Name: Nessa Luna's review of Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
Item: Traitor to the Throne
Rating: 4
Author: Nessa Luna

Alwyn Hamilton

The second installment of this highly-acclaimed trilogy, Traitor to the Throne throws the irrepressible Amani into a world of espionage, harems, and the Sultan himself. This is not about blood or love. This is about treason. Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible. Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart. Praise for the series: 'Sheer escapism.' Guardian 'Winning.' New York Times 'Thrilling.' Booklist 'Hugely entertaining . . . breathless romance and show-stopping action sequences.' Bookseller

Traitor to the Throne

Anna

This is not about blood or love. This is about treason. Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible. Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

Nessa Luna

A few months ago I read a book called Rebel of the Sands and really enjoyed it. I was very much looking forward to reading its sequel when it came out, but to my surprise I received a package in November that had an ARC of the second book in it. I'd again like to thank Lin for sending this to me, it was a very pleasant surprise!

Traitor to the Throne continues Amani's story, about half a year after she joined the rebellion. When a person Amani thought would be an ally betrays her, she ends up in the hands of the man whose armies she has fought so hard, the Sultan. Powerless and alone, Amani is trapped inside the palace, but there is an upside to all this: she can now spy on the Sultan from within his own home.

When I got my hands on this book, I noticed how it was almost double the size of the first book. That could either mean a good thing, or a bad thing (second book syndrome, anyone?). I have to say that while I thought the story dragged at some points, overall it was still incredibly interesting and action-packed. There were only small parts of the story that, in my opinion, could have been erased and nothing would have been changed to the plot, but it was still great. (view spoiler)[There was little romance in this book, because Amani was separated from Jin for almost the entire book, but I didn't mind it at all - even though I do love those two. And the best part? No. Second. Love interest. YAY! (hide spoiler)]

Hamilton's writing was just really great, and I loved the world she's written. I loved all the stories and Djinni she made up that I would even love to read a story that literally just talks about the different Djinni and other creatures from this world. Maybe even a storybook in which all those stories Amani hears about throughout the series, that would have been even cooler. What I did miss in this book and the previous one was a map of the world. Because I found it rather difficult to imagine what everything looked like, and I could love to see it drawn out.

Character-wise, this book was amazing. I loved all the rebels, of course, and I missed them terribly throughout the book. I did find it a bit difficult to remember who everyone was again, even though it wasn't so long ago since I've read the previous book. Halfway through I got the hang of it, but there were so many new characters introduced in this book that I sometimes still got two mixed up.

Overall, Traitor to the Throne was an amazing, action-packed book, with some cool quiet moments in between as well. I loved the confrontation near the end, though it also left me shocked and hungry for more. I really need the third book to come out asap, which is rather difficult seeing as this book has barely been released. If you love fantasy and an amazing heroine, if you love action and little romance, I definitely recommend this book to you! (And honestly if you're a cover-buyer, like me, buy it).

My opinion in one gif:

Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, gunslinger Amani is taken captive by the forces of the Sultan, whose agenda seems less tyrannical than originally believed

A really great continuation to the Rebel of the Sands that leads Amani to rely on her old deceitful and sly way of life when her surroundings completely change from the reckless way of the desert to the careful action at the palace of the Sultan. Really addictive and have a couple of plot twists that lead my brain explode!

AimanSalehudin

Megan Lowe

I’m not sure to think about this book. I liked it, I enjoyed it, but it was missing something and I’m not sure what. It had action and intrigue but it needs something, an injection of humour, some smart-arsery or something to shift it from being as one dimensional as it is.
Still, it was a good book but I find my attention waning. I’ll read book 3, which this book is listed as on amazon, but I’m not sure how it’ll go.

Jillian Clare

Very rarely do I find a series that I like the sequel more than the first, but friends, here we are. I was really hopeful that Traitor to the Throne would be a strong sequel, and I wasn’t let down. I flew through this novel, finishing in just a couple of sittings. Traitor to the Throne picks up just months after the events of Rebel of the Sands and is pretty fast-paced, making it really easy to jump in to.

I find that the first novel in a series can be a bit tricky with world-building– and a lot of what Rebel of the Sands did was setting up the world; one that is full of old magic and on the brink of war. It did what it was supposed to do, introducing characters and plot lines and forming relationships. The sequel, however, is where I think the true test is, and I think that is where I personally felt that this series really grew. While taking place in the same kingdom, the scenery in this book changes dramatically. Instead of adventuring all across the desert, Amani is taken to the royal palace and learns more about the world that Ahmed and Jin had run away from all those years before. Relationships were strengthened, characters were explored, and everything you learned in the previous book is tested, all while retaining a sense the of adventure from the first. I think the characters grew into themselves so much, and I loved that open plot points from Rebel of the Sands were addressed in Traitor to the Throne!

As far as adventure/fantasy novels go, this is probably the happiest I’ve been with a series in a while. I sometimes find that in between the action and important plot points there is a lull in the story, but I personally never got that with this novel. Hamilton does a good job of constantly building the world and the characters, without dramatically changing the world or the characters themselves, which is a pitfall I’ve seen with a lot of other series. Overall, Traitor to the Throne is a really strong sequel to the series, and I’m so stoked to see what’s coming next!

Victoria P

this book kept on the edge of my seat at all times. it was everything you want from an action book. i mean i can’t even find the words right now. i loved the characters, they are all so so well written, the sultan is a very good villain and its just ahh. i love everything about this. amani is the coolest baddest girl, jin has my entire heart, shazad is a dream, sam, izz, hala, imin,,, i can’t describe how much i loved this book

Evie's Annotations 

Samantha Chavez 

This was my least favorite book in the series, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it.
Amani has amazing development and growth and I loved continuing her journey. This book was less adventure and more about politics and who is right and wrong in a complicated world. It was very smart and I loved reading it. 
The friendships are one of my favorite things and I absolutely loved them. At this point it wasn’t really friendships anymore, but more family.
I didn’t really like the chapters that weren’t in Amani’s POV, because they felt out of place, but they did help add character development and depth to the other characters so I enjoyed that.

Julie D.

3.5 
definitely a good read but the pace was so slow (∩︵∩)

Carley Whitehead

rosebud 🫧

Improvement from the first book. I honestly loved this series even if it held some very predictable twists. The side characters definitely had my heart but enjoyed the continuation and development of Amani’s character. Easy read and I could not put it down!

Alecsia Dima

Anul trecut cam pe vremea asta, scriam articolul despre cărțile fantasy situate în Orient pe care le citisem la momentul respectiv, printre care menționasem și Rebelul Nisipurilor. Un an mai tarziu am devorat, la propriu, al doilea volum – Trădarea Tronului, apărut recent la editura Nemira.

Tradarea tronului reia povestea lui Amani de unde a lăsat-o, și tot ce pot spune este că am iubit fiecare părticică. După volumul ăsta a intrat în top serii fantasy, și chiar cred că este foarte underrated la noi. Așadar, pentru că încerc pe cat posibil să vă las pe voi să descoperiți tainele și secretele Banditului-cu-ochi-albaștri, pe blog am prezentat șapte motive pentru care eu cred că ar trebui să puneți repede lăbuțele pe Rebelul Nisipurilor – și să porniți într-o călătorie care zic că merită: https://thelandwithbooks.wordpress.co...

Fruzsina Juhász

Cindy Lee

Rxea

Jelke Lenaerts

I really enjoyed this, definetly more than the first one. This book was very quick and took some turns that left me very shocked. I'm excited to read the next one.

Michelle García

Omg this series keeps getting better and better. A bit of a slow start but damn was it packed with action and drama. Loved it!! Can't wait to read the last one

Taylor McNeely

Yes, Amani!! Show people whose boss👏🏻👏🏻

Tiffany Engler

I will not go into much about this book as it is a sequel. I don't want to spoil anything that happened in Rebel Of The Sands.

I'm not gonna lie, I got confused quite a few times in this book. I feel like I missed a lot? Or maybe the author left out a lot. I feel as if some scenes jumped into another scene too quickly. Maybe I just missed a lot. 

It's pretty easy to get back on track though. Which is why I still really enjoyed this book. I may not have seen some scenes get set up, but I was quick to understand what the heck was going on. With that being said, so much has happened in this book!

But, I wish it was shorter... I'm pretty sure that everything could have happened the same way if this book was 100 pages shorter. I honestly spent so much time listening to this book and I just wanted things to speed up!

That cliffhanger has me dying on the inside. Luckily, I don't have to wait forever to pick up the next book 😊

3/5 Stars

Ciska van Bokhorst

Van dit soort boeken houd ik. Actie, intriges, spanning, snelheid. Geloofwaardige wereld. Kick Ass heldin en humor. Nu wachten op deel 3!!

Abi Baker

content warnings for: (view spoiler)[major character death (hide spoiler)]

I LOVED Rebel Of The Sands so I couldn't wait to read this one. Whilst I didn't enjoy it as much (some people may disagree with me on that), I still really liked it. 
If you liked the first book, obviously you should like this one, but the tone is slightly different than the first, with different settings from the first book, and a focus on different characters. 

Without giving too much away, Traitor To The Throne follows on from Rebel Of The Sands, with the rebellion ever growing and gaining traction. Amani ends up infiltrating (view spoiler)[actually being kidnapped, but trying to take advantage of it (hide spoiler)] the palace and inserting herself into life there, becoming an aid to the Sultan. The book follows her balancing staying on the Sultan's good side whilst also trying to gain information and helping the rebellion in overthrowing him. 

I actually liked the Sultan as a character, which may be an unpopular opinion, but I did think he was incredibly clever and resourceful and I look forward to seeing more of him in the next installment. We are re-introduced to characters from the first book (although I think the hints at their reappearances were a little heavy handed) and introduced to brand new ones that come with the new setting. With the exception of the Sultan, and possibly Sam and Rahim, none of the secondary characters were fleshed out enough for me to care about them. Ones who were set up as major players for the third book didn't have a lot on time on the page here so I wasn't exactly caring about them or their motivations for their actions. Like I said, as we got to see Amani interacting with the Sultan a lot, and then with the end reveal, I was incredibly satisfied with his character because he was given the time to develop. I hope the last book does have more of a focus on necessary characters 

Pacing is still a problem with these books. Nothing really happened for the first 25% of Traitor To The Throne, but then so much happened in the last 10%. Hamilton's books are definitely enjoyable but I would like to see more plot and twists throughout the book rather than most of this being left until the ending.

There definitely were twists though, and some of the events that transpired early on in the book did have pay off at the end. Chapter 49 genuinely made me gasp, and the fact that it was sprung on us added to the suspense. The fact that there was a further twist on this was so much fun to read even if it did stress me out a little bit. 
I did like that multiple events and actions that could have been written off did serve a purpose, but these could have possibly been revealed or hinted at earlier on in the book. 

One of the things I absolutely love about Hamilton's writing, is the old tales that she weaves throughout the book. It might be an idea for her to release a spin off book of some of these tales and flesh them out a little bit more, because they truly would be magical. 

Whilst I didn't enjoy this book as much as Rebel Of The Sands, it still definitely had enjoyable moments, and the action scenes are always a delight to read. I'm absolutely looking forward to the final book to see how everything turns out for Amani and the rebellion.

Manon van Heumen

In my opinion this book was much more action-packed than the first book, which made it more enjoyable to read. I'm really looking forward to reading the last book in the series.

Casandra Sandu

4.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this second book even more than I did first. Full of twists and turns, I liked the plot and how everything unfolded. What makes these books even more interesting and unique is the mythology. The legends are so captivating and I love how they are woven perfectly through the story. The world building is amazing, and even if I have some small issues with the book, it was a strong, well-written sequel. And with such an ending, I need to pick up the next one immediately.

Lisa Beasley

God I loved this book. I am so invested with this series now and I'm counting down the days until the finale!


Reread November 2020 - I still adore this book. I would die for Shazad. Just putting that out there.

Ashton Reed

3.5/5

After how amazing Rebel of the Sands was, this one definitely disappointed me. The action and everything just wasn't up to the level the first one was. Plus, I needed more Jin! But the ending left me hopeful for Hero at the Fall!

Anyone else have the same thoughts?

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Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

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