“If the best of the Old West and the coolest parts of Arabian Nights had a baby who then rebelled by going steampunk, the result would be this gem of a book.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
I haven’t read any YA in ages so when a local bookshop owner recommended Rebel of the Sands to me last week I couldn’t resist and I’m really glad I picked it up! I finished it last night and I’m only pleased to hear it’s part of a trilogy because I can’t get enough of the gutsy protagonist.
Fantasy fiction with a strong female read, Rebel of the Sands starts like a spaghetti western and the writing grabs you right away. I was three chapters in before I’d taken a breath and keen to read more. Forgot dystopian America or destroyed Britain, this feels like it’s set in ancient Persia and it’s beautifully written, you can almost feel the sand whipping up around your legs as you read.
It has all the perfect elements of YA fantasy, magic, suspense and a teeny bit of romance thrown in too. There are some breathtaking scenes, a few twists along the way, and of course a cause to fight for.
It’s Khaled Hosseini meets Harry Potter clashing with a steampunk Wild West along the way and it was hard to put down. I raced through it in record time, and probably missed some references that will be relevant in the later books, I certainly missed the clue to the twist even when it should have been quite obvious.
Bandits, gun power, the desert, trains, and an electrifying cause make Rebel of the Sands an exciting, rollicking read and with a good old dose of girl power thrown in, it’s the perfect read!
If you love Katniss, you’ll love Amani! I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy (Feb 2017)
Reviewed by:
Kath Cross
Added 29th January 2017
