Review--Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Once, in the desert country of Miraji, there was a Sultan without an heir.

The heir had been killed by his own brother, the treacherous Rebel Prince, who was consumed by jealousy and sought the throne for himself.

Or so it was said by some. There were others who said that the Rebel Prince was not a traitor but a hero...

In the final battle for the throne, Amani must fight for everything she believes in, but with the rebellion in pieces, and the Sultan's armies advancing across the desert plains, who will lead, who will triumph, who will live and who will die?

Alwyn Hamilton’s Hero at the Fall brings a thrilling conclusion to the Rebel of the Sands trilogy. This series has been a lot of fun, it shows us djinn in a new way that is familiar yet still unique on its own. I was sad to see this series come to an end, and what feels like so quickly too, even though it has been three years! Alas, Alwyn does it right! This series ends in just the right way!

Things are tense with Amani and her friends as they find that they are prisoners in their own city. Except the bars aren’t made of iron or steel, but a ring of fire that the Sultan has created to prevent anyone from coming in or going out without his permission. Amani and crew are determined to rescue their imprisoned friends, among them being Ahmed and put him in his rightful place on the throne. Should be easy! If only they knew where their friends were being imprisoned.

This book was quite the adventure! As with last year, I decided I wasn’t waiting until March to read this one, so I ordered the UK copy and happily read it a few weeks early! Plus, I positively adore these covers! We pretty much dive right back into the series where we left off, so if you’ve been waiting to binge read the series, here’s your chance! I highly recommend binge reading too, less waiting periods in between! Naturally, my memory was a little fuzzy on some things, but luckily I had my notes this time around.

While Amani and her friends track across the desert trying to gather as much help as they can for the battle that is sure to take place between them and the Sultan, they have in two with them, Leyla, the one who betrayed them all. I was rather surprised by her involvement with things, I mean she was one of the most deceptive people we’ve met in this series and I couldn’t stand her.

This story involves a long, long journey it seems. For Amani and crew are pretty much going everywhere, looking for their friends, and gathering allies for the battle to come. While it may seem like things move at a slightly slower pace, I feel like it was just the right pace. There was a lot to be done before the battle with the Sultan.

I’m being purposely vague here as I don’t want to give out too much information. Just know that this will be one of the best series finales you’ll read this year! It has the right amount of action, adventure, romance, laughter, and tears. Yes, there will be tears. I can’t remember how many times I might have cried throughout this book! Alwyn pulls no punches, so be prepared!

The relationship factor between Amani and Jin continues to grow. All I can say about all the swoony and heated moments between these two was that they were perfect! It’s just the right amount of romance to add to the action that helps to shape this into an incredible read!

I guess my only minor issue here was that final battle with the Sultan. I felt like it was rather rushed. I mean after Amani spent so much time with this enemy in the last book, I expected a somewhat drawn out battle mano e mano. What we got was something else. Needless to say, I felt like that could’ve been drawn out just a tad more than it was. The final chapter was a bit of a doozie as well. While it was satisfying for the most part, I felt like something was missing from it too. It’s told like a story, like the few chapters we’ve encountered before. I thought it was fitting to end it like that, but at the same time I felt like I wanted to know more about all that happened that wasn’t quite said.

Despite those minor hang-ups regarding the ending, this was a most fantastical kind of read! Amani is one of those amazing heroines that comes into her own as the series goes on. I love seeing that transition from being powerless to the powerful hero! She was amazing as was the series as is the author! While I am always saddened when a series comes to an end, I do enjoy a good ending instead of needlessly drawing the story out. Alwyn ends this story in the most satisfying of ways! I will be looking forward to pretty much whatever she writes next!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars