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
"The more I read Rebel of the Sands, the more agitated I feel. The aspects that make the MC the heroine hinge on tropes typical in Westerns. The setting that oppresses her is built on negative stereotypes of the Middle East." (https://twitter.com/wordrevel/status/962398302082809856)
"Then again, I’m 200 pages in, so there’s hope (?) things get better…" (https://twitter.com/wordrevel/status/962398547537674240)
The plot and storytelling did improve a little but that's about it. The cultural insensitivity due to lack of research continued to show. Also Rebel of the Sands lacked logic and character development, leading to romance without chemistry and perfunctory physical intimacy devoid of trust and emotional investment.
Pity, I had high hopes. I mean, with that kind of hype? I thought I'd read the first two books in the trilogy, then be ready for the third when it comes out in March. Not happening. I don't intend to read the sequels after all, and call this series a DNF.
