The Silver Kingdom

Lovers of romantasy will find lots they’ll adore in Radiya Hafiza’s debut YA novel The Silver Kingdom, but, drawing on Bangladesh history and steeped in South Asian culture, it’s a rich, rewarding read for anyone. It tells of two young people, Zayd and Layla, narrative switching between them, both heirs to neighbouring sultanates and both with key roles to play in their countries’ struggles for safety and independence, whatever their own desires and wishes. Their first meeting could hardly be less auspicious: Zayd discovers Layla in his rooms – she’s a guest at the palace and lost – and holds a sword to her throat. But as they see more of one another, they are increasingly drawn to one another, though both are betrothed to others, their forthcoming marriages designed to strengthen political alliances. Zayd’s family are kind and loving, Layla’s mother – her father is dead – the complete opposite. The Sultana of Sawan is as cruel to her daughter as she is to her people, a ruthless, ambitious sovereign willing to do anything to maintain her hold and increase her power. It seems unlikely that Zayd and Layla can ever even tell each other how they feel, let alone act on it, and there’s an added complication: Zayd has been poisoned and is slowly dying, his only hope to find a mage with the magical power to heal him, and mages now live in hiding following persecution by the kingdoms’ rulers. The tale of love versus duty, war, political manoeuvrings and magic, plays out in a world of Mughal-inspired palaces and gardens, with food, clothes, weapons,scenery and culture that of the author’s Bangladeshi heritage. The setting is an enormous part of the book’s appeal, though the back and forth, will-they-can-they romance between its star-crossed lovers another pleasure. If the romance feels a little drawn out at times – and surely Layla could occasionally say something nice to Zayd – the political intrigue and sense of impending war heighten the tension, as does the ticking clock of Zayd’s illness. This is a clever, well-plotted romance and political thriller with fascinating echoes of the rise and fall of past empires.