I really wanted to love this bc the first 2 books in this series were great, but it ended up not being as good as I was expecting 😔😔 However, it was still pretty good 💕 Definitely have mixed feelings on this!
“But even if the desert forgot a thousand and one of our stories, it was enough that they would tell of us at all. That long after our deaths, men and women sitting around a fire would hear that once, long ago, before we were all just stories, we lived.”
Hero at the Fall is the third and final book in the Rebel of the Sands series, following the explosive ending of Traitor to the Throne. I can't say much without spoiling, but this book does continue the rebellion as the rebels try and get control of the desert, aiming to defeat the villainous Sultan. There are new challenges for Amani, and she will have to put everything she loves on the line if she has any hope of defeating her enemies and finally securing peace.
“The Rebel Prince will rise again.
He will bring a new dawn. A new desert.”
I finished this book feeling quite conflicted about it. It's definitely not BAD and I can see why others would really enjoy it, but it just didn't quite fulfill my expectations 😒
Let's start with what I liked. As always, I really enjoyed Alwyn Hamilton's writing- it's super descriptive and easy to read, and I like the way she develops the world. I love the way she describes the desert, and the setting itself is very cool- exploring the desert kingdom of Miraji throughout this series has been very fun! 🥰🥰
The book was pretty action-packed, which I liked, and I was also a big fan of the ending. It wrapped the series really well and I liked how it tied everything together ✨
Moving on to what I think could've been better. Firstly, the book struggled to hold my attention at times. It did have a lot of action, and things were happening, but a lot of parts didn't interest me that much and I could feel my mind wandering. I can see why they were relevant to the plot for the most part, but they just struggled to keep me interested 🥲🥲
Also, both the characters and the romance felt a bit.... bland 😬😬 I liked Amani a lot in Rebel of the Sands and Traitor to the Throne- she was a pretty classic YA heroine, but she still super cool and easy to root for! However, for some reason, she just felt a bit personality-less in this book- was that just me?? Jin has always been a little boring to me and I left this book feeling pretty neutral about him 🤷♀️🤷♀️
As for the romance? Meh. It was fine and cute i guess, but there could've been a lot more chemistry and I just wasn't that invested. The ending with Amani and Jin was sweet tho 🥰
However, I can definitely attribute my lack of interest in some parts to it having been so long since I've read Traitor to the Throne (the 2nd book). I read that last year in May I think and so it's been a while. I definitely think that if I'd read this book closer to when I read that one I would've been a lot more interested in the story and just would've enjoyed this more overall.
“Once there was a boy from the sea who fell in love with a girl from the desert.
[...]
But he wondered if a boy from the sea and a girl from the desert could ever survive together. He feared that she might burn him alive or that he might drown her. Until finally he stopped fighting it and set himself on fire for her.”
Overall, a decent end to what has been a fun series. This wasn't my absolute favourite, but I do still see why others would really enjoy it and I still think it's pretty good. I would recommend this series if you want:
✔ A classic YA series
✔ Fun desert setting
✔ Easy to read writing
✔ Fierce female lead
It was a fun time! 🥰🥰
~ 3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoyed this 😃 It wasn't quite as good as I was expecting, but it was a decent read and a good ending to the series 🥰🥰
RTC!