Man, what's going on here? What is up with the really high rating for this totally disappointing sequel? Are we all giving the book a ton of credit because Rebel of the Sands was so good? Because this book was so long, so tedious, and so full of plot holes. And I HATE it when books give the supposedly smart heroine nothing to do but clean up a mess that she is responsible for creating.

First of all: the plotholes. GOD, the plotholes. I know this is mentioned in other reviews, but if Amani can tell whether people are lying, how on EARTH did she get so profoundly tricked, over and over and over again? She's bored as hell in the harem, but doesn't use that time to see if statements such as these are true:

-"I can trust Leyla/Rahim/Sam"

-"The Sultan knows who I am."

-"The information on this page that I have stolen is accurate"

This book would have us believe that our supposedly smart and savvy hero doesn't even THINK to try this. If it works for checking whether people are still alive, this means it should work for these other statements, right? Am I missing something?

Another thing I hated about this was Tamid. Why are we supposed to think Amani should still feel bad about Tamid? He's so mad that she left him in Dustwalk - but what would he have her do? Stay there and be executed or tortured? He was already shot; there was no way to take him with her. There was literally no other option, but he's so angry about it that he thinks he's justified in assisting in the capture and enslavement of Amani, as well as the removal of her powers and a forced surgery on her? He didn't know what the Sultan wanted her for. The Sultan could have used the metal pieces that Tamid helped him put together to use Amani as a sex slave, for all he knew! And not only does Tamid seem to think he's justified in this, but Amani seems to think so, too! She still insists that they save him after that? She still feels guilt about it? Incredible.

On top of that, the book would have us think that Amani starts to feel like that Sultan might not actually be all that bad, and that she might be doing the wrong thing supporting Ahmed instead of him - when Ahmed himself is literally the product one of MANY rapes committed by the Sultan! His other crimes aside, this somehow seems to slip her mind? The Amani that we came to know in the first book? No way. No.

Lastly, basically everything that goes wrong in this book is completely Amani's fault. THIS is what she should feel guilty about, but instead she seems to think that she's proven herself acceptable as a leader for the Rebellion during Ahmed's capture.

I can barely even believe that this and Rebel of the Sands were written by the same author. I'm still going to read the sequel - the reviews pre-release seem to indicate the new book gets back to the actual enjoyable qualities of the first. But god, this one was painful.

2/5, and only for the engaging wordlbuilding and the remaining good will I have from Rebel of the Sands.