Alwyn Hamilton’s debut fantasy book, Rebel of the Sands, deserves 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The main character, Amani, has grown up with a gun in her hand and the desert sun in her eyes. She’s always dreamed of leaving her home, Dustwalk, so when a foreign fugitive, Jin, shows up and saves her life, she demands he take her with him. During their travels, Amani begins to discover secrets about her home and becomes determined to find out the truth about the Rebel Prince everyone’s talking about.

Even though this book is set in the desert, it’s anything but dry. Amani is a well defined character who has a strong headed personality and quick witted tongue. It’s admittedly funny when her sarcasm gets her and Jin into deeper trouble. As the duo travel deeper in the desert, the plot intensifies as it focuses more on the Rebel Prince and his uprising.

Alwyn’s writing style is amazingly addictive. Instead of telling something, she shows it. For example, Alwyn establishes that Amani is incredibly skilled with a gun by having her shoot a nearly impossible shot in the first chapter. Also, she skips over the dull parts of the journey and focuses on the important plot points. Little supplements like these make her writing more enticing.

Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy books, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Rebel of the Sands is worth picking up for any type of reader.