The Empire Burns at Dawn

The Ages of Alifan #1

by Fatima Al-Shemary

The Arabian Nights meets romantasy in this debut about two sisters sent on separate missions to help their father seize power, but dark magic is brewing across the land, and they might be pawns in a much larger game...

The Adani sisters have never been free. Their father has been scheming for years to seize the corrupt Shah’s throne, and he’ll use his daughters to do it.

Dunya has carved her path as a warrior. On her father’s orders, she travels to a distant desert kingdom to secure a military alliance. When she learns she was sent not as a diplomat but as a bride for the formidable Bezouin King, she refuses to submit to the arrangement, vowing to never return home. The strangely gentle ruler offers her a place in his court, but their friendship quickly turns into an intense connection that Dunya isn’t prepared for.

Shayda is sent straight into the viper’s pit. Married off to the ailing Shah himself, her mission is to uncover the court’s secrets and then get rid of him. But Shayda knows her father can’t be trusted, and when he betrays her, she realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. To thwart her father’s plan, she seeks the help of the Daggers—a rebel group at war with the Shah—and their ruthless leader. Danger lurks around every corner, but Shayda is willing to risk everything for a chance at freedom.

As Dunya and Shayda battle their enemies, their circumstances, and their own hearts, they discover a resurgence of dark magic spreading throughout the land. A pantheon of ancient gods awakens once again, and the sisters must stop them, or see their worlds plunged into darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Romantasy, Adult

496 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication December 1, 2026

Reviews

[BonniePB]

The political scheming and intrigue behind both Shayda and Dunya’s respective marriages are what drives most of the plot. Their romances were also set up well as slow burns rather than insta-loves, which is refreshing.

The prose ended up being a little more youthful than I expected. There was a lot of information repetition and dumping, which dragged the pace down through the middle. While Shayda and Dunya are the strongest developed characters, the others seemed either too perfect (Bilal) or underdeveloped (everyone else). I just didn't get a good sense of who Jahangir, Roshan, Ula, Hadi, Aziza, or Kader were other than the usual romantasy side character archetypes.

All that being said, The Empire Burns at Dawn is a decent romantasy debut featuring much-needed Muslim representation, and I would recommend it to lovers of the genre.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC via NetGalley.

[Mercury]

Starting a series, let alone one that isn’t completed yet, is something I have not done since elementary school. The Empire Burns At Dawn proved to be an excelling exception to my self-imposed rule, and all I can feel is excitement at anticipating the next installment. Fantasy used to be my favorite genre until I fell into cahoots with horror, but every once in a while I am blessed to be absorbed into art that reminds me where my roots began. This novel has all the aspects I adore about the genre: a unique magic system (the Bezuoins and their connections to the rukhs! holy moly!), dark and haunting schemes, an intriguing prophecy, and rich worldbuilding. Both the Blue Palace within Kohabad and the city of Izdihar felt so rich to read that I could imagine the places vividly. The world that Al-Shemary built also has fascinating mythology, which I am eager to see more of in Book Two.

One major thing I hope for–aside from the sisters’ reunion–is natural growth (or separation, if that needs to be the case) between Hadi and Princess Aziza. I don’t want to read about such a wonderful female character becoming a man’s consolation prize, even if Hadi is likeable in his own right. I have confidence that won’t be the direction their story goes, since the last we saw of them sizzled with tension that if pushed right, will lead to meaningful discussion and fully-realized character development on both their ends. Characterization is one of this book’s biggest positives. Both of the sisters are their own people with complicated feelings, desires, flaws, and strengths and I had no complaints whenever the POV switched from one to the other. I enjoyed both thoroughly.

This book IS marketed as romantasy, so I feel obligated to throw in my two cents about the romance for our leads. I love the yearning between Bilal and Dunya. The slowburn was sweet and lead with moments of friendship that made their progression a work of art, in my opinion. My favorite dynamic, truly. Chapter 40 made my sappy heart happy, but chapter 33? Peak intimacy is when there actually isn't any traditional intimacy involved at all, and the closing paragraphs DELIVERED. I love feeling this way for fictional pairings!!!



As for Shayda and the vengeful rebel leader of the Daggers, their dynamic promises to be full of electrifying moments, so count me in for the ride. Contrasting couples keep me more invested. I have a feeling I'll happily be rooting for Shayda and Hassan in the future.

There were a couple of grammar mistakes and minor details that didn’t line up with what I read previously. Chapter Four, for example, where Dunya is narrating and mentions how Shayda has been practicing for the Moon Dance for months, but we learned from Shayda during her perspective that she had been dancing and training since she was a child, so it would make more sense for Dunya's narration to say 'years' instead of 'months', no? Also, page 241 (from the perspective of reading it via my phone), the word EVery" appears to be a typo. Just minor notices, but those are quick things to tweak.

Overall, I was very glad that I stepped outside of my comfort zone and gave this book a chance :)

[Rachel]

Al-Shemary’s debut is imaginative and surprisingly youthful in tone as we follow two sisters, Shayda and Dunya, who are both looking for a way to come out from beneath their father’s controlling shadow. Thematically, Al-Shemary’s writing is consistently strong, directly interrogating the deeply misogynistic structures of society and showcasing her knowledge of the real life inspirations she draws from. Her main characters are suitably complex, although some of her side characters, particularly those meant to be villains, feel consistently flat and unsatisfying.

The opening is strong as Shayda dances for her life against a viper to prove herself pure enough to become the Shah’s wife and Dunya travels to a neighboring kingdom with dreams of being a true warrior. I felt that Al-Shemary’s writing style really shined in the first quarter of this book, balancing the additions of major side characters and worldbuilding information with tantalising hints at more. Once we get into the meat of the story, I personally found the pacing became slow and sometimes bloated, particularly in Dunya’s storyline where there were long sections of explanatory dialogue that could have been condensed. I also wasn’t a fan of the fake love triangle side plot, but that thankfully is quickly resolved.

I personally found Shayda’s storyline to be more intriguing as she navigates the political machinations of her father and the surveillance of the Shah’s court. Shayda has all the makings of a spymaster albeit with limited access to her own resources, and she makes the most of what she has. I felt a little disappointed that, aside from Ula, the Shah’s first wife and queen, the other eleven wives barely got any screentime or plot relevance; I would love to eventually get to learn more about them in the future. This is a solid beginning to a trilogy, and I’ll look out for the next book.

[Kelli]

The Empire Burns at Dawn was a delightful surprise for a debut novel. The story follows two half-sisters raised for vastly different fates: Shayda, trained to join the harem of wives of an aging shah who harbors some dark secrets, and Dunya, trained as a warrior and sent to her mother’s homeland to forge critical military alliances. Shayda quickly finds out the world she has been groomed for her entire life is not what she expects.

Set against a backdrop of court intrigue, complex family dynamics, religious tension, and magic, the narrative spans multiple kingdoms as Shayda and Dunya fight for personal agency in a world where their own father uses them as political fodder to climb the ranks. Their father is hiding secrets of his own and has no problem sacrificing either one of his daughters to get ahead.

While the initial setup has a strong young adult fantasy feel—reminiscent of the early Throne of Glass series the story still packs a punch. There are some horror-esque elements, strong dark magic, and some very interesting gods who we will hopefully get to meet more of in the next installment. The Empire Burns at Dawn ends on a cliffhanger that sets up what promises to an exciting trilogy - I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. The "Arabian Nights" feel meets romantasy was a perfect descriptor. I'll be back for #2!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Al-Shemary for the opportunity to read this story before it's release on December 1st, 2026.

[tessa]

read and reviewed for booklist!
Fatima Al-Shemary's debut, The Empire Burns at Dawn brings a new life to Arabian Nights with just the right amount fantasy and romance. The Adani sisters, Shayda and Dunya, have been bred their whole lives to uphold their duties to their family and help their father secure the throne. Dunya has been training as a warrior her whole life, just to find out that her father planned to use her as another bride and pawn. Shayda heads straight into the snake pit, literally, as she attempts to secure her spot as the ruler's newest wife. The weight of the world is on the sisters' shoulders as they are shown time and time again that they cannot trust anyone and everyone is looking for a way to get ahead. Who can they trust if they cannot even trust family? This romantasy builds out a lush world that is just as cruel as it is breathtaking, with slowburn romances that are sure to leave readers yearning for more. Readers looking for political intruige, family drama, or religious trauma will find their new home in The Empire Burns at Dawn.

[Bethany]

I'll post my review when it's closer to the release date. Stay tuned!

[Sara Melugin]

The Empire Burns at Dawn was hard for me to get into. The dual timelines made it difficult for me to follow. It got better as I read on, but I never really found myself emotionally invested in the characters or the story. It was an action packed story with romance so it's a good fit for some readers, just not myself.