Title: The Trail of Lady Shajarah
Author: Dal Cecil Runo
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: July 23, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Length: 50 pages
Source: I received a free copy from the author.
Rating: 3 Stars
Blurb:
When Kideh Shajarah wakes to find her husband Naseem gone, she sets out alone across a vast and unfamiliar world. She searches in port towns and distant cities, meeting strangers who offer help and questions she cannot answer. With each step, the silence around Naseem’s disappearance grows heavier, and Kideh must face the uncertain path ahead, carrying the weight of loss she isn’t ready to name.
Content Warning: Earthquake and infertility.
Review:
Love is eternal.
Naseem and Kideh had a warm, loving relationship that was heartwarming to read about. This is common in the romance genre, of course, but this wasn’t exactly a romance which made those moments even more special. It’s not every day that characters in other genres have happy relationships to rely on during tough times. Honestly, I wish it happened more often as it was a refreshing change from the types of conflict between spouses that are often written about instead. Bravo to the author for pushing back against this trope and writing something a little out of the ordinary.
The vague ending made me feel as though I’d missed something important. This is something I’m saying as a reader who generally enjoys stories that can be interpreted in multiple ways. In this case, though I did find myself wishing for a more straightforward explanation of what was happening and whether or not Kideh’s journey was going to be a success. It was described so poetically that the plot was affected negatively in my opinion. I would have happily given a higher rating if this was not the case as the beginning was something that immediately pulled me into this character’s quest.
Some of my favorite passages were the ones that described the mythology that was building up around Kideh’s identity and what the people she met in cities and out in the desert believed she was doing. How one describes themself isn’t always the same as how someone else would describe them, so it’s fascinating to compare the two and see what they do and do not have in common. While I can’t go into a lot of detail on this topic for spoiler reasons, definitely pay close attention to these passages when you read them as they contain all sorts of important information about her character development later on.
The Trail of Lady Shajarah was interesting.