The Daughters of Izdihar

A Novel (The Alamaxa Duology, Book 1)

By: Hadeer Elsbai

Narrated by: Priya Ayyar, Nikki Massoud

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's 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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Hadeer Elsbai (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

A smart alternative fantasy

I'm always glad to experience both some non-western fantasy, and fantasy stories that are built around something other than saving the entire world.

This satifies both, and is a smart and entertaining story. It does a marvelous job of taking some characters that could easily be unlikable, and making you root for them.

I cannot wait for book 2!

Ms Elsbai brings her world to life. Superb book. I felt as if I knew the characters and lived in the cities.

Slow Start, Better Finish

I was slow to get into a groove with The Daughters of Izdihar. Through the first half of the book I struggled to get lost in the world; the exposition was often pushed through in dialogue in ways that drew attention to how it was for my benefit rather than the character's, some unsubtle explanations of the political situation, and the similarities between the Weaving magic system and Avatar's Bending magic system left me outside the world. The strong characters and the sense that a well-built foundation was being laid between the personal journeys of the characters and the greater polity kept me around to see what would happen, but I didn't feel very engaged.

I finished the second half in one sitting (well I was at work so I did have a reason to sit that long anyway).

About halfway through the story picks up momentum quickly. The foundations laid in the beginning pay off immensely, with a story that surprises and yet looking back feels inevitable. Given the cliff-hanger ending and the fact that this book was pitched as part of a duology, the slow start feels planned - there was more space for the foundation considering an entire next book picking up the self-same story.

The politics are handled very well. Different axes of oppression and control are explored and their connections to each other are examined. The juxtaposition of the oppression of weavers vs. the oppression of women provides for an interesting interrogation of the whys and hows of oppression and control. The understanding of different characters, their feelings and actions, displays an understanding of how these issues play out in the real world, and how to package them for consumption/thought for the audience.

While the weaving magic system does feel Heavily Inspired by bending, it eventually grows beyond its (potential? alleged?) inspiration. Placed in a vastly different context, it eventually feels unique to its world, with discussions that are grounded in the themes of the story. Magic feels Purposefuly to the story, not tacked on and provides a good metaphor for the power of control over one's self. As the main characters gain freedom within their lives, their weaving power grows. (minor spoiler alert rest of this paragraph) I'll be interested to see how blood-weaving in particular is treated; Nehal speaks out against the way that women are controlled, but relishes the ability to control others completely. That this is the power that manifests as she gains more control over herself is an intriguing twist.

I generally don't enjoy romance in my works of fiction, but it's handled well here. It doesn't feel like a B-plot wish fulfillment, but rather an important part of the story woven tightly to the motivations of the characters.

The reading performance is great. Clean and crisp enough I could listen at 1.5x speed with no comprehension issues, and the narrators imbue enough personality to feel it without overpowering the story itself.

Overall, it's a solid start to a duology. On its own, it has a somewhat overlong beginning and an unsatisfactory cliffhanger ending, but these are easily forgiven if the next book keeps up the newfound momentum, sound characterization and growth, and powerful political themes.

boredom

I don’t even know what’s going on because of how boring everything is, the voice acting was some of the worst i’ve heard. maybe the story was good but i’ll never find out