Durst takes a fresh approach with her invention of the kehoks, monsters who are made up of different animal combinations, like a jackal/cobra or a rhino/crocodile. I loved the idea that corrupt human souls are reborn as kehoks, destined to live their lives under the control of riders. But kehoks are extremely dangerous, and this rider/racer dynamic gives the story an exciting element of unpredictability.
I don’t always read the author’s acknowledgments at the end of books, but this time I’m glad I did. Sarah Beth Durst explains that she wrote Race the Sands as an ode to Tamora Pierce, who is not only a beloved author but a personal friend of hers. She named her character Tamra after Pierce, and I was thrilled when she talks about “Tammy” in reference to her friend. Cause you know, that’s my name. And my real name is Tamara which is another version of Tamora/Tamra. My name isn’t that common these days so it’s always a thrill when I run into a character who shares it. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the actual story, but I thought I’d mention it because it struck a personal chord with me.
The last quarter of the story is a thrilling race to the finish line, as Raia and the lion kehok compete to win the championship. Durst brilliantly brings all her loose ends together with several surprises and plenty of happy resolutions. On one hand, I’m sorry this isn’t the start to a new series, because I’d love to revisit this world again. But there is something to be said for a successful stand alone, and Race the Sands is one of the best I’ve read.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Everything about this sounds awesome and I want to read it as soon as possible!!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Guest Post: Greek Land Warfare by author Wilbur Arron
You definitely should! I hope you enjoy:-)
A five-star review from you on a book that already piqued my curiosity is the best endorsement I need to grab this immediately from my online bookstore!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE QUEEN OF NOTHING (Folks of the Air #3), by Holly Black – Wyrd & Wonder 2020
I hope you get the chance to read it:-)
Wow, high praise. Race the Sands sounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.:-)
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Writing Update
It was a nice surprise for sure:-)
That’s two really positive reviews I’ve read for this one – I’ve added it to my wishlist.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…The Girl and the Stars (Book of the Ice #1) by Mark Lawrence
Definitely, lots of fun:-)
This was one of those books that has so much more going on than the book jacket blurb indicates, and was all the better for it! Really enjoyed Race the Sands, it was a lot of fun. And yes, Lady Evara was a surprisingly great character!
Caitlin G. recently posted…Review: SMOKE BITTEN by Patricia Briggs
There was a lot going on, but I thought she handled it so well!
I have read a couple of Sarah Beth Durst’s middle grade books but haven’t tried her YA. (I prefer MG over YA.) I’ve enjoyed her MG because she has a great imagination and writes creative fantasies. It definitely sounds like that’s carried through with this book! Great review.
Jenna @ Falling Letters recently posted…5 Reasons to Love With the Fire On High [YA Review]
I think you’d also love this. Her writing style lends itself really well to a younger crowd, even though this is technically “adult,” it almost feels more YA.
Wow, this sounds great! I’ve already had my eye on it, but wanted to hear some reviews first since I’m not as familiar with Durst’s work (though I’ve been wanting to check out her stuff). I love that it sounds like the characters are such a strong point, and the world-building sounds pretty neat! The ode to Tamora Pierce is enough to sell me alone!
Jordan Rose recently posted…Review: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
I think a lot of Pierce fans would love this:-)
I am definitely requesting this one from the library. I don’t think I’ve heard anything bad. And I want to be reborn as an animal – a furry canine one! Great review and I’m glad you loved this one.
Me too Barb! I love the idea of reincarnation anyway, and knowing you could come back as an animal is such a cool idea.
As ever, a cracking review that leaves me wanting to rush out and snaffle this one, Tammy. And how intriguing – I hadn’t realised you were a Tamara – such an unusual name:)). I love the idea of the world, which sounds particularly well developed in this book.
I’ve never gone by my legal name, only on my driver’s license and other legal documents, but it is fun to run into it in books every now and them:-)
This book just keeps sounding better and better. And originally, before reading any reviews, I hadn’t been at all excited by it. But now I’d very much like to try it. Very glad to hear how much you enjoyed this.
I thought it was unique, and the characters just jump off the page, I loved them:-)
This sounds fantastic and for someone like me who struggles to finish series, I love that it’s a standalone fantasy. On my TBR list it goes!
I love that it’s standalone as well. Also less pressure to keep up with a series!
This sounds so original! I really rally need to get to reading Sarah Beth Durst.
She’s definitely worth checking out:-)
I am so happy you loved this book! Yes I do recall that your first experience with her work wasn’t very positive with Fire & Heist which was more MG. I actually haven’t read that one, but Race the Sands was definitely more similar to her Queens of Renthia series in terms of Adult/YA balance so you should definitely keep checking out her books! SBD is wonderful 😀 😀 😀
Now I need to go back and read Queens of Renthia!
I saw Sarah’s video on instagram where she talked about Tamora and I thought it was so lovely to dedicate this book to her. I’ve heard so many great things about this one so I picked up a copy in audio and hope to get to it soon. 🙂
I think it will be really good in audio too, enjoy:-)
My library purchased this, and I can’t wait to read it!!
This story has such an original plot! I’m going to have to give it a try!
Laura Thomas recently posted…Killer Deadline by Lauren Carr ~ Review and Giveaway
!!! I just saw this on someone’s #CWW pick and LOVED the sound of it, and now I see as it’s brilliant as it sounds in the blurb!
This was a great review! I was curious about this book but I wasn’t completely on board with it, at least until I read your post! Thanks for sharing!