Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands, #1) in Read With Sammy

Jan 29, 2016 Sammy Talbot rated it it was amazing

So if you follow me over on Instagram you may have seen me plugging the little book club that I started on Instagram/Facebook/Goodreads called Read With Sammy. For the month of April we chose to read Rebel of the Sands together and I AM SO GLAD THAT WE DID BECAUSE I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

I have to admit, this book was originally a cover buy for me. I picked it up within the first week of its release and I honestly didn’t even look into what it was about. My reaction was ‘YA book with an awesome cover So if you follow me over on Instagram you may have seen me plugging the little book club that I started on Instagram/Facebook/Goodreads called Read With Sammy. For the month of April we chose to read Rebel of the Sands together and I AM SO GLAD THAT WE DID BECAUSE I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

I have to admit, this book was originally a cover buy for me. I picked it up within the first week of its release and I honestly didn’t even look into what it was about. My reaction was ‘YA book with an awesome cover? I need it’… so I bought it.

‘She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.’

This is a young adult fantasy novel with a bit of a Western/Arabian vibe. So, if you like a good action adventure story with a bit of romance between your characters, then this book is definitely for you.

Amani lives in Dustwalk, a desert mining town, and she wants to get the hickity-heck out of there. She enters herself into a shooting competition disguised as a boy, and hopes to use the prize money to get herself out of town. Stuff happens, her plans are changed, and the next thing she knows she’s galloping across the desert on a mythical horse with a handsome fugitive.

The story had me gripped from the first chapter, and I indulged myself in the world and read the entire book in one sitting. A lot of unladylike noises were made whilst reading this, and I received many questionable looks from my partner as he sat next to me. I couldn’t help myself – the story had my pulse racing! I closed the book and sulked for a good ten minutes after finishing it because I realised I would have to wait a year for the sequel.

When I picked the book up off my TBR shelf and flipped it over to the blurb I did cringe a little bit at the romance plug: “And she’d never have predicted she’d fall in love with him…or that he’d help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.”
I absolutely HATE books with insta-love and unrealistic romances, and when books advertise a romance in the blurb i’m generally disappointed. However, this book proved me wrong! The romance was a beautiful part of the story and the chemistry between the two main characters bubbled and built over the course of the story. By the end of the book the author had me swooning, gushing and crying all at the same time, and it’s been a while since a story had me feeling that way!

I really enjoyed the writing style, and the pace of the story, and even though the world building was rich I didn’t feel bogged down reading it? (I’m not sure if anyone will understand what I mean when I say that though haha). There were some parts in the plot that fell a little short for me, but I am hoping that those will be brought into the next book and built upon. Overall I thought this to be a beautifully unique and creative start to a new fantasy series, and it’s definitely sparked a curiosity for middle-eastern inspired fiction.

And HOLY SHOOTING DUCK BUMS THIS IS A DEBUT NOVEL?!? I am so excited to see where Alwyn Hamilton takes this series, and will definitely be picking up the next installment. *crosses fingers for another pretty cover*

Have you read Rebel of the Sands yet? What did you think of it? ...more

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Apr 09, 2016 sambk rated it really liked it

THIS BOOK ENDED ON THE MOST ANNOYING CLIFF HANGER. And now I have to wait another year until I can continue this amazing series! I loved all the people and loved the plot with all its twists and turns! I just LOVED this book! Defiantly a must read for all YA lovers!

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Apr 18, 2016 Jonne rated it it was amazing

Can the second book please come now? I want to know what happens next!

Amani. Shazad. Jin. Love them!

To be honest though, the beginning almost wasn't enough to pull me in but I pushed through and thank god I did. Things started getting really interesting like halfway through to the end. This book is yet another case of greedy, unjust ruler and a rebellious group fighting to unseat said ruler but I still can't wait to read more, who knows maybe this series will surprise us and be better than the o ...more

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Apr 08, 2016 Anita rated it really liked it

I actually give this 4.5 stars. The book is interesting and full of action and adventure. The only negative thing I might say about it is that there were moments when it seemed a little rushed in places, like it could have been fleshed out more. Overall though, I'm thoroughly pleased I picked this up, and look forward to more work by this author. ...more

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Apr 09, 2016 Demi rated it it was amazing

Let me think about this review. I love the story from the first page till the last one. Damn it was such a good book. Amani is such a strong female character en I felt in love with Jin and the chemistry between them. Jin is a mysterious boy but you'll learn so much more about him and. Rebel of the Sands is a book about friendship, betrayal, ghouls, rebels and a lot of sand. (lol) I guess this is one of my favorite books I read in 2016. ...more

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Mar 27, 2016 Abby rated it really liked it

Not what I was expecting when I picked it up, but exactly what I needed.

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Mar 01, 2016 Tato Lè martín rated it it was amazing

Well, I am happy I decided to read on through. This book was amazing!

~ Review to come soon ~

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Apr 08, 2016 Krysty K rated it it was amazing

I struggled with this book in the beginning. It has action and intriguing characters but it took about half of the book before I started to feel this. I read this for a book club and I'm honestly glad that I did. I probably would not have read this on my own otherwise. By the end of this book I was definitely glad I read it. I loved the action at the end and all of the story reveals. I was starting to feel like everything was dry as the desert, but then an oasis appeared revealing all that I hop ...more

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Apr 17, 2016 Winter Benson rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. A totally different concept than I've ever read before. I appreciate that it isn't set in a North America-like place, as that's getting old fast.

I like the different creatures and the different powers that each person might have.

Apparently there will be a second. I look forward to it. ...more

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Apr 10, 2016 Vickie D rated it really liked it

I am surprised how much I enjoyed this book as it is not a genre that I usually read. Alwyn Hamilton has a wonderful writing style and I love her character development. This is an intriguing story full of magic, grit and a bit of romance.

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