He died a thousand deaths listening to his provocative laugh. He closed his eyes, giving in. He got down on his knees and backed up his body by sticking his arms in the sand, and then he took one last look at his murderer as he pointed his sword at his neck, and turned his face away, surrendering to his destiny.
He had lost everything. His parents, his tribe, his lover鈥� There was nothing more left for him.
In a matter of seconds, he would become a worthless corpse among the large pile of rotting bodies. His sorrow bit deep into him, but it was too late. He wished he hadn't discovered the Phoenix fort. He wished he hadn't fought for it. Because of it, he had lost everything!
Despite being a huge lover of fantasy, I can鈥檛 say that I鈥檝e ever read a historical fantasy novel set against the backdrop of the Arabian desert. Many fantasy novels that I am familiar with take their inspiration from Medieval-era Britain, such as the ever-popular Game of Thrones series, and so I absolutely loved this deviation from the norm. Thanks to the beautifully illustrated map included at the beginning of the book I had such a vivid picture of the setting in my mind while I read; I could almost feel the heat on my skin through the pages, a much-welcomed distraction from the cold and grey Scottish weather outside my window!
After the Sandstorm perhaps, then, isn鈥檛 the type of book that I would typically reach for, but it is one that I can say with certainty now that I鈥檓 so glad I took a chance on and gave a read. I won鈥檛 give too much away in terms of plot, because it really is a thrill-a-minute that will have you hooked from the very first chapter, and its relatively short length makes it the perfect read to devour in one sitting. Not only is the premise so unique and different to anything I鈥檝e read before, but all of the characters were absolutely fantastic to read about and I truly felt for them 鈥� some of the trials that they went through had me on the edge of my seat, and, thanks to the author鈥檚 hugely emotive writing, I was utterly absorbed in their story.
If you鈥檙e looking for something fun and fast-paced to devour in one go, regardless of your favoured genre, then I cannot recommend After the Sandstorm highly enough. Gripping from beginning to end, I鈥檓 already eagerly anticipating the sequel, which, if this first instalment is anything to go by, then I鈥檓 sure to love just as much.