Book Review: Rebel Of The Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Title: Rebel Of The Sands

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Magic

Series: Rebel Of The Sands #1

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

Format: E-book

Source: Bought

Publication Date: March 8th, 2016

 

 

Synopsis:

She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there’s nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can’t wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up “wed or dead,” Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she’d gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan’s army, with a fugitive who’s wanted for treason. And she’d never have predicted she’d fall in love with him… or that he’d help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

This book has everything! Desert, magic, rebellion, romance, guns, tattooed guys and headstrong heroines!

PLOT

This book was the perfect mix of western and Arabian. The writing is apt for a book set in the Middle East. Because I expect the language to be really rich when a book is set in the Middle East. And Hamilton gave me what I was looking for. The world was beautifully described and there was so much to discover.I loved the travelling and every other place I got to see. The overall plot was interesting and kept me hooked. However, I was a little surprised and disappointed that the Rebel Prince didn’t play a huge role in the book. I am looking forward to seeing more of him in the sequel.

Pace

The book was a fast read and every chapter always ended in a way that made me want to read more. What is it with authors not letting us sleep? And obviously, I barely got any sleep that night. The writing was engaging and hooked me in from the get-go. However, in the beginning, it did feel a little slow but the pace increased very quickly.

Character

I loved both the MC’s Amani and Jin. As good as they were as a team, they were equally good as individuals. The characters were very well fleshed out and I instantly fell in love with them both. The romance, though! Gosh, it was such a slow burn. But it’s written really well, in my opinion. Jin and Amani were so adorable! There was so much  banter, wit, snarky comments and a lot of heat between these two! I couldn’t get enough of them! I am officially a shipping them ❤ I did from the very start of the book! There were scenes, where I just couldn’t handle their cuteness 😀

The side characters were also very interesting. Even though there were quite a few of them, I connected with a few of instantly. I really want to know more about them in the next book.

For a debut novel, this was very very good! 

Do I recommend it? Yes, please!

Plot: 4.3/5

Characters: 4.8/5

Pace: 4.5/5

Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Have you read the book?

What rating did you give it? 

Let me know in the comments below!