Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands, #1)

by Alwyn Hamilton

The New York Times bestselling novel by the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut Author of 2016, published in 15 countries!

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.

A New York Times bestseller

Film rights optioned by Willow Smith 

Evokes such disparate influences – 1,001 Arabian Nights, Hindu lore, and Navajo myth, as well as, inevitably, the triumvirate of Tolkien, Lucas and Rowling.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Fans of Sarah Maas and Victoria Aveyard should give this one a try.” —VOYA

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

4 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This is more like.... 7 reasons you should read Rebel of the Sands immediately!


  1. That. Setting. Come on, is there a more on point setting that the desert crossed with the wild west and also magic horses that appear as if from nowhere?! If you weren't hooked before, you should be now!

  2. Road trip! What's better than a road trip, you ask? A desert road trip, with all kinds of baddies and perils along the way!

  3. Amani is badass, but not perfect. She's such a strong woman in a society where strong women (hell, all women) are treated like garbage. But she is willing to put it all out there for a chance at freedom. That said, she doesn't make perfect choices. In fact, she makes quite a few downright stupid ones. But she grows and learns, and isn't that what life is all about?

  4. Secondary characters are amazing- especially in the second half of the book! Without giving anything away, you will want these characters in your life! They are fabulous, and brought so much to the story- and enhanced Amani and Jin as characters too!

  5. Slow swoons for the win! I shipped it, obviously! Who wouldn't? They were competitors, and enemies, and reluctant friends, and eventually... there were feelings.

  6.  When an opening paragraph in a book is this good, you know the book is going to be awesome:
    "They said the only folks who belonged in Deadshot after dark were the ones who were up to no good. I wasn't up to no good. Then again, I wasn't exactly up to no bad neither."


  7. Because Evie made the most gorgeous stuff in her shop for it, and you want it and you need it but first you need to read the book to understand it!


So there you go, you buy the pretty and fabulous book, you read it, and then you can buy pretty and fabulous things to remind you of it until the sequel comes out- which, by the way, is entirely too far away for my taste!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 February, 2016: Finished reading
  • 25 February, 2016: Reviewed