Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Rebel of the Sands  By  cover art

Rebel of the Sands

By: Alwyn Hamilton
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Sixteen-year-old sharpshooter Amani Al'Hiza never doubted she'd escape the miserable one-horse desert town where she was born. Getting out had always been the plan. But she never figured she'd wind up running for her life - with a boy wanted for treason.

When Amani enters a disastrous shooting contest against Jin, a rakish foreigner, she has no idea of his connection to the ongoing war between the ruthless Sultan of Miraji and his exiled son, the Rebel Prince. But soon the pair are fleeing across a desert crawling with vicious bandits, terrifying ghuls, and powerful djinni, and the sultan's army is getting closer every day.

When Amani and Jin stumble across the ruins of a town destroyed by an unearthly fire, it's clear the war's stakes are higher than either of them realized. The Rebel Prince has a secret weapon, and now he wants Amani to join his revolution.

All Amani ever wanted was to escape the desert and find adventure - but will the desert let her go?

©2016 Blue-Eyed Books (P)2016 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Narrator Soneela Nankani blends sass, longing, grit, and tenderness to make Amani and her fantastical world believable.... Nankani shifts easily as she presents adventure, rebel confrontations, humor, romance, and a huge cast of realistic and magical characters." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Rebel of the Sands

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    198
  • 4 Stars
    124
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    207
  • 4 Stars
    108
  • 3 Stars
    35
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    181
  • 4 Stars
    105
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Inconsistent Character Elements

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If Amani was consistent and believable. There is no explaining on how she's a sharp shooter in a society that oppresses women. And then there is the whole fact that Amani was willing to possibly die for a stranger because she feels bad for him, but then she leaves a different guy for dead that had already saved her life twice. It just didn't make character sense, especially since the author didn't take time in the narration to explain why Amani treated these situations so differently.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I thought Jin himself was the most interesting. The least interesting was the lack of details on gun shooting in a book whose synopsis says that Amani is more gunpowder than girl. I dunno, I guess I expected a cool gun element but all we get is bland sentences about the fact that Amani shot her gun.

What does Soneela Nankani bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She made me last longer because if it were me reading traditionally, I would have stopped way sooner.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

This is the author's first published book, and it seems to be getting a lot of positivity from most people who have read it so far. I think she has a lot of potential to improve. I loved the premise of this story and I thought she had the right idea about Amani and I thought Jin was charming. I'm sure she will improve.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Meh to the nth degree.

Meh.

Meh to the nth degree.

Meh squared.

I finally started gaining interest in this story about 2/3s in, and unfortunately it was just too little too late for me to commit to another book.

Was it badly written? No. Some originality? Yes. Soundly pitched in the YA camp? Abso-friggin-lutely. And I didn't feel the pace of the story outdistanced the yawn of insta-love. The smitten teenagers dashed madly into an angsty relationship, left my mind wandering, and I missed what the narrator was saying multiple times.

Oooooh well. In Alwyn's defense, I have a lot going on right now and maybe just picked the wrong book at the wrong time.

I'd rate this a PG-13 for action/adventure, peril, and somewhat bland violence.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hard to Believe this is YA!

I picked this book up on a whim because I'm always hungry for a book in a much less traveled setting like a desert. The world of fantasy also does not have enough cool gunslinging gals kicking butt and taking names!

I had no idea this was a YA book because that usually has a certain flavor to it where you have a lovestruck protagonist getting caught up in the romance of some mysterious new boy and sticking it to the authority. While all those famliar tropes appear in one form or another, I felt like there was plenty else going on to keep us interested. These plot points happened naturally rather than feeling forced like other YA stories I've experienced. One of the best elements of this book is also the fantastic Arabesque world of folklore and fairy tales mixed with a refreshing new take! I love the mythos Hamilton has built and expanded upon and look forward to more in the sequels.

Amani's quest to forge her own way in this fascinating world kept me invested and I love the fact that she's not altogether likable at times. She's brash, headstrong, and world-weary. I'm looking forward to seeing where her journey takes her in the sequels and how she develops as a heroine coming into her own!

Performance:
Soneela Nankani has a pleasant voice, though perhaps a bit flat and unemotoinal at times, which is why I ranked Performance 4/5. Not a bad performance at all, however, and I'm hoping perhaps I'll get more used to her for the sequel books!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Magic, Genie's, Prince's, and battles!! Love it!!

I love the story and the details were amazing as the story was being read. It made sense to have a female narrator but her voice was a little irritating as she kind of spoke in a high tone at times but luckily the writing was on point with descriptions and well thought out details. I love the story line and characters... im highly recommending 🤓

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Highly Recommeded

Pro's:
The writing was beautiful. The way that Hamilton describe things just made me want to highlight all the passages. Especially when listening to it because Soneela Nankani has a beautiful storyteller voice that brings the images more real.

The Dev’s Valley ran like a wound deep into the skin of the desert, a shallow river exposed vein at the bottom. -189

This book gripped me from the first because I loved how tough Amani is and how hard she worked to changing her life. She wasn’t going to be like all the other girls in her small town. Amani taught herself how to shoot and raised money to get out of her uncle’s thumb and I have to give her props for that. The smart mouth on Amani and how quick she is with her comments while having a smile on her face. From the first paragraph, I could tell that Amani is going to be a straight up badass and I was right.

“I’m looking for a man.”
“Funny, most men round here are looking for a woman.”-16%

"You stole it first. If you hadn’t set such a bad example, maybe I would’ve never stolen your broken compass.”-36%

The humor between Jin and Amani is so adorable. They both are quick with a comment and are sarcastic which I totally get behind.
“You’re too smart to play dumb, Bandit.”
“You’re mistaking my playing dumb for my thinking you’re an idiot for wanting a beat-up compass”-36%

“I don’t mean to worry you and all,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, “but have you noticed that you’ve been shot?” “Ah.” Looking at him closer now, I could see he was clutching the counter to stay upright. “I’d almost forgotten about that.”-18%


I could predict Jin’s secret so when that was revealed I wasn’t surprise. Jin was supposed to be this mystery who’s that guy type of thing, but it didn’t really work on me. I loved though that he didn’t try to stop Amani from being herself.

However, when Amani twist came I was actual surprised. I probably should have seen it coming, but since I didn’t I had a bit of a shock. Plus, the tag on the cover that says she’ll always be more gunpower than girl. The desert has other plans. Is very true once you read the book.

Disliked:
Something I didn’t like about Amani is her breaking promises. She left her best friend to suffer and promises herself she won’t break another and does it anyway. Which came back to bite her as things like this usually happened. But then when she had the option to leave Jin after he is injured Amani stays with him.

Currently there is no love triangle which is a relief and how it carries onto the second book.
Which because there wasn’t a cliffhanger I can wait a bit before I pick up the next book. Not that I didn’t enjoy the ending, and that there isn’t question I need answered. I just have plenty of books to read currently first.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Delight

I don't know why it took me so long to listen to this! This is the story I've been aching for for so long. This is not a story of the chosen one, a relief, but the story of a strong willed girl trying to do what's right.

Well executed, likeable and relatable characters, and an interesting setting and world. Absolutely recommend.

4 stars for narration. She did a good job, although I wish there had been more distinctive voices across the board. I may go back and physically read this one, that's how good it was.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favorite books; brilliant narration

I love this series. Our tough as nails protagonist with her mysteries and desperation to break free from the cesspit she was born into. The mythology and many-sided war is engrossing and interesting. It's a special bonus that it's not always easy to see who is "right."

The secondary characters are a delight, too. Each so vivid and fascinating.

Nankani has a beautiful voice and narrates this wonderful tale with brilliance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Standard YA fantasy

Fairly standard YA novel in a less standard setting. If you like non European fantasy you may enjoy it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

young adult

Story has a few good twists, but overall was lacking. Would appeal to young adults

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not sure what happened

This plot was all over the place! Old men trying to wed 17 year old nieces, train rides and caravans, cities blow up with magic nuclear bombs, jail breaks, genies, rebels, more disastrous train rides, and who knows what else.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!