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A review by keerbatchu
Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
5.0
It has been a long time since I took the time out of my life to finish a book in a single day. I finished Traitor to the Throne the day before and I just had to know how the series ended. I have seen so many first person female characters destroyed in the third book (Katniss, Tris etc.) and I was so worried that this would happen to Amani.
Alwyn Hamilton has managed to create a world of fire and magic, drawing you in with every word. The way she writes reminds me of the old storytellers of Persia weaving a tapestry out of fire and smoke, watching the sparks dance in the eyes of the listeners, enthralling us at every turn. It works extremely well, and her play with the 'legend says...' interludes is the best part of the book. It gives the readers a chance to question the truth, only to have it confirmed by Amani.
Not only is the world building extensively amazing, rivalling Leigh Bardugo's construction of her Grisha filled world, Hamilton's characters are flawed and human through and through, making you root for even characters you wouldn't have known long. In Six of Crows, the mythology of the Grisha was enough to draw the readers in, and the characters kept us (even though it still had that grim, black humour filled 3rd person narrative style that I'm not sure I like). Rebel of the Sands made the amazing choice of having a protagonist who cannot lie, which meant that we believed Amani every step of the way. We felt her ups, her downs, her doubts, her passions, her anger and her love. We saw her love for the foreign stranger, drinking in his words with her curiosity and giving all of herself to him. We saw her choose a sister at the edge of the world, choosing to save her instead. We saw the other Demdji's fears and struggles mirrored in her own eyes, and her reckless desire to keep everyone safe. Above all, we saw her grow into a leader willing to throw herself for a cause she believes in, for a Rebel Prince who can save her country.
The magic undercurrent in this series isn't just present in the Djinn powers running through Miraji, it is woven in the bonds between Amani and Jin, Delila, Ahmed, Rahim, Imin, Hala, Izz, Maz, Tamid and Sam. The consequences were never overplayed or downplayed, and the magic was never a deux ex machina swooping in to save the day. Traitor to the Throne was such an amazing sequel in that it set the Sultan up in Amani's (and our) minds as someone who may be right, and the palace politics as something that's not that bad, but then turns it around and solidifies our fear of the main villain. That's not something I have seen done in the second book of a trilogy in a LONG time.
Hero at the Fall was en emotional rollercoaster. I felt raw and hurt every time Amani faltered. I desperately wanted Ahmed and Shazad and Rahim to survive, they were such compelling and different characters. I felt the fire Amani and Jin had for each other, and the pang that came with wanting someone like Jin around. I felt the unbridled happiness of the twins, the easy jokes of Sam, the grief of loyalty of Hala and the quiet kindness of Imin. And every step of the way I felt Amani's thoughts, her confused wants and needs and her connection with the Man in the Mountain.
In all honesty, there were SO MANY different predictable outcomes I had envisioned in my head that it took all of me to not just skip ahead to have it confirmed, and I AM SO GLAD I WAITED AND READ. Except for the tent-scapade Amani and Jin had (still fanning myself btw), the book was filled with so many plot twists. This is a rare series that doesn't glorify war, doesn't glorify the ancient times and fills it with real crimes and consequences, subtly hinting when necessary and forcing us to bear the full force of it at other times.
I'm rambling at this point. I cannot believe we have come from a Blue-Eyed Bandit and the Foreign Stranger at the end of the world in a shooting contest to a full fledged Rebeliion. The ending was just perfect. Not too drawn out, just enough to keep our imaginations alive, and enough to soothe the pain of the previous few chapters.
All I know is that I'm glad the Foreign Prince who was cool as the sea set himself on fire and the Blue-Eyed Bandit who burnt like the sun drowned herself for him.
Alwyn Hamilton has managed to create a world of fire and magic, drawing you in with every word. The way she writes reminds me of the old storytellers of Persia weaving a tapestry out of fire and smoke, watching the sparks dance in the eyes of the listeners, enthralling us at every turn. It works extremely well, and her play with the 'legend says...' interludes is the best part of the book. It gives the readers a chance to question the truth, only to have it confirmed by Amani.
Not only is the world building extensively amazing, rivalling Leigh Bardugo's construction of her Grisha filled world, Hamilton's characters are flawed and human through and through, making you root for even characters you wouldn't have known long. In Six of Crows, the mythology of the Grisha was enough to draw the readers in, and the characters kept us (even though it still had that grim, black humour filled 3rd person narrative style that I'm not sure I like). Rebel of the Sands made the amazing choice of having a protagonist who cannot lie, which meant that we believed Amani every step of the way. We felt her ups, her downs, her doubts, her passions, her anger and her love. We saw her love for the foreign stranger, drinking in his words with her curiosity and giving all of herself to him. We saw her choose a sister at the edge of the world, choosing to save her instead. We saw the other Demdji's fears and struggles mirrored in her own eyes, and her reckless desire to keep everyone safe. Above all, we saw her grow into a leader willing to throw herself for a cause she believes in, for a Rebel Prince who can save her country.
The magic undercurrent in this series isn't just present in the Djinn powers running through Miraji, it is woven in the bonds between Amani and Jin, Delila, Ahmed, Rahim, Imin, Hala, Izz, Maz, Tamid and Sam. The consequences were never overplayed or downplayed, and the magic was never a deux ex machina swooping in to save the day. Traitor to the Throne was such an amazing sequel in that it set the Sultan up in Amani's (and our) minds as someone who may be right, and the palace politics as something that's not that bad, but then turns it around and solidifies our fear of the main villain. That's not something I have seen done in the second book of a trilogy in a LONG time.
Hero at the Fall was en emotional rollercoaster. I felt raw and hurt every time Amani faltered. I desperately wanted Ahmed and Shazad and Rahim to survive, they were such compelling and different characters. I felt the fire Amani and Jin had for each other, and the pang that came with wanting someone like Jin around. I felt the unbridled happiness of the twins, the easy jokes of Sam, the grief of loyalty of Hala and the quiet kindness of Imin. And every step of the way I felt Amani's thoughts, her confused wants and needs and her connection with the Man in the Mountain.
In all honesty, there were SO MANY different predictable outcomes I had envisioned in my head that it took all of me to not just skip ahead to have it confirmed, and I AM SO GLAD I WAITED AND READ. Except for the tent-scapade Amani and Jin had (still fanning myself btw), the book was filled with so many plot twists. This is a rare series that doesn't glorify war, doesn't glorify the ancient times and fills it with real crimes and consequences, subtly hinting when necessary and forcing us to bear the full force of it at other times.
I'm rambling at this point. I cannot believe we have come from a Blue-Eyed Bandit and the Foreign Stranger at the end of the world in a shooting contest to a full fledged Rebeliion. The ending was just perfect. Not too drawn out, just enough to keep our imaginations alive, and enough to soothe the pain of the previous few chapters.
All I know is that I'm glad the Foreign Prince who was cool as the sea set himself on fire and the Blue-Eyed Bandit who burnt like the sun drowned herself for him.