We're placed in 15th century West Africa (Timbuktu) where a young woman encounters a curious vagrant entranced by her song before she's kidnapped and brought to the palace of the new, ruling king to become his bride.
The writing is immersive, yet I wish there was a bit of agency to the main character. She seems naive, despite having lived a hard life and from the stories her mother told her about men, yet she isn't apprehensive as I thought she'd be. Though it's not the fantasy or sci-fi I usually read, this story has me intrigued and I want to read more. Perhaps, the MC grows out of her passivity.
There is an error made in the story: the MC claims women under Islamic Law aren't allowed to attend university/have an education. This is false, as women are required to know Islamic knowledge and can become scholars. I don't know if this is the MC's observations, but the way it's written, it's like she's stating a "fact," only it comes across as a stereotypical bias often regurgitated by ignorant non-Muslims (mainly the West).
I'm not a fan of the cover, but it does give the vibes of the story.
The writing is immersive, yet I wish there was a bit of agency to the main character. She seems naive, despite having lived a hard life and from the stories her mother told her about men, yet she isn't apprehensive as I thought she'd be. Though it's not the fantasy or sci-fi I usually read, this story has me intrigued and I want to read more. Perhaps, the MC grows out of her passivity.
There is an error made in the story: the MC claims women under Islamic Law aren't allowed to attend university/have an education. This is false, as women are required to know Islamic knowledge and can become scholars. I don't know if this is the MC's observations, but the way it's written, it's like she's stating a "fact," only it comes across as a stereotypical bias often regurgitated by ignorant non-Muslims (mainly the West).
I'm not a fan of the cover, but it does give the vibes of the story.