Bound by Blood and Sand by Becky Allen
Series: Bound by Blood and Sand #1
Version: ARC paperback
Rating: 4 stars
Published: October 11th 2016
Goodreads Synopsis:
Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.
Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.
Lord Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.
But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.
Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the kingdom’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.
Bound by Blood and Sand definitely was right up my alley. It takes place in a dessert world where water is slowly drying up, and all water comes from the magical Well. However, no one really knows how to get the Well working again. This is where Jae comes in.
Jae is a Closest, and in this world, there are two groups of people - the Highest and the Closest. The Highest can be Avowed, and are given a certain role to fulfill (aka their vow). The Closest are slaves to the Highest, and when a Highest makes a demand, the Closest must see that it is fulfilled, no matter what. This is known as the Curse. We see Jae endure the hardships that come with being a Closest, and she begins to have visions of a past when her people were free.
