Reviews with content warning for War - Rebel of the Sands

The desert kingdom of Miraji is ruled by mortals, yet mythical creatures still prowl the untamed wastes and there are rumors that djinni still practice their magic. However, Dustwalk, the hopeless village that Amani can't wait to leave, is neither mysterious nor magical.

Amani is relying on her accurate shooting to get her out of Dustwalk since she is doomed to end up married or dead. She believes Jin, a mysterious and breathtakingly attractive foreigner she meets at a shooting competition, will be the ideal means of escape. The fugitive who is sought for treason is with her as they leave the ruthless Sultan's army, but in all the years she had dreamed of escaping her house, she had never envisioned herself galloping away on a legendary horse. And she never would have imagined falling in love with him— or that he'd assist her in discovering the strong reality of who she truly is.

I adored this book so much. I was first hesitant to read it since reviews were either negative or positive. If you know me, you are aware of my fondness for a good folklore novel. I devoured this book, and I love that it has a ton of folklore.

I automatically picture a seventeen-year-old youngster who is unaware of their talents when I think of young adult fantasy. They must defeat the antagonist who has been scheming like a criminal ever since, and then, boom, betrayal trope, and blah, blah, blah. But I really like this book since it wasn't your standard cliched YA fantasy. I adore political fantasy books, and this one was firmly rooted in politics. It held my attention so well that it was difficult for me to put the book down.

I don’t think the writing was all that fantastic, but it was tolerable. There was clearly unevenness in the pace. At first, I recall thinking, "This is a slow book." However, after that, the pace quickened. This was actually a fantastic start for a first novel. I can't wait to read the following novel in the series.

Content Warnings

theespressoedition's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What an interesting story!

I read several reviews of this ahead of time to see if it was something along the lines of The Daevabad Trilogy or even The Sands of Arawiya. However, it really didn't feel anything like those books (aside from nods to Arabian lore with the Djinn) - and it seems everyone else who wrote a review agrees with me. This story is set in the desert, but doesn't feel like a "desert book" so much as a fantasy novel that happens to include a lot of sand.

The magic in the story was really interesting and I'd love to see it fleshed out a bit more in the sequel (at least, that's what I'm hoping happens). Aside from knowing that demdji are half-Djinn and half-human and have access to unique powers, there's really not a lot of additional information. Some of the characters make mention of the power coming from the heart or their mind, but I'd love to see a little more of a deep-dive into that. A girl can dream.

I was expecting there to be a heavier emphasis on the romance and there really wasn't, which was weirdly okay with me? Typically, I love a good romance, but this one was perfectly satisfying. There's chemistry between the characters without it being the front-and-center focus.

The beginnings of war was something that both confused me and worried me for the future of the series. First of all, I didn't understand the sultim and the many sons and the contest between them happening throughout the book's timeline. Secondly, I don't enjoy sequels that are filled with primarily political intrigue and war-planning. I'm hoping that's not the case moving forward, because it could wind up with me DNFing in the middle of the second book just based on that alone. My hope is that things will begin to make a little more sense and they won't slow down the pace of the plot.

I'm on the fence with how I feel about this. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. And then some of the time, I found myself really confused. But, I can't form a cohesive "review" until I've finished the series. So, more thoughts to come!

Content Warnings

imds's review against another edition

Go to review page

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

elsaemmalise's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

mypatronusisajedi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

More...