This book has a rough start. It's one thing for the main character to be confused. It's another for the reader to be confused. Once Adom showed up, I pretty much skipped like 20 pages because they didn't make sense and nothing happened in the story. I was tempted to dnf because who wants to deal with a confusing book but I decided to at least give it long enough for something to happen.
Spoiler alert: nothing happens until at least halfway through the book.
Reason #2 to almost dnf: frequent use of “mayhap.” 🤦🏻♀️ Also it needs another editing pass since there's words missing in sentences here and there.
But I did finish reading Embrace of Shadows. There is almost no story in it. There are scenes and encounters but it's not until Sef shows up, that anything remotely begins to happen. Even though Salma has no memory things should happen. There should be a hint of a larger story. She retains memories created in the book so it should start to feel substantive at some point.
Except that it doesn't. There's one scene for each day (generally with Zahara where they get into some sort of trouble but there is no lingering consequences or impact to the narrative), then Adom “rescues" Salma or reprimands her (where again there is no resonance from the scene into later scenes or anything that matters in the events), then it's time for dinner where Adom and Salma flirt or argue and then she runs to her room for the night.
It's only two-thirds of the way through when Sef starts explaining things, where anything feels like it matters and there's a hint of an actual story. Then shortly after there's the climax where the story really gets going. Then the book is over.
It doesn't end on a cliffhanger so much as the book stops in the “middle” of what little story has gotten started. It's a good way to get readers to at least start the next book (and then perhaps dnf if nothing continues to happen) but it doesn't make for a good story.