For fans of: Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor, Die Sturmkönige - Kai Meyer
Publication: 2016
ISBN: 0571325254
Pages: 358
Goodreads
Blurb: "Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."
Dustwalk is an unforgiving, dead-end town. It's not the place to be poor or orphaned or female. And yet Amani Al'Hiza must call it 'home'. Amani wants to escape and see the world she's heard about in campfire stories. Then a foreigner with no name turns up, and with him she has the chance to run. But the desert plains are full of dangerous magic. The Sultan's army is on the rise and Amani is soon caught at the heart of a fearless rebellion...
An epic story of swirling desert sands, love, magic and Revolution.
Opinion
Cover: You can't tell it from the photo, but the parts that are beige here are actually gold. It's both simple and magical, which is why I love it.
I coincidentally came across the german cover and was shocked. They absolutely white-washed Amani. Disgusting!
Content: As I wrote above, it's a mix of One Thousand and One Night and a Western. It's set in an oriental environment, at the edge of the desert, but has trains, guns and sharpshooters. That mix goes together surprisingly well.
The desert is swarming full of monsters and magical beasts, like Buraqi horses that can change into sand storms.
Women don't have much to say in this country, which is why Amani often dresses up as a boy. She lives a poor and simple life and dreams of fleeing from it.
There is a lot she has to figure out for herself, because in the begining she doesn't quite know what to do with her life. Only that she doesn't want to stay in Dustwalk and get to her aunt. But nothing goes as plannend and Amani has to change her route more than once.
Writing Style: I instantly liked Amani. She is a real fighter and doesn't give up. Even though her situation doesn't seem very hopeful to begin with. There's some relly good chemistry between her and Jin.
I like that she's not the selfless heroine, who only thinks about saving and protecting others. Probably because there's hardly anyone left. She fights for her dreams and hopes and never looks back, though she feels guilty sometimes.
The story has a lot of character developement, showing the world it is set in and just the right amount of action. The pacing is very balanced, which is probably why it doesn't get boring. The author's writing style is not too poetic, but that doesn't matter. No word seems like it is redundant.
The quote on the back is great, though my favourite is: Fire doesn't know good from evil any more than a bullet does.
My conclusion: Defintely a must-read!
My rating: 5/5 Buttons
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