Novel: The Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton | Goodreads
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Viking
Format: Paperback
Source: BookDepository
Synopsis
Rebel by chance. Traitor by choice.
Gunslinger Amani al’Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.
When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.
Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about Djinn and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change.
Review
If you’ve read my post about Rebel of the Sands, you will know I was frustrated with the ending of that book, and some of the issues with the timeline. Let me tell you, I am glad that I gave this series another look because Traitor to the Throne fixed many of those issues. On top of that, Traitor expanded the things that I loved about Rebel: relationships, politics, and the magic system.
Traitor does not pick up where Rebel ends, instead, it opens a few months later. Amani is on a mission, having finally healed from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. The Rebellion has started to gain a hold in the desert.
Jin returns from the Xicha camp, where he has been spying for Ahmed. Of course, his return comes on the heels of Amani learning that Ahmed did not send him away while she was injured. Nope, Jin volunteered to go. He willingly left the woman he loved, whilst she lay on the brink of death. Needless to say, their reunion was not the greatest.
The Dev Valley camp is compromised, and the resulting run separates the Rebellion. Jin and Amani are together along with Amani’s traitorous Aunt. Why do I say she’s traitorous? Oh, because she kidnaps Amani and takes her to the Sultan. She sucks pretty hard. Amani is unconscious for her entrance into the palace. When she wakes up, she discovers that the Sultan has directed Tamir to put iron beneath her skin, as well as a piece of metal with her Djinn father’s name on it. This piece of metal allows the Sultan to control Amani.
But Tamir is dead you say… don’t worry, Amani thought so too. Turns out he survived, just like Shira, Amani’s cousin survived. Tamir has completely betrayed Amani. Many people in the city have forgotten the old stories and tales of Djinn. Tamir, however, knows many of the tales because the people of Dustwalk still tell them. One of the first things that the Sultan forces Amani to do is to summon her father and trap him below the palace.
It was very interesting to witness Amani’s torn feelings about her father. Her father fascinates her, but she also hates him. She blames him for not saving her mother. Amani resents him for not being there for her. She cannot understand how he does not care whether she lives or dies. I really enjoyed the growth we see in Amani during this book. Amani becomes more strategic in her decisions. She also becomes stronger and less reckless.
The Sultan also requires Amani sit in the meetings and use her Demdji truth-telling power to make sure that the ambassadors and leaders from the other countries are not being dishonest. Amani’s power allows her to peek behind the door during these negotiations. She sees where the power lies and how these alliances may fall. It also gives readers insight into other countries in Hamilton’s world.
As I said in my review for Rebel of the Sands, I am most intrigued by the dynamics between the countries. They all have similar magic systems that are based on different elements. For example, we meet Sam, from Albis, who can walk through stone. We learn that in his land they call djinni children faeries.
The best parts of this series are the cutaway stories. Throughout the series, I learned how important the stories told around the campfires are. In this book, we read stories about Sam, Prince Ahmed, Jin, and the Djinn. From these tales, we learn both the history of the country and characters as well as the repercussions of the things that are happening. I just think it is such a great element in order to really drive home the importance of storytelling in this world.
By far, Traitor to the Throne is my favorite book in this series. Stay tuned for my review of Hero at the Fall, which is the epic conclusion to the Rebel Sands trilogy.
