Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu

Paperback, 592 pages

Published July 12th 2016 by Daw Books (first published September 1st 2015)

Series: The Song of the Shattered Sands #1

Fantasy

Own

I felt the beginning was strong (though why couldn't she have been older?) It made it feel so YA. I hate when younglings are the best at everything.

Yes it went downhill for me after that, I should have stopped, but it had good bones, but poor execution. 

It was the flashbacks, those dang flashbacks! They did not add anything, it could have been done another way. Ugh they were so boring.

Also I liked the evil kings more than the main character...I hope she looses

Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.

Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first.