Chekhov's Gun: Amani lives in Dustwalk, a cities famous for its weapon factory.

They can, however, make the lie turn into a truth. Cannot Tell a Lie: Demdji can't tell a lie.Ahmed and Jin are the Abel in this case, as they are actually close and refuse to kill their brothers, while their brothers are eager for a power grab. The sultan's sons repeatedly try to kill each other for power, whether it's Ahmed nearly being stabbed in the back by his oldest brother in the backstory or Ahmed and Jin being hunted by Nagruib in the current time.He escapes after their fight but learns that she's his sister, and Amani is left wondering what he'll do going forward. Amani really doesn't want to kill him but feels she must in order to save her friends while Noorsham is unaware of their connection and thus doesn't hesitate. Amani and Noorsham are half-siblings through their father and on different sides. Only in this case, who's Cain and who's Abel isn't clear-cut.

Granted, Al can also be the family name and if the Sultan was particularly egotistical he could demand to rename the family after him, but 'son of (place name)' is incorrect either way. The problem is the articles are wrong, so they should be referred to as bin Oman Al-Izman.

Artistic License – Linguistics: The princes are referred to as (given name) Al-Oman bin Izman, meaning son of Oman from Izman.

Anyone Can Die: As part of the War Is Hell theme, later books really up the body count.

Anti-Magical Faction: Gallans exterminated all of their magical creatures and intend to do the same to Miraji, calling them abominations against God, and have directly outlawed any use of magic.

Always Male: Djinni in this universe are always male.

There is also Shazad who's not only a good strategist but a legitimate Action Girl.

Action Girl: Amani, who is a dead shot with a gun.

Unrelated to a 2013 Real-Time Strategy game Battle Of The Sands. The sequels are Traitor to the Throne, published March 2017, and Hero at the Fall, published March 2018. Set in the desert land of Miraji, where humans live in awe and fear of magical creatures that lurk in the barrens around them, a determined young orphan named Amani finds herself caught up in a revolution. Rebel of the Sands is the first book in a trilogy by Alwyn Hamilton.

A rebel of the sands series