Sand Daughter [Mass Market Paperback]

Sarah Bryant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

"An epic filled with emotion and rich with atmosphere" ( Historical Novel Society) from the author of The Other Eden.

Khalidah faces an arranged marriage at the behest of her father, a Bedouin Clan chief. But when a mysterious stranger named Sulayman reveals the machinations behind her pending union, she suddenly finds herself a pawn in a deadly plot involving her own feuding tribe and the powerful Templar Knights.

Faced with certain death, Khalidah runs away with Sulayman, a man she barely knows. Their journey, and the desire that grows between them, will thrust Khalidah toward unimaginable adventure, and the echoes of a past that somehow connect her to the Jinn-the mysterious Afghan warriors who may hold the key to the coming battle for the Holy Land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this Crusades-era historical, Bryant (The Other Eden) follows the journey of an ordinary Bedouin woman, Kalidah, who escapes her arranged marriage to run off with a mysterious minstrel named Sulayman. Doing so, she sets into motion a chain of events that draw her into plots with the Knights Templar, the legendary Saladin and the shadowy Jinn, a group of fearsome Afghan warriors who form the basis of the Islamic legend. Bryant also follows Kalidah's childhood friend Bilal, who discovers that the father he thought was dead is not only alive but the commander of a band of warrior-monks; Bilal's story explores Saladin's army and the charismatic leader himself. Immediately immersing, rich in detail and complex in theme, this skillful novel uses nested stories and long reveals that call to mind the Arabian Nights, and doesn't shy from challenging subject matter. Gripping and convincing, this is a worthy historical page-turner. (Oct.)
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About the Author

Sarah Bryant was born in Brunswick, Main. In 1996 she moved to Scotland to do an MLitt in creative writing at the University of St. Andrews.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425229807
• ISBN-13: 978-0425229804
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There are TWO stories going on here..., August 16, 2009

By 

Tara (Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Sand Daughter (Paperback)

This novel takes place during the Crusades. At first, there are so many different groups and tribes involved in the story, that one not familiar with the history of the Islamic world or Crusades or Templar Knights will have to do some googling. Once the reader figures out who is who, it is a decent enough story about a young woman named Khalidah. Khalidah was born into a nomad (traveling) Arab tribe and is a devout muslim. While the Franjs are waging war against the Sultan and those of his religion, Khalidah is escaping an unwanted marriage to her cruel cousin by drugging the entire camp and running away with a traveling singer.

The traveling singer, Sulayman, means to take Khalidah back to her long lost mother's people, the mysterious Jinn tribe. Upon arriving in the strange and beautiful land of her mother, Khalidah must make some difficult decisions. Is she ready to lead her people? She is next in line for leadership. And if she does choose to lead the Jinn, will she lead them into war against the Templar Knights? If she leads them to war and aides the Sultan, will she also be leading them to their deaths? Meanwhile, a romance has bloomed with Sulayman. Does she plan to act on her strong romantic feelings towards the traveling singer?

UNFORTUNATELY, Khalidah's story is only half of the novel. What the summary fails to tell potential readers is that there is another story going on as well. Every other chapter is about Khalidah's childhood friend Bilal. Bilal is going back and forth among the Franjs and the Sultan's warriors. It is thru Bilal's eyes that the Crusades and the drama surrounding it is explained. While learning the history tho, readers must also read about Bilal discovering he is gay and in love with the Sultan's son. Those not interested in reading about same sex love affairs may want to skip this novel.

I simply skipped every other chapter to get back to Khalidah's story. It was rather slow tho as most of the novel is about Khalidah traveling to Quaf (land of the Jinn) and having dreams about her mother while the romance blossoms with Sulayman.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical Fiction with a Strong Dose of Romance, December 28, 2009

By 

Megalith (Atlantis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sand Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

The time of the Crusades seems to be a trend in historical fiction of late. In Sand Daughter, Khalidah, a Bedouin woman, finds herself wishing to escape an arranged marriage with her cousin. She runs away with a traveling singer named Sulayman. Together, they seek out the Jinn, Khalidah's mother's people. Along the way, the inevitable romance blossoms. The second plotline follows Khalidah's friend Bilal, who finds himself a double-agent between two factions. His same-sex romance with the son of a sultan is also explored.


There are many positives to this novel. Sarah Bryant has crafted one of the richest settings I have read in a historical fiction novel. Intrigue abounds, and the novel is filled with tension, as characters are always pressed to make difficult choices, thus exploring their own sets of values in the process. On the downside, the romance element was much too heavy for my liking, though I imagine that is due more to my own reading tastes than the content itself. I also did not enjoy Bilal's storyline as much as I did Khalidah's. It's a definite must-read for those who love historical romance.

4.0 out of 5 stars Just skip the epilogue, November 30, 2011

By 

Benjamin May (NYC!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sand Daughter (Paperback)

There are those who will criticize the gay love affair that occurs in this novel. Well, let them. In terms of actual sexual content this book is rated G - any time anything happens it's just implied. Homosexuality in the medieval muslim world is well-documented so you at least can't attack the novel on those grounds.

That aside, this fun, interesting, adventurous, and enjoyably readable little novel is soiled by a 10-page epilogue. I won't post any spoilers, but in the epilogue the author attempts to tie up some loose ends in her two primary characters, and does so in what feels like a very forced and unnecessary hollywood-happy-ending kind of way. In particular, Bilal's bits in the epilogue strain credulity. I strongly suspect that the editors did not like the way the novel ended and insisted that she tack on this unnecessary and discordant ending.

So in summary, read this book! It's exciting and interesting and will immerse you in a great story and (for most people) an alien ancient culture. Just PLEASE don't read the epilogue. Or better yet, tear out the last 10 pages and burn them LOL