The Princess of Dhagabad (The Spirits of the Ancient Sands Book 1)
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Buy the eBook Price: Available in Russia Shop from Russia to buy this item. Or, get it for Kobo Super Points! In this series Book 2. Ratings and Reviews 0 0 star ratings 0 reviews. Overall rating No ratings yet 0. How to write a great review Do Say what you liked best and least Describe the author's style Explain the rating you gave Don't Use rude and profane language Include any personal information Mention spoilers or the book's price Recap the plot.
Close Report a review At Kobo, we try to ensure that published reviews do not contain rude or profane language, spoilers, or any of our reviewer's personal information. Would you like us to take another look at this review? No, cancel Yes, report it Thanks! You've successfully reported this review. Oct 21, Limecello rated it it was ok Shelves: A very slow book that is apparently a retelling of a myth?
A bit slow and navel-gaze-y It's compelling because you definitely want to know what happens - and there are hints of something happening at any moment. I think there was also the issue then where Sure he's "all powerful" and all knowing?
The Princess of Dhagabad
What was also annoying was how The sultaness fears her husband, fears The Princess too being so ridiculously timid and fearful, and Hasan being enigmatic. The "his memories" were awkward and more skim worthy imo. Jun 16, Rebecca rated it really liked it Shelves: Nice retelling of the myth. On her twelfth birthday, the princess, whose name we do not learn until the very end of the book because of the tradition of her people, is finally allowed to un-stopper the brass bottle bequeathed to her by her grandmother and discovers she has inherited a very unusual slave.
His name is Hasan and he is one of the mysterious djin, a being both feared and prized. He can be anything or do anything, but only at the command of his mistress. Hasan seems a reserved and aloof being, as one might imagine an all-powerful djin to be, but as his story unfolds, it becomes apparent Hasan was very human before he became trapped in a brass bottle.
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The princess craves knowledge outside of the limited sphere of the palace and the lessons she is required to take in preparation for succeeding her father as ruler of the kingdom. Hasan is happy to expand her horizons and, through his stories and their adventures together, we learn how he came to be a confined in a brass bottle and what it means to be a djin. Hasan is all powerful, but his knowledge has come at a terrible price. One by one, the princess and the djin overcome obstacles to their friendship, which deepens throughout the years.
The sultan feels slighted by fate because none of his sons have survived birth or infancy. He has only daughters, the princess being the oldest and the only child of his wife. Though the friendship between the princess and the djin maintains an innocent aspect, it becomes clear their bond is more than simple and when the princess attains her majority and a husband is chosen for her, that bond is tested. Anna Kashina has created a full and vibrant world for her story.
Her characters are richly drawn. I was excited to read a story set in a different world and enjoyed absorbing new lore as set out by the author. The friendship between the princess and the djin is especially touching and grows at a wonderfully slow and real pace. This is a love story, but it does not read like a romance novel.
Rather, it is an adventure story filled with realistic relationships, from friendship to love. I look forward to reading the next novel in the trilogy, to be published in September Review written for and originally published at SFCrowsnest. I picked up this book for ten cents at a garage sale, and I've been putting off reading it.
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Not sure why, but I just didn't have the urge to actual read it until today. And I wish I hadn't have waited. This turned out to be a pretty good book. The Princess of Dhagabad has long awaited her twelfth birthday. For it is on this day that she is allowed to have the bottle that her grandmother left to her. And she gets quite the surprise that the bottle holds a Djinn. An all-powerful being that is essen I picked up this book for ten cents at a garage sale, and I've been putting off reading it. An all-powerful being that is essentially her slave since she holds the bottle.
At first indifferent, he grows to be her closest friend and when she must marry, he is there to make sure that everything can go as smooth as possible. He just doesn't account for the Princess's wishes and sense of adventure, and the belief that she can change things that have never before been changed. The Princess is pretty inquisitive. She has a genuine love of the world around her and it frightens Hasan, her Djinn, that she too could become like him because of the knowledge that she surrounds herself with.
He, himself, is somewhat mysterious, but because the history of the Djinn and himself are laid out, it gives an interesting perspective into the life of the Djinn and how he became one. The Princess's parents, and indeed many of the people at the palace, aren't as kind or supportive of her though and at many times it feels like it is the Princess and the Djinn against the world.
Which is somewhat unbelievable. I'd like to think there are more redeemable people than just the two of them. The plot meandered along. I had a sense it was more setting up the characters and the relationships before the next book. But that was ok, I thought the history and story telling behind the characters was interesting. The writing was a tad juvenile, but easy to lose yourself in. I liked when the Princess had her world view but found Hasan's point of view to be a little over flowery. It didn't detract too much from the book though.
There were some mature themes that I didn't expect in this book.
The Spirits of the Ancient Sands Series by Anna Kashina
The Sultan and his harem were described in great detail, including some of those activities that they partake in. Not that that's a bad thing, just not what I expected from this young adult seeming fantasy story. There is a little bit of violence, but it is not nearly as descriptive as the sex scenes are. I'll definitely be looking out for the second book in the series. I'm eager to see what happens and if Hasan and the Princess can overcome more obstacles with their friendship.
Reynard More of my reviews can be found at www. I received this through the GoodReads Giveaways. This was a pleasant read and had definite leanings to the "Arabian Nights" style of tales. On her twelfth birthday, the princess is given a bottle left to her by her grandmother. Imagine her surprise when out comes a djinn to obey her every wish! The djinn becomes her constant companion to shower her with delights, help her education and protect her from the machinations of the court. The book tells the tale of the life of the princess, the viewpo I received this through the GoodReads Giveaways. The book tells the tale of the life of the princess, the viewpoint of the djinn and we are also given flashbacks of the djinn's journey to his present day status.
I should have thoroughly enjoyed this book since it is one of the types of subject matter I adore. I even saved it for a rare day that I had no interruption so I could devour it in peace. Unfortunately, this book just did not live up to my expectations. I was left restless and irritated. I did not find the princess to be very likable, the other characters were sort of bland, and even the djinn did not make me wish to have or be one.
It just felt sort of generic. There is one scene involving the sultan and his new concubine that absolutely made no sense in the story. Maybe it was thrown in to serve as a set-up for book two, but then it should have been in the epilogue, but not in the middle of the current story.
The cover art is gorgeous. Despite my love for the story and the characters of Hasan and the princess, I cannot give this story any higher than a 3-star review due to the grammar issues throughout the book. The story often makes abrupt perspective changes from princess to Hasan and back without properly setting up for them.
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Yes, the idea was to slowly let you realize who is speaking in italics, "The Princess of Dhagabad" surprised me with its engaging story and lovable characters--particularly as I picked it up for free. Yes, the idea was to slowly let you realize who is speaking in italics, but for the first few chapters, I thought her dead grandmother was talking to us in italics instead of Hasan due to lacking even a guarded hinting towards it.
Intended or not, it came off as sloppy at first and heavy-handed later. Also, there were missing words and blatant grammatical errors throughout the work. Though they were not nearly as abundant as what is normally seen in books downloaded on free giveaways, it truly is depressing that someone who can so wonderfully craft such lovable and wonderful characters cannot bother to find an editor with even a college student's grasp of grammar to read over her work.
My hope and prayer is that her second book is reviewed by someone with a better grasp of tense and of word order, and that it's done by someone with an eye for missing words. Another sophisticated, lovely fairy tale for grown-ups from Anna Kashina. It's an unusual story, about a pre-adolescent princess who inherits a djinn from her wise old grandmother. As the princess grows, her relationship with her magical servant grows and changes. A slave woman from the desert land Aeth. According to rumors whispered in the palace—a witch…. The princess hears the rustling of footsteps on the gravel.
This is, after all, her free time. And she is already practically a grown-up! She will be twelve in a week, and they still seem to think she is a little girl. Why would her mother send for her at this time? As far as she knows, the evening prayer is not due for a while. Moving as noiselessly as she can, the princess crawls deep into the thick, sweet-smelling jasmine bushes that surround her favorite corner of the garden. Through the intertwining branches she can easily see the curve of the path running around a giant boulder, covered with an elaborate gray-green pattern of succulent plants.
Her round childish face frowns, and a little vertical line crosses her forehead. The princess knows this smile all too well. It means Nimeth is very sure of herself, and nothing the princess can do will trick her. Her thin arm moves to straighten the hair that cascades down her back in a mass of thin braids, and the metal bracelet on her wrist—the sign of slavery—gleams in the sun. Nannies are appointed not from the slave women, but from the free servants. Countless hours has the princess spent gazing into the barely visible colorful mass of the lower city from one of the higher balconies of the palace.
Countless times she dreamed that a wizard from her favorite tale would appear beside her, and with a mere wave of a hand transport her into that, as she thought, center of life, the focus of all miracles. She has often begged her mother to take her along on one of her usual trips to the bazaar. And every one of those times she had to clench her fists to hold back the tears at the usual response: Witch or not, Nimeth is not easy to fool. Her scornful glance stings. Hurt at this contempt toward her newly acquired treasure, the princess blushes and hides the rock behind her back.
With a sinking heart she follows Nimeth and Airagad down the winding garden path. To think that she was so close to fulfilling her wish to take a look at the mysterious world outside the palace, and that her own foolishness may have robbed her of that wonderful chance! The princess looks around the garden, which is blooming wildly after the recent season of rains. Numerous paths, barely visible through the thick bushes, run everywhere like small streams of gravel to merge with one of the main alleys that run straight from the palace to the outside wall.
The garden was designed as a half-circle adjoining the back of the palace with three main alleys radiating from the three palace entrances like the beams of the rising sun.