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    Race the Sands: A Novel
    Race the Sands: A Novel
    Race the Sands: A Novel
    Audiobook15 hours

    Race the Sands: A Novel

    Written by Sarah Beth Durst

    Narrated by Emily Ellet

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    “National Velvet with monsters and a big helping of palace intrigue, Race the Sands is monstrous (literally), heartwarming, and empowering in equal measure. An incredibly fun and inspiring read.” – Katherine Arden, New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

    In this epic standalone fantasy, the acclaimed author of the Queens of Renthia series introduces an imaginative new world in which a pair of strong and determined women risk their lives battling injustice, corruption, and deadly enemies in their quest to become monster racing champions.

    Life, death, and rebirth—in Becar, who you are in this life will determine your next life. Yet there is hope—you can change your destiny with the choices you make. But for the darkest individuals, there is no redemption: you come back as a kehok, a monster, and are doomed to be a kehok for the rest of time.

    Unless you can win the Races.

    After a celebrated career as an elite kehok rider, Tamra became a professional trainer. Then a tragic accident shattered her confidence, damaged her reputation, and left her nearly broke. Now, she needs the prize money to prevent the local temple from taking her daughter away from her, and that means she must once again find a winning kehok . . . and a rider willing to trust her.

    Raia is desperate to get away from her domineering family and cruel fiancé. As a kehok rider, she could earn enough to buy her freedom. But she needs a first-rate trainer.

    Impressed by the inexperienced young woman’s determination, Tamra hires Raia and pairs her with a strange new kehok with the potential to win—if he can be tamed.

    But in this sport, if you forget you’re riding on the back of a monster, you die. Tamra and Raia will work harder than they ever thought possible to win the deadly Becaran Races—and in the process, discover what makes this particular kehok so special.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateApr 21, 2020
    ISBN9780062989390
    Author

    Sarah Beth Durst

    Sarah Beth Durst is the author of fantasy novels for children, teens, and adults. Winner of the Mythopoeic Award and an ALA Alex Award and thrice nominated for the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, she lives in New York. Visit her at sarahbethdurst.com or on Twitter: @sarahbethdurst.

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    Reviews for Race the Sands

    4.5/5

    93 ratings10 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      A really quick, fun fantasy adventure with no romance.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, but I found myself feeling a bit too often that both worldbuilding and character actions lacked necessary believability.
    • 4/5
      An interesting world with complex issues and underdogs you can't help but cheer for. It feels a little more dystopia-ish than most of Sarah Beth Durst's books, but it was good even if a little different from her usual feel.
    • 5/5
      Possibly my favourite Burst's novel.
      I loved all the characters and the meanings and loved the end too.
      Thanks a lot
    • 5/5
      I’m a sucker animal human bonding stories and this book has a very cool take on that concept. Think how to train your dragon meets game of thrones. Very good voices for the characters in the audiobook and I enjoyed the pacing and overall length of the novel. Great ending too. Looking forward to more by this author!
    • 4/5
      Interesting premise, mile a minute plotline and several unexpected twists along the way. I really wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, but found it hard to put down. The characters really grow on you, the world is interesting, and Durst just tells a really good story.
    • 5/5
      Durst’s spectacular and sprawling Race the Sands reminded me of Alanna and The Scorpio Races. A fabulous read - so good I wish this was a series rather than a standalone novel!
    • 4/5
      Race the Sands is the story of two women desperate to win. Tamra, to overcome her previous disgrace and win the gold needed to support her daughter. And young Raia, to escape her past and choose her own path. Giving their all to the fateful races, trainer and rider must grapple with their deadly kehok, stand firm against those who would control their fate, and discover what it means to do good if even the prettiest shells can hide the greatest evils.

      Both in her series and standalone novels, Durst grounds the reader right away in her new, vibrant world. Becar is a desert land, civilization surrounded by sun, sand, and deadly kehoks, the monstrous reincarnations of depraved souls. The people fear these beasts, but flock to the annual kehok races, ready to bet and cheer over the havoc. Perhaps the one thing more integral to their lives is the augurs, who are held in reverence for the purity of their souls and their ability to read a person’s aura and predict how they will be reborn in the next life.

      In the portrayal of the augurs, I appreciated how many of them were pious and moralistic without coming across as stuffily sanctimonious. And through the thoughts of Augur Yorbel, who crosses paths with Tamra and Raia, we see just how easy it is for even the most pure to succumb to ever larger acts of evil and deception.

      Tamra and Raia were by far my favorite characters. I understood their struggles and respected them so much for their strong decisions. The supporting cast had fun personalities, but I wished their POVs had been shortened to give more space to the main gals.

      I wouldn’t put this on the same level as the Queens of Renthia, but still a very solid read.

      **Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC**
    • 5/5
      In Becar, everyone knows that augurs can see your aura and know what you will be in your next life. And if you are evil, you will become a kehok with no possibility of rebirth ... unless you can win the Races.Tamra was an elite rider in the Races. After some injuries, she has become a trainer of riders and kehoks. She is down on her luck because of an accident in last year's race. She needs the support of her patron Lady Evara, a cheap kehok, and a rider who is hungry for victory. Without those three things, she will be forced to surrender the daughter she adores into the care of the augurs.She finds a metallic black lion in an out-of-the-way market and a young woman named Raia who has fled to become a racer because she needs the money to pay off her parents before she can be free. Winning with that untried pair is their only hope to solve both Tamra and Raia's problems.Becar is in a difficult situation. After the death of Emperor Zarin, his brother Dar should be the next emperor. But first they need to find the vessel that now hosts Zarin's soul and their searching is not being successful. Nothing can be done until the vessel is found - no new contracts, no moving the army, no stability. And the empire of Ranir is looking at Becar as a fruit to be plucked during their time of trouble.Dar sends an augur named Yorbel who is a good, kind-hearted man and a trusted friend to see if he can find Zarin's new vessel. Yorbel feels that his only hope is to check out the kehok even though he's sure Zarin was a good man and wouldn't have been reincarnated as one of those creatures. This was an excellent fantasy with extremely engaging characters and excellent world building. I could feel the desert heat and blowing sand and the excitement of the races. I could feel the fear that the riders felt trying to learn to control monsters with only the force of their will. I could feel Tamra's desperation and determination to win and protect her daughter. I felt Dar's grief for his lost brother and his determination to become a good emperor. The story was rich in detail and filled with intrigue, betrayals, and also good people trying to do their best. I highly recommend this one for all fantasy fans.
    • 5/5
      Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.Story (5/5): I really loved this book, it’s an excellent fantasy. This was hard to put down and made for a very entertaining read. I also love that this is a complete story in a stand alone book, those are pretty rare in the fantasy genre. The emperor has been killed and a new emperor cannot be crowned until the previous emperor’s reborn soul is found. Meanwhile Tamra is just trying to make a living training students to race the kehok/monsters that are the bottom of where souls are reborn to. Desperate to win the champion races Tamra purchases a metallic black lion kehok and hires Raia as a racer. Rais is escaping a bad situation and desperate to find a way to make a living for herself.The story is very well put together, if a bit predictable. I really enjoyed how entertaining it was and how well the story was woven together. There is a good balance of action, world-building, intrigue, and character building.Characters (5/5): I loved the characters in this story. Tamra is just such a determined woman and so practical. Raia is desperate but willing to push herself in order to make her own way. They are all admirable and easy to engage with. Even the side characters are well developed and engaging. Setting (5/5): This was an amazing fantasy world that was well thought out and developed. I love the idea of people’s souls being reborn into animals based on how well they lived their previous life. I also enjoyed that the world as a whole was pretty well fleshed out.Writing Style (5/5): I love pretty much everything Durst writes so it’s no surprise I really loved this book as well. The writing is well done, easy to read, and just flows beautifully. The book does jump around between different POVs and that was masterfully done. I think my only small quibble is how predictable this was from the very beginning.My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed everything about this book; the world, the characters, and the story. I would highly recommend it if you are a fan of unique fantasy stories. This was incredibly well done and I look forward to what Durst writes next!