Waiting on Wednesday: (61)

Traitor to the Throne

Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands, #2

 Viking Books for Young Readers

Expected: March 7th, 2017

Description from GoodReads:

   Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she's fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne. 

   When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan's palace—she's determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she's a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she's been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.

Why I Want It:

   I read Rebel of the Sands in December 2016, and I completely adored it. I couldn't put it down, I stayed up into the late night just finishing the book. And so, I can not wait to see where Alwyn Hamilton takes us with the rest of the story, in Traitor to the Throne. Action, gun fights, djinni, and magic, what more could you want in a book?

  That's my Waiting on Wednesday this week! Will you be picking up Traitor to the Throne? What are you waiting on this week?

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