Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
Ratings30
Average rating3.9
Best Book of 2015 by Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BuzzFeed • “Promises to be breathtaking.” —Robin Hobb The Song of the Shattered Sands: Book One Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule. Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first.
Series
Featured Series
6 primary books12 released books#1 in The Song of the Shattered Sands
The Song of the Shattered Sands is a 12-book series with 6 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
Reviews
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A revenge tale wrapped up in a fascinating desert fantasy package. In Sharikai, Mr Beaulieu has created a fascinating city and culture. The world building here is truly epic. The titular twelve kings form a mysterious and sinister backdrop to it all and are the focus of our heroine's revenge.
The book starts full throttle - within a few pages we have had gladitorial fight and some gratuitous sex. Certainly an exciting way to introduce our character and world! The story does slow down a bit, allowing the back story to fill in nicely and allowing a glimpse into the history of the city.
This was a fun introduction to a series that I am going to have to dive further into!
Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.
Twelve Kings was just okay. I think this is the problem with reading lots of fantasy books (or any genre). You find one amazing book and nothing else that you read can compare to it. Because it really wasn't too bad. I liked the main character, I liked the mythology. I liked that it had this whole thing where people have ships which allow them to sail on the desert sand very much like what you would do in water.
But I found myself getting bored, it dragged on in a few places. I couldn't quite figure out what the point of the story was and therefore couldn't tell if scenes were important or unnecessary. I mean it was an okay fantasy. But there are much better fantasies out there.
Absolutely amazing! I can't believe I've never heard of this series or author before. So glad I randomly put it on my to read list and so glad I randomly picked it to actually read. It's fun adventure-fantasy with some magical elements and mystery included. I'd highly recommend to any fan of Robin Hobb, Robert Jackson Bennett, or Brandon Sanderson.
