Publishers Weekly
★ 12/16/2019
Durst (the Queens of Renthia series) imbues a thrill-filled story about monster racing with impressive thematic depth and a refreshing spectrum of female characters. Whenever human evildoers die in the land of Becar, they reincarnate as vicious kehoks, hulking beasts that combine traits of different animals. Their only chance of being freed from this monstrous form is winning the popular desert races, ridden by risk-taking humans. Tamra Verlas, once an elite kehok rider, has fallen on financial ruin that puts her at risk of losing her daughter. When her wealthy patron, Lady Evara, challenges Tamra to train a new winner in exchange for a cut of the prize, Tamra takes on desperate rookie Raia, pairing her with an untested leonine kehok, unaware that this kehok may house a powerful soul that could play a vital role in Becar’s future. Durst consistently defies expectations in both plot and characterization while exploring sophisticated themes of found family, integrity, and morality. This excellent epic fantasy will appeal to adult fans of YA authors Tamora Pierce and Megan Whalen Turner. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Literary. (Mar.)
Katherine Arden
“National Velvet with monsters and a big helping of palace intrigue, Race the Sands is monstrous (literally), heartwarming, and empowering in equal measure. An incredibly fun and inspiring read.”
Peter V. Brett
Sarah Beth Durst is one of the most prolific authors I know, yet each of her beautiful stories is infused with exciting action and fully rounded characters whose struggles are both relatable and fantastical. Race the Sands is a fast-paced adventure that will have you falling in love with its heroines and the monsters they ride.
Julie E. Czerneda
"RACE THE SANDS is not only a blistering rush through a brilliantly credible and original fantasy landscape, it's the story of resolve, family, and personal destiny we all need. Highly recommended."
Library Journal
01/01/2020
In Becar, the way one chooses to live their life determines what form they take in the next life. To ride kehoks means to impose your will over the monster beneath you—at one time a terrible person, now reborn as twisted in appearance as they once were in deeds. To win the Races means glory for the rider, and a chance for the kehok to be redeemed. Tamra used to be a famous rider, but a tragic accident took her livelihood and confidence. Unless she gains the Race winnings, Tamra will lose her daughter. Raia has the raw talent to ride, but needs a skilled trainer to join the Races and break free from her imposing family. Both women place their hopes on a strange new kehok, as wild as it is powerful. As they head to the Races, Tamra and Raia discover how far they will go to win—and the truly unique nature of their kehok. VERDICT Durst's latest delivers the same sweeping prose and lush worldbuilding as her "Renthia" series, with strong female protagonists and lively supporting characters. This compelling fantasy will please fans and engage new readers.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
Kirkus Reviews
2020-02-10
This stand-alone fantasy blends classic horse-racing tropes with political fantasy and even a dash of Pokémon.
Those who live in the Becar Empire know that reincarnation exists. Those who are purest become augurs, able to read the past, present, and future of a person's soul; good people are reincarnated as humans; those with more flaws spend their next incarnation as animals; and the irredeemable sinners spend eternity incarnating as kehoks, vicious, mindless, chimerical monsters. Kehoks cannot be tamed, but daring riders can control them mentally through force of will and race them while risking dismemberment and death both from their competitors and their own mounts. Former grand champion–turned–disgraced trainer Tamra Verlas needs a winning kehok-rider pair who will garner her the gold necessary to retain custody of her daughter. Raia hopes that a new life as a rider will allow her to hide from her parents, who have affianced her to a rich but cruelly dominating man. And the metallic lion kehok she learns to race seems to have his own ambitions and intelligence beyond his apparently brutish nature. Meanwhile, Becar roils with uncertainty, because Prince Dar cannot succeed his late older brother, Zarin, as emperor until he locates his predecessor’s current incarnation, even as the neighboring realm of Ranir threatens invasion. Of course, these plot elements dovetail in exactly the way you’d expect, but that doesn’t mean that the race to victory isn’t charmingly crafted and extremely enjoyable. Durst (The Deepest Blue, 2019, etc.) offers her patented mix of solid worldbuilding, characters with determination and heart, and a jab of violence to ensure that the result never cloys. Fans of Tamora Pierce’s strong female protagonists will also appreciate the tribute that Durst pays her in the acknowledgments, the character name “Tamra,” and the storytelling.
If mostly lacking surprises, still guaranteed to check the boxes for fans of fantasy and horse-riding novels.
