Or everyone’ll see the bottle trembling like a girl on her wedding night.” And also this one: “You know, I don’t have to wed you first. Considering the novel borrows from cultures where the people are predominantly Muslim, this felt wrong on so many levels.įurther ‘what the fuck’ moments include this one: “Better earn your money and not shake, kid. Avunculate marriage is prohibited in Islam and illegal in most Muslim countries. To make matters worse, he offers to marry her himself.

First ‘what the fuck’ moment: our protagonist’s uncle wants to find her a husband who will “finally beat some sense into her.” I’m pretty sure this was not meant metaphorically. The way marriage is portrayed is disgusting. There were certain moments where I literally had to stop reading because the only thing going through my head were the words WHAT. For a white author to draw inspiration from other cultures by incorporating harmful stereotypes that misrepresent their people in the media was extremely offensive. The opening was horribly laden with stereotypes. There were so many place names that I needed a map to navigate myself through the story, but of course the book didn’t have one.ĭespite being a NYT bestseller, a Goodreads Choice winner, and having multiple raving reviews, this novel has been criticised too and perhaps reading about the problematic aspects beforehand made me more critical than usual. I just couldn’t grasp the sort of place Miraji was, apart from the fact that it was a desert since this was mentioned in at least every chapter. A cross between the Wild West and Middle East, the world was complex, confusing and badly built. Rebel Of The Sands was one of those books that everybody loved but I hated. The Sultan’s army is on the rise and Amani is soon caught at the heart of a fearless rebellion… Then a foreigner with no name turns up, and with him she has the chance to run.īut the desert plains are full of dangerous magic. And yet Amani Al’Hiza must call it ‘home’.Īmani wants to escape and see the world she’s heard about in campfire stories. It’s not the place to be poor or orphaned or female. Goodreads | Am azon UK | Boo k Depositoryĭustwalk is an unforgiving, dead-end town.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton