Reviews

Race the Sands: A Novel by Sarah Beth Durst

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shanblackman's review against another edition

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adventurous

4.0

readingintothevoid's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

4.75

This was a really enjoyable read and, though it’s quite a long book, it never dragged. The way the author switched POVs was done very well so that we got a perfect mix of action and tense scenes with more introspective or plot moving scenes.

I also really appreciated the way the author wove into the story the following ideas about:

- the complexity of our feelings about abusive family members while setting new boundaries
- the nuance of how sometimes the only effective response to abuse/harm/corruption/violence is violence itself even if that’s a difficult decision to make
- people are not all good or all bad
- even adults are constantly discovering themselves and with each choice, we must decide who we’re going to be

It’s absolutely understandable, enjoyable, and suitable for a younger audience and so the YA categorization is the right one I think. But it also didn’t read super young and so even adults who don’t always love YA (like myself) will enjoy this one. Most of the MCs are adults actually and I think that added a certain type of depth to this story that I don’t always find in YA.

Definitely recommend for those who like competition/training stories with plenty of intrigue and character building too.

Two quotes I highlighted while reading:

“They didn’t understand that evil could grow if planted in a field of banal cruelty.”

“The Ranirans came to conquer us,” Prince Dar said. “Their orders were to kill and enslave. They would have destroyed our cities and our way of life. If they hadn’t made the choice to do this, they would not face the consequences now.”

eskupslp's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kitsune42's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rare book that features engaging characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes. Will be seeking out more of this author's work.

Content Warnings

flamepea's review against another edition

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2.0

An original and very unique magic system, unfortunately there isn't much to say about the characters, plot or even monster racing.
2020 Worlds Beyond the Margin Reading Challenge - Social Class as a Key Theme