REALM OF ASH

This second installment of an epic fantasy series that draws on the history and culture of the Mughal Empire (Empire of Sand, 2018) takes place a decade later.

Unlike her sister, Mehr, who remembered their Amrithi birth mother and the rituals of their people, Arwa has done her best to embrace the Ambhan heritage of their nobleman father and follow the guidance of her Ambhan stepmother. But when a dark force slaughters her husband and all the soldiers under his command, Arwa owes her survival to her Amrithi blood, literally, as shedding it can ward off the spirits known as daivas. The new widow resolves to put the magic of her blood into the service of the Ambhan Empire, which has suffered a material and spiritual decline since the death of the Maha, the empire’s near-immortal founder. She joins the emperor’s bastard, Zahir, in a dangerous quest in the titular realm of ash, a dream world where one can encounter and absorb the memories of the dead. Arwa’s blood eases the path to the Maha’s memories, which Zahir believes can save the empire. But the other memories they encounter, and the political turmoil surrounding the emperor’s decline, send them on an even more dangerous—but far more redemptive—journey. Arwa’s gradual rebellion against the society that crushed her mother’s people is an intriguing counterpoint to her older sister’s more overt resistance in Book 1; Arwa must battle her own ignorance of her heritage as well as the forces arrayed against her due to prejudice and her placement in a noble court during a fight for the succession. She is a well-drawn and sympathetic character; even in 2019, readers will understand a situation in which a woman is forced to suppress personal qualities to fit an approved model of a smiling, submissive helpmeet. The novel is also a nicely crafted exploration of the implications of the previous volume; after centuries in which the gods were impelled to dream the positive fortunes of the Ambhan Empire, more negative forces are now in play to balance the scales.

Sharp worldbuilding, authentic characters, and thoughtful explorations of prejudice and misogyny bode well for future volumes.