Inconsistent world-building, all characters speak with American idioms
Rebels of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Book on Amazon | My review on Amazon
2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed May 27, 2025
I started listening to an audio version of this book, this review is about the story, not the audio.
Many of the other 2-star reviews here resonate with what I think, so I am not going to repeat all those points.
Two things I want to add:
One is about the language. Even allowing for this being an English language book, it pays no heed to the culture of this world being depicted. How do people in this remote middle eastern desert village speak with perfect, idiomatic American English?! The expressions, the sarcasm, the irony, everything feels very polished western, not at all matching with the setting and characters.
The second is I could simply not identify with the protagonist, or even sympathize with her. Her character is built on her shooting abilities and blue eyes. One-dimensional, feels like a cardboard character.
I couldn’t finish the book. The positive reviews just don’t compute in my head.
