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Rebel of the Sands
What's it about? "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." - Goodreads Synopsis
My Thoughts:
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." - Goodreads Synopsis
I picked this book up because I wanted to read it for the Perustopia Book Club this month! I was definitely not expecting this book to be this good! It was so good and I felt like it was so different from anything else I had read, and not just because of the setting being a desert. The writing was fantastic. It did not capture me as much as other books have, and some parts seemed a bit like filler, hence the 4 star review. However. The romance between Jin and Amani has to be one of my all time favorite just because of how far they had both come from their beginnings, and the fact that they grew together so realistically.
(*SPOILERS*)
I didn't really believe (or just found it silly) that Amani had no idea that she was a Demdji. If I realized I was so significantly different from everyone else, I would have questioned that a very, very long time ago. But that's a minor detail.
I loved how the story unraveled by becoming one of the legends that Amani had heard at such a young age. I knew that ghouls and skinwalkers would eventually make appearances, but unfortunately for me they didn't add much to the story. I'm attributing that to me not being a massive fantasy lover, or just nothing living up to Lord of the Rings...
I will say that the story of Ahmed was incredible. I assumed that Jin was a prince, but I had no idea that he was going to be Ahmed's brother. That was a really fun plot twist and I have a feeling that Jin and Amani's adventures with Ahmed and his "army" are only going to get better. I loved the different characters that we met along the way, especially because each person was significant to the group. I cannot wait for the second book in this series!
I give Rebel of the Sands 4 stars!
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