Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton is a YA novel about a girl, the desert, and the way the two intersect. I received the book in March's Uppercase box and read it in a few days. From Amazon:

"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.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power."

What I Loved: Amani is so strong and determined. You immediately root for her to get out of Dustwalk and I love how survival is her number one priority. Not to get too spoiler-y, but she drugs her love interest in order to escape. How many YA heroines would do that?! And she doesn't spend pages rethinking the decision or feeling guilt. It's clear that, while she is clearly not a morally bad person, she falls into that grey area that very few women in YA stories are allowed to occupy. 

And the world of Dustwalk and the surrounding desert is so well-envisioned, with little details that make it so easy to imagine. I had no trouble picturing the places Hamilton described or the items.

What I Didn't Like: To be honest, there wasn't much I didn't like. The supporting characters in the novel were good, the plot made sense, and the conclusion wasn't forced. It may have been a little abrupt, but that honestly just made me excited for the sequel.

If I was doing a rating system (which I promise I will eventually set up), I would give Rebel of the Sands 4 out of 5 stars.

Let me know what you think!

If you have any comments/questions/concerns, please feel free to email me at booksunderbed@gmail.com.