We first encounter Amani in disguise as a boy, entering a shooting contest which represents her ticket out of Dustwalk and away from a traumatic past and unpleasant future. Again, there is much real-life context to Amani’s determination not to join anyone’s harem, and the book presents the oppression of women and girls in a fashion which inspires anger on Amani’s behalf without appearing heavy-handed. Rebel of the Sands addresses this with a deftness of touch rather than being overburdened by its real-world connotations, the book gives you food for thought in using its context to craft a wholly believable fantasy world.Īnother area Hamilton navigates smoothly which often trips up other writers in this genre is in the discussion of gender roles. Hamilton skillfully avoids overloading her reader with made-up faerie species or exposition-heavy explanations of historical battles instead, she grounds her story in a very topical and familiar area, with the desert setting becoming the backdrop to a tyrannical Sultan committing atrocious acts against his own people. I’ve developed quite the obsession with this particular branch of YA writing, so I feel qualified to say it comes with very specific issues for example, the political machinations of faeries and silver-blooded princes can seem difficult to relate to. There were too many men with old ideas and new guns to say a word against the Sultan in the Last County.” – page 22 You’d have to be an idiot to shout your support of the Sultan’s rogue son. Everybody had heard the rallying cry of the Rebel Prince, but only in whispers.

Amani’s private struggle is set against a backdrop of political discord, power-hungry royals, and unfriendly supernatural forces. Forced to pose as a boy in order to earn her escape, Amani’s options are ever-decreasing as she is threatened with marriage to her uncle or someone equally unappealing.

Amani, the novel’s narrator, is sixteen years old and stuck in a dead-end desert town. Amongst the entertaining shoot-outs, chases, and witty repartee is some genuine conflict. So, what does Rebel of the Sands bring to the party? For one thing, Hamilton manages to combine drama, intrigue and good, old-fashioned fun in what can sometimes be a rather solemn genre. Maas’ two big franchises, with both A Court of Mist and Fury and the new Throne of Glass novel out in 2016. Fans of this genre are not short of options: the second in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword, came out in February, and there is considerable excitement about the upcoming latest installments in Sarah J. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (Faber and Faber, 2016) enters a crowded YA market the fantasy/dystopia genre is full-to-bursting with now-clichéd “strong female characters,” elements of magic, handsome princes, and rebellions.

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