Sarah Bryant combines elements of adventure, love, treachery and mystery in SAND DAUGHTER, a compelling novel that takes place in the Middle East near the end of the 12th century during the Crusades. Khalidah, a 16-year-old daughter of a Bedouin sheikh has little choice when it comes to marrying her cousin, but a warning of danger from a minstrel named Sulayman sends the two fleeing on horseback into the night on an adventure. While traveling, Khalidah learned more about her mother who came from the Jinn, a warrior race mostly known from legend. Brekhna left when Khalidah was small, but the girl can still piece together bits of her childhood.

The story follows Khalidah and Sulayman as well as the experiences of her childhood friend, Bilal who ends up in the Sultan's army before the battle against the foreigners whom he plans to oust from Jerusalem once and for all. The tale explores various relationships, both likely and unlikely--that have the lives of the main characters criss-crossing in myriad ways. In addition to Khalidah and Bilal, Bryant introduces us to some of the Jinn, the Sultan and his sons as well as foreigners including members of the Knights Templar and Count Tripoli. She carefully illustrates various points of view, but the fight for Jerusalem comes down to different beliefs and one piece of land. For some, only one religion is right, while others wonder if it isn't possible to live and let live, respecting each other's beliefs but acknowledging that all are individuals. The question arises too as to how much of religion is faith and how much is symbology.

Bryant moves easily from viewpoint to viewpoint, leaving readers precariously hanging between each, so we're eager to get back to each storyline. The only part of the book that dragged a little for me was actual battle scenes. The reward of Bryant's lyrical prose compensates for this minor complaint. She brings both people and landscapes to life from the emptiness of the desert to the harsh beauty of the mountain crags to the precarious marshes and salt desert to the lush paradise of the Jinn's homeland and the awe-inspiring miracle of night changing into day.

"Overhead the sky was still dark and strewn with stars, but a rim of brightness ran along the horizon, as if night were a lid on the world and day fought to break the seal."

Fans of historical fiction will devour this tale and those who enjoy romance and mystery will find SAND DAUGHTER worth a look as well. Bryant adds a touch of mysticism to appeal to fantasy lovers as well. Overall, it's a book that has something for everyone.