Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Amani is leaving.  She's not sure how she's going to get out of Dustwalk but she's not going to marry her uncle.  She'd rather die than sleep with him.  That makes attending a gun competition in an old barn a no brainer.  If she wins, she'll have more money than she's ever seen.  If she loses, she'll just have to run without money.  After all, dressing as a boy is no real disguise.  But the event doesn't turn out either way she planned...

Viking Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 8th.

This is a book filled with monsters, war, and magic.  Djinni haven't been around for a while but there are still children from human/djinni relationships.  Most all of them are subject to death if they are caught.

The only skill Amani has is her gunhand.  She's a very good shot and uses that to keep the monsters at bay. She meets a stranger at the gun competition.  She splits from him but then he sneaks in where she's working to hide from the soldiers that just arrived in town.  She lies for him to keep him safe.  And when she's suddenly looking like she might end up dead right there in Dustwalk, he shows up to whisk her out of there.  That's fine but she's not ready to join him as a partner, so she doctors her drink and steals the sandhorse.

The story continues with lots of action, more arguments between Amani and Jin, and several daredevil experiments.  With lots of family members (legitimate or not) to expand the characters, unusual powers, a bit of romance, and lots of intrigue this was a very good read.  I highly recommend this one.