Synopsis:
Hidalgo meets An Ember in the Ashes in this Middle Eastern-inspired YA fantasy debut.
A race across the desert.
An unimaginable prize.
It occurs once every thousand years: the Demon Race. A test of will and strength, it is a race across the Saraj, a fight for the prize of a lifetime. And it is the key to Namali Hafshar’s freedom.
When shy, seventeen-year-old Namali learns of her arranged marriage, she flees home and enters the Demon Race for the chance to change her fate. But to compete, she must cross the Saraj on a daeva, a shadow demon that desires its own reward: to infect her soul with darkness.
Namali soon learns the desert holds more dangers than meets the eye. The only person she can trust is Sameen, a kind competitor seeking his own destiny. As her affection for him grows, however, so too does the darkness in her heart.
In this race of men and demons, only one can win. But the price of winning might be more than Namali is willing to pay.
YA Tropes Discussion
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A race across the desert.
An unimaginable prize.
It occurs once every thousand years: the Demon Race. A test of will and strength, it is a race across the Saraj, a fight for the prize of a lifetime. And it is the key to Namali Hafshar’s freedom.
When shy, seventeen-year-old Namali learns of her arranged marriage, she flees home and enters the Demon Race for the chance to change her fate. But to compete, she must cross the Saraj on a daeva, a shadow demon that desires its own reward: to infect her soul with darkness.
Namali soon learns the desert holds more dangers than meets the eye. The only person she can trust is Sameen, a kind competitor seeking his own destiny. As her affection for him grows, however, so too does the darkness in her heart.
In this race of men and demons, only one can win. But the price of winning might be more than Namali is willing to pay.
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YA Tropes Discussion
Moa: What is your favourite YA trope?
Alexandria: Ah, that's like choosing a favorite book! No but honestly, I can't help but love any and all Bad Guy With A Heart of Gold. Cardan, Warner, the Darkling (okay maybe his heart isn't so shiny compared to the others), Morpheus, Rhysand. (Clearly I have a type . . . .)
M: How do you think about tropes as an author? Do you try to avoid them or do you use them in your books?
A: Handling tropes is like handling a double-edged sword. On one hand, tropes can draw readers in, especially if there is a trope that readers enjoy. Like, if there's forbidden romance I am THERE for it. But the key is to make it different somehow, which can be difficult. The other edge, however, can turn readers off if nothing new is introduced. I definitely use tropes in my writing, but, again, I throw out the first few ideas when I'm brainstorming because those are ones that are most familiar and trope-y. The tropes I avoid using are the ones I don't read that much of. For example, I've never been drawn to the banished-princess-must-save-
M: What are some books you think uses tropes really well?
A: I'll list a few books that I think really shine in a certain trope used. "Girl disguises herself as a boy." I don't know if it was the first YA book to do this, but Tamora Pierce's The Lioness Quartet does this the best, in my opinion, and that's because the main character, Alanna, has so much agency. Her goal is to become a knight, and this is the only way in which she can reach her goal. Another trope we see a lot in YA is "strong female heroine," but many times there's only a focus on physical strength. That's why I really love the Winner's Curse trilogy, because the main character, Kestrel, has a very strategic and analytical mind. This is her strength, and she uses her strength to create agency for herself.
M: What is one trope you think is completely overused?
A: Insta-love. I understand why it's so prevalent in YA, because this is a time when teens do experience falling in love for the first time. My issue is when there is no progression in the relationship. Even if two people only know each other for a few weeks, if I can see a progression from stranger to acquaintance to trust and then love, then that's what I'm looking for!
M: One trope you see around a lot is the love triangle, what are your thoughts on it?
A: When it's done well, it can bring a lot of tension to the story. When it's not done well, the story loses tension. The issue is when the love triangle is used as a plot device, which can weaken the storyline. If the love triangle is used to flesh out your characters and provide support to the main plot, I think that works a lot better. Or, if it's a love triangle where one of the characters is dark and misunderstood, well, I will happily go along with it as long as the morally-gray love interest is chosen, haha.
A: We all have YA tropes we love. And those tropes we don't love... What is your favorite trope and your least favorite and why?
M: My least favorite trope is definitely instal-love, but the love triangle is a close second. I just feel like both are very unrealistic, and I can't stand either. My favorite is hate-to-love romance. Give me any book with a hate-to-love romance any day. It just makes for so much tension and I love it! I can never resist one of those stories. I also adore friends-to-lovers.
A: Are there any tropes you'd like to see more of in YA?
M: Well, I'll have to say hate-to-love. Sure, there are many of those, but I can't get enough of them, so give me all the hate-to-love stories!
A: What YA fantasy would be complete without a Chosen One?! (That was a rhetorical question.) What is your opinion of the Chosen One trope?
M: Don't even get me started on that one. While there are a few exceptions to the rule (Harry Potter will always be my favorite), it usually bothers me a lot. I think I just relate a lot more to more ordinary characters. The superspecial, powerful, one-of-a-kind protagonists feel too unrealistic to me, and usually fall flat for me.
A: What is one way that you think a YA trope can be improved upon?
M: I think it's really important to make it your own, to add your own twist to it. If you twist it enough, I can like most tropes in certain books. Take The Infernal Devices for example. They have a love triangle, which I normally hate, but I loved the love triangle in those books! It's really different and I think the ending surprised everyone. Plus, I couldn't pick one of the boys! My point is, as long as the trope doesn't make the book too predictable, as long as it feels fresh and new, I can enjoy most tropes, even if I don't normally like them. I just want to be surprised when I read.
A: In YA, we often see the love triangle used as a plot device. What book(s) do you think did the love triangle well and why?
M: As I mentioned, I loved the love triangle in The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, because it was very different and unexpected. I also liked the love triangle in The Dark Elements by Jennifer L. Armentrout, because the protagonist wasn't whiny and she didn't waver much over which guy she wanted. The biggest problem I have with love triangles is that the protagonist can't seem to pick one guy, but Layla was nothing like that. Finally, I liked the one in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, also because it was unique. It was far from the usual kind, with the protagonist falling for two guys at the same time.
Author bio:
Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Demon Race is her first novel.
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