review of Kingdom of Sand and Stars: Ancient Hearts by Candace Osmond

Kingdom of Sand and Stars: Ancient Hearts by Candace Osmond 

She's done it again! The writer of the Dark Tides series is back with a brand new story that bends the laws of reality and history. Ancient Hearts is similar to Dark Tides in only that its a time travel romance fantasy (that's a mouthful). I originally thought It was going to follow much of the same pattern as Dark Tides, but it's so much more. Osmond is absolutely terrific at writing strong independent women who usually become the hero of the story and save my man is distress. Which I think we can all appreciate. This book is filled with amazing action and rather painful fight scenes that make you believe you are actually watching it. The idea of this story is amazing to me (a Historian of ancient Greece) because she takes the theories, myths, and conspiracies and blends them with truth, facts and magic and makes a really believable world. If someone told me this was what ancient Egypt was like I'd believe them with little to no hesitation. 

The story follows archeologist Andie Godfery an addict reeling over the loss of her father and the man she loves after a terrible accident leaves them both dead. Andie is stubborn and brave and intelligent. However, sometimes those traits leave her in situations she would rather avoid. After two years of griefing painfully for the people that she loves she is given the opportunity to explore the area they died and the site, they were studying. After a major betrayal, she is somehow sent back into the past to ancient Egypt, and its not exactly the place she remembers studying for years and years. It's filled with beings that are anything other than humans, and the truth of what really happened two years ago. Andie is hard to read sometimes as she goes through some really difficult moments of addiction and grief and learning the truth. She's also so completely stubborn and impatient but granted the people around her don't give her really essential information when they should. 

Stand out quote: 

"If this was how it felt to come back to life. I'd much prefer death." pg 113

Some questions to ponder: 

1. If time travel was real how do you think it would work? 
2. If you were suddenly presented with proof of the truth of our history the way Andie has what would you do? 
3. Andie is stubborn is a lot of ways, do you think this serves her well or hinders her? 
4. What do you think will happen to Andie in book two? 

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you thought of this novel? 

-MDB