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The Spice Road Trilogy #2
Serpent Sea
As a Shield Imani is sworn to protect her land from the monsters across the city but as the Harrowlanders begin preparing supplies, horses and their greatest weapon—spice magic—she knows it is only a matter of time before the invasion begins…and it will be a losing battle. But Imani also knows that the only true way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon an army to save Sahir. Forming an alliance with a former King turned monster might seem like the riskiest thing she can do but things are made even more dangerous by the fact that his magic is in the form of three jewels that once were encrusted in his crown but are now hidden beyond the desert.
A forbidden quest to find the jewels might be the only way to combat the Harrowlanders but as Imani journeys across the sea, she will discover serpentines and other scaled creatures warriors have only heard about in myths…and that can strike at any moment. One wrong move could cost her life—and everyone she loves. But Imani may find there is more than meets the eye crossing the serpent sea…and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.
A forbidden quest to find the jewels might be the only way to combat the Harrowlanders but as Imani journeys across the sea, she will discover serpentines and other scaled creatures warriors have only heard about in myths…and that can strike at any moment. One wrong move could cost her life—and everyone she loves. But Imani may find there is more than meets the eye crossing the serpent sea…and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.
512 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2024
56 people are currently reading
3352 people want to read
About the author
Maiya Ibrahim
3 books418 followersMaiya Ibrahim is the Sunday Times bestselling author of SPICE ROAD. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney. When she isn’t writing, reading, or spending time with her family, she enjoys video games, gardening, and expanding her collection of rare trading cards. She lives in Sydney, Australia.
She is represented by Peter Knapp of Park & Fine Literary and Media, Claire Wilson of RCW Literary, and Mary Pender-Coplan of United Talent Agency.
She is represented by Peter Knapp of Park & Fine Literary and Media, Claire Wilson of RCW Literary, and Mary Pender-Coplan of United Talent Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
February 17, 2025
To say this book is a disappointment is a huge understatement. Coming in from book one, this was the most boring thing in the history of boring. Let’s break it downnnn
Rating: 1.5 ⭐️
Plot: Nonexistent. Like it was just 450 pages of BLABBERING.
Pace: Slow. As. Hell. Literally like sitting ducks, just waiting for something, anything to happen.
Writing: Sigh. Too much description! Like, instead of talking and dialogue, she’s just describing stupid things and wasting my time.
Characters:
Imani: At the end of book one, she got better, but me being me, I still didn’t forgive her from how annoying she used to be. I was expecting that in this book, she’ll be continuing down that path and continue to grow and become a better person but nope. She just freaking stayed the exact same. No growth whatsoever. That reallyyyyy pissed me off.
Taha: He actually did get a lot better. One thing I actually liked was having chapters from his POV, that was refreshing. I don’t understand why he’s in love with a brat like Imani, but people are different I guess.
Qayn: I’ll be honest. I had my doubts about him the entire book. But later. I saw him and I saw victory. The only way this series would continue is if he continued to have the role that he had that he is playing really well. By the end of the book, I officially trusted him and with that trust, I started to like him!
Amria: She lost her spark. I’m so pissed omg she literally lost all her energy. She became more bland and typical than the bubbly and hyperactive girl she used to be. Sigh I loved her sm and now I’m so disappointed.
Ending: The best part of this book. When I tell you this book only picked up at page 400, I mean it. The last few chapters were the only good part of this book.
To conclude, this was very crappy and I would have 100% DNFed if I wasn’t buddy reading with Yusra (because it’s just fun) but everyone should congratulate me for finishing such a boring and terrible bookeven if it did take us nearly three months.
postread: this is the longest i’ve ever spent reading a book that I didn’t like and honestly, I think the only reason I didn’t dnf a month in was bc I was buddy reading with Yusra and it’s just fun to hate. This book would have been a two, maybe even one star, but the ending added the extra stars since it’s was wayyy better. I’m literally dead serious, this book only picked up at one 400, I’m not even joking. I’m hoping book three would be better but I don’t have that high hopes 😔
RTC
preread: br w the other Yusraaaa <33 I’m super excited to see how this one goesss
Rating: 1.5 ⭐️
Plot: Nonexistent. Like it was just 450 pages of BLABBERING.
Pace: Slow. As. Hell. Literally like sitting ducks, just waiting for something, anything to happen.
Writing: Sigh. Too much description! Like, instead of talking and dialogue, she’s just describing stupid things and wasting my time.
Characters:
Imani: At the end of book one, she got better, but me being me, I still didn’t forgive her from how annoying she used to be. I was expecting that in this book, she’ll be continuing down that path and continue to grow and become a better person but nope. She just freaking stayed the exact same. No growth whatsoever. That reallyyyyy pissed me off.
Taha: He actually did get a lot better. One thing I actually liked was having chapters from his POV, that was refreshing. I don’t understand why he’s in love with a brat like Imani, but people are different I guess.
Qayn: I’ll be honest. I had my doubts about him the entire book. But later. I saw him and I saw victory. The only way this series would continue is if he continued to have the role that he had that he is playing really well. By the end of the book, I officially trusted him and with that trust, I started to like him!
Amria: She lost her spark. I’m so pissed omg she literally lost all her energy. She became more bland and typical than the bubbly and hyperactive girl she used to be. Sigh I loved her sm and now I’m so disappointed.
Ending: The best part of this book. When I tell you this book only picked up at page 400, I mean it. The last few chapters were the only good part of this book.
To conclude, this was very crappy and I would have 100% DNFed if I wasn’t buddy reading with Yusra (because it’s just fun) but everyone should congratulate me for finishing such a boring and terrible book
postread: this is the longest i’ve ever spent reading a book that I didn’t like and honestly, I think the only reason I didn’t dnf a month in was bc I was buddy reading with Yusra and it’s just fun to hate. This book would have been a two, maybe even one star, but the ending added the extra stars since it’s was wayyy better. I’m literally dead serious, this book only picked up at one 400, I’m not even joking. I’m hoping book three would be better but I don’t have that high hopes 😔
RTC
preread: br w the other Yusraaaa <33 I’m super excited to see how this one goesss
November 14, 2024
Siblings, Imani, Altheer and Amira, along with captured Taha and his cousin Rezi, plus Taha's falcon, were heading out of the city, desperate to escape. But Harrowlander soldiers spotted them, and their escape was foiled. Taken to their king, who was gleeful with their capture, he and the Harrowlanders continued rampaging through city after city, pillaging and murdering anyone who didn't yield control. The spice magic was their greatest weapon, and as King Glaedric obtained more of it, his power grew. But the powerful djinni, Qayn, was with Imani and the others, and the plan was to find and gain the crown with the jewels intact, which was stolen from Qayn millenia ago, so his power was returned.
Crossing the serpent sea was a danger in itself, but they needed to do it to get to where the crown was housed - on Prince Kendric's head. The challenge which was set was a fight to the death - was Imani confident enough in her skills to join the fight? And who would be her partner? Treachery and terror followed them around - would they survive to see the saving of their land?
Serpent Sea is the 2nd in The Spice Road Trilogy by Aussie author Maiya Ibrahim and it was awe-inspiring; as brilliant as the first in the series. Over 500 pages long, it took me awhile, but the pages sped by. Filled with power, magic and plenty of human responses, I highly recommend this, and book 1, to fans of the genre - and I'm looking forward very much to #3.
With thanks to NetGalley & Hachette AU for my digital ARC to read and review.
Crossing the serpent sea was a danger in itself, but they needed to do it to get to where the crown was housed - on Prince Kendric's head. The challenge which was set was a fight to the death - was Imani confident enough in her skills to join the fight? And who would be her partner? Treachery and terror followed them around - would they survive to see the saving of their land?
Serpent Sea is the 2nd in The Spice Road Trilogy by Aussie author Maiya Ibrahim and it was awe-inspiring; as brilliant as the first in the series. Over 500 pages long, it took me awhile, but the pages sped by. Filled with power, magic and plenty of human responses, I highly recommend this, and book 1, to fans of the genre - and I'm looking forward very much to #3.
With thanks to NetGalley & Hachette AU for my digital ARC to read and review.
February 17, 2025
This book was the definition of disappointment
✧˚ Writing, Pace and Plot
Maiya’s writing was one of the main things I looked forward to when picking this book up because her descriptions were soo beautiful in the first book. But here, they were just too much. Instead of actual plot or even dialogues, there were endless descriptions which were SO BLOODY FRUSTRATING. In the beginning, I thought they’d go away or I’ll get used to them but they only got worse and I found myself skipping paragraphs upon paragraphs. This also had an effect on the pace. The whole thing felt sooo slow it took us monthss to finish it.
Next thing: wasted potential.
If Maiya had paid some attention to the worldbuilding, everything wouldve been soo much more interesting. The groundwork she laid in the first book was really good and a little more work on that in this book wouldve been perfect. Instead, everything was so BASIC, including the plot, that Im genuinely so sadd. The magic system seemed cool at one point but it wasnt well explained so it got confusing and I lost interest in that too.
✧˚ Characters
°•Imani
Going by the ending of the first book, I thought this girl would get better and learn a few things from her sister. But while she did improve a littleeee bit at one point, all that work went to waste when she kept making THE SAME MISTAKES for the next 300 pages. Half of the time I had to stop myself from smashing my laptop’s screen because HOW CAN ONE PERSON BE SO SLOW AND DUMB AND KNOWW THAT THEY'RE BEING AN IDIOT AND STILLLL BE AN IDIOT????
°•Taha
My only problem with him is his taste in romance. How can you LIKE, let alone LoVe someone like Imani? Hasn't she made you suffer enough already? And how do you not want to punch her for every time she gets misled by the smallesttt things?
°•Qayn
Probably the only interesting topic in the whole bloody book. The change in behaviour was not that good but wasnt really significant so eh. But Qayn lore was the besttt.
°•Amira
Im actually so disappointed with this girl. Sure, she was stubborn before but not in a badd way. What the hell happened to herr??? She was one of the two actually good characters in the book and Maiya went and ruined her.
✧˚ The Ending
A lott better than the rest of the book but there were again many things that bothered me. Im just glad this is over
✧˚ Conclusion
Nope.
buddyread with PNY <3
✧˚ Writing, Pace and Plot
Maiya’s writing was one of the main things I looked forward to when picking this book up because her descriptions were soo beautiful in the first book. But here, they were just too much. Instead of actual plot or even dialogues, there were endless descriptions which were SO BLOODY FRUSTRATING. In the beginning, I thought they’d go away or I’ll get used to them but they only got worse and I found myself skipping paragraphs upon paragraphs. This also had an effect on the pace. The whole thing felt sooo slow it took us monthss to finish it.
Next thing: wasted potential.
If Maiya had paid some attention to the worldbuilding, everything wouldve been soo much more interesting. The groundwork she laid in the first book was really good and a little more work on that in this book wouldve been perfect. Instead, everything was so BASIC, including the plot, that Im genuinely so sadd. The magic system seemed cool at one point but it wasnt well explained so it got confusing and I lost interest in that too.
✧˚ Characters
°•Imani
Going by the ending of the first book, I thought this girl would get better and learn a few things from her sister. But while she did improve a littleeee bit at one point, all that work went to waste when she kept making THE SAME MISTAKES for the next 300 pages. Half of the time I had to stop myself from smashing my laptop’s screen because HOW CAN ONE PERSON BE SO SLOW AND DUMB AND KNOWW THAT THEY'RE BEING AN IDIOT AND STILLLL BE AN IDIOT????
°•Taha
My only problem with him is his taste in romance. How can you LIKE, let alone LoVe someone like Imani? Hasn't she made you suffer enough already? And how do you not want to punch her for every time she gets misled by the smallesttt things?
°•Qayn
Probably the only interesting topic in the whole bloody book. The change in behaviour was not that good but wasnt really significant so eh. But Qayn lore was the besttt.
°•Amira
Im actually so disappointed with this girl. Sure, she was stubborn before but not in a badd way. What the hell happened to herr??? She was one of the two actually good characters in the book and Maiya went and ruined her.
✧˚ The Ending
A lott better than the rest of the book but there were again many things that bothered me. Im just glad this is over
✧˚ Conclusion
Nope.
buddyread with PNY <3
June 29, 2025
3.5
2025 reads: 133/300
2025 tbr: 40/111
in this sequel to spice road, imani and taha must save their home after its magical enchantment hiding it from the world has been compromised. while i would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first one, and plan on reading the sequel, unfortunately this fell a bit short for me. i loved the discussions of colonization and corrupt people in power, but i felt like several parts of this book dragged on. overall, i thought it was good, but expected more, considering how much i enjoyed spice road.
2025 reads: 133/300
2025 tbr: 40/111
in this sequel to spice road, imani and taha must save their home after its magical enchantment hiding it from the world has been compromised. while i would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first one, and plan on reading the sequel, unfortunately this fell a bit short for me. i loved the discussions of colonization and corrupt people in power, but i felt like several parts of this book dragged on. overall, i thought it was good, but expected more, considering how much i enjoyed spice road.
January 15, 2025
What a great start for my reading year! i absolutely love this book 😍😍 here i thought it will be a boring sequel (which i ussually experience for sequel book from a trilogy) but WOOOW i was so darn wrong! it got everything i love in Fantasy book: Great character development (Taha and Imani), magic system, worldbuiding, action and plot!!
I was so sad when this book end, i want to read this story forever!!
I was so sad when this book end, i want to read this story forever!!
March 10, 2025
I’m so hooked on this series. I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about it.
The magic, lore, and cultures represented in the story are beautifully complex. The author addresses social issues the are relevant today while diving into the history of her world and exploring how those same issues shaped it. It’s absolutely beautiful… and I really want to see where the romance goes. 😂
The magic, lore, and cultures represented in the story are beautifully complex. The author addresses social issues the are relevant today while diving into the history of her world and exploring how those same issues shaped it. It’s absolutely beautiful… and I really want to see where the romance goes. 😂
March 20, 2023
Do we have a publication date yet? Or an expected date?
Can’t wait for this book 😊
Can’t wait for this book 😊
Want to read
February 15, 2023can't wait for this book!!!
I loved the first one<3
I loved the first one<3
March 4, 2025
Actual rating 3.25
For starters I’m glad I saw some reviews before and went in with some managed expectations…because this book seems to have struggled from second book syndrome, sadly. It wasn’t until the last third that I started to get into it more (let’s pretend that sea battle scene totally made sense to me).
There was something about this book in the plotting and characterization that kept my attention just enough to keep reading but it also just kept feeling like it was falling short.
Imani’s perspective was written in first person and Taha’s was written in third person and the whiplash from the back and forth was oddly noticeable for me (I typically don’t notice that sort of thing, thankfully). It wasn’t until I was at least 12 chapters in, perhaps more, that I settled into the writing, which didn’t help.
The thing that surprised me most was that I actually enjoyed Taha’s POV more and I found his character grew on me a lot. He has more depth than Imani imo.
Atheer disappointed me. After the ending in Spice Road I was looking forward to seeing a strong sibling dynamic and the influence of a thoughtful and wise older brother. But Atheer was honestly sidelined so hard and while other characters see him as a mentor/hero etc. we just don’t see much of that in action.
Lastly, this love triangle situation….I was so confident in who would be end game but with the way this book went I am at a loss. And not in a good way, because [redacted for spoilers]…one character absolutely does not make sense 😬 And I actually think said character should die or have to disappear into another [redacted for spoilers]. But you get the point….imo one character so clearly can’t be the end love interest.
For starters I’m glad I saw some reviews before and went in with some managed expectations…because this book seems to have struggled from second book syndrome, sadly. It wasn’t until the last third that I started to get into it more (let’s pretend that sea battle scene totally made sense to me).
There was something about this book in the plotting and characterization that kept my attention just enough to keep reading but it also just kept feeling like it was falling short.
Imani’s perspective was written in first person and Taha’s was written in third person and the whiplash from the back and forth was oddly noticeable for me (I typically don’t notice that sort of thing, thankfully). It wasn’t until I was at least 12 chapters in, perhaps more, that I settled into the writing, which didn’t help.
The thing that surprised me most was that I actually enjoyed Taha’s POV more and I found his character grew on me a lot. He has more depth than Imani imo.
Atheer disappointed me. After the ending in Spice Road I was looking forward to seeing a strong sibling dynamic and the influence of a thoughtful and wise older brother. But Atheer was honestly sidelined so hard and while other characters see him as a mentor/hero etc. we just don’t see much of that in action.
Lastly, this love triangle situation….I was so confident in who would be end game but with the way this book went I am at a loss. And not in a good way, because [redacted for spoilers]…one character absolutely does not make sense 😬 And I actually think said character should die or have to disappear into another [redacted for spoilers]. But you get the point….imo one character so clearly can’t be the end love interest.
September 12, 2024
3.5 stars.
Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC.
MIXED THOUGHTS.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
This genuinely started strong. After being mixed about book one I was hopeful this would rise to the occasion, and it did…for a bit. The beginning had me intrigued and I love this whole cast of characters. There’s a good found family quality and Imani is a strong FMC. I can easily cheer her on and I liked seeing the growth in her character. I also loved having Taha’s POV too. It was a solid contrast to Imani’s journey and getting to see what was happening in other parts of the world too.
The middle took a veer of a sub story that I was bored by. I am still puzzling out why it was added as it didn’t fully connect back into the main story. Maybe it does in book three? I don’t know. The hunger games-esque moment felt out of place amongst the rest of the book. I do think the magic system is interesting and mapped out well. I love that I can understand what’s happening amongst the spices and tea and monsters.
You may see this called romantic. It is not. And that was a big letdown for me too. There IS ROMANCE, but it is maybe 10% of the story. I would have loved to see more development in this arena because I thought it was going to play a bigger role.
I’ll still read the third book because I am intrigued enough and the last quarter picked up some necessary speed. I am very curious how everything will come together.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Content Warnings: loss of life, brief torture, weapons violence
Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC.
MIXED THOUGHTS.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
This genuinely started strong. After being mixed about book one I was hopeful this would rise to the occasion, and it did…for a bit. The beginning had me intrigued and I love this whole cast of characters. There’s a good found family quality and Imani is a strong FMC. I can easily cheer her on and I liked seeing the growth in her character. I also loved having Taha’s POV too. It was a solid contrast to Imani’s journey and getting to see what was happening in other parts of the world too.
The middle took a veer of a sub story that I was bored by. I am still puzzling out why it was added as it didn’t fully connect back into the main story. Maybe it does in book three? I don’t know. The hunger games-esque moment felt out of place amongst the rest of the book. I do think the magic system is interesting and mapped out well. I love that I can understand what’s happening amongst the spices and tea and monsters.
You may see this called romantic. It is not. And that was a big letdown for me too. There IS ROMANCE, but it is maybe 10% of the story. I would have loved to see more development in this arena because I thought it was going to play a bigger role.
I’ll still read the third book because I am intrigued enough and the last quarter picked up some necessary speed. I am very curious how everything will come together.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Content Warnings: loss of life, brief torture, weapons violence
December 5, 2024
I am here for Imani and Qayn
November 24, 2024
Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a 4.5 star read for me! Maiya really grew as an author with this book. Spice road was her debut book and I can tell she really improved in her writing. I appreciated the addition of Taha’s point of view as that really helped round out the story instead of just being inside Imani’s head the entire time. The magic was explored so much more and it was such an interesting part of the story. There are still a lot of unknowns and I’m so curious how the last book will go! Qayn is such an interesting character and I love him even though he’s super unpredictable 😂 Overall I liked this even better than Spice Road! I can tell this series will be a well loved series!
December 31, 2024
Actual rating: 2.5
I wish that I enjoyed this book more. The first book was good for a debut for me and I liked the characters, but what really bothered me is that there are two POVs but in different formats - so one POV is in first person, and the other is in third person. It bothered me SO MUCH because the second POV always sounded like the character was referring to himself in the third person after having just read first person. My brain couldn't do the flip.
Also. I almost DNFed this book. I kept going and I'm glad I did because the last 40% was great but I was kind of really bored by the first 60%. And HOW MANY TIMES are we going to split the party in this series? It feels like an ongoing thing, and I really dislike splitting the party. I haven't decided if I'm going to continue this series or not but it's feeling like a no for right now...
TW: injury/ injury detail, death, blood, colonisation, confinement, physical abuse, body horror, death of parent, murder, grief, torture, toxic relationship, fire/ fire injury, vomit, gaslighting, abandonment
I wish that I enjoyed this book more. The first book was good for a debut for me and I liked the characters, but what really bothered me is that there are two POVs but in different formats - so one POV is in first person, and the other is in third person. It bothered me SO MUCH because the second POV always sounded like the character was referring to himself in the third person after having just read first person. My brain couldn't do the flip.
Also. I almost DNFed this book. I kept going and I'm glad I did because the last 40% was great but I was kind of really bored by the first 60%. And HOW MANY TIMES are we going to split the party in this series? It feels like an ongoing thing, and I really dislike splitting the party. I haven't decided if I'm going to continue this series or not but it's feeling like a no for right now...
TW: injury/ injury detail, death, blood, colonisation, confinement, physical abuse, body horror, death of parent, murder, grief, torture, toxic relationship, fire/ fire injury, vomit, gaslighting, abandonment
December 12, 2024
3.75 stars rounded up, not sure if I'll read the next book tbh
December 23, 2024
Tried for a month and a half to finish this but I'm not quite sure if my tastes have changed from me absolutely LOVING the first book or if it's the fault of the sequel itself suffering from Second Book Syndrome.
I DNF'd at 60% cause I was incredibly bored. It felt like the whole book was an unending stream of dialogue with nothing happening. After attempting the audiobook as well, I couldn't even tell who was talking the entire book. Multiple swaps in POVs with narrator changes and the tone seeming to stay consistent throughout leant for a really confusing series of hours.
At the end, I didn't really quite care enough to continue or finish it. Maybe some day I'll get back to this and try again.
I DNF'd at 60% cause I was incredibly bored. It felt like the whole book was an unending stream of dialogue with nothing happening. After attempting the audiobook as well, I couldn't even tell who was talking the entire book. Multiple swaps in POVs with narrator changes and the tone seeming to stay consistent throughout leant for a really confusing series of hours.
At the end, I didn't really quite care enough to continue or finish it. Maybe some day I'll get back to this and try again.
January 5, 2025
Thank you penguin random house for an arc of this book.
This book is a little difficult to review. While I did like it, I didn’t like it as much as I remember liking the first book. I just couldn’t get invested. It could have been the timing of reading it, I’m not sure.
This book is a little difficult to review. While I did like it, I didn’t like it as much as I remember liking the first book. I just couldn’t get invested. It could have been the timing of reading it, I’m not sure.
January 22, 2025
3.5 might change later.. I’ve got so many thoughts.
December 3, 2024
Thanks to Delcorte Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.
I loved last year's debut fantasy The Spice Road, the world building was lush and the characters complex. I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel. This piece of the story shifts from the desert to the oceans where we get a lot more high stakes action against foes both human and not. I won't give too many details as they could be spoilers for book one but again we get multiple POVs and dashes of magic and myth.
This is a solid second book but sadly as a girl who often likes sequels more than the original, this one did not rise to that occasion. Perhaps because the magic was no further fleshed out? We do get some answers to the truth of the myths versus the historical "truths" Imani believes and I thought that was really well done. Looking forward to book 3.
I loved last year's debut fantasy The Spice Road, the world building was lush and the characters complex. I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel. This piece of the story shifts from the desert to the oceans where we get a lot more high stakes action against foes both human and not. I won't give too many details as they could be spoilers for book one but again we get multiple POVs and dashes of magic and myth.
This is a solid second book but sadly as a girl who often likes sequels more than the original, this one did not rise to that occasion. Perhaps because the magic was no further fleshed out? We do get some answers to the truth of the myths versus the historical "truths" Imani believes and I thought that was really well done. Looking forward to book 3.
June 29, 2025
3.5
just like the first book, i felt the pacing of this story was incredibly slow for the first 60%. I found it very hard to focus on it. I did really enjoy the last 40% of the story and the characters. I really like qyan and while it’s hard to fully believe him, i really hope that he turns out to be what he is saying. while unfortunately i don’t think that’s the turn it’s going to take, i will hope for the best. I also think enjoyed taha and imani more in this book than in the first. i am interested to see where this last installment takes us
just like the first book, i felt the pacing of this story was incredibly slow for the first 60%. I found it very hard to focus on it. I did really enjoy the last 40% of the story and the characters. I really like qyan and while it’s hard to fully believe him, i really hope that he turns out to be what he is saying. while unfortunately i don’t think that’s the turn it’s going to take, i will hope for the best. I also think enjoyed taha and imani more in this book than in the first. i am interested to see where this last installment takes us
August 13, 2025
Much better than the first book! And there is so much variety in it, in parts sea-faring adventure, Hunger Games-esque competition, expanding magical abilities, battling fearsome monsters, mythology, and romance. Taha's perspective was nice to have, to know what's going on in other parts of the world, but I do not really like Taha that much, so I was always craving more Imani. And Qayn! Let's not forget my favourite character, someone who truly walks the line between good and evil. I can't help but love him for it.
January 20, 2025
'Serpent Sea' is the second book of the 'The spice road' trilogy. The story continues right from where the first book left things and this time around is less of a quest and more of a 'Hunger Games'.
Overall, it is an enjoyable book, full of adventures and a nice lore. However, there were some things that this time didn't work for me, such as the romance, which was questionable at times, especially since Taha couldn't be redeemed for me. Also, the adventures didn't feel cohesive and they followed one another in lighting speed.
Overall, it is an enjoyable book, full of adventures and a nice lore. However, there were some things that this time didn't work for me, such as the romance, which was questionable at times, especially since Taha couldn't be redeemed for me. Also, the adventures didn't feel cohesive and they followed one another in lighting speed.
January 27, 2025
I really liked this (I could have done without the love triangle aspect but meh) I'm happy so far if it continues going down this road.
Read
April 6, 2025So mag ich meine Fantasy: Charaktere mit Entwicklung, ein interessantes Worldbuilding mit Gewürzmagie und islamischer Mythologie und ein Romance-Subplot, der Gefühle in mir wecken kann.
August 19, 2025
Oh my godddddddd I don’t carrrreeeee
December 11, 2024
I was extremely excited to continue Imani's story, and this book did not disappoint! I wish Taha's POV had been first person like Imani's though. For some reason, I found the 3rd person present tense a little jarring. The pacing also felt a little off to me, but not too bad. I really liked exploring more of the world and spending more time with side characters. I also enjoyed learning more about the history of Imani's people.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
March 5, 2025
As a debut, Spice Road was a wonderful surprise. I was super excited to continue this story with an original magic system and full of spectacular adventures, specially after that cliffhanger that left me wanted for more. But some series just can’t run from the second book curse, it seems, and this sequel is one of them.
Serpent Sea started too slow and took time to find its pace. Told in two different POV’s, there was definitely one more interesting than the other, not only in terms of plot and action but also, in terms of character development. Some decisions were made that made me doubt where the story was going and those doubts weren’t solved, if I’m going to be honest. In the last 30% of the book, things finally started to get interesting and the plot, even if not so well conceived, finally found its way, letting me hopeful and scared for the next book in equal measure.
But not all was disappointing in this book. The worldbuilding was way more developed in this sequel, and we could understand its magic system and origins better, what was a plus point. And, if some characters were a bit disappointing, or because they were less relevant than I expected or because they got on my nerves, others really grew into me. Taha’s development in this book, for example, was really good, and I can say now he is my favorite character and I don’t accept judgment.
I will read the last book, because of how the book ended, but my expectations are really lower in comparison with my expectations for Serpent Sea. I hope things got solved in the last book and that my faith in this series can be save.
Serpent Sea started too slow and took time to find its pace. Told in two different POV’s, there was definitely one more interesting than the other, not only in terms of plot and action but also, in terms of character development. Some decisions were made that made me doubt where the story was going and those doubts weren’t solved, if I’m going to be honest. In the last 30% of the book, things finally started to get interesting and the plot, even if not so well conceived, finally found its way, letting me hopeful and scared for the next book in equal measure.
But not all was disappointing in this book. The worldbuilding was way more developed in this sequel, and we could understand its magic system and origins better, what was a plus point. And, if some characters were a bit disappointing, or because they were less relevant than I expected or because they got on my nerves, others really grew into me. Taha’s development in this book, for example, was really good, and I can say now he is my favorite character and I don’t accept judgment.
I will read the last book, because of how the book ended, but my expectations are really lower in comparison with my expectations for Serpent Sea. I hope things got solved in the last book and that my faith in this series can be save.
January 5, 2025
it just felt slow? Like I had to drag myself through it a bit unfortunately
it picked up at the end so I guess we’ll see where we go from here in the next book!
it picked up at the end so I guess we’ll see where we go from here in the next book!
August 6, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Maiya Ibrahim, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc
4.5 stars
I thought this was an amazing second installment in the series. There was so much going on that I didn’t expect. The love triangle definitely is stronger in this one. But what I loved was the plot and problems picked up making it hard to put down. Please, give this series a chance.
I highly recommend it!
4.5 stars
I thought this was an amazing second installment in the series. There was so much going on that I didn’t expect. The love triangle definitely is stronger in this one. But what I loved was the plot and problems picked up making it hard to put down. Please, give this series a chance.
I highly recommend it!
Want to read
December 15, 2024It looks like we finally have a release date for this 👀: 9/17/24
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I was randomly thinking about the first book today and thought I’d check if there was any news on the sequel. Alas I see we have nothing 😔
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I was randomly thinking about the first book today and thought I’d check if there was any news on the sequel. Alas I see we have nothing 😔
June 1, 2025
I love this series.
The main thing that this author does (and in my opinion does really really well) is portraying privilege and abuse. as I mentioned in my review for the first book, Imani can come off a little annoying but thtas because shes so much more realistic than a lot of privileged FMCs. She's more self aware in this book but she is still ignorant of her own privilege. she wants to listen and learn but its not quite as easy seeing through that . I really like how the author has stayed true to her character and Imani hasn't just flipped to perfect FMC overnight. similar with Taha and his relationship with his father. other books would have had him realising what an a hole his father is but his feelings are so much more complex. Again in this one hes becoming more aware of things but he doesn't just wake up and hate his father.
I also love how grey the majority of her characters are. Even bad characters we tend to see a glimpse of a heart . The harrowlanders weren't just bad, some were portayed as men just following orders , others truly believed in the colonist propaganda they were bringing civilisation to "savages" (when told through the eyes of the invaded its even more laughable that the harrowlanders see the architecture, beliefs, institutions as 'uncivilised' just because they're different to their own!)
its also really fast paced. so much happens! I dont think you can ever be bored.
so the Love triangle people didn't want in the first book that I said wasnt actually there in the first book...reared it's head.
Im not big fan of them especially if my guy loses 😅 so the jury is out on this one. maybe though you could look at it as being another complex situation where the author doesn't just make feelings disappear overnight and it is more elastic to be messy and complicated!
So that leaves the plot
in contrast and to be completely unbiased the plot wasnt the strongest. Lots of things happened so it did come off a little disjointed and messy. Jumping from one plot to another (how much time didbpass in this book as they seem to have travelled all over everywhere!). We get a new classic fantasy trope which was alright. I liked that it meant we got to see the "civilized" harrowland.
I still enjoyed this story immensely but its for the complex characters and backstreet and how that affects their choices and actions that I love it.
cant wait for the third one.
The main thing that this author does (and in my opinion does really really well) is portraying privilege and abuse. as I mentioned in my review for the first book, Imani can come off a little annoying but thtas because shes so much more realistic than a lot of privileged FMCs. She's more self aware in this book but she is still ignorant of her own privilege. she wants to listen and learn but its not quite as easy seeing through that . I really like how the author has stayed true to her character and Imani hasn't just flipped to perfect FMC overnight. similar with Taha and his relationship with his father. other books would have had him realising what an a hole his father is but his feelings are so much more complex. Again in this one hes becoming more aware of things but he doesn't just wake up and hate his father.
I also love how grey the majority of her characters are. Even bad characters we tend to see a glimpse of a heart . The harrowlanders weren't just bad, some were portayed as men just following orders , others truly believed in the colonist propaganda they were bringing civilisation to "savages" (when told through the eyes of the invaded its even more laughable that the harrowlanders see the architecture, beliefs, institutions as 'uncivilised' just because they're different to their own!)
its also really fast paced. so much happens! I dont think you can ever be bored.
so the Love triangle people didn't want in the first book that I said wasnt actually there in the first book...reared it's head.
Im not big fan of them especially if my guy loses 😅 so the jury is out on this one. maybe though you could look at it as being another complex situation where the author doesn't just make feelings disappear overnight and it is more elastic to be messy and complicated!
So that leaves the plot
in contrast and to be completely unbiased the plot wasnt the strongest. Lots of things happened so it did come off a little disjointed and messy. Jumping from one plot to another (how much time didbpass in this book as they seem to have travelled all over everywhere!). We get a new classic fantasy trope which was alright. I liked that it meant we got to see the "civilized" harrowland.
I still enjoyed this story immensely but its for the complex characters and backstreet and how that affects their choices and actions that I love it.
cant wait for the third one.
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