Book Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Release Date: March 8th, 2016
Read: December 25th-26th, 2016
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Series: Rebel of the Sands, #1
Format: Hardcover, 314 pages
Source: MYRCA, for Review

Description from 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.

Review:

   A new dawn, a new desert.

   I first heard of Rebel of the Sands around the same time everyone else did, it really wasn't until I learned that the author was/is Canadian that the book finally peaked my interest. I would have picked it up eventually since my friend was really excited for it's release, but that little fact actually bumped it up on my TBR pile.
   I can be a sucker when it comes to YA western books, and that's definitely the vibe I got when I first started Rebel of the Sands. It made the book all that sweeter when reading it, then there were the Djinni, another thing I'm a sucker for, mythical creatures. Between the two, I knew I was going to be in for a good book. I wasn't wrong, the book was a perfect blend of the two. The only problem I had with the creatures was that in the introduction to the book, Hamilton made it sound as if there were tons of different kinds of mystical creatures, but we only really encountered or heard about 4 of them. Hopefully in the sequel, we will be able to see more of them.
   Alongside the creatures we were also able to experience a rebellion, and princes fighting for the throne. Of course, over the last couple years there have been many YA novels with that theme, but unlike the others the western feel to the book shake things up. With shoot outs, robbing trains and even the lack of respect for woman, think Back to the Future 3.
   Rebel of the Sands was a unique new read for everything to enjoy, Traitor to the Throne, the sequel to Rebel of the Sands releases March 7th, 2017, and I will not be waiting a minute to pick up a copy.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"The desert didn't let weakness win."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Rebellions, Djinni, Deserts, Lost Princes, Westerns, Guns