Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

 

  Image Description: Three covers above. Each have a teenage girl completely covered in black, desert garbs, her face hidden except for piercing blue eyes. The first has her striding ahead with fire and embers at her back. The second has her standing on a ledge with a large bow and arrow with a Arabian-esque ivory city in the distance. The third cover as the same girl falling with her hands stretched out in a attack pose across the landscape of a city. 

"MORE GUNFIRE THAN GIRL"

Recently I was chatting it up with a friend online who was explaining her RP story/character on a steampunk sim on Secondlife and it went a little like this -

Friend - "She's part Djinn, you see...and its like western --"

Me - "WAIT, OMG OMG - I KNOW A BOOK SERIES YOU'D LOVEEE!!!"

The next day she tags me in a post saying that she has bought all three in hardback in expectation that they'll be awesome. And she was absolutely right. Because Rebel of the Sands is an awesome trilogy. Epic, even. Actually - absolutely epic. And then I realized I had never fully reviewed or talked about this series. I read it earlier this year and never, ever posted about it. So..here I am, now posting about this epic trilogy.

Put a strange blue-eyed girl with serious determination into a world part western, part Arabian Nights, part steampunk - with Djinn in the mix and a couple of rebel princes to boot...and you get Rebel of the Sands. Alwyn Hamilton (Hamilton) creates a world built from things from our world that you don't think should fit together but does when she's finished world building. And at the heart of this story in this world is Amani - always and it's through her eyes that we journey through the world and experience all the things that her world has to offer (or not offer, lol). She's poor, orphaned, and her Uncle-by-Marriage/Guardian is thinking of marrying her himself instead of marrying her off to a local douchebag. She's been practicing her gunfire in the desert and she's preparing, waiting, planning to get the hell out of dodge when it all goes kablooey and she's forced to leave her dead, desert town but not in the ways that she had planned. Amani is all fire and I love the analogy that's perpetuated through her physical self and her emotional self. Her world is cool and calculating but also complete and utter explosive fire. She's surrounded by characters - friends, loves, enemies, family - that play with that enhance that fire. 

Oh, the characters you'll meet in Meraji...there's rebel princes, a troublesome cousin that just POPS UP OUT OF NOWHERE when you least expect it, and Djinn who either care not at all or too much but you seriously can't tell at all until YOU KNOW. (I feel so young and fangirl-ish right now typing this up. It's awesome. I love it, lol). A disabled character! Long-lost family members. A general who is a woman. A young, beautiful woman who gave up a life of luxury and nobility to fight for her country!!! She does both, guys!!! I LOVE WHEN THEY DO BOTH. I could go on but I don't want to give away too much and I think, with this trilogy, that the punches and surprises should be experienced with out anyone having a hint about them beforehand.

Something that I really appreciated about Hamilton's character development of Amani is that she becomes more 'herself' than she was in the previous books. More strong, more determined, more badass, more wise, more wild. However, her moniker 'The Blue-Eyed Bandit' (not a big spoiler, they slap that on her in the first chapter of the first boo, lol) follows her through out the series. And, as I've read the entire series, I've come to the conclusion that it was a statement of prophecy as it was a statement of truth. She was the Blue-Eyed Bandit her entire life. And she would always be the Blue-Eyed Bandit because it's her authentic, original self. When she wears the mantel of other titles - she's still the 'Blue-Eyed Bandit' and she only becomes more certain of this, more powerful in that truth as the story goes on. 

Oh, oh and last but not least - speaking of the 'Blue-Eyed Bandit' -  cue up the 'legend' shout out! Hamilton weaves in a side-study of the power of storytelling, legends, and the truth that remains behind them that ultimately assists in the tie up of the end of the trilogy. Amani's world is a place of legends but behind those legends is truth. And what is that truth? And what about the legends the 'Blue-Eyed Bandit' is making with her crew of rebels? I like when writers do that - when they make you think a little while giving you a great damn story with a great damn character. 

I completely understand if no one does what my friend did and goes out to buy the hardback trilogy in completion based on my ramblings (Don't be afraid to though - if you're so inclined!) - but, I seriously do encourage you to go out and find the first book and start the journey. Go, go, go now! Read the story about the girl who was more gunfire than girl her friends and her loves that became legends and stories in a land of legends and stories. 

Until next time,

Jess