At twenty-two, Saeryn has scars she can’t explain and a three year memory gap. An exotic family vacation away from her fractured past is meant to help her regain balance… except that the desert sands are calling to her with an eerie familiarity, and Malatrius—a stranger met by anything but chance—claims to know what happened during the times she can’t remember.

But to trust Malatrius’s words means believing in sorcery and traveling to another world. It also means putting her future in the hands of her father’s longtime rival who has reasons to hate them both, because with every restored memory Saeryn realizes that not only did Past Saeryn keep secrets from both Malatrius and her father—she’d also made a choice that could threaten the desperate scheme she’d risked her life for.

And now Saeryn faces the same choice once more.

Losing her life will be a minor inconvenience, but losing her memories again could be the end of her.

Memories of Sorcery and Sand is a standalone character driven fantasy with dual timelines and told both in 1st and 3rd POV. If you like books that slowly unveil their mysteries and secrets, get your copy now!

I’ve previously read Humanborn from this author and had loved it, so I had expectations. I knew this was different, and the author described this book as a passion project, and after reading this all I can say is that we need more passion projects because this was so so good!

It revolves around Saeryn who is on a vacation with her parents and a nobleman who her mother hopes she will marry. Saeryn has recently woken up from a coma and there is a three year gap in her memories following the hiking accident that landed her in a coma. She also has strange scars she can’t explain, even with the accident. She’s close to her father but distant from her mother and barely tolerates the presence of the suitor her mother has picked for her, safe in the knowledge that her father would stand by her choices.

A chance encounter with a stranger called Malatrius, an encounter the man claims was due to Saeryn’s insistence, has her recalling bits from her past. Her father is not happy with Malatrius’ presence and warns her from him, but even so, he agrees in the end to let Malatrius try and get Saeryn her memories back.

It means leaving behind everything she knows and travelling to another world, where Malatrius claims he belongs to. It means believing in sorcery and the bits of memory that show her she had been Malatrius’ slave.

But if it could fill the gaping emptiness inside her, Saeryn is ready to take her chances.

From the beginning, this book gripped me, and I finished it in half a night. The mystery of Saeryn’s missing memories, the recollections of her past, and the switch of PoV from first person (present Saeryn) to third person (recollecting her past) left me wanting more.

This isn’t a fast paced book by any means, but it has a lot packed into the short space, and I loved how slowly everything unfolded and how each twist was revealed slowly, slotting itself into place that’s the puzzle of Saeryn’s past.

Saeryn herself is a relatable character who I was rooting for from the first. I loved the other characters too, even the bad ones, because they all came across as real people. There is a romance here that’s very much important to Saeryn even if not to the plot.

If you love portal fantasies with complex and realistic characters, an intriguing character driven plot, and villains you would love to hate, this book is for you.

Highly recommended!

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