The Daughters of Izdihar
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- Create Date：2023-01-03 07:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Hadeer Elsbai
- ISBN：0356520471
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Summary
From debut author Hadeer Elsbai comes the first book in an incredibly powerful new duology， set wholly in a new world， but inspired by modern Egyptian history， about two young women—Nehal， a spoiled aristocrat used to getting what she wants and Giorgina， a poor bookshop worker used to having nothing—who find they have far more in common， particularly in their struggle for the rights of women and their ability to fight for it with forbidden elemental magic。
As a waterweaver， Nehal can move and shape any water to her will， but she’s limited by her lack of formal education。 She desires nothing more than to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy， take complete control of her powers， and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment。 But her family cannot afford to let her go—crushed under her father’s gambling debt， Nehal is forcibly married into a wealthy merchant family。 Her new spouse， Nico， is indifferent and distant and in love with another woman， a bookseller named Giorgina。
Giorgina has her own secret， however: she is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers。 She has no money and no prospects。 Her only solace comes from her activities with the Daughters of Izdihar， a radical women’s rights group at the forefront of a movement with a simple goal: to attain recognition for women to have a say in their own lives。 They live very different lives and come from very different means， yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think。 The cause—and Nico—brings them into each other’s orbit， drawn in by the group’s enigmatic leader， Malak Mamdouh， and the urge to do what is right。
But their problems may seem small in the broader context of their world， as tensions are rising with a neighboring nation that desires an end to weaving and weavers。 As Nehal and Giorgina fight for their rights， the threat of war looms in the background， and the two women find themselves struggling to earn—and keep—a lasting freedom。
As a waterweaver， Nehal can move and shape any water to her will， but she’s limited by her lack of formal education。 She desires nothing more than to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy， take complete control of her powers， and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment。 But her family cannot afford to let her go—crushed under her father’s gambling debt， Nehal is forcibly married into a wealthy merchant family。 Her new spouse， Nico， is indifferent and distant and in love with another woman， a bookseller named Giorgina。
Giorgina has her own secret， however: she is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers。 She has no money and no prospects。 Her only solace comes from her activities with the Daughters of Izdihar， a radical women’s rights group at the forefront of a movement with a simple goal: to attain recognition for women to have a say in their own lives。 They live very different lives and come from very different means， yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think。 The cause—and Nico—brings them into each other’s orbit， drawn in by the group’s enigmatic leader， Malak Mamdouh， and the urge to do what is right。
But their problems may seem small in the broader context of their world， as tensions are rising with a neighboring nation that desires an end to weaving and weavers。 As Nehal and Giorgina fight for their rights， the threat of war looms in the background， and the two women find themselves struggling to earn—and keep—a lasting freedom。
Reviews
Zara
，
Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc。 This book was fantastic。 Sumptuous world-building and compelling characters make for an excellent debut in this new middle-eastern inspired adult fantasy duology。 I was completely hooked as soon as I started this book but at the same time， I didn’t want it to end。 The thematic work was particularly interesting， covering topics like minority and women’s rights， the paths to achieving societal change as well as more personal topics like owning one’s identity and s Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc。 This book was fantastic。 Sumptuous world-building and compelling characters make for an excellent debut in this new middle-eastern inspired adult fantasy duology。 I was completely hooked as soon as I started this book but at the same time， I didn’t want it to end。 The thematic work was particularly interesting， covering topics like minority and women’s rights， the paths to achieving societal change as well as more personal topics like owning one’s identity and standing up for one’s self。 The writing， overall， was well done。 I’m v excited to see how Elsbai’s authorial voice develops。 Based on what I’ve read， she has a very bright future。 My only criticism is that some of the writing was a little bit repetitive in places。 Though not enough to detract from the overall reading experience。 With a bit of tightening in editing and more experience， I have no doubt this won’t be an issue in the future。 One other thing I will mention is that this is a very character-driven， world-building heavy book。 There is plot but it doesn’t really kick off towards the end of the book。 This won’t be for everyone， so just a heads up。 Personally， I loved it （unsurprisingly）。 Wonderful experience and I can’t wait to read the second book。 Get yourself a copy！PS: I’ll be doing a review of this on my channel very soon。 。。。more
Jaime Jiménez Kerns
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I must say， I enjoyed this book！ I had no idea what it was about when I got it。 You see， My local Indie bookstore gifted this book to a group of us in one of their book clubs。 This book is full of Egyptian （Middle eastern） cultural references （from food to clothing to relationship expectations） which I am not as well versed， so I enjoyed the challenge of looking things up and learning。I wondered if the author pulled from Egyptian mythology or lore while creating this fictional location that heav I must say， I enjoyed this book！ I had no idea what it was about when I got it。 You see， My local Indie bookstore gifted this book to a group of us in one of their book clubs。 This book is full of Egyptian （Middle eastern） cultural references （from food to clothing to relationship expectations） which I am not as well versed， so I enjoyed the challenge of looking things up and learning。I wondered if the author pulled from Egyptian mythology or lore while creating this fictional location that heavily resembles a known place。I do look forward to the next book to find out what happens。Regarding the plot， there are obvious tropes but the author also weaves in some surprises。 。。。more
Lily Rooke
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Review written， on hold in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union #HPCOnStrike （day 53）。
Maaike Bateson
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Many thanks to Little， Brown Books and Hadeer Elsbai for the advanced copy of The Daughters of Izdihar via NetGalley， in return for my honest and unbiased review。 Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews， as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs， I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel。I was really looking forward to reading this book， as not many fantasy books focus on the topic of women’s suffrage。 Unfortunately， I did not end up enjoying Many thanks to Little， Brown Books and Hadeer Elsbai for the advanced copy of The Daughters of Izdihar via NetGalley， in return for my honest and unbiased review。 Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews， as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs， I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel。I was really looking forward to reading this book， as not many fantasy books focus on the topic of women’s suffrage。 Unfortunately， I did not end up enjoying the book nearly as much as I would have hoped。Whilst the author was very clever in reflecting both current politics and the age-old problems women have faced in society in the story， the way it was handled and emoted particularly by Nehal was just irritating to me。 Whilst this was quite obviously something the author wanted to get across （a privileged woman having everything she wanted）， it went beyond the stereotypical rich girl/poor girl things。 It was in the writing itself。 It just lacked something for me。 My reading pathway is character development， and I couldn’t find a character， let alone multiple characters， in this story that I could get ‘attached’ to and follow and like， which left the whole story feeling flat。Even with the cliff hanger the way it was， I was not enticed enough to want to read the next book and sadly， this is where the series stops for me。Overall， it was just a tad too slow and too drawn out， with too many unlikable characters。 It was a great general treatise on rights for women and women’s suffrage but it left me thinking…does the author really want these women to have their rights？Moods: challenging， dark， sad， tenseTropes: arranged marriagePace: slowCharacter development: weakPlot or character driven: 50/50Diversity: highSpice: 1。5/5Trigger warnings: Abortion， Abusive relationship， Death， Homophobia， Misogyny， Sexism， ViolenceRating: 3。5/5This review will be featured on my blog at www。mymentalshelf。com in future 。。。more
Verona
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Egyptian inspired fantasy: The Daughters of Izdihar is a great debut novel。 The blurb announces it as quite political and it is， reflecting recent Egyptian history。 We've got women's rights movements and a war with neighbouring countries looming over them。 All of this is wrapped in just the right amount of magic and excitement to keep it interesting without discrediting the seriousness of the situation。Nehal and Giorgina are two very different women who find that they have more in common than th Egyptian inspired fantasy: The Daughters of Izdihar is a great debut novel。 The blurb announces it as quite political and it is， reflecting recent Egyptian history。 We've got women's rights movements and a war with neighbouring countries looming over them。 All of this is wrapped in just the right amount of magic and excitement to keep it interesting without discrediting the seriousness of the situation。Nehal and Giorgina are two very different women who find that they have more in common than they would've thought。 Both are strong and proud and I loved the way they stand up for themselves and other women。 Unlike many so called "feminist" novels， this one actually shows strong women fighting fot their rights。 Both of them also have well written character arcs with nice developments。While the story starts out slow， it was still interesting to read and once the momentum picked up - wow！ Couldn't put it down。 And now I really want to read the second book。 World building is nice。 It's not the focus of the story， but done well enough that it's easy to imagine the scenery。 I am hoping that the world will get more fleshed out in the next book， but I am optimistic that it will be。 One thing I really loved about this book was， how realistic everything felt， despite it being a fantasy novel with magic。 Especially the women's rights movement felt so real and it frustrated the hell out of me due to its similarities to current events。The magic itself is interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing what will come of it in the next book。Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Meg
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Genre: historical fantasyNehal Darweesh is headstrong and stubborn， so when her parents inform her that she’s to be married to Nico Baldinotti， whose family will pay her father’s gambling debts， she’s livid。 Nehal decides to leverage the opportunity and have her new husband sign the enrollment papers for the Academy where Nehal will be able to train with her magical weaving skills， an ability to control elemental forces。 Neither Nehal or Nico wants this match。 Nico is in love with Giorgna， a boo Genre: historical fantasyNehal Darweesh is headstrong and stubborn， so when her parents inform her that she’s to be married to Nico Baldinotti， whose family will pay her father’s gambling debts， she’s livid。 Nehal decides to leverage the opportunity and have her new husband sign the enrollment papers for the Academy where Nehal will be able to train with her magical weaving skills， an ability to control elemental forces。 Neither Nehal or Nico wants this match。 Nico is in love with Giorgna， a bookseller who aligns herself with a radical political group called the Daughters of Izdihar， who fight passionately for women’s rights。 When Nehal and Giorgina enter each others’ orbits， they realize that they align both politically and magically。 Nehal claims Giorgina as a friend （and rewrites her marriage contract to allow Nico a concubine should he want Giorgina still）， and slips into a world of fierce political machinations and rebellion。 This is a very strong debut from Hadeer Elsbai， as she tackles a variety of topics at once。 The inspirations from historical Egypt （Elsbai is Egyptian-American having grown up between New York and Cairo） lend to rich imagery and storytelling。 That said， I suspect it will read better as a completed duology rather than as a standalone。 The plot arc in Daughters of Izdihar feels a little short， as does the growth arcs of the characters。 Nehal is a bulldozer of righteous passion of youth。 She doesn’t often see the bigger picture， simply assuming that the reason things are the way they are is that others are too stubborn to change， rather than seeing the complexities of human nature and intricacies of politics。 Granted， the political climate Nehal finds herself fighting against is horrendously toxic - most of the male characters are so polarized against women’s rights that it feels like a caricature。Throughout the book there are themes of resistance and passion as well as questioning identity。 Nehal learns to recognize herself as queer， adding another layer to her righteous anger: understanding she’s accepted in society more because of her last name than her own worth。 I’ll be very interested to see these identity questions played out in the second book。 Malak， the leader of the Daughters and Nehal’s love interest， is an inspiring woman。 While Nehal is naive to a fault， Malak fully recognizes the consequences of every action and the power she and her political compatriots yield。 A bit of a woman-of-mystery due to rumor mills （Did she sleep with chief secretaries to gain her group more power？ Does she sleep with women？ Is she violent？ Is she also a powerful weaver， or just clever？）， Malak probably has the most depth of anyone on-page。 We see her from both perspectives in her relationship to Nehal but also as a mentor for Giorgina。Having Nehal and Giorgina as the two POV characters works very well for this story。 Whereas often you have the different perspectives of lovers， Nehal and Giorgina are bound by the man to which one is married and the other is in love with。 The seeds of a strong friendship have been planted for Nehal and Giorgina， but both have other lovers。 The class difference between the two main women gives us different perspectives on Alamaxian life， which mirrors much of the 19th century worldview。 This will be perfect for those who want more books similar to Daevabad， A Master of Djinn， or the Books of Ambha。 I suspect younger readers than I might connect better with Nehal and Giorgina - I found myself more like Labiba， one of the older Daughters， or like one of Nehal’s professors at the Academy。 I found parts of the book to be less subtle than I prefer， but the brazenness matches Nehal’s personality well。 Additionally， this book is published by an imprint of Harper Collins。 I support the HCP Union， but also want to promote this book as it is Elsbai's debut， and as of the time of writing this review， HC has still not come to the bargaining table with their union。 What better way to celebrate unions， though， than with a fiery political group of women fighting for their rights！ 。。。more
Meredith
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"You know Nehal， she rushes into things with hardly a spec of foresight。"I wasn't the biggest fan of Hadeer Elsbai's The Daughters of Izdihar。 The book centers around， Nehal， a young aristocrat forced to marry the richest bachelor in Alamaxa。 All she wants to do is attend an academy to learn weaving， her power to manipulate the elements， but her father refuses to give her permission。 As the book progresses， Nehal and other women become embroiled in their struggle for freedom and rights in a sett "You know Nehal， she rushes into things with hardly a spec of foresight。"I wasn't the biggest fan of Hadeer Elsbai's The Daughters of Izdihar。 The book centers around， Nehal， a young aristocrat forced to marry the richest bachelor in Alamaxa。 All she wants to do is attend an academy to learn weaving， her power to manipulate the elements， but her father refuses to give her permission。 As the book progresses， Nehal and other women become embroiled in their struggle for freedom and rights in a setting inspired by Egypt。 Their weaving powers play a central role。There were positive and negative elements of the book's world-building。 First， the setting was beautiful。 I loved how the book drew inspiration from Egypt， and many of the scenes were described so vividly。 I also thought that the magic system was interesting， and I was excited by the idea of the academy and the division of female soldiers。 However， the magic system takes a backseat to the political struggle。 Even when the Academy takes a more central role as a setting for the story， we don't spend much time there。 The book is chiefly focused on the political organizing of the Daughters of Izdihar。Unfortunately， the politics was one of the places where this book lost me。 In general， I have recently found that I don't enjoy fantasy novels set around political strife。 As a college student studying political science， I spend a lot of my time looking at politics in the real world。 I want to escape it when I read。 So， the fact that this book was focused on a subject that I am getting tired of already lost it some points。 However， I also felt that the way that this book set up its political system and political organizing felt like it was missing some key elements and considerations。 That's another reason that I've realized I don't like fantasy novels that center around political movements: they always get stuff wrong when they are creating their fantasy reproduction。While we're on the subject of the Daughters of Izdihar movement， I also had some problems with the way that this book represented political strife。 I don't think that it addressed that salience of class enough， and there is ignorance to the role that institutions play in upholding oppression that goes mostly unaddressed。 Like Nehal， who is playing a central role in the women's rights movement， is also buddy buddy with the police commander。Moving on to the characters， I will say that they were very realistic。 Nehal was like a real person in that she was heavily flawed。 However， in making her so 'real，' she became incredibly unlikable。 Here's how to sum up her personality: incredibly selfish aristocrat who likes to make people mad for fun and literally cannot control a single one of her impulses。 She is such an annoying character to read about。 Every interaction she has goes the same way。 So， when bad things happen to her and we're supposedly at a dark moment for her character， I was overjoyed。 Literally， every negative thing that happens to her is just the consequences of her actions。I did like Nico as a character。 I thought he was an interesting person。 I began to appreciate Giorgina， the other POV character， as the book went on。Finally， the plot was mostly guided by mistakes， some of which were entirely avoidable。 I tend to think of plots like these as lazy writing。 There should be other ways to develop an interesting plot that don't require characters to act idiotically。 However， I will note that there were some more interesting and compelling moments that did not arise in this way。Overall， I was not a fan of this book。 I think readers that prefer their characters to be flawed and real would enjoy it。 So， if a character like Nehal doesn't ward you off from a book， you would probably really like this one。 It just wasn't my cup of tea。 。。。more
Alessa
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book。 I was very excited about this and I’m so happy it lived up to my expectations！ It is definitely a heavy book and was at times hard to read， as it is so often the case with fiction books that depict the lived reality of ‘real’ humans。 Daughters of Izdihar is a high fantasy retelling of the events of the Arabian Spring revolution in Egypt， and the many parallels between the plot and the actual events are clearly vi Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book。 I was very excited about this and I’m so happy it lived up to my expectations！ It is definitely a heavy book and was at times hard to read， as it is so often the case with fiction books that depict the lived reality of ‘real’ humans。 Daughters of Izdihar is a high fantasy retelling of the events of the Arabian Spring revolution in Egypt， and the many parallels between the plot and the actual events are clearly visible。 I typically prefer fantasy books with feminist societies or queernormative ones etc。， but the highly misogynistic and homophobic society in DOI served a meaningful purpose， and I think it’s important that stories like this get told。 The contrast between the two FMCs was one of my favorite elements of the book， it was so interesting to see how they share the same goal， yet they have such different approaches， character traits and mannerisms。 I think the author did a fantastic job at telling this story that she wanted to tell。 There were some little things here and there that I felt could have been better， and personally I would have liked some more worldbuilding or more relationship development， but that’s more of a personal preference， I don’t think the novel was necessarily lacking any of the two。 Overall， an amazing debut that I would recommend to fans of Babel， City of Brass and The Final Strife。 Rating: 4，5 stars but rounded up。 。。。more
Amy
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Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC。 In The Daughters of Izdihar we follow two women who act as our narrators - Nehal and Giorgina。 Nehal is a well-off noblewoman who wishes to attend the Alamaxa Academy of the Weaving Arts to perfect her water-weaving abilities （which is similar to the water-bending that occurs in Avatar）。 Giorgina is a poor woman who is afraid of her earth-weaving abilities， but is an eloquent writer and a regular attendee to the protests and rallies of the Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC。 In The Daughters of Izdihar we follow two women who act as our narrators - Nehal and Giorgina。 Nehal is a well-off noblewoman who wishes to attend the Alamaxa Academy of the Weaving Arts to perfect her water-weaving abilities （which is similar to the water-bending that occurs in Avatar）。 Giorgina is a poor woman who is afraid of her earth-weaving abilities， but is an eloquent writer and a regular attendee to the protests and rallies of the Daughters of Izdihar。 The two women’s lives become intertwined in their participiation with the Daughters of Izdihar and in their fight for women’s rights in the city of Alamaxa。 First off， the world-building in this novel is rich， with the weaving that occurs being similar to the element-bending that occurs in Avatar， which I thoroughly enjoyed reading about。 The book is also filled with badass female characters in addition to our main two characters， including Malak， who is the leader of the Daughters of Izdihar movement。 With regards to the pacing， the pacing of Nehal felt a little faster/more exciting/action heavy， while Giorgina’s parts felt somewhat slower， and I sometimes found myself quickly reading through the Giorgina-narrated chapters in an effort to get to the ones narrated by Nehal。 However， I also feel that we see a lot more growth in Giorgina as a chracter compared to Nehal and I appreciate the confidence that she gains over the course of the novel。 Finally， reading this novel at the same time that the Mahsa Amini protests are occuring is not only an important reminder of the inequality that many women still face in the Middle East and around the world， but also an important reminder of the strength of women and the crucialness of the men who vocally support said women。 Overall， I enjoyed reading this book and am excited for future novels within this universe！ 。。。more
Sarah Ames-Foley
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Review being held until the Harper Collins strike is over。 Review being held until the Harper Collins strike is over。 。。。more
Allie | alliesrecentreads
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4。5/5 stars！I am in in absolute shock。 This was so， so good。 My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more - more world building， more relationship development， etc。 This book was very heavy on the action， which isn't bad， but I do like to have a little bit more context to fit in with that action。Otherwise， this was an absolutely wild ride。 The Daughters of Izdihar is a high fantasy novel， yes， but it is also a novel about corruption and police brutality and suffrage and women's right 4。5/5 stars！I am in in absolute shock。 This was so， so good。 My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more - more world building， more relationship development， etc。 This book was very heavy on the action， which isn't bad， but I do like to have a little bit more context to fit in with that action。Otherwise， this was an absolutely wild ride。 The Daughters of Izdihar is a high fantasy novel， yes， but it is also a novel about corruption and police brutality and suffrage and women's rights and privilege and intersectionality。 This book covered so many incredibly heavy， incredibly important topics that at times， I had to set it down just to process。 I would absolutely recommend this novel to fans of fantasy novels with Arab inspiration， feminist undertones， and political intrigue。Thank you to Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
milliereadsalot
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4。5 starsThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did， but it was so so good！ It was easy to immerse myself in this world， although I do think that there could have been further development in the worldbuilding as we don't really find out much at all about where the magic comes from - you kind of have to piece it together as you go along which makes the beginning of the story a bit con 4。5 starsThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did， but it was so so good！ It was easy to immerse myself in this world， although I do think that there could have been further development in the worldbuilding as we don't really find out much at all about where the magic comes from - you kind of have to piece it together as you go along which makes the beginning of the story a bit confusing。 However， I still found the world fascinating and I'm hoping we get more of an in-depth look into the history of the world in the second novel。I found it really easy to distinguish between the two POVs of Nehal and Giorgina; they were distinctive， which was helped by the fact that the characters were essentially opposites of each other， They each had a lot of depth and I was invested in both of their very different lives， and enjoyed when they crossed paths with each other too。 Despite Nehal typically not being a character I would enjoy reading， as she's quite self-centred and hard-headed， I actually really enjoyed reading from her which I think shows how carefully the author has handled these character traits。There was a lot of important discussion on women's rights; there is a group of women in this book fighting for their rights called the Daughters of Izdihar， and I really loved seeing how they fought for what they deserved and the oppression they faced， I was really invested in the plot of this and I can't wait to see how this develops in the sequel。I think this is a fantastic debut and I would highly recommend picking it up！ 。。。more
Jen
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I read an eARC of this on Net Galley so thank you to Net Galley， the publisher and the author for allowing this。 Right up until the last few pages of this book I was convinced this was going to be a five star book。 I loved it， it was so gripping， great story， engaging characters。 But it all fell down right at the end because so much was left unresolved。 The book ended so abruptly and with cliffhangers and lots left outstanding。 I went on to Good Reads after and saw it’s a duology so it’s all bee I read an eARC of this on Net Galley so thank you to Net Galley， the publisher and the author for allowing this。 Right up until the last few pages of this book I was convinced this was going to be a five star book。 I loved it， it was so gripping， great story， engaging characters。 But it all fell down right at the end because so much was left unresolved。 The book ended so abruptly and with cliffhangers and lots left outstanding。 I went on to Good Reads after and saw it’s a duology so it’s all been left open for the second book。 However， this isn’t a long book， there was definitely space to create satisfying resolutions for certain characters even while leaving the door open to continue the story in a second book。I was really disappointed by this， right up until the end I was thinking， I’m going to buy a physical copy as soon as it’s out， I’ve got two friends I’m going to buy this for too as they’ll love it。 However now I’m not sure I will as the book didn’t have an ending and it left me so frustrated！Ending aside， this is a really talented author and a fascinating story。 Character work is excellent， the characters are all distinct with unique voices and their personalities shine through。 There’s no wooden characters or unnatural dialogue。 Strong， clear characters who I was engaged with and really invested in their stories。 I thought the dual POV was a really smart decision by the author and it worked so well to showcase the women’s suffrage movement from two different sides。 One POV is a woman with a life of wealth and privilege， the other is a poor bookseller desperate to maintain her reputation so as not to disgrace her family。 The supporting cast of characters were excellent too。The exploration of the suffrage movement was done so well。 The variety of viewpoints， the broader movement with the charity work and journalism， there’s so much to make this storyline really come alive。 The events that happen in the characters’ lives that highlight why they need this movement really enhanced it too。 Little details like a woman being told she’s not being oppressed they’re just keeping her safe！ Or the broader impact on other female family members if one is seen to have damaged their reputation。 This was excellent and made this book really stand out for me as something special。The sub plots as well with characters coming to terms with their own sexuality was fantastic and made so much sense for those characters。 Also the magical abilities that some characters have based in elements made this feel quite unique。 There was so much I absolutely loved in this novel which is why I’m so disappointed by the ending。 I believe this is a really talented author who has written a great book， it’s just a shame so much was left unresolved。 。。。more
Ellie
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Slow to get going， the first half of this duology focuses on the oppression of women， the suffrage movement and police corruption， and is light on the magic。 It picks up towards the end but leaves everything unresolved。 So definitely prepare to have to read both books for this one。
Librow0rm Christine
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I would like to give a huge thank you to Little， Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the arc of The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai。 This book is an absolute stunner of an adult fantasy book and I implore you to pick it up when it’s published in January 2023！ The world is based on recent Egyptian history combined with elemental magic and it fearlessly tackles feminism， discrimination， privilege， intersectionality， equal rights， human rights and misogyny。 This book doesn’t lecture， it doe I would like to give a huge thank you to Little， Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the arc of The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai。 This book is an absolute stunner of an adult fantasy book and I implore you to pick it up when it’s published in January 2023！ The world is based on recent Egyptian history combined with elemental magic and it fearlessly tackles feminism， discrimination， privilege， intersectionality， equal rights， human rights and misogyny。 This book doesn’t lecture， it doesn’t brow beat， instead Hadeer Elsbai delivers beautiful prose that inspires and she introduces relatable， strong， realistic， and beautifully described protagonists who drive the story forward from their perspective。 The story is told from two points of view， Nehal， a privileged， upper class， fierce， impetuous woman， forced into a marriage for her family and Georgina， a lower class， quiet， overthinker who internally rails against the limitations and judgements of a male dominated society and is in love with Nehal’s husband Nico。 Whilst complete opposites， our protagonists are united in their determination to tackle the inherent inequality of life in Ramsawi for women， their fight for suffrage and to be and do what they want in life， rather than what they are told to do by men。 There is so much more to this story and Elsbai delivers in a truly well paced， beautifully constructed plot that explores the inequality of this society， the discrimination and limitations it places on women and all those who do not fit it’s construct。 This is truly a 5 star read that I feel so fortunate to have been able to read prior to it publishing but， I am also bereft as I now have to wait even longer for the next book in the series！ I can’t wait to see what Elsbai has planned for our protagonists。 。。。more
Liv
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Nehal and Georgina live very different lives。 Nehal is pampered and wealthy， whilst Georgina is poor and downtrodden。 However， in the eyes of their countryfolk， both women are defined by their gender and the expectations that come with it。 This is a rousing story of women finding their voices and trying to bring about change in a world that is against them。The world building is vibrant， weaving magic effortlessly through a story of oppression that is heartbreakingly familiar。 This book is a real Nehal and Georgina live very different lives。 Nehal is pampered and wealthy， whilst Georgina is poor and downtrodden。 However， in the eyes of their countryfolk， both women are defined by their gender and the expectations that come with it。 This is a rousing story of women finding their voices and trying to bring about change in a world that is against them。The world building is vibrant， weaving magic effortlessly through a story of oppression that is heartbreakingly familiar。 This book is a real hard hitter。I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Hillary （abookishmarriage）
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I'll review this one when the HarperCollins Union Strike is over！ I'll review this one when the HarperCollins Union Strike is over！ 。。。more
Heather
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I’ll admit that I requested this book based solely on the words ‘Egyptian fantasy’， and while that’s an accurate description it’s not at all what I was expecting。 This book is mostly about fighting for women’s rights。 In Alamaxa， women do not have the same rights as men including the right to vote。 A group called the Daughters of Izdihar are fighting for their rights through protests， marches， and writings in the newspaper while also raising money to help women in need。Nehal comes from a promine I’ll admit that I requested this book based solely on the words ‘Egyptian fantasy’， and while that’s an accurate description it’s not at all what I was expecting。 This book is mostly about fighting for women’s rights。 In Alamaxa， women do not have the same rights as men including the right to vote。 A group called the Daughters of Izdihar are fighting for their rights through protests， marches， and writings in the newspaper while also raising money to help women in need。Nehal comes from a prominent family who wants to marry her off， but all she wants is to go to the Weaving Academy and join the army。 Nehal is a waterweaver who wants to learn to harness her abilities。Georgina comes from a poor family。 She is also a weaver， though she keeps it a secret。 Georgina is an earthweaver who cannot control her powers。 Sheis also involved with the Daughters of Izdihar。The magic system in this book is called weaving。 It’s an elemental magic system that is easy to understand yet still has some surprises。 Weavers are often scorned for their abilities in this world。I enjoyed this debut novel。 I found the writing easy to get into。 While the women’s rights aspect was interesting， I’m hoping we’ll get more of the magic being used in the conclusion to this duology。 。。。more
kris
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Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an advance copy。 What follows is my honest review。Rating: 3。5/5The Daughters of Izdihar tells the story of a suffragette movement in an Egypt-inspired fantasy world， through the lens of two very different women。This book does a lot of things really well， and it has really great bones。 It’s a very interesting world with very interesting main characters—Giorgina and Nehal are both well rounded and fully fleshed protagonists， and I appreciated Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an advance copy。 What follows is my honest review。Rating: 3。5/5The Daughters of Izdihar tells the story of a suffragette movement in an Egypt-inspired fantasy world， through the lens of two very different women。This book does a lot of things really well， and it has really great bones。 It’s a very interesting world with very interesting main characters—Giorgina and Nehal are both well rounded and fully fleshed protagonists， and I appreciated the way their differences and similarities were both highlighted。 Seeing the two women from very different backgrounds be brought together over and over by circumstance made a great story。When it comes to the side characters， though， they tend to fall a bit flat。 With the exception of maybe Nico， a major character in both POVs， the side characters were pretty flat and underdeveloped， despite so much potential。 Neither romances felt believable or fleshed out。 The world building too disappointed; it’s a fascinating world and magic system， yet the magic consistently feels like an afterthought。 I love elemental magic and the ATLA-esque powers mixed with scientific aspects drew me in， just for me to wonder why the book was even a fantasy， for how little focus it got。Plot wise， I found the first probably 2/3 slow。 The last third was much better， though， and had me in a near-constant state of anxiety。 The ending felt a bit abrupt/random， but I guess it succeeds in making me want to read on because of this。 。。。more
bookishcharli
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Feminist fantasy？ SIGN ME UP。 There’s nothing I love more than stories about strong women fighting for what’s right and this one absolutely hits the nail on the head。 I found all of the characters in this one to be beautifully complex and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the course of the book。 I’ll admit I’m always a little nervous of love triangles when they’re in books because they’re often overplayed but this one was very well done so absolute props to the author for that。 I feel li Feminist fantasy？ SIGN ME UP。 There’s nothing I love more than stories about strong women fighting for what’s right and this one absolutely hits the nail on the head。 I found all of the characters in this one to be beautifully complex and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the course of the book。 I’ll admit I’m always a little nervous of love triangles when they’re in books because they’re often overplayed but this one was very well done so absolute props to the author for that。 I feel like Nehal was the stand out character for me in this one， I absolutely adored her and couldn’t help but root for her the entire time。 If you’re looking for a new fantasy to sink your claws into then definitely pick this one up， you’re all going to love it。 Thank you to Orbit UK for sending me a copy of this one。 。。。more
Leyla Demirel
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Netgalley e-arc given in exchange for a reviewThis was a book I was highly anticipating and my goodness it did not let me down！ I adored this from the very first page！ The magic system is completely fresh and unique oh so beautiful and whimsical。 Similarly， the magic system and and political storyline have been so well thought through and is so well fleshed out， it makes everything feel so real and believable， the world building in this book is spectacular。 All the details and gorgeous descripti Netgalley e-arc given in exchange for a reviewThis was a book I was highly anticipating and my goodness it did not let me down！ I adored this from the very first page！ The magic system is completely fresh and unique oh so beautiful and whimsical。 Similarly， the magic system and and political storyline have been so well thought through and is so well fleshed out， it makes everything feel so real and believable， the world building in this book is spectacular。 All the details and gorgeous descriptions really immersed me and fully transported me to this world where this fantastic story unfolded。 The story was engaging and gripping - from the word go， I was so wholeheartedly invested in our characters and their stories and I found once I started reading， I flew through the book in next to no time and was devouring this book so quickly， so eager to read what happens next。 I actually really loved all the characters - which is unusual for me！ I normally don’t like all of them， but in this instance I did and wanted to read more about them and spend more time in their presence！This is such a fantastic epic read and I am so happy for how much I loved it。 It has more than captured my attention and I can’t wait to read it again when the book is out next year！ I’ve also heard it’s a duology which I’m really hoping is true because my goodness - I need more！！！What a book！！！ 。。。more
MasterSal
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Book inspired by modern Egyptian history - sign me up。Plus SSF180 put it on his 2023 anticipated list which is usually enough to hype me up
Victoria
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Wow， this is a debut？！ I can already see this being a book that is hyped in 2023 and for good reasons as well。 The writing was easy to follow and the world building was just enough。 I do wish that we had a little bit more history on the weaving that takes place but other than that， a solid debut。 I enjoyed both of the characters that we followed in this book。 The issues that were addressed in this book had me fuming as women should never be treated the way that they are in this book but I person Wow， this is a debut？！ I can already see this being a book that is hyped in 2023 and for good reasons as well。 The writing was easy to follow and the world building was just enough。 I do wish that we had a little bit more history on the weaving that takes place but other than that， a solid debut。 I enjoyed both of the characters that we followed in this book。 The issues that were addressed in this book had me fuming as women should never be treated the way that they are in this book but I personally think the author did a great job representing the fact that this still happens in countries today。 In this book we follow two main characters， Nehal （a rich aristocrat daughter who is used to getting what she wants） and Giorgina （a poor bookshop worker who is used to having nothing and protecting her image at all costs） in a new world that closely resembles Egyptian history。 Nehal and Girogina find themselves working together when they join the fight for women's rights and the ability to use their forbidden elemental magic。 Nehal is a waterweaver who can shape water to her will but she has had no formal training。 She is forced to marry to clear her families debts into a wealthy merchant family and she finds a way to get what she wants from her new husband Nico; to train at the Weaving Academy to increase her power in waterweaving。 Giorgina is an earthweaver who has absolutely no control over her power。 She has no money and no prospects for marriage which is considered terrible in this world as men have all the power。 Women have to have permission to do anything in this world either from their husbands or fathers otherwise their reputation is ruined forever。 Girogina decides to join The Daughters of Izdihar to feel as though she is accomplishing something to change women's rights in this world。 Nehal and Giorgina fight for their rights as the threat of war looms in the background and the country continues to look down upon women。 Will they be able to finally make a change for women in this world？ 。。。more
Tilly
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2。5 Stars I was looking forward to reading this book because I really enjoy middle eastern fantasy and was excited for the magic in this book。 Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations although there is definitely a decent foundation to the story。 The Daughters of Izdihar is about a group of women who have magic called "weaving"。 They can control different elements including， earth， water， air and fire。 The story is told through two perspectives， Nehal， a waterweaver who has been forced 2。5 Stars I was looking forward to reading this book because I really enjoy middle eastern fantasy and was excited for the magic in this book。 Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations although there is definitely a decent foundation to the story。 The Daughters of Izdihar is about a group of women who have magic called "weaving"。 They can control different elements including， earth， water， air and fire。 The story is told through two perspectives， Nehal， a waterweaver who has been forced into an unwanted marriage with a man named Nico。 All Nehal wants is to attend the weaving academy and learn how to use her skill and then use it in the female army。 The other perspective is from Giorgina， a secret earthweaver who was in a relationship with Nico before he was forced to marry Nehal。 The story reminded me of the suffragettes as these women are fighting for their rights to vote and for control of their own lives。 It was an interesting set up but unfortunately it missed the mark for me。 I would have liked a lot more about the weaving magic， it was just kind of there and the lessons didn't go into much detail either。 The characters for me were all rather bland。 There was really only one side character who I enjoyed reading about and I was especially bored during Giorgina's chapters to the point I started to skim read at times。 It is a shame as there is so much potential in this story but there just isn't any proper worldbuilding to back it up。 I also found the writing to be a little monotonous at times and struggled to get into the story because I am generally a character lead reader and they just didn't really interest me that much。 I did like the inclusion of LGBTQ characters and the way in which their stories came about。 However I think even this could have been explored further。 Overall， a lot of potential but I feel the author wanted to include too much so not enough got the actual attention it deserved。 Sadly I won't be reading the second book。 Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
AFLV
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A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC。The Daughters of Izdihar is THE PHENOMENAL adult fantasy book of 2023， and you do not want to miss it。It's inspired by modern Egyptian history， and it tackles feminism， intersectionality， privilege， and human rights in such a masterful way that it honestly left me reeling。 If intersectional feminism had an anthem， it would be The Daughters of Izdihar。 Powerful and immersive， this book is a true beauty from the gorgeous prose to representation， rela A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC。The Daughters of Izdihar is THE PHENOMENAL adult fantasy book of 2023， and you do not want to miss it。It's inspired by modern Egyptian history， and it tackles feminism， intersectionality， privilege， and human rights in such a masterful way that it honestly left me reeling。 If intersectional feminism had an anthem， it would be The Daughters of Izdihar。 Powerful and immersive， this book is a true beauty from the gorgeous prose to representation， relatable and strong heroines， and a fascinating world-building。 It's told in two perspectives， of Nehal's and of Georgina's。 Both characters are powerful in their own way。 Nehal is the epitome of fierceness。 She has a goal， and she forges ahead toward it without any hesitation。 I loved even her recklessness， and I'm not the reckless kind （I'm the queen of overthinkers， to be honest）。 Georgina is the quiet strong， the one who timidly moves forward but forward nonetheless。 She was so relatable and moving， partly because Nehal came from privilege while Georgina had none。 I loved that the author chose these two widely different yet incredibly strong women as main characters。 And I loved how the nuances came alive in the story。 It really tackled the whole "It's easy to be fearless when you come from money and power" and "Money and power don't mean freedom when they're not really yours， to begin with"。 I thought that we'd have a Nehal and Georgina romance， but it's not the case *at least not in the first book*。 Nehal is definitely not straight; though， we have no idea about Georgina。 No fear。 We have beautiful LGBTQIA+ characters， and it's not a surprise that I liked them all。 But I mean， come ON。 We have a women’s rights group！！！！！！！！！！！！ In a non-Western fantasy world！！ That is actually inspired by Egyptian history！！！！！！！！！！！！ Written by an actual Egyptian woman （Egyptian-American， to be precise）！！！The plot was sooooo good。 Well-paced， something always happened yet we had time to breathe， and while their society was problematic， we weren't "almost dying" in every scene。 I loved it。 Nothing was predictable or irrelevant。 Everything was just meant to be in the book。Simply put， I loved this book from the bottom of my heart。 The premise was perfect for me， which made me have high expectations， and I was almost scared to read the book because I needed it to be perfect。 And it was PHENOMENAL。I'm completely in love with this story and these amazing women and the author's stunning and brilliant prose。 Truly， 5 stars are not enough。 。。。more
Lukasz
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Such a cool cover， let’s see what’s behind it。 Goodies。 Lots of goodies。 A political upheaval， sapphic romance， magic， and a looming war。 In the kingdom of Ramsawa， based on a fantastical Egypt， women have no voice。 Nehal Darweesh wants to master her innate waterweaving skills and become a soldier。 Instead， she learns her parents have arranged her marriage to Niccolo Baldinotti， the son of another influential family。 The marriage surprises Nico， too; He already has someone in his life。Unfortunat Such a cool cover， let’s see what’s behind it。 Goodies。 Lots of goodies。 A political upheaval， sapphic romance， magic， and a looming war。 In the kingdom of Ramsawa， based on a fantastical Egypt， women have no voice。 Nehal Darweesh wants to master her innate waterweaving skills and become a soldier。 Instead， she learns her parents have arranged her marriage to Niccolo Baldinotti， the son of another influential family。 The marriage surprises Nico， too; He already has someone in his life。Unfortunately， Nehal’s father’s gambling debts won’t pay for themselves， so the two get married。 Nehal persuades Nico to allow her to enroll in the Alamaxa Academy of the Weaving Arts to study waterweaving。 In return， he can keep his beloved Giorgina Shukry as a concubine。 Giorgina and Nehal were both born with elemental magic， but weren’t allowed to be trained because they were women。 Both find their way to the Daughters of Izdihar， a clandestine organization fighting for equality。 The traditionalists don’t want any progressive changes and react with ire to women daring to study magic and willing to be heard。The story focuses on Nehal and Giorgina and their paths to challenge society and its norms。 Their arcs strongly differ - Nehal comes from a wealthy family and she knows her name has power in the city。 Giorgina has nothing but her reputation。 I admit I found Nehal’s voice more interesting。 She’s filled with anger and ready to fight for her beliefs。 She also rarely listens to anyone， and while she comes from money， she never wastes time worrying about what people say about her。 Still， she can afford it， contrary to many women from less privileged backgrounds。She has a short fuse， and her angry antics entertain and deliver a strong social commentary。 Now， the world here lacks nuance， especially in its presentation of gender relations and approach to queerness。 It’s actually quite shallow， but it amplifies the message。 If you can turn a blind eye to the lack of subtlety and enjoy characters easily engulfed by a feeling of uncontrollable fury， you’ll be good and have a good time。 If， however， you appreciate a more nuanced approach， look for entertainment elsewhere。I enjoyed the story despite its shortcomings and cartoonish shortcuts。 I found Nehal’s voice delightful， and I cheered for her。 Giorgina needed more time to develop as a character and find her strength， but once she did， she became an excellent character。I recommend it to readers looking for an emotional， character-driven story focused on the fight for women’s rights and sympathetic characters。 With its fast-paced storytelling， relatable characters， and solid hooks， The Daughters of Izdihar will hook you from beginning to end。ARC through Netgalley 。。。more
Ariana Weldon
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I'll admit I let this sit on my NetGalley shelf for a bit while working through some other titles but once I started it I couldn't help but keep reading to find what happens next。This is a rich world and a story centred on two fierce women， fierce in different ways， with a magic system reminiscent of Avatar the Last Airbender （which I make as a wholly complementary comparison）。I love Nehal and Giorgina。 As I said， they are two fierce women but they show it in different ways。 Nehal is upfront， in I'll admit I let this sit on my NetGalley shelf for a bit while working through some other titles but once I started it I couldn't help but keep reading to find what happens next。This is a rich world and a story centred on two fierce women， fierce in different ways， with a magic system reminiscent of Avatar the Last Airbender （which I make as a wholly complementary comparison）。I love Nehal and Giorgina。 As I said， they are two fierce women but they show it in different ways。 Nehal is upfront， in your face and unapologetically independent， as only a woman of status in this society can be。 Giorgina is obedient on the surface while fighting for rights and independence in secret from her family。 Their relationship is actually really refreshing because despite Nehal's arranged marriage to Nico， Giorgina's lover， the two never blame each other for their not quite love triangle。 Everyone else does but Nehal does her pushy best to let the two carry on together as long as she can do her thing。 And Giorgina recognises the marriage for what it was - the lot of women in society。The writing of both characters was excellent。 The subtle tone shifts in each character's focal chapter reflected their personalities in a way I've not seen from many authors doing multiple character POV books。I want to see more of these firey ladies and their weaving， I want to see Nico come into his own， I want more Yusry and after the dual cliffhanger I got， I almost need all this more than want。Cannot wait to see what Hadeer pulls out for book two！ 。。。more
Randi
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This book is very different from my usual reads。I really enjoyed this story。 I felt so many different emotions。 The characters are well written。 It's difficult to put into words how this book affected me。 Looking forward to Book 2！！I received an ARC copy through Goodreads giveaways。 Thank you to Goodreads and the author！！ This book is very different from my usual reads。I really enjoyed this story。 I felt so many different emotions。 The characters are well written。 It's difficult to put into words how this book affected me。 Looking forward to Book 2！！I received an ARC copy through Goodreads giveaways。 Thank you to Goodreads and the author！！ 。。。more
Karina Ramos
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So I was really itching for a fantasy novel and this book totally took the cake on it。 If you’re a fan of Shadow and Bone then this book is definitely up your alley。 Weavers such as Nehal and Giorgio’s each have their own element of strength。 But in a city where they are t welcome it’s hard to be open about their abilities。 I loved watching them fight for what they believe in and can’t wait for the sequel to see if they’re successful ！ Talk about a cliffhanger
Cee
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Kirkus says this is reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's fantasies， but grown up。 I'm intrigued。 Kirkus says this is reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's fantasies， but grown up。 I'm intrigued。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Daughters of Izdihar
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Daughters of Izdihar&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft