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Review of A.S. Thornton's "Son of the Salt Chaser" (audiobook)

I listened to the first book of this series, "Daughter of the Salt King" in June of last year. I realized I didn't post the review here, though. I've put it at the end so you can see my feelings on that as well.

A.S. Thornton’s “Son of the Salt Chaser,” the sequel to “Daughter of the Salt King,” is a fantasy romance that draws on the lore and motifs of the Middle East. 

Saalim, the genie Emel loves, has become human, and with this transformation, has forgotten their shared past. Now Emel is a refugee, following him to this city by the sea. She hopes she can rekindle their relationship, but his betrothal to a girl from the other side of the ocean may make that difficult. Instead, Emel finds comfort with Kas. But all is not as it seems, and Emel and Saalim slowly uncover secrets and information that will change their futures. 

Like the first book, this is a very solid fantasy romance with lovely world-building and wonderful settings. I really enjoyed the developing relationships in the new setting, how old ones changed and new ones sprung up. I thought it was going to follow a similar romantic arc to Sarah J. Maas's “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” where a new love interest enters in the second book, but it doesn’t exactly follow that template. 

The narrator, Vaneh Assadourian, made her return from the original story. I was very happy to have her back. I don’t like it when the narrator doesn’t do the next book in a series. She did an excellent job yet again with the tension and the voices of the various characters. 

A.S. Thornton’s “Son of the Salt Chaser” is a great romance for a chill afternoon. I would recommend it to any fantasy romance lover. I received it from NetGalley. 

And now my review of "Daughter of the Salt King"

A.S. Thornton’s "Daughter of the Salt King" is a romantic, fantastical romp. It possesses some grim details, but they add to the dire stakes.

Emel is the daughter of a king. Her one role in life is to secure favorable allies for her father through marriage. If she does not do this before her twenty-third birthday, she is cast off. When her fiance is killed trying to protect her father from rebels, Emel finds herself in possession, for a brief time, of her father’s jinni. Slowly they fall in love, even as the king continues to try to marry off his daughter. Because Emel freed the jinni from his vessel once, she can make wishes, but what are the right wishes to make? What consequences will she face for her decisions?

This was a tight, fun story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It probably could have used a couple of trigger warnings for other readers (Emel is not always welcoming of the advances of her suitors). But it is a solid romance with an exotic flair. More authors should explore the fantasy and folklore of parts of the world other than Europe in the world-building.

The narrator of the audiobook, Vaneh Assadourian, did an excellent job with the source material. She was able to flesh out the different characters and perspectives well. It was easy to tell the difference between the characters, and her accents added to the flavor of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Daughter of the Salt King by A.S. Thornton. It would make for an excellent vacation read, perfect for any upcoming summer vacation. I received this audiobook from NetGalley.

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