The sizzling, un-put-downable sequel to the New York Times bestselling Rebel of the Sands, by Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut Author of 2016 Alwyn Hamilton! Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al’Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a … entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.
When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.
Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about djinni and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change.
Rebel of the Sands was a New York Times bestseller, published in fifteen countries and the recipient of four starred reviews and multiple accolades, with film rights optioned by Willow Smith. And its sequel is even better.
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Very slight spoilers ahead…. Why did I wait so long to read Traitor to the Throne????
I LOVED Rebel of the Sands, the first edition in this series. I think sometimes when you read a book that good you are scared that the second book can’t possibly live up to your expections. I am happy to say that I loved Traitor to the Throne just as much. Whew! Amani, our Blue-Eyed Bandit, is back with the Rebel Prince, Ahmed and his crew. Except her guy, Jin, has run off. He was scared that she was going to die after being shot coming to his defense. When Traitor opens, she is trying to rescue some of her compatriots that have been captured. During their mad escape with other Demdji who were in jail with her friends we discover that the Sultan is collecting Demdji. We don’t realize why until Amani does actually get captured and the Sultan reveals his plans. As she gets to know him she starts to doubt her cause. There is something about the bad guy, isn’t there? When we get introduced to the Sultan, horrible things have been done to Amani and immediately I dislike him. However, he treats Amani kind of like a surrogate daughter which confuses her. Is he really that bad a guy? Ummm, Yes! He is one dastardly dude! However he was written with a subtlety that even when we know how bad he is, he still left me with that question in my gut, a hint of hope before that hope was dashed yet again. See what I mean? Subtle evil! Interesting!
For those of you who love Jin and Amani’s love story, it comes to the forefront of this story and may change how you feel about him and them as a couple moving forward. There is a lot of love, but for me, she is just such a strong character and her personality dwarfs his. I’m looking forward to seeing how they move forward in the next novel, which has actually already been released. Will I wait as long to read the next one? Nope, not after two solid books. I have faith that Alwyn Hamilton is going to give me a third strong story and a conclusion that I will also love.
When the book ended I actually yelled. These books are so layered and personal and emotional action, not just physical. Strong story, vivid characters. Wow.
Omg, I need the third book now, this was even better than the first book (that I loved so much), new characters are introduced and Amani is in the middle of the political plot, she made some mistakes but she is ready to fight for her beliefs and to lead the rebels if necessary, there’s a lot of action and the war for the desert is about to begin, it’s definitely a must read for lovers of this gender. Warning: Cliffhanger in the end.
First off, I had so much fun reading Traitor to the Throne. In fact I couldn’t stop reading the book because all I wanted to do is find out what happens next. From the moment the book starts it sucked me into the action. I also enjoyed the books which did amp up the magical world of Marijin. I actually was suprised that I will like it so much because I was worried that it would be slow since Amani was kept prisoner and being stuck in the palace. I was worried about how much could happen while being in this place. But, the book kept me at the edge of my seat.
Amani is still amazing. She is more powerful with her sand powers. And despite being held prisoner and not being able to use them she is still a strong force. I like how she does what it takes to survive and knows how make things work for in any situation. She also has funny lines.
As for Jin. This guy was mostly absent for most of the book and except shows up every once in the full moon. I would’ve liked to see him more and also would’ve liked to see where he went when he disappeared. I don’t usually enjoy different points of views in book as much but I felt like the book could’ve been needed.
So on to the Sultan. I like how he isn’t one dimensional. He has many layers and isn’t 100 percent evil. In fact, the book shows not just his evil side but also his fatherly side. He will have moments where can be protective over his kids but also towards Amani. But don’t be fool he is still a horrible person and but also smart.
On to the magical world. I like how there was more magicall elements being explorered in the book. I also liked there was more Djinns and Djemdi in the book as well. I also like the fact that Alwyn built a world with magica and world that has its own history, legends and myths.
So to close my review I thought the book was amazing. I couldn’t put it down and wished that I didn’t have to wait a whole year for the next book. And the ending….it killed me. And now I am stuck with cliff hanger that will leave me wanting more. But at the same time I still think it’s good because it keeps me excited.