Hero at the Fall

Please note that this review may contain spoilers for earlier instalments of this series. You can read my review of these novels [here] and [here].

Hero at the Fall was written by Alwyn Hamilton and is due for release in February 2018. The book forms the final part of the Rebel of the Sands Trilogy and is preceded by Rebel of the Sands (2016) and Traitor to the Throne (2017). As this novel carries on directly where previous instalments leave off, I’d recommend reading them in sequence if you want to fully appreciate what is going on.

The rebellion is in pieces. So many of their number died during the Auranzeb celebrations and the Sultan still unknowingly holds the Rebel Prince as a prisoner. To make matters worse, he has used the slain djinn’s fire to conjure a dome around Izman, trapping the surviving rebels inside. Amani knows that they need to escape the city and find their missing friends. Every moment they remain puts them at risk of being found by the merciless Abdals.

If they can leave the city, Amani knows that they still have a chance of winning the war. Stories about the Rebel Prince and his closest allies are already beginning to spread. As the Sultan has allied himself with the magic-hating Gallan army, people who respect the magic of desert are already starting to rally against him. If Amani can only get to Iliaz, she is sure that she can still convince Prince Bilal to lend her his army, even if it means giving him the Demdji bride that he craves.

However, even with an army at their back, the biggest problem is still the Abdals. In order to defeat the clay soldiers and destroy the barrier, Amani knows that she must find a way to disable the Sultan’s machine. However, the machine is not designed to be easily turned off. If she is to destroy it, who knows what will happen to the supernatural fire that burns within. To save Miraji from the Sultan, Amani may be forced to sacrifice herself…

Revealed – Alwyn Hamilton’s Next Book

Hello everyone!

Today’s post is very exciting. Thanks to my friends at Faber & Faber, I’m able to reveal the title of the final book in Alwyn Hamilton’s amazing Rebel of the Sands Trilogy.

Are you ready for this?

Feeling excited yet? I know I am. But wait, there’s more! I’m also able to give you this teaser of what is to come.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin:

The rebellion has been betrayed. The Rebel Prince has been captured. And the remnants of the rebellion lie in hands more used to shooting a gun than managing an army: The Blue Eyed Bandit’s. Amani, to those who know her as the girl instead of the legend.

With the Sultan ruthlessly reclaiming the desert with his inhuman army, only a few know that the Rebel Prince is still alive, imprisoned. And if there’s any hope of resurrecting the country’s failing faith in the rebellion, Amani, Jin and their few remaining allies will have to rescue him from a prison deep in the mountains. A place which, until now, Amani thought was a only myth.

Now Amani must return to where she came from, confronting towering walls of fire, dangerous foreign armies, and legendary tricksters. Heading quickly down a road which Amani knows ends in an all out war, and her finding out just how much she can bring herself to sacrifice to save her whole country.

Oh my. Now I’m excited. The only problem now is that I’ve got to wait to find out more…

Rebel of the Sands

If you’ve been following for me for a while, you may have heard me mention this book once or twice already. Rebel of the Sands is Alwyn Hamilton’s debut novel and is the first book of a planned trilogy. It’s a fantasy story that combines the magic of Arabian Nights with the gun-totting action of the Wild West. I’m reviewing this book based on an advanced copy provided by Faber & Faber and so please be aware that some details may differ from the published version.

Amani Al’Hiza wants nothing more than to escape from Dustwalk. The factory town is miles away from anywhere and she knows that if she remains, she’s destined to be wed to her Uncle. Her dream is to run away to the distant city of Izman where she believes that life will be better. But such a trip requires money that she does not have.

Dressing as a boy, she enters in a backstreet shooting contest in the hope of winning the jackpot by defeating the town champion. It is here that she first meets Jin, a foreigner who is as good with a pistol as she is. When a fight breaks out, Jin and Amani help each other flee. She recognises him as someone who might finally help her escape Dustwalk but Jin has some pretty big secrets of his own.

It is not long before the army ride into town, searching for people who have allied themselves with the Rebel Prince against the Sultan. When Jin is named as a traitor, Amani finds herself fleeing across the desert with him on the back of a magical horse. Although she dreamed of escape, Amani quickly discovers that life outside of Dustwalk is far more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. War is brewing and if she’s not careful, she could find herself right in the middle of it…

Cover Reveal – Rebel of the Sands

Wow, I’ve never hosted a cover reveal before but this feels like the best possible time to start.

If you’ve followed this blog or my twitter feed for a while, you might of heard me talking about Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. The book isn’t due out until February 2016 but I’ve had the pleasure of reading the first couple of chapters and, needless to say, I’m pretty excited about it.

Now I’ve seen the cover, I’m even more psyched. Click on the picture below if you want to see it in its full glory:

It’s so pretty! I understand the gold bits will be be foiled on the final book too so it’ll be even more shiny. I’m not usually the sort to use reaction pics but I think that this one expresses my feelings right now better than words ever could:

Roll on February!

A Curious Note…

On arriving home this evening, I found a curious envelope on my door step. It bore no return address and carried with it the distinct scent of sand and exotic spices. On opening it, I discovered that its only contents were a small compass and a note:

What could it all mean? Could this be an indication that my magical adventure will soon begin? I suppose that only time will tell…

#RebelSands ~ Find out more at alwynhamilton.com