Review: Hero at the Fall

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

The Rebel Prince will rise again. He will bring a new dawn. A new desert.

Obviously, you have to read the first two in the series to understand this one. After most of Amani's group of friend's was taken prisoner, the majority of this was about journeying and working to set them free. The focus on the magic of the world seemed to takeover a lot in the middle until the later second half came back around to fighting, defeating, and ending the war.

This tone had a ragged, tired at times, but still striving through the fight, which fit as the last book wrapping up a rebellion story. This really worked on portraying how wars started by powerful, more so affect the powerless and how even when you're fighting for right, wrong can be done. I liked how this in no way glorified war.

Some of the visuals the author provided through her writing, especially the ship sailing on sand scene, were incredible, very well done fantasy. The emotion was heightened at times but with Amani, I started to feel very drained.

Amani and Jin didn't get near enough time together for me; a big important talk between the two was completely off screen.

The ending went a little overly long and repetitive, some could easily have been edited out. However, the long out look at what our characters encounter was satisfying and a tad depressing as we see the same wars being fought over and over because of power greed. I can't say this ended on a very high note but I enjoyed the journey into this magical land the author created.

But he wondered if a boy from the sea and a girl from the desert could ever survive together. He feared that she might burn him alive or that he might drown her. Until finally he stopped fighting it and set himself on fire for her.

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80%

This was a war between the people who belonged in this desert. Not the people who wanted to own it. We would decide it for ourselves---no one else.

Reading Update: 30%

They said that as long as Ashra’s Wall stood, the Destroyer of Worlds would be imprisoned. If it fell, so would a new age of darkness fall on the world. 

A friend on GRs said this reminded them of GOT, and oh yes! Only one more month to go and I'm hoping my call of Brienne of Tarth sitting on the throne comes true :) 

Review: Traitor to the Throne

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for the Supernatural square for Halloween Bingo

Legends were never what you expected when you saw them up close. I was no exception.

Second in the Rebel of the Sands trilogy, you definitely want to have read the first in the series before you dive into this one. While the first drops you into this world filled with supernatural beings, our heroine Amani is a demdji, daughter of a human woman and male djinn, and country at war. This first was a lot of action and I felt a little lost as the world building and explanations felt a little forgotten. This second one still had action in it but it slows down a bit with a focus on the characters and we get to know the other side, the father of the Rebel Prince, the Sultan.

‘The world is a lot more complicated than it seems when you are seventeen, Amani.’

Amani is captured and spends the majority of the book as a prisoner in the Sultan's harem. The conversations she has with the Sultan were some of my favorite parts of this books, I love when the villains are given more depth, not just evil caricatures. I thought it was very interesting how the author had Amani having an internally battle about what she was fighting for; analytical conflict makes things more compelling.

I’d move the whole world to make up for what I’d done to Tamid. But I wouldn’t ever give it up for him. Not for anyone. The difference was, Jin had never asked me to. He’d taken my hand to show it to me instead.

If you're looking for a lot of Jin and Amani, you're going to be a bit disappointed, they spend the majority of the book apart. Jin kind of gets the shaft in this book and while I thought all the other characters had great insights and depth explored, he was left out in the cold. When Amani is captured and he “disappears” I was disappointed in how vague and forced his absence seemed to be to keep Amani in the harem, his whereabouts and reasons are given like a sentence to explain it away and didn't make a lot of sense. However, when they are on the page together, they spark enticingly.

He stood as tall as one of the huge pillars down here in this ancient palace vault. Only he wasn’t just holding up a palace. He was holding up the world. One of God’s First Beings who had made the First Mortal. Who had made all of mankind. Who’d made me.

There was a lot of tales, myth, and history weaved into this, at times I thought it helped with the world building and others it seemed to make things unnecessarily clogged with extra characters and more supernatural ethos that was hard to keep track of. It does set-up the third book nicely though with a new challenge for our Rebel crew and potential for a huge battle.

‘The trouble with belief is that it’s not the same as truth.’

Even though it changed the action pace of the first to a more slowed down get to know the characters pace, I really enjoyed this second addition to the trilogy. There is a huge cast of characters and magical world to keep straight and track of but I believe this is worth the effort. I can't wait to read the third where we, hopefully, get more Jin and Amani, and the conclusion to the Rebel Prince's battle for a country.

On that day, a hundred thousand men and women would come to watch and each would tell the story of what they saw there.

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Reading Update: 50%

‘The world is a lot more complicated than it seems when you are seventeen, Amani'

Definitely can't just pick this on up, want to have had read the first in the series. Started off kind of slow, a good amount rehashing. Has picked up the last couple chapters, though. Missing more Jin and Amani action but I'm kind of digging her time with the Sultan and the conversations they are having. Gives great depth to the villain or opposition that was more of a shadowy evil in the distance in the first book.

Still, though, more Jin, please :)

Review: Rebel of the Sands

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

I read this for the Young Adult square for Romance Bingo.

The world building was a bit confusing with all the magical components just thrown at me but towards the end I felt like I had a good grasp on what was what and who was who.
The story of a girl who doesn't know she is special, meets a boy, and a rebel group fighting against the establishment is nothing new but the magical elements and sort of wild west feel made this exciting enough.
This is young adult, so the relationship developing between Amani and Jin is innocent enough but they still had some good heat and tension between them.
The overall structure is pretty straight forward while the story still allows for some mystery and surprises. If I was in my teens, this is definitely a story I would have really liked. I'm a bit surprised but I'll probably bookmark the next in the series at the library to continue on :)

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Reading Update: 40%

Jin grabbed my wrist before my knuckles could get flirting distance from his nose. He pulled me into him, knocking me off balance. “Here’s a tip for you.”He was close to me now, close as he had been when he kissed me, or when I kissed him. “Don’t try to hit a man in the face when he’s looking straight into your eyes. You’ve got traitor eyes, Bandit.”

I drove my other fist into his gut hard enough that my knuckles popped. Jin doubled over, coughing. “Thanks for the tip.”I wished victory didn’t feel so much like I’d sprained my hand.

"Any time.”He clutched his stomach where I’d hit him, but it looked like he was laughing.