Information from Goodreads:
In this stand-alone fantasy, Durst 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.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53246421-race-the-sands
AudiobookPublished April 21st 2020 by HarperAudio
My Rating: 5 Stars
My Review of Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst
5/5 stars
I really really enjoyed this story. I’m not an expert on genres or categories but I wonder if this might fit as new adult…? At first I wasn’t sure that it wasn’t young adult what with the ages of several main characters but ultimately I see why they didnt call it so (kind of). I dont know but whatever it is I think it will satisfy a number of audiences.
There are a number of things I appreciated. For one Sarah Beth Durst has an awesome imagination. She loves to play with strange monsters and I think that’s great. She also wasnt afraid to cast a wide array of characters at the heart of this story. She surprised me with some of them (one in particular) and that was really refreshing. It reminded me of real life, people aren’t cut-outs, rarely do they fit in one category. All her characters are full of drive and ambition and I root for them with pleasure.
This isn’t the type of story that is ruined by figuring out the plot moves before they happen. Nope. It’s more so the case that you look forward to seeing what’s ultimately going to happen. There were some turns that ended kind of bluntly but honestly, I like that. Things aren’t long and drawn out like they could be, and many stories are. Durst keeps the story interesting, moving and satisfying.
I dare say that many times while listening to this story I was moved to emotion. I smiled A LOT. And I keep wanting to come back to calling this a kind of feel good story, and therefore satisfying. I highly recommend this story to teens, young, new and not so new adults.
I would recommend listening to this as an audio book. My only gripe is that I didn’t care for how the narrator performed the trainer’s daughter. She reads her almost baby like though I do believe her daughter is 11 years old. Other than that I thought she did a great job performing this book.
Have you read or heard of this book? New release as of this April so it’s possible you have yet to even hear of it, but now you have! Check it out! While you’re at it you might want to check out Sarah Beth Durst’s other books, of which she has A LOT. I’ve not read them all but I am a fan of the Queens of Renthia series.
Let me know what you think!
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Thank you for your time and interest!
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P.S. This summer I shared a comment on another blog that was in disagreement with that blogger’s thoughts. Maybe I was wrong to go on bashing a book they professed to love, maybe I should have kept my thoughts to myself (if you don’t have anything nice to say…). Maybe I exhibited poor etiquette and it was simply wrong time, wrong place. But I want you to know that I respect your opinion on books I’ve read even if it’s different than mine. (If I don’t respect it, I’ll be sure to let you know. 😉 ) I encourage you to share when you love a book I don’t or can’t stand a book I love. Let’s just be respectful of each other okay? No nastiness towards each other, meaning go ahead and vent about the book but not the author or me. (I don’t think I have to amend this more do I?) That’s all I ask. It’s not personal. And please do give me your list of reasons, perhaps we can engage in some discussion. After all, if all you say is that book was crap, I’m going to want a reason or two.
