Alwyn Hamilton is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

author. She is known for her bestselling young adult book '' Rebel of the Sands''.

Biography

Hamilton was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and had lived in Europe and Canada before her parents decided to settle in France. She grew up in

Beaune Beaune (; in Burgundian: ''Beane'') is widely considered to be the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and a major ...

a small town in France before moving to England to study History of Art at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

. She later moved back to France for work after graduation. She currently lives in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Work

''Rebel of the Sands'' is Hamilton's debut novel and she wrote two more books to make it a trilogy. The book is written for young adults and is part of the

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

genre. In ''Rebel'', Amani leaves her hometown, Dustwalk, and travels through a magical countryside to reach the fictional nation of Miraji, in order to avoid an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

to her uncle. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote that "Hamilton successfully mingles romance with thrilling stakes, and hints at a welcome sequel." ''Rebel'' made YALSA's nominations for the Teen's Top 10 list in 2017. ''Traitor to the Throne'', the sequel of ''Rebel of the Sands'', continues to follow the story of Amani, who happens to be half-

Djinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

and have elemental powers. The ''Deseret News'' wrote that ''Rebel'' "was good, but this second book is far and away better." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' described the series as '' Lonesome Dove'' meets ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

''. Hamilton said that ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...

'' was a big influence on her work. Alwyn Hamilton-2

Film rights of ''Rebel'' were bought by

Willow Smith Willow Smith (born October 31, 2000), also known mononymously as Willow, is an American singer, actress and dancer. The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, she has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, an NAAC ...

in 2017. Smith will lead the film's project and says of ''Rebel'', "The nonphysical, creative and, wild nature of a female heroine's journey calls for a unique narrative structure that permeates the very foundation of the story."

Bibliography

Rebel of the Sands Trilogy

# '' Rebel of the Sands'' (2016) # ''Traitor to the Throne'' (2017) # ''Hero at the Fall'' (2017)

Other works

''The Notorious Virtues'' (2025)

References

External links

Interview
in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' (2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Alwyn Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Novelists from Toronto Living people Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Canadian fantasy writers Canadian writers of young adult literature Canadian women novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 1988 births 21st-century Canadian women writers