Alwyn Hamilton is a genius. This book is a debut novel but it is so good that I couldn't believe that she hadn't already published anything before 'Rebel of the Sands'. 
 It's an amazing story and I loved the pacing of the book. The first half is mostly about the journey of Armani in becoming a team player instead of only looking after herself. Her whole life she was treated like dirt by her uncle and aunt but she never give up in the idea of a better future. But even though that sounds cheesy, this plot is nothing like that. 
 Honestly for me it was so captivating and I couldn't put it down (only if I had no other choice). 
 Armani is beautiful character I connected with her from the start. She is a brave young women in a world dominated by men. 
 I also enjoyed Jins personality a lot and I was rooting for their well being from the first til the last page. 
 All the other characters were introduced briefly in comparison to Armani and Jin because they appeared later in the book but they've been amazing and I really care about every single one of them in the ending. 
 The writing of Hamilton is lovely and I was so pleased with the snappy comments of Armani it gave the character a different side that I honestly loved. 
 Maybe the book has some tropes we already seen before in YA but I was not bothered by it. The story was original enough for me that I feel like giving it five stars. And I loved the fact that there are supernatural beings in this book. They were portrayed so well! 
 The most surprising thing of the book for me was that I was amazed by the fact that I loved the culture and the desert theme that is going on with The Rebel of the Sands. I haven't read a lot of Arabian centred stories and though I read that some people are criticising the "western" aspect of the world building in this book I didn't found this to be true. 
 Of course there are a few western elements to the story but gosh you can find something to criticise in every book if you want to. I really need to pick up more Arabian and middle eastern focuses stories. They're interesting and I'm really intrigued by it. 
 I haven't seen the ending coming and I really enjoyed the twist. It's such an awesome start in a book series and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book.