The villain of the series, the Sultan, is a character I find remarkably interesting, especially in book 2. I’m a sucker for highly intellectual and dangerous female characters.ĩ. She is educated, she is dangerous, and she is great and probably one of my favourite characters in the series. There’s a secondary character called Shazad, who is the daughter of a general. (I genuinely think the love triangle trope is ever so slowly dying out in YA, I’m seeing a lot less of it in recent books – though that may be just me?)Ĩ.

Ahmed is not a third love interest in this scenario. On that note, however, there is no love triangle. It’s also interesting to watch Amani choose between the prince she loves, or the prince that is a figurehead to so many, and is vital to the rebellion.ħ. It’s especially interesting to see the sibling relationship between him and Ahmed, his half-brother and the prince at the head of the rebellion. Jin, the love interest, is a prince – but not the prince. They’re like the Arabian cousins of the demigods of Camp Halfblood from Percy Jackson.Ħ. The book essentially revolves around a group of characters who are demdji – half djinn, half mortal. The heroine is a sharpshooter! You don’t often see those around too much. Her nickname is also the “Blue-eyed Bandit” so extra points for catchy alliteration.ĥ. Definitely one for the readers who seek out more “exotic” fantasy to combat the Euro-centric Arthurian style provided by most traditional fantasy.Ĥ. It’s set in a Arabian desert-like country. The worldbuilding is rich and full of well-conceptualised history and folklore, from the djinn to the collected Tales of the Sand Sea – and these stories are engaging and vital in establishing the tactile worldbuilding of the world of Miraji.ģ. It’s about a girl who wants to escape her dead-end town, and I think that aspect of wanting to escape a deadbeat life is maybe one we can all relate to.Ģ. I’m back with another instalment in the Top 10 series! This time it’s Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands trilogy, with a few pointers that may help you decide whether to read (or not read) this recently-complete trilogy.ġ.

Rebel in the sands series