Rebel of the Sands
Alwyn Hamilton
2016, 314 pages
Fantasy
Amani is an orphan, a teenager, a girl and – a dead shot. She is scheming on how to get out of Dustwalk, the grim, dead-end town on the edge of a desert. To make money she disguises herself and enters sharpshooting contests. She’s a loner, and plans to stay that way.
But then she meets the handsome rebel named Jin, who is on the run from the Sultan’s army, and something changes. She starts to worry about someone other than herself.
This story is full of magical creatures like horses that are conjured out of sand, and treacherous creatures that can change shapes. It’s a cross between the Wild West and the Arabian Nights with a little steampunk thrown in. And a little bit of romance, too.
Amani has to discover some deeply hidden secrets about the desert nation of Miraji, and about herself. I was intrigued by her character. One possibility for the title was “More Gunpowder than Girl,” and I think I like that one better. She is tough, and seems made of gunpower. But that’s not all there is to Amani, not by a long, ah, shot!
This was a very different book than what I usually read, but I really liked it!
Robbin Bailey
Concord Public Library
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