Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Published: February 2nd 2017 by Faber and Faber

Amazon: Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands Trilogy)

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.

Despite the fact that I loved book 1, this sat on my shelf for quite a while before I actually picked it up! I definitely should have picked this book up sooner, because I really enjoyed this instalment! I cannot wait for the final book in this series!

I think my favourite aspect of this book was the fact that we got to see things from the perspective of the Sultan (obviously through Amani). It was easy to see why he thought he was doing the right thing and it was easy to feel like Amani was doing the wrong things by supporting the rebellion. I could understand some of the decisions he was making throughout the book and why he felt the need to make some of the decisions that he did. However, toward the end, I felt snapped back into reality of who he was after the decisions he made and the things he did to the camp. I have mixed feelings as to whether he is redeemable or not.

I loved Amani’s character development throughout this book and the way she overcame certain things. She definitely questioned her loyalty throughout the book and whether she was doing the right thing or not. Despite her doubts, Amani remains loyal throughout, which is definitely a sign of a strong character. I didn’t feel the same pull between Amani and Jin throughout this book as I did throughout book one and I don’t feel like they are the right ship for this book. I am hoping this either changes in book 3 or something else happens to convince me, because, at the moment, I feel unconvinced about it.

I loved the plot twists in this book. There were a couple spread out – especially toward the end and they made this book fun to read. I was not expecting the ending to happen the way that it did and I was left completely shocked at both the twists that came about (I don’t want to give away too many spoilers). When I realised exactly what had happened, I definitely nearly threw the book clear across the room, I was that upset!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and the character development that happened throughout. I would have liked to have seen more of Jin and I would have liked to have been more convinced of the ship. However, the plot itself was fast paced and made this book difficult to put down! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

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