Title: Rebel of the Sands

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Viking Books

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 314

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic.  For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three.  She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

Review:

This book was a pleasant surprise. I thought I would enjoy it, as it’s a highly rated young adult fantasy book, but I really liked it! The characters, the pacing, the plot development, the twists!! Every aspect came together really well!!

The main character, Amani, is a strong and beautiful character that is dreaming of a better life! She wants to leave the place she grew up and head to a big city where she thinks it won’t matter that she is a female, or an orphan! Her journey eventually leads her to meeting some very interesting characters, and she even learns some startling details about herself and her past! I also loved that she is a great shot, with a lot of skill with a handgun! She is presented as a strong female role model and I love that about her and about this book!

Other characters are well developed as well, and the other character, Jin, was fun in the sense as there is a certain air of mystery surrounding him!

I really want to read the next book to see what happens and where the rebellion leads to!

Happy reading!