‘Desert Seer’ by K.L. Engel
Title: Desert Seer
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Desert Seer Chronicles #1
Synopsis: In a world where magic flows through ancient artifacts, Siddig—a desert Seer—is betrayed by his own tribe and sold to a ruthless artifact hunter. But when a chance encounter with an Academy researcher named Claudia offers him an unexpected opportunity, Siddig sees a way to understand the mysterious ability that has always set him apart.
Content Warnings
General Rating: Family Friendly / Clean
Spice Rating: None
Violence Rating: Mild
Descriptions of pain due to magic, fistfights
Profanity Rating: None
Book Review
Overall rating: 4/5 stars
What I Liked
A pleasant read. It is very introspective as we spend most of our time in Siddig’s head in third person POV. Claudia is absolutely charming, if potentially annoying. I found her charming. Siddig’s character is compelling—he’s a quiet, stoic type with secrets and a long history of pain, but learns to trust and perhaps even love those who get past his walls. Maral is a charm. Everyone needs a friend like Maral.
The plot is straightforward and adventurous. It struck me as Indiana Jones-ish in its academic, archaeological bent while maintaining a strong sense of adventure and peril. The villain, like Indiana Jones, is predictable in her desire for power and making a name for herself.
The writing style is beautiful and atmospheric. Engel creates a beautifully woven world of the desert; I felt fairly transported.
What I Didn’t Like
If I have a criticism, it is that several phrases were repeated often enough to begin raising my eyebrows each time I read them.
“The ceramic cup felt solid in his hands, grounding him in the present moment.”
“Her hand landed warm and solid on his shoulder, grounding him in the chaos.”
“Claudia's hand rested just above his wrist, her grip light but grounding.”
Siddig appears to rely on touch a great deal, touching stone walls, straightening, adjusting, or feeling the familiar weight of his keffiyeh, or just about any other tangible object. It’s a practical and recommended technique to work through anxiety, but I found it very repetitive.
The word “wrong” is also used almost exclusively to describe a “twisted” magic (“wrong” and “twisted” nearly exclusive in their application to this magic). I’m curious as to whether the author struggled to find other descriptors for this magic (e.g. tainted, oily, dark, pulsing, corrupted).
It’s a short, pretty fun read and not at all bad for a debut. I think it could have used another round of editing, but that might just be my preference.
Major Themes
Belonging and family: Siddig longs for a place to belong. He doesn’t remember his biological family, and his adopted family and tribe abandoned him to the desert researchers.
Betrayal and abandonment: Siddig grapples with his abandonment by his tribe. He hesitates to trust Claudia (or anyone, really), for good reason.
Search for identity: The books ends with a hint toward Siddig’s search for his identity and family. He still struggles with not knowing who he is and why he holds such a special magical ability, but he has found at least a couple of people with whom he feels safe and whom he can trust.
Writing Style
What a beautiful story! Siddig's journey to find his own identity and regain trust in humanity was raw, honest, and stunning in its intricacy. Engel's writing was beautiful as well, really bringing the desert to life. I would absolutely read anything else that Engel writes; the writing style is atmospheric and enchanting. I felt like I was in the desert with Siddig, journeying alongside him. I loved the depth of betrayal and his longing for true belonging and family - don't we all want a place to belong?
Tropes
Found family
Search for identity
Introspective
Betrayal and abandonment
Hidden secrets
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I received this book as an advanced reader copy (ARC) from BookSirens and left this review voluntarily. You may purchase Desert Seer on Amazon.
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