"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."
Who would I recommend this for?
I would recommend this book for those that have enjoyed Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury, The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
I am honestly really surprised with how I ended up feeling with this book by the end of it. I have been DYING to read this book since it came out in March and I finally got a chance to read it this weekend! :) BUT I am a little disappointed, because I felt like there was something just kind of missing with it. I loved the excerpt (the first 3 chapters) that I read and I overall enjoyed the first half of the book, which pretty much leaves the second half of the book that really kind of threw it off for me.
The first half of the book was great with Amani and Jin. Amani's smart-mouth is hilarious and reminds me of myself, a normal girl. She is just like any other girl would be in her situation. She has a little bit of an attitude, she doesn't want people telling her what to do or who to marry, and she wants more to life. These are all traits that I believe are relatable.
Also, I enjoy the mysteriousness around Jin. He is portrayed as this mysterious foreigner in the beginning of the book. Amani and myself, as the reader, do not really know how to feel about Jin, what his motives are, or who he really is. Yet, he still has moments where his character and personality break through and we learn more about him.
The overall world created in Rebel of Sands is interesting and really kind of fascinating. Even after I have finished the book, I am still really kind of fascinated to learn more of the world that is created. Jin talks to Amani about some of the other countries and places that he has visited and are foreign to Amani. This is a short conversation, but it provides enough information to make myself and Amani curious. Hamilton is really great at describing and creating all of the different characters, creatures, and continents. All of the characters are unique and different.
So, what is holding me back from falling absolutely in love and head over heels with this book??? There is a point in the book, I don't really want to give too much information or spoilers away, where there is shift in direction. Literally, where Jin and Amani shift their travel direction and it changes the rest of the book, in my opinion. Also, at this point the pace of the book changes. The pace of the plot sped up. I think the change of pace and the information that is revealed, really kind of changed the progression of the book. As a reader, I was really kind of caught of guard and actually took a moment to look up from the book and ponder what was left of the book and what might happen. After this shift, everything fell into place really fast and almost came across as a plot/data dump. I wanted to scream at the book, "WHOA! HOLD ON! LET ME ENJOY THE REST OF THE BOOK!" This made me question if there will be a sequel. By the way, the book does not end with a cliff hanger like you would expect it to have, if there were to be sequel.
I have found out since finishing the book that the book is actually part of a trilogy. So, yes! There will be a sequel! I am excited to read the sequel! I really do like Jin, Amani, and the world that Hamilton has created. If I were able to spend more time enjoying a slower progression of the plot and possibly a hint of what is going to happen in the sequel, then I probably would have given the book 4 stars. I am curious where Hamilton is going to be going with the rest of the series, but I guess we shall see! :)
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