Oceans of Sand

De: Jessica Flory

Narrado por: Chloe Bright

One girl. Her boat. An ocean of sand to cross.

Norah’s desert world has always been treacherous, with the roiling ocean of sand, giant scorpions, and brutal sandstorms—but now an unnatural famine plagues the desert nations and threatens to destroy all.

Despite being the only one in her village without a sand gift, Norah is chosen with her best friend, Zadock, to sail across the ocean of sand in search of the legendary moonstone, an artifact that could end the famine.

As Norah and Zadock set off on their journey, secret romantic feelings each has suppressed for years rise to the surface. Love weakens sand gifts, and if they act on their feelings, Zadock's sand gift will disappear.

Caught in a crossfire between forbidden feelings, an unforgiving desert, and starving nations willing to do anything to survive, Norah and Zadock discover the true meaning of sacrifice—and the power that love has to heal the world.

©2023 Immortal Works (P)2023 Immortal Works

Great unique fantasy

Really enjoyed this one! Loved the unique magic system and loved the characters! Twists and turns I didn’t see coming! Such a great read!

Great YA fantasy romance

This was a fun story, well-paced, well-written, with enjoyable characters and interesting twists and turns. The love story is sweet and poignant, and the world building is excellent. A unique-yet-familiar fantasy adventure tale that I was able to enjoy as an adult.

Content notes: This clean romance is targeted at teens, which is great. There is fake swearing, but the contextualization of the "fake swear words" are so familiar to our world that it may be too close to swearing for some. There is also a "forced proximity"/"one bed" trope, and while "nothing happens", the level of first-person yearning in this book feels edgy to me. For my daughters, this book would be at least 16+. That being said, I'm 100% sure they'd love it.

I lived the writing in this story so much!

I loved this story and can’t wait for more from the author. This was sweet and endearing and so interesting from the first chapter. I loved the imagery this created. I highly recommend this author.

must read clean fantasy!

This story was so great! I have never been a fan of desert settings. I think they are fun to visit in a fantasy book, but I gravitate more toward lush greenery. This book completely changed that for me! This world is so interesting! I love that villages live on huge desert plataues and they travel with sand surfing boats! That the ocean is a far off scary place to people who have only ever known sand. It's a different, refreshing story.Also, does anyone love atla? Love the idea of sand bending? The entire magic system is sand based, and it's epic! The amount of things that Jessica came up with that sand can accomplish is mind-boggling! Fan-freaking-tastic!Oceans of Sand is a romantasy that's super clean content wise. Do you love Kiera Cass' characters and style of writing emotional depth? Then you have to read Jessica Flory's writing (which may be better) In this story marriages are arranged by the government, think matched meets the giver, with our two main characters being childhood best friends. Who are star crossed lovers that can never be together, but when her mother gives them an epic quest to save the world that may all change.Oceans of Sand is ultimately a story of forgiveness and redemption. Love conquers all and strength is not as important as it seems. With a character with a chronic health condition learns they aren't broken and don't need to be fixed. That part really touched me.

Thrilling New World

This was a spectacular world to dive into! Absolutely loved every minute. The Narrator was amazing and I just loved how the story flowed. Norah’s biggest wish is to have a sand power so she can feel she is a contributing part of the community. Being the only one without a power has its setbacks and can feel quite lonely. Norah stays strong and moves past all the trials and hardships thrown at her.
Zadock wants to please everyone and happens to be the best “shaker” his age. He and Norah are tasked with a voyage to find a Legendary Moonstone to save their world from this famine that has plagued them for 3 years. Danger, sandstorms, vast oceans of sand, and giant scorpions make for a treacherous voyage, let alone a sudden kidnapping.
Things to love: Forbidden Love, Special Powers, Unique World, Deception and Betrayal, Forgiveness and New Truths
So many surprises I loved everything about this story.

The Story Will Suck You In!

This YA Fantasy world is one you can get lost in! I listened to the book the second time, and it was great to hear the names being said. The first time, I just said them in my head and it was completely wrong! 😆 But the story is intriguing and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time! I loved it!

The audio of the book was so well done! She did the different characters to perfection!

Well-developed and immersive world

I enjoyed this captivating, coming-of-age tale set in a well-developed and immersive world, with believable characters that grow into their own.

A very fun unique teen/ya book

Oh my goodness, another incredible audiobook! This world that @jessicafloryauthor has created is so unique and different, and I loved learning about it. To imagine an Ocean of sand to be honest was quite terrifying haha I am terrified of the ocean (the unknown is very unnerving to me), but to imagine sand playing the same role seemed even scarier.

The fantasy in this new world was also very clever. Their magical abilities fit so perfectly into their world.

I also loved the triple POV! Getting another view point is always so much fun, especially when you get to see the views of the villains.

The sweet romance between these two young people was worth rooting for, even when it seemed impossible. It also ended on quite the cliffhanger! Definitely going to need book two haha

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from @the_audio_collective and Jessica Flory. The audio was really well done. I really enjoyed the narration and was able to listen quickly. I highly recommend getting the audio!! All opinions are my own!

Slow and predictable

Too much detail is given at the beginning of the story. The storyline could be good if told better.