Book Review: 'Rebel Of The Sands: Book 3 - Hero At The Fall' by Alwyn Hamilton

Amani Al'Hiza, aka the Blue Eyed Bandit, and the band of rebels, or what's left of them after the events of the previous book, 'Traitor To The Throne', must travel to the mythical city of Eremot to rescue the Rebel Prince Ahmed and the other rebels imprisoned there, and then rally against the brutal Sultan of Miraji in order to take back the city of Izman and unite the country.

If you're unfamiliar with the world of "Rebel Of The Sands', think of it as the Wild West meets the Arabian Nights, which to be honest, was a major attraction for me. I liked the mix of both cultures in this world, bringing some of the gunslinger action as well as the Middle Eastern magic and mysticism, although this book is more magic and mystical than western than the previous books. With the characters having to deal with issues like religious customs and traditions clashing with progression and modernising, it made for an expansive and more believable world, which I enjoyed revisiting again.

It was good to go back to the main characters of the series again, and by the end, see just how much they had changed over the course of the books. I felt that Amani had changed the most over the trilogy of books; from the selfish, confident swagger when we first meet her in the first book, to what she's become now after the shattering events of the second book, someone who has to overcome her self doubts and needs to believe in herself and those around her a bit more. Considering what she had to go through throughout the books, the events would definitely change a person. It was also interesting to see how she coped with the changes in herself as well as in everybody and everything around her.

'Hero At The Fall' by Alwyn Hamilton is a solid story, full of action and adventure in the desert sands. It does hit some of the familiar YA beats along the way too, making some parts predictable at times, but despite that, there was enough twists and turns to keep me invested in the story and characters until the last page.

It's a good series too, and after the dip in pace of the second book, when Amani was captive in the Sultan's harem, it was back up to speed again as it raced to the conclusion.

Book Review: 'Rebel Of The Sands: Book 2 - Traitor To The Throne' by Alwyn Hamilton

I enjoyed the first book in this series and looked forward to reading the second, 'Traitor To The Throne'.

And it's a good read, once again told in the first person perspective of Amani, the main protagonist of the series, a Demdji - half human, half djinn - with powers to control the sands and also known as the Blue-eyed Bandit, after her brilliant blue eyes, courtesy of her Demdji heritage, and her, well, banditry and proficiency with a pistol. She's still the smart mouth, risk taker from the first book, but she also matures a bit over the course of the story.

But it was a bit of a slow burn to get going for me, until we get to the Sultan's Palace. Then it's all about the intrigue and politics of the hierarchy of the Palace and the harem as Amani starts to uncover the machinations of the Sultan's plans for the country he holds power over, despite her being under his control and stripped of her Demdji ability to control the sands. There are a few twists and turns that keep the story going and, being the second book in the trilogy, the inevitable set up for the third book. Which of course, goes straight into my To Read list!

As Amani is holed up in the Sultan's harem for the majority of the book, the book is more slower paced and the majority of the characters we were introduced to in the first book, 'Rebel Of The Sands', are relegated to the back seat. But when we do meet them, they are still enjoyable, from Jin, Shazad, Ahmed and others. But we're also introduced to new characters, finally meeting The Sultan, as well as Rahim, Leyla, Kadir, Ayet, Sam and more, with each playing their parts and adding to the story really well.

I also like the Arabic / Persian inspired setting too. I love the old 'Sinbad' movies and 'Traitor To The Throne' certainly conjures up scenes from those films.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Soneela Nankani, and I really liked her narration. She brought Amani to vivid life, so much so that it felt like Amani herself was telling the story.

Although I don't read much of them, it seems like a typical YA novel, with a bit of romance and adventure all mixed in together, with some good characters and a decent setting. If you enjoyed the first book, I'd recommend continuing on with the second in the series.

****/5