4.5 stars. I enjoyed this, and its sequel, so much! I loved the Western theme of it, but set in the Middle East too. I also found the protagonist to be totally enthralling.

An incredible debut novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed. This was a beautiful ans captivating story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke.  For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title.  I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

It’s beautifully written but just not for me. I can see exactly why it is so loved but I struggled with the fantasy elements

I have no interest in this series.

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DNFed this book because I became uninterested in it and yeah, it's been 3 years and I still can't get into it. But I've heard good things so you should look at reviews from other readers :)

Did I like this one, or did i not? I am a bit of in a love and hate relationship with this book. Maybe because i am not in the mood for a title in this book's category or it's just that it really wasn't for me. The beginning had me intrigued, glued even. But after several pages, I did not know what happened. I got bored. The hype that surrounded this book made me read it, I guess hype doesn't always live to one's expectations. What I appreciate is its originality, and the diversity. Diverse books will always have plus points you know. Well if its a well-written one. AND THE ROMACE! A bit sudden but I loved how it was written. 

Overall. I liked ROTS, but I just did not love it. Maybe I'll read it again some other time

I will say this, I absolutely loved this book! So freaking shiz good! I mean, a badass heroine who can shoot and a rebellion to overthrow the king? Sign me up! Secret identities and djinni magic just add to the charm of the story. I loved it so much! This is such an amazing, amazing, amazing story & it’s so well written!

What I love about this story the most is definitely the MC, Amani. She is AMAZE. Yes, all caps! She’s daring and adventurous and just all round awesome. I love that she can be so impulsive but still think things through. She cares for those few people who are close to her and she does her best to do right by them, but she isn’t always successful. She makes mistakes and then repents over them. Some make it hard for her to move on. But, she gives it her all and takes all the things thrown at her in stride. She is so incredibly brave and she repeatedly stands up for what is right that it just makes me admire her. She is definitely one of the strongest female MCs I’ve come across and I love her!

Next up, Jin, the love interest. He is equally badass. He rushes in at the end moment and saves the day, more than once. But, he’s got secrets, like all good male love interests are known to have. He has a lot of heart though. I love that about him. Even after Amani leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no money, no means to get away from there and taking one of his very priced possessions, he helps her because he understands her motivations. He doesn’t hold her actions against her even though he has every right to do so. He’s dedicated to his cause and he gambles his life for it, more than once. He is very loyal and dedicated. He puts family above all else. I really love that about him. He’s a really, really good character and I really like him.

The romance! Holy mother of slow burn! Gosh! It was so good. I mean, so very, very, very good. I started shipping these two kids almost immediately and gahhhh! They’re so cute together! And they’ve got so much sass! Man, they were so sassy with each other, especially in the beginning, it totally made them shippable, right off the bat. They’re just really awesome together and I loved them, okay?

The plot of this story is absolutely awesome. I love me some rebellion and this one has it in heaps. Though, in many ways, this book is only laying groundwork so that the actual story can pick up in the next book, it’s very well done, unlike some other books. *cough* ACOTAR *cough* But, seriously, this one is just an introduction for us to get ready for what’s coming and majority of the story is just telling us about the world and the political situation so that we know what’s happening. The action starts only in the last 20% of the book. Yes, there are many dangerous and daunting incidents before that and many brave rescues and kickass fights, but compared to the end, they just felt like a taste of what’s to come. The world building was absolutely strong in this one. I loved that the most about this book.

Now, what I didn’t like. The blatant sexism, for one. I mean, we read a 1000 times about how things would be different (read: easier) if Amani was a boy. She actually poses as a boy for almost 50 – 60% of the book because of course, if people find out that a girl is such a good shot, it will be the end of the world. I hate that. So much! I mean, it’s fantasy! You build a whole world from scratch and give it history and mythology and whatnot, but you make it sexist. Why?

Also, of the two big reveals in this one, I totally called the first one just a few chapters in. I mean, it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but there were huge signs pointing to it right from the beginning of the story and that made the actual reveal kind of anti climactic. But, it was a little different from what I was expecting so that was nice.

Also, there is this one chapter of the book about 30% in where Amani did something that I really abhorred. I get that she was stuck in a tight place, but the act was pretty horrid and I just couldn’t bring myself to forgive her for a long time after that happened.

All in all, though, this was one kickass story and I absolutely loved it! So very, very, very good! I cannot wait to start the second one! 😀

All in all, this was pretty darn good. I certainly didn't want to put it down. It has an intense and fast pace that keeps the pages turning and I was actually okay with our lead girl and her attitude (no special snowflake here). She's a strong, leading girl that understands choices and that sometimes you make crazy ones because you are no other way out. That doesn't make those choices wrong; they just are what they are. 

Setting
I loved the Arabian setting and the feel and context given to the desert. As though it's a living breathing thing. Desert is a distinctly unique environment in that it's habitable for a short period of time. Where water is uninhabitable and most of is very habitable; desert is not unlike the Arctic in that you can survive but you will need supplies because it's mostly a barren wasteland. I hope that the kinds of sentiments, mirages and other things in the desert are truthful. I certainly felt like descriptions and sentiments helped me understand desert living a little better. 

Djinn
I know a little about Djinn. A mythological creature that appears in many Indian or Middle Eastern stories. They are cunning, not quite good or bad, and often have great magical powers. I loved the use of these creatures, and the unique twist on the lore and ability to bring magic into the story that Alwyn Hamilton uses. It's nice that we start out the book with a tiny bit of the desert magic and by the end it's full blown magic everywhere. I liked this because it allowed me to learn about the Djinn and learn to understand them as the story unfolded. 

Step by Step
Hamilton has done something in Rebel of the Sands that all good fantasy authors understand and utilize well; she has built up the world around us from the eyes of our lead gal and brought in elements slowly. If you ever read Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule then you know what I mean. It's a genius way to bring a complex world that is very unknown (to most) and to slowly introduce factors like values, religion, magic and eventually the politics we all crave. Because, lets face it, politics what starts wars and makes our characters lives interesting. 
This step by step introduction helped me feel a part of the desert world I am very unfamiliar with. 

The Romantic Interest
I can't believe I'm going to say this... but I love Jinn. Just for being himself. And I don't mean in the fangirl, omg I want to marry him way, I mean I love him as a person. He's complex, troubled, and above all else, realistic. He's not perfect and he's not immediately in love with our lead gal (thank goodness!!). Romance and relationships are complex and if nothing else Hamilton has established this to be true. 
An absolute A+ for character development and not writing a love troope fantasy novel like everyone seems inclined to do today. 

So why only give 4 stars?
Sounds like I really enjoyed the Rebel of the Sands right? Which is true I did. It was a fun, entertaining read. But... it was missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, and maybe it's that I didn't quite connect with our lead gal all the time, but something was missing. Unlike recent reads like Cinder, I wasn't immediately drawn to our gal and was very reluctant to put all my faith in her. 
One could argue this is a good thing; but in the end it felt like something was off and it's the only thing I can identify that I didn't love. So I'm going with the theory that the lead gal needed to be more likeable (if that even makes sense). 

Overall
I would definitely recommend this book to YA fantasy story lovers. I would buy it for someone as I think there's a lot to love here. 
And as with many YA novels, if this was a girls first foray into the genre she'd likely think it's the most amazing book ever. As with nothing to compare it to (like the flooded market of fantasy YA out there these days) I could see this being a favourite of a teen. 
So pick it up and read it. If only so you can experience the sand and desert setting.

I didn't connect with this story and realized after a couple of weeks that I wasn't interested in this story anymore. I didn't like the people in the story. I found the story too romantic for my taste. So I stopped reading this book...

This book was so interesting and I really enjoyed it. Set across different places with such a wonderful main character that we followed. There was the feature of mythology which I felt was a lovely addition to the story.

Everyone who follows book releases or is even remotely in touch with the online book community will have heard of Rebel of the Sands. I mean this was released the beginning of last year and there’s STILL talk about it. With the sequel just recently released (okay maybe not recently, but March is recent enough for me!) Rebel of the Sands was available to request on Netgalley and I just couldn’t help it!

I’ll just start by saying it’s probably not my favourite YA release and I’m deffo not reading the sequel. To keep my frustrated thoughts as coherent as possible I’ll just bullet point why:

I tried to go into this story knowing as least as possible, all I knew was that it had a middle-eastern setting (the cover kind of hints at that!) and there was magic involved. SO I wasn’t really prepared for the western concept, and I don’t think I could’ve. I don’t personally think the Western thing worked, being Moroccan means I am VERY familiar with middle-eastern culture and a lot of the aspects for me, just clashed. I tried to read it objectively, but the saloon style setting and the first scene including a shoot out , it just didn’t feel right to me.
Actually, now thinking about it, that was my main problem with this book. Everything else was just a vague blur, the main character didn’t really stand out to me, neither did the world building. It was all just a bit bland.

This is exactly why I steer away from hyped YA books. Obviously not all of them disappoint but it’s becoming hard to manage expectations when reading them. I just didn’t think that this book stood out, it went for typical YA tropes and just didn’t give me enough to have me interested in the sequel.

I really thought I was going to love this book, but I just didn't.
Set down in a magical Middle East and centering around a young woman destined to flee the Dustwalk by utilizing her shooting skills, I thought I was onto a winner, but my expectations fell a little short and I was really disappointed. A great plot was let down in part I think, due to the flat nature of the authors prose, and the incredible lack of excitement that stretches out across the entire novel. I toyed with the idea of DNFing this one on a multitude of occasions but stuck it out until the end - a decision I regretted on the turn of the last page. Not for me I'm afraid.

Oooh, this is a pretty book. Look at the oh-so-Instagrammable cover! The dust jacket alone was enough to make me want to read it. Luckily enough, the story was pretty good too. Bonus points for looking great on a bookshelf.

Rebel of the Sands is written like a western but set in alternative universe that feels like a magical version of the middle east. The desert setting, real life spirits and mercenary characters add to the Arabian Nights feel to make the premise of the novel totally unique. The story involves Amani, a young girl living in the backwater desert town of Dustwalk. Unaware of her father and with a mother who was killed by the authorities, Amani is a rebellious tomboy whose lightning fast reflexes make her handy with a gun. Her main aim in life is to leave her repressed existence behind by saving enough to get on the first train to the big city – and never look back. When she dresses up as a man to enter the town shooting competition she encounters a mysterious stranger and their unlikely friendship leads to a magical, terrifying and life changing adventure.

I really enjoyed the magical realism in this book. The desert is depicted as a mysterious place where spirits roam free and magic can be practiced by a lucky few. Sometimes I find that in certain books the ratio of magic to realism is too unbalanced and the storyline descends into the ridiculous but in Rebel of the Sands the magical elements were cohesive and weren’t used to simply get characters out of otherwise impossible situations (a pet hate of mine). These supernatural elements were seamlessly woven into the storyline and helped to create a truly evocative story. If you’re old enough to remember the Fry’s Turkish Delight advert then that’s exactly the kind of feel that is created (if you don’t know what I’m on about – Google it).

The storyline was very fast paced and had so many twists and turns that it was hard to guess what was going to happen next. The main character, Amani, had a number of difficult decisions to make, some of which were really heart wrenching. I loved her braveness and ability to beat the men at their own game and I really enjoyed her relationship with Jin, as there was just the right amount of will-they-won’t-they romance to add another interesting angle to the story. There was plenty of action, drama and suspense as Amani and Jim become embroiled in a political war and although it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was on which side their constant ability to evade the authorities kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

The book ended with very little resolved so I’m guessing it’s part of a wider storyline. However, it still had a clearly defined start, middle and end so it could be satisfactorily read as a stand alone – although I definitely want to find out what happens next!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspenseful fantasy, particularly if they find the idea of a fantasy western an intriguing idea.

I absolutely loved this book; I couldn't put it down.

The main character Amina was so thrilling and just adventurous. I loved reading from her point of view. The storyline of how she was trapped, just because she was a woman, was so frustrating. however seeing how she had so much ambition and just pure DRIVE to leave and do what she always wanted to do, left a good feeling.

Jin's character is after my own heart for sure.

There is a lot of twists and turns in this novel and i loved it. it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

i am looking forward to reading the next instalment.

Fast-paced, 3D characters and magic, This is everything I love about fiction. The world-building was so good that I found I didn't want to leave it when I finished the book.

I loved this! It was a completely unique world, magical with a touch of the wild west. The mythology was interesting and I loved the combination of ancient magic and gods with modern technology like guns. Amani was a great protagonist, strong and flawed and captivating. I really wanted to see how she would change over the story, and wasn't disappointed.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Well I really bloody liked this book- strong characters, very strong world building, and above all a non-western setting. Amani is such a badass gal which I am 100% about. And her relationship with Jin was very back and forth and had quality healthy banter so I feel a good solid ship coming on.

I was pretty hooked from the get go, though there was a lot of confusion the whole way through as setting and characters were only half explained or brought in with little background or introduction. If you can get past that though, this is such a quality opener in the trilogy. 

Very keen to get the next book- absolutely shattered because I was accepted to review the next book in the trilogy however it was taken off NetGalley the very next day so I am unable to read and review it!! Very unhappy, however this may mean I'll just have to actually buy the books in physical form.

“Shazad was easily the most beautiful girl I’d ever met in my life, and when she smiled with all her teeth she looked like the most dangerous one, too”.

I started off with a quote about my favourite Rebel of the Sands character, Shazad, who was easily the best part of the book for me. Brave, smart, skilled in battle, beautiful and loyal, she was a character I found myself instantly drawn to.

I wish Shazad could make up for every issue I had with this book. Unfortunately, this was not the case. So bear with me while I go through all the reasons that made me either like or dislike this book.

So, this is probably going to be my most critical review so far, in a sense that I am not willing to overlook neither its negative nor its positive aspects in order to come up with a very positive or very negative review. Rebel of the Sands is made equally of good and bad elements and this is what this review is all about.

Our story follows Amani, a young girl who’s lived in the desert her entire life, desperate to leave in order to escape an arranged marriage forced upon her and follow the plan she and her mother had come up with: go to Izman and leave this place behind. She ends up leaving with a mysterious foreigner called Jin and the two travel across the desert together while all sorts of wild and unimaginable things happen. During the course of the book and Amani and Jin’s journey the mythology and the setting of the book are explored and explained, allowing the readers to get to know mythical creatures like the djinnis.

So far, so good; the story sounds exciting, the mythology is a very interesting one, and the chemistry between the characters is very real and very palpable. The – easy to spot – romance is a very well-written one; both characters are likeable, their relationship develops naturally and beautifully, without taking too much away from the action-packed story. Hamilton’s writing is very compelling, easily drawing you to her characters and their adventures, pulling you into a world of magic and mythical creatures.

And here come the issues within the story; while the story’s mythology is very well explored and developed, the world setting isn’t. The world of Rebel of the Sands is a world based on the Middle East. Or, more accurately, on how a white Westerner imagines the Middle East looks like. “There were only two things we had too much of: sand and guns”. Is this an actual sentence of the book or a Fox News headline? I’ll let you guess.

Hamilton’s “depiction” of the Middle East is not only inaccurate; it is a harmful, insulting misconception, a reduction of its culture and religion and its people to a violent stereotype. Now, I am not naive and I am not ignorant. I do know that there are many things wrong with how countries in the Middle East view human rights; but reducing the entire region to just that is a very insulting narrative. Also, the religion depicted in the book is one that I imagine is based on Islam; with a variety of misconceptions following that depiction as well. I don’t know if that was the author’s choice – to deviate from the islamic religion in that way – or if it was an honest mistake, but whatever the case, it doesn’t make it any less troublesome.

Overall, I did enjoy the Rebel of the Sands, but its misrepresentation of the Middle East put me off and made me uncomfortable and mad many times. However, it was Hamilton’s debut novel, so I am willing to give its sequel a chance to see if she has developed as a writer and if she has disposed of negative ideas and stereotypes.

**A digital ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review **