This has to be one of the coolest fantasy curses I have ever seen.

Queen of Shifting Sands is a fantasy story about an arranged political marriage, a curse, and a country on the brink of war. It is fairly politically focused, which isn't usually my preferred kind of book, and so I did struggle to get into it but the last 20% or so was really good.
Widowed by the death of the last king, Lystra enters an arranged marriage with Elerek, the firstborn of the royal family who was cursed as a child. The kingdom is unsettled by the death of their prior king and the assassins threaten to attack at the end of the summer, leaving Lystra and Elerek to gain as much support as possible before then. Like I said, I found the political plots to be a bit boring (but that's just my preference). However, Elerek's curse really intrigued me. Everyone he touches is doomed to "drown" in the desert and their bodies slowly turn to water over time. I haven't seen a curse like this before and I really enjoyed seeing the way the various characters interacted with it. The ending was also very intriguing and I'm excited for book 2 already. I did sort of call the plot twist, but not entirely.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but the main four were Lystra, Elerek, Razhar, and Myra. Myra grew on me as the book continued, and I didn't mind Razhar. I thought Lystra was a great example of a well-written and strong female protagonist, and I liked her a lot. I also liked Elerek and his inner turmoil. The rest of the cast was okay, but I don't remember them well.
Queen of Shifting Sands is a solid political fantasy story with hints of romance and magic, and I really want to read book 2 ASAP.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5