4.5 stars. I enjoyed this, and its sequel, so much! I loved the Western theme of it, but set in the Middle East too. I also found the protagonist to be totally enthralling.

An incredible debut novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed. This was a beautiful ans captivating story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

It’s beautifully written but just not for me. I can see exactly why it is so loved but I struggled with the fantasy elements

I have no interest in this series.

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Did I like this one, or did i not? I am a bit of in a love and hate relationship with this book. Maybe because i am not in the mood for a title in this book's category or it's just that it really wasn't for me. The beginning had me intrigued, glued even. But after several pages, I did not know what happened. I got bored. The hype that surrounded this book made me read it, I guess hype doesn't always live to one's expectations. What I appreciate is its originality, and the diversity. Diverse books will always have plus points you know. Well if its a well-written one. AND THE ROMACE! A bit sudden but I loved how it was written.

Overall. I liked ROTS, but I just did not love it. Maybe I'll read it again some other time

I will say this, I absolutely loved this book! So freaking shiz good! I mean, a badass heroine who can shoot and a rebellion to overthrow the king? Sign me up! Secret identities and djinni magic just add to the charm of the story. I loved it so much! This is such an amazing, amazing, amazing story & it’s so well written!

What I love about this story the most is definitely the MC, Amani. She is AMAZE. Yes, all caps! She’s daring and adventurous and just all round awesome. I love that she can be so impulsive but still think things through. She cares for those few people who are close to her and she does her best to do right by them, but she isn’t always successful. She makes mistakes and then repents over them. Some make it hard for her to move on. But, she gives it her all and takes all the things thrown at her in stride. She is so incredibly brave and she repeatedly stands up for what is right that it just makes me admire her. She is definitely one of the strongest female MCs I’ve come across and I love her!

Next up, Jin, the love interest. He is equally badass. He rushes in at the end moment and saves the day, more than once. But, he’s got secrets, like all good male love interests are known to have. He has a lot of heart though. I love that about him. Even after Amani leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no money, no means to get away from there and taking one of his very priced possessions, he helps her because he understands her motivations. He doesn’t hold her actions against her even though he has every right to do so. He’s dedicated to his cause and he gambles his life for it, more than once. He is very loyal and dedicated. He puts family above all else. I really love that about him. He’s a really, really good character and I really like him.

The romance! Holy mother of slow burn! Gosh! It was so good. I mean, so very, very, very good. I started shipping these two kids almost immediately and gahhhh! They’re so cute together! And they’ve got so much sass! Man, they were so sassy with each other, especially in the beginning, it totally made them shippable, right off the bat. They’re just really awesome together and I loved them, okay?

The plot of this story is absolutely awesome. I love me some rebellion and this one has it in heaps. Though, in many ways, this book is only laying groundwork so that the actual story can pick up in the next book, it’s very well done, unlike some other books. *cough* ACOTAR *cough* But, seriously, this one is just an introduction for us to get ready for what’s coming and majority of the story is just telling us about the world and the political situation so that we know what’s happening. The action starts only in the last 20% of the book. Yes, there are many dangerous and daunting incidents before that and many brave rescues and kickass fights, but compared to the end, they just felt like a taste of what’s to come. The world building was absolutely strong in this one. I loved that the most about this book.

Now, what I didn’t like. The blatant sexism, for one. I mean, we read a 1000 times about how things would be different (read: easier) if Amani was a boy. She actually poses as a boy for almost 50 – 60% of the book because of course, if people find out that a girl is such a good shot, it will be the end of the world. I hate that. So much! I mean, it’s fantasy! You build a whole world from scratch and give it history and mythology and whatnot, but you make it sexist. Why?

Also, of the two big reveals in this one, I totally called the first one just a few chapters in. I mean, it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but there were huge signs pointing to it right from the beginning of the story and that made the actual reveal kind of anti climactic. But, it was a little different from what I was expecting so that was nice.

Also, there is this one chapter of the book about 30% in where Amani did something that I really abhorred. I get that she was stuck in a tight place, but the act was pretty horrid and I just couldn’t bring myself to forgive her for a long time after that happened.

All in all, though, this was one kickass story and I absolutely loved it! So very, very, very good! I cannot wait to start the second one! 😀

All in all, this was pretty darn good. I certainly didn't want to put it down. It has an intense and fast pace that keeps the pages turning and I was actually okay with our lead girl and her attitude (no special snowflake here). She's a strong, leading girl that understands choices and that sometimes you make crazy ones because you are no other way out. That doesn't make those choices wrong; they just are what they are.

Setting
I loved the Arabian setting and the feel and context given to the desert. As though it's a living breathing thing. Desert is a distinctly unique environment in that it's habitable for a short period of time. Where water is uninhabitable and most of is very habitable; desert is not unlike the Arctic in that you can survive but you will need supplies because it's mostly a barren wasteland. I hope that the kinds of sentiments, mirages and other things in the desert are truthful. I certainly felt like descriptions and sentiments helped me understand desert living a little better.

Djinn
I know a little about Djinn. A mythological creature that appears in many Indian or Middle Eastern stories. They are cunning, not quite good or bad, and often have great magical powers. I loved the use of these creatures, and the unique twist on the lore and ability to bring magic into the story that Alwyn Hamilton uses. It's nice that we start out the book with a tiny bit of the desert magic and by the end it's full blown magic everywhere. I liked this because it allowed me to learn about the Djinn and learn to understand them as the story unfolded.

Step by Step
Hamilton has done something in Rebel of the Sands that all good fantasy authors understand and utilize well; she has built up the world around us from the eyes of our lead gal and brought in elements slowly. If you ever read Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule then you know what I mean. It's a genius way to bring a complex world that is very unknown (to most) and to slowly introduce factors like values, religion, magic and eventually the politics we all crave. Because, lets face it, politics what starts wars and makes our characters lives interesting.
This step by step introduction helped me feel a part of the desert world I am very unfamiliar with.

The Romantic Interest
I can't believe I'm going to say this... but I love Jinn. Just for being himself. And I don't mean in the fangirl, omg I want to marry him way, I mean I love him as a person. He's complex, troubled, and above all else, realistic. He's not perfect and he's not immediately in love with our lead gal (thank goodness!!). Romance and relationships are complex and if nothing else Hamilton has established this to be true.
An absolute A+ for character development and not writing a love troope fantasy novel like everyone seems inclined to do today.

So why only give 4 stars?
Sounds like I really enjoyed the Rebel of the Sands right? Which is true I did. It was a fun, entertaining read. But... it was missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, and maybe it's that I didn't quite connect with our lead gal all the time, but something was missing. Unlike recent reads like Cinder, I wasn't immediately drawn to our gal and was very reluctant to put all my faith in her.
One could argue this is a good thing; but in the end it felt like something was off and it's the only thing I can identify that I didn't love. So I'm going with the theory that the lead gal needed to be more likeable (if that even makes sense).

Overall
I would definitely recommend this book to YA fantasy story lovers. I would buy it for someone as I think there's a lot to love here.
And as with many YA novels, if this was a girls first foray into the genre she'd likely think it's the most amazing book ever. As with nothing to compare it to (like the flooded market of fantasy YA out there these days) I could see this being a favourite of a teen.
So pick it up and read it. If only so you can experience the sand and desert setting.

I didn't connect with this story and realized after a couple of weeks that I wasn't interested in this story anymore. I didn't like the people in the story. I found the story too romantic for my taste. So I stopped reading this book...

This book was so interesting and I really enjoyed it. Set across different places with such a wonderful main character that we followed. There was the feature of mythology which I felt was a lovely addition to the story.

Oooh, this is a pretty book. Look at the oh-so-Instagrammable cover! The dust jacket alone was enough to make me want to read it. Luckily enough, the story was pretty good too. Bonus points for looking great on a bookshelf.

Rebel of the Sands is written like a western but set in alternative universe that feels like a magical version of the middle east. The desert setting, real life spirits and mercenary characters add to the Arabian Nights feel to make the premise of the novel totally unique. The story involves Amani, a young girl living in the backwater desert town of Dustwalk. Unaware of her father and with a mother who was killed by the authorities, Amani is a rebellious tomboy whose lightning fast reflexes make her handy with a gun. Her main aim in life is to leave her repressed existence behind by saving enough to get on the first train to the big city – and never look back. When she dresses up as a man to enter the town shooting competition she encounters a mysterious stranger and their unlikely friendship leads to a magical, terrifying and life changing adventure.

I really enjoyed the magical realism in this book. The desert is depicted as a mysterious place where spirits roam free and magic can be practiced by a lucky few. Sometimes I find that in certain books the ratio of magic to realism is too unbalanced and the storyline descends into the ridiculous but in Rebel of the Sands the magical elements were cohesive and weren’t used to simply get characters out of otherwise impossible situations (a pet hate of mine). These supernatural elements were seamlessly woven into the storyline and helped to create a truly evocative story. If you’re old enough to remember the Fry’s Turkish Delight advert then that’s exactly the kind of feel that is created (if you don’t know what I’m on about – Google it).

The storyline was very fast paced and had so many twists and turns that it was hard to guess what was going to happen next. The main character, Amani, had a number of difficult decisions to make, some of which were really heart wrenching. I loved her braveness and ability to beat the men at their own game and I really enjoyed her relationship with Jin, as there was just the right amount of will-they-won’t-they romance to add another interesting angle to the story. There was plenty of action, drama and suspense as Amani and Jim become embroiled in a political war and although it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was on which side their constant ability to evade the authorities kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

The book ended with very little resolved so I’m guessing it’s part of a wider storyline. However, it still had a clearly defined start, middle and end so it could be satisfactorily read as a stand alone – although I definitely want to find out what happens next!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspenseful fantasy, particularly if they find the idea of a fantasy western an intriguing idea.

Fast-paced, 3D characters and magic, This is everything I love about fiction. The world-building was so good that I found I didn't want to leave it when I finished the book.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Well I really bloody liked this book- strong characters, very strong world building, and above all a non-western setting. Amani is such a badass gal which I am 100% about. And her relationship with Jin was very back and forth and had quality healthy banter so I feel a good solid ship coming on.

I was pretty hooked from the get go, though there was a lot of confusion the whole way through as setting and characters were only half explained or brought in with little background or introduction. If you can get past that though, this is such a quality opener in the trilogy.

Very keen to get the next book- absolutely shattered because I was accepted to review the next book in the trilogy however it was taken off NetGalley the very next day so I am unable to read and review it!! Very unhappy, however this may mean I'll just have to actually buy the books in physical form.

“Shazad was easily the most beautiful girl I’d ever met in my life, and when she smiled with all her teeth she looked like the most dangerous one, too”.

I started off with a quote about my favourite Rebel of the Sands character, Shazad, who was easily the best part of the book for me. Brave, smart, skilled in battle, beautiful and loyal, she was a character I found myself instantly drawn to.

I wish Shazad could make up for every issue I had with this book. Unfortunately, this was not the case. So bear with me while I go through all the reasons that made me either like or dislike this book.

So, this is probably going to be my most critical review so far, in a sense that I am not willing to overlook neither its negative nor its positive aspects in order to come up with a very positive or very negative review. Rebel of the Sands is made equally of good and bad elements and this is what this review is all about.

Our story follows Amani, a young girl who’s lived in the desert her entire life, desperate to leave in order to escape an arranged marriage forced upon her and follow the plan she and her mother had come up with: go to Izman and leave this place behind. She ends up leaving with a mysterious foreigner called Jin and the two travel across the desert together while all sorts of wild and unimaginable things happen. During the course of the book and Amani and Jin’s journey the mythology and the setting of the book are explored and explained, allowing the readers to get to know mythical creatures like the djinnis.

So far, so good; the story sounds exciting, the mythology is a very interesting one, and the chemistry between the characters is very real and very palpable. The – easy to spot – romance is a very well-written one; both characters are likeable, their relationship develops naturally and beautifully, without taking too much away from the action-packed story. Hamilton’s writing is very compelling, easily drawing you to her characters and their adventures, pulling you into a world of magic and mythical creatures.

And here come the issues within the story; while the story’s mythology is very well explored and developed, the world setting isn’t. The world of Rebel of the Sands is a world based on the Middle East. Or, more accurately, on how a white Westerner imagines the Middle East looks like. “There were only two things we had too much of: sand and guns”. Is this an actual sentence of the book or a Fox News headline? I’ll let you guess.

Hamilton’s “depiction” of the Middle East is not only inaccurate; it is a harmful, insulting misconception, a reduction of its culture and religion and its people to a violent stereotype. Now, I am not naive and I am not ignorant. I do know that there are many things wrong with how countries in the Middle East view human rights; but reducing the entire region to just that is a very insulting narrative. Also, the religion depicted in the book is one that I imagine is based on Islam; with a variety of misconceptions following that depiction as well. I don’t know if that was the author’s choice – to deviate from the islamic religion in that way – or if it was an honest mistake, but whatever the case, it doesn’t make it any less troublesome.

Overall, I did enjoy the Rebel of the Sands, but its misrepresentation of the Middle East put me off and made me uncomfortable and mad many times. However, it was Hamilton’s debut novel, so I am willing to give its sequel a chance to see if she has developed as a writer and if she has disposed of negative ideas and stereotypes.

**A digital ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review **

Rebel of the Sands makes for an entertaining read, with interesting characters and a great plot. I loved the two mains and the relationship they built through the book, as well as the mythological aspect of the story.

This is a book I had heard about from everyone and so I was thrilled to get reading and it delivered on every front. It had action, drama, and even hints of romance. It was such an original young adult read which ended up being nothing like I had read up to that point. I think that was partially to the unique take on the djinn and what that meant for people and their abilities. It was also the setting, though. It wasn't a romanticised desert setting but a harsh world which people struggled to survive in. It was done in such a way that you understood why it was so harsh and you got the motivation of the characters for wanting more.

I just really enjoyed every element of it and highly anticipate the next book in the series.

I liked this book. Having said that, I didn't mega love it because to me it felt like it lacked in some areas. Even though the pace is really good, I felt like it lacked depth. Story wise and romance wise. I was expecting more drama and action than a lot of description. It wasn't that the description is massive, but I felt like it was a tad too much. Plus I tend to not like stories with poligamy because they get me so confused as to who's who and all the bloodlines.

Now, what I did and do LOVE is the fact that the romance is not taken to a whole other level. I love clean romance, so I do appreciate the fact that it didn't get to that turning point. Even more because the story doesn't allow it at this point (for me till after marriage, but talking from the general public's perspective) . Loved that.

Oh and let me mention the fact that both main characters are not too bad to the eye. ;)

Looking forward to book two and where the story goes!

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it like I wanted to. I'd been anticipating it for a long time and maybe that was to my detriment because although I enjoyed it, it did fall just a little flat. I found the main character Armani likable but at times frustrating and a bit bland. I felt the romance wasn't built as much as I would have liked it to have been. The pace was a little slow for my liking but with it being the first in a new fantasy it's not something that surprises me.

I did enjoy this, I loved the world, the imagery in my head was vivid and I will say the descriptions in this book help to really make you see and almost at time hear and feel what the characters do. The history, rumors and stories that build up this world and what the character know and learn along the way was intriguing and would be enough to pick up the second book. I did enjoy the writing, the descriptions were at times beautiful and the dialog was humorous.

It's not something that would first come to mind if someone asked for a recommendation but wouldn't deter them from reading it. An enjoyable, quick read, great foundation, just need a little more nurturing for me but, I'm interested to read the second book and see if things change and where the story goes.

I had a bit of a slow start with this one. When first hearing of the story I thought oh man everything I love! Djinn, magic, westerns - such an intriguing and curious combo. And though the first half was a little on the slow side for me, towards the end I started to get more and more engrossed, so much so that I am very keen to start the second book!

* This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley. *


“I believe money and guns get you a lot further in a war than magic these days.”

This book really exceeded my expectations as it was a really enjoyable read and that once I started it, I read it in two sittings. It is rather short but the author has a captivating writing and managed to set an amazing world-building, the characters were finely drawn, complex and layered and the relationships were gradual and felt real. The magic is nicely brought up, gradually, piece by piece, enough to make us dive into it without being overwhelmed by new information. This book was action packed but with a perfect pacing, and the opening chapter was so great I was immediately caught in my reading.

The book starts with 16 years-old Amani Al'Hiza disguised as a boy and ready to take part in a gun shooting competition. At this competition, she meets Jin, a mysterious stranger who is also a skilled shooter and who helped her escape once things got out of hand. She strongly needs to win that competition to have enough money to escape Dustwalk, her desolate home-town and her flee her abusive aunt, uncle and cousins who treat her like dirt. Her dream is to finally be able to start a new life in Izman, the city that she and her recently-passed-away-mother used to dream about all the time. She has been saving everything that she can but now she is running out of time as her repulsive uncle decided that he wanted to marry her.

“Haven't you ever wanted something so bad that it becomes more than a want? I need to get out of this town. I need it like I need to breathe.”

I really admired Amani, she wasn’t the regular heroin, the one that needs to help everyone and anyone. She understands that in the desert everyone, especially girls, need to take care of themselves. I loved the Mulan vibe she gave me. She fights for what she believes in and not necessarily for what is right or expected from her, I liked that she wasn’t afraid to be selfish when her safety was at stake. She is fierce and stubborn but never helpless; she took care of herself from cover to cover, never relying on anyone but herself, defying these stereotypes we often see on books so well that she earned her place right to my book crush characters.

The setting was truly amazing, the mythical creatures were nicely incorporate in the story, we were discovering the outside world alongside Amani, seeing it through her naïve eyes. The whole world and mythology created by the author were outstanding. I dreamt about those wild sand horses as they really represent Amani’s personality to me, her need to escape, to run free. I also loved the Demdji (half-breeds of human and djinni) and the fact that they each had different abilities, a magical gift and different marks coming from their Djinni part. The story also adds up dangerous creature as desert spirits, ghouls and skinwalkers that are evil shape shifters sneaking in ones house at night to eat everyone in it.

Hamilton also created a complex political background with empires, sultans, generals, and rebel princes, with alliances, rebellion, scheming and betrayal. All those lead to epic desert battles with guns or magic. The fact that they had the Sultan’s army on their heels for most of the book was really entertaining and made me anguish to know what would happen next.

“Jin had told me once there was no arguing against belief. It was a foreign language to logic.”

Now let’s speak about Jin, the mysterious stranger, and mysterious he is indeed. He is charming and secretive and winds up being the way out Amani has hoped for so long, so she decided to take her chance with him. However, he is on the run, wanted by the sultan and by following him, Amani became wanted as well hence the army chasing them. I liked them together, they are an amazing fighting team and their relationship started as a friendship which is the best and the most believable. No love at first sight, just the desperate need to save themselves. Their relationship was raw and true, with passion and anger. When their interactions turned to romance, it didn’t take the upper hand on the story, it was subtle and enjoyable.

The side characters were as well executed as the main ones. Each had different personalities and backgrounds stories, they weren’t rushed and I really admired that in Hamilton’s writing. I didn’t see most of the plot coming, I was always surprised and on the edge of my seat. The ending was something different but in a good way. No cliff hanger here. I actually had to check on GR if the book had a sequel because the ending was kind of an achievement but still had many unanswered questions. It could have been the end of it, but I’m glad there will be more to the story.

Now there are two points that bugged me in this book, the first one being that at some point in the second part of the book, I felt like Amani lost some of her personality. Moreover, I would have liked more about what it actually felt like living in this world. I needed more descriptions about the senses, the taste of food, the smell of the air, the sound of the wind, the sight of the cities, the feeling of the hot sand… But I’m confident that both those points can be improved in the next instalment, I really see potential in Alwyn Hamilton writing skills and I look forward to continue my reading of this series.