Race the Sands

“National Velvet
with monsters and a big helping of palace intrigue, Race the Sands is
monstrous (literally), heartwarming, and empowering in equal measure. An
incredibly fun and inspiring read.” – Katherine Arden, New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale In this epic standalone fantasy, the acclaimed author of the Queens of Renthia series introduces an imaginative new world in which a pair of strong and determined women risk their lives battling injustice, corruption, and deadly enemies in their quest to become monster racing champions. Life, death, and rebirth—in
Becar, who you are in this life will determine your next life. Yet there is
hope—you can change your destiny with the choices you make. But for the darkest
individuals, there is no redemption: you come back as a kehok, a monster, and
are doomed to be a kehok for the rest of time. Unless you can win the
Races.
After a celebrated career as an elite kehok rider, Tamra
became a professional trainer. Then a tragic
accident shattered her confidence, damaged her reputation, and left her nearly
broke. Now, she needs the prize money to prevent the local temple from taking
her daughter away from her, and that means she must once again find a winning
kehok . . . and a rider willing to trust her.
Raia is desperate to get
away from her domineering family and cruel fiancé. As a kehok rider, she could
earn enough to buy her freedom. But she needs a first-rate trainer.
Impressed by the inexperienced
young woman's determination, Tamra hires Raia and pairs her with a strange new
kehok with the potential to win—if he can be tamed. But in this sport, if you
forget you're riding on the back of a monster, you die. Tamra and Raia will
work harder than they ever thought possible to win the deadly Becaran Races—and
in the process, discover what makes this particular kehok so special.

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Spellshop, as well as over twenty-five fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including the Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and Spark. She has won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat.