This can go in any direction depending on what you’ve read and/ or prefer. I feel like a lot of people either already know or read City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. If this is you than I suggest these other two books.
I have a Young Adult trilogy and an Adult standalone to recommend.
The common thread amongst these stories is capable women dry heat/ desert settings and just incredible characters
The Daevabad series, City of Brass– S.A. Chakraborty
Synopsis for The City of Brass:
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.
In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for.
My thoughts:
I love this world! The world building is complex and interesting. I love all the layers you know exist and it isn’t until the books continue that you get to experience the vastness and even then it still feels like you’ve only experienced a taste. The characters are the best part of this whole world and series. They will pull at your heart strings and then make you want to pull out your hair. I love how much this story unfurls and the depths that are explored.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Synopsis:
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.
My thoughts:
I really love and admire Elisa and the growth of her character over the span of the three books. She’s resourceful and resilient. There is romance in this series but it isn’t the sole focus. This does focus on politics and religion/magic but it is YA so it doesn’t go over your head.
The relationships are some of my favorite, and I don’t mean romance even though it has one of my all time favorites. (I’ve mentioned it in an earlier post) But women/ girl friends are a rarity in fantasy which is a crime.
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Synopsis:
A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.
The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.
When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.
Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance.
My thoughts:
Not enough people talk about this book.
Mehr reminds me a great deal of Elisa and Nahir with her determination and resilient strength. She is dealt a hand of cards she wasn’t expecting and she navigates to the best of her ability.
The romance is slow and wonderful. It builds into something very powerful but it never detracts from the story.
The story itself is something that has to be experienced because it holds so much depth to it.
If you like characters you can’t help but root for great friendships and romance world building that is top notch. These books are definitely worth your time.
A Colorful Bibliophile 
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