
The Daughters of Izdihar
A Novel (The Alamaxa Duology, Book 1)
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Narrated by:
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Priya Ayyar
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Nikki Massoud
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By:
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Hadeer Elsbai
About this listen
From debut author Hadeer Elsbai comes the first book in an incredibly powerful new duology, set wholly in a new world, but inspired by modern Egyptian history, about two young women—Nehal, a spoiled aristocrat used to getting what she wants and Giorgina, a poor bookshop worker used to having nothing—who find they have far more in common, particularly in their struggle for the rights of women and their ability to fight for it with forbidden elemental magic
As a waterweaver, Nehal can move and shape any water to her will, but she’s limited by her lack of formal education. She desires nothing more than to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy, take complete control of her powers, and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment. But her family cannot afford to let her go—crushed under her father’s gambling debt, Nehal is forcibly married into a wealthy merchant family. Her new spouse, Nico, is indifferent and distant and in love with another woman, a bookseller named Giorgina.
Giorgina has her own secret, however: she is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers. She has no money and no prospects. Her only solace comes from her activities with the Daughters of Izdihar, a radical women’s rights group at the forefront of a movement with a simple goal: to attain recognition for women to have a say in their own lives. They live very different lives and come from very different means, yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think. The cause—and Nico—brings them into each other’s orbit, drawn in by the group’s enigmatic leader, Malak Mamdouh, and the urge to do what is right.
But their problems may seem small in the broader context of their world, as tensions are rising with a neighboring nation that desires an end to weaving and weavers. As Nehal and Giorgina fight for their rights, the threat of war looms in the background, and the two women find themselves struggling to earn—and keep—a lasting freedom.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2023 Hadeer Elsbai (P)2023 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness in order to secure his reign over the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come true: to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only read about.
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A beautiful gay story
- By Isabel De Leon on 10-06-24
By: Allison Saft
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A Sorceress Comes to Call
- By: T. Kingfisher
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Jennifer Pickens
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.
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Brilliantly creepy
- By Joella Berkner on 08-14-24
By: T. Kingfisher
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Don't Let the Forest In
- By: CG Drews
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairy tales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more. But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve.
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Beautiful story but…
- By wheelchairmommy on 01-15-25
By: CG Drews
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The Last Hour Between Worlds
- By: Melissa Caruso
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Kembral Thorne has a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at the year-turning ball. But when guests start dropping dead, she can’t help sniffing out trouble—she’s a Hound, after all. Especially when her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is also on the prowl. Everyone knows you shouldn’t get involved with Echo games. Let alone one involving ancient Echo lords who can turn layers of reality into a gameboard with human lives for pieces. But as the ballroom grows stranger and more otherworldly, it’s clearly too late.
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Just Incredible
- By Gloria on 02-01-25
By: Melissa Caruso
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The Incandescent
- By: Emily Tesh
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Walden is good at her job—no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It’s her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it’s possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from—is herself.
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My favorite book of the year
- By lsrygl on 05-15-25
By: Emily Tesh
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The Witchstone
- By: Henry H. Neff
- Narrated by: Ramiz Monsef
- Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black monolith. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway.
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Clever and highly entertaining
- By Valerie Yanetta on 08-03-24
By: Henry H. Neff
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The Priory of the Orange Tree
- By: Samantha Shannon
- Narrated by: Liyah Summers
- Length: 25 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction - but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
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In a word, WOW
- By Kevin Potter on 03-09-19
By: Samantha Shannon
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The Ever King
- The Ever Seas, Book 1
- By: LJ Andrews
- Narrated by: Lucy Rivers, Will Thorne
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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For years, Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm. Until his enemy's daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge. She's innocent. He's vicious. He will take back what he lost, no matter the price. Unless she steals his heart first.
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Cute story but terribly distracting male narration
- By Allie on 07-07-24
By: LJ Andrews
This satifies both, and is a smart and entertaining story. It does a marvelous job of taking some characters that could easily be unlikable, and making you root for them.
A smart alternative fantasy
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amazing
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I cannot wait for book 2!
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I finished the second half in one sitting (well I was at work so I did have a reason to sit that long anyway).
About halfway through the story picks up momentum quickly. The foundations laid in the beginning pay off immensely, with a story that surprises and yet looking back feels inevitable. Given the cliff-hanger ending and the fact that this book was pitched as part of a duology, the slow start feels planned - there was more space for the foundation considering an entire next book picking up the self-same story.
The politics are handled very well. Different axes of oppression and control are explored and their connections to each other are examined. The juxtaposition of the oppression of weavers vs. the oppression of women provides for an interesting interrogation of the whys and hows of oppression and control. The understanding of different characters, their feelings and actions, displays an understanding of how these issues play out in the real world, and how to package them for consumption/thought for the audience.
While the weaving magic system does feel Heavily Inspired by bending, it eventually grows beyond its (potential? alleged?) inspiration. Placed in a vastly different context, it eventually feels unique to its world, with discussions that are grounded in the themes of the story. Magic feels Purposefuly to the story, not tacked on and provides a good metaphor for the power of control over one's self. As the main characters gain freedom within their lives, their weaving power grows. (minor spoiler alert rest of this paragraph) I'll be interested to see how blood-weaving in particular is treated; Nehal speaks out against the way that women are controlled, but relishes the ability to control others completely. That this is the power that manifests as she gains more control over herself is an intriguing twist.
I generally don't enjoy romance in my works of fiction, but it's handled well here. It doesn't feel like a B-plot wish fulfillment, but rather an important part of the story woven tightly to the motivations of the characters.
The reading performance is great. Clean and crisp enough I could listen at 1.5x speed with no comprehension issues, and the narrators imbue enough personality to feel it without overpowering the story itself.
Overall, it's a solid start to a duology. On its own, it has a somewhat overlong beginning and an unsatisfactory cliffhanger ending, but these are easily forgiven if the next book keeps up the newfound momentum, sound characterization and growth, and powerful political themes.
Slow Start, Better Finish
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