Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2)

by Alwyn Hamilton

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 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.

Reviewed by Nessa Luna on

4 of 5 stars

Share
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. 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!

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:

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 27 January, 2017: Reviewed