Realm of Ash

Some believe the Ambhan Empire is cursed. But Arwa doesn't simply believe it - she knows it's true.

Widowed by the infamous, unnatural massacre at Darez Fort, Arwa was saved only by the strangeness of her blood - a strangeness she had been taught all her life to suppress. She offers up her blood and service to the imperial family and makes common cause with a disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden occult arts to find a cure to the darkness hanging over the Empire.

Using the power in Arwa's blood, they seek answers in the realm of ash: a land where mortals can seek the ghostly echoes of their ancestors' dreams. But the Emperor's health is failing, and a terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon, not just for the imperial throne, but for the magic underpinning Empire itself.

To save the Empire, Arwa and the prince must walk the bloody path of their shared past, through the realm of ash and into the desert, where the cause of the Empire's suffering-and its only chance of salvation - lie in wait. But what they find there calls into question everything they've ever valued . . . and whether they want to save the Empire at all.

“Empire of Sand thoroughly swept me awayA darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story about the ways we are bound by those we loveThe best fantasy novel I have read this yearDraws you into an intricately realised world of blood and secrets. An arresting and magical history told through the eyes of an indomitable heroine. I cannot ask for moreAstounding . . . the epic story set my heart free”

Empire of Sand thoroughly swept me away

A darkly intricate, devastating, and utterly original story about the ways we are bound by those we love

The best fantasy novel I have read this year

Draws you into an intricately realised world of blood and secrets. An arresting and magical history told through the eyes of an indomitable heroine. I cannot ask for more

Astounding . . . the epic story set my heart free

Tasha Suri is an award-winning author, a writing tutor, an occasional librarian and a cat owner. She has won the Best Newcomer (Sydney J. Bounds) Award from the British Fantasy Society, the Starburst Brave New Words Award, and has been nominated for the Astounding Award and Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Her debut novel Empire of Sand was named one of the 100 best fantasy books of all time by TIME magazine. When she isn't writing, Tasha likes to cry over TV shows, buy too many notebooks, and indulge her geeky passion for reading about South Asian history. She lives with her family in a mildly haunted house in London.

Some believe the Ambhan Empire is cursed. But Arwa doesn't simply believe it - she knows it's true. Widowed by the infamous, unnatural massacre at Darez Fort, Arwa was saved only by the strangeness of her blood - a strangeness she had been taught all her life to suppress. She offers up her blood and service to the imperial family and makes common cause with a disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden occult arts to find a cure to the darkness hanging over the Empire.Using the power in Arwa's blood, they seek answers in the realm of ash: a land where mortals can seek the ghostly echoes of their ancestors' dreams. But the Emperor's health is failing, and a terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon, not just for the imperial throne, but for the magic underpinning Empire itself.To save the Empire, Arwa and the prince must walk the bloody path of their shared past, through the realm of ash and into the desert, where the cause of the Empire's suffering-and its only chance of salvation - lie in wait. But what they find there calls into question everything they've ever valued . . . and whether they want to save the Empire at all.

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