A review by writeronherway
Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
5.0
I read Rebel of the Sands a while ago and it has taken me ages to get a hold of Traitor to the Throne from my local library and now I know why; it's really, really good! I remember the characters and setting of the first book being really strong but coming back to it, there's a real sense of escalation and growth from the characters. I seem to be reading a lot of sequels that are surpassing the first book recently and I love it!
Amani is a really compelling character. I love the combination of grit and gentleness. Her personality definitely reflects her power over sand; soft shards of glass, shifting but immobile, powerful but also at the mercy of other powers. Her experience of being stripped of her powers when the metal is embedded beneath her skin and the loss of her freewill was horrendous but made the stakes more believable, made the tension unbearable and created such strong dynamics between her and the other characters. It forced the character to rethink her strategy and find a new source of strength which I think a lot of readers will really relate to.
It's worth saying as well that the mythical underpinnings and socio-political work that has gone into the world building is really effective. I completely believe the social unrest and the appearance of a Djinni wasn't jarring but felt suitably shocking (Amani and the Rebels are facing a new level of threat and new impossible odds). The stories don't feel like tangents but highly relevant information that you need to unpick for clues! The way the characters find themselves trapped in impossible situations but somehow, through bargaining, working with other characters and acting instinctively, find a way out is a masterclass in plotting especially when you realise the agency the characters thought they had was engineered by the antagonist all along!
I loved the ending and how it sets up a whole new stage for the third book which I need now!
Amani is a really compelling character. I love the combination of grit and gentleness. Her personality definitely reflects her power over sand; soft shards of glass, shifting but immobile, powerful but also at the mercy of other powers. Her experience of being stripped of her powers when the metal is embedded beneath her skin and the loss of her freewill was horrendous but made the stakes more believable, made the tension unbearable and created such strong dynamics between her and the other characters. It forced the character to rethink her strategy and find a new source of strength which I think a lot of readers will really relate to.
It's worth saying as well that the mythical underpinnings and socio-political work that has gone into the world building is really effective. I completely believe the social unrest and the appearance of a Djinni wasn't jarring but felt suitably shocking (Amani and the Rebels are facing a new level of threat and new impossible odds). The stories don't feel like tangents but highly relevant information that you need to unpick for clues! The way the characters find themselves trapped in impossible situations but somehow, through bargaining, working with other characters and acting instinctively, find a way out is a masterclass in plotting especially when you realise the agency the characters thought they had was engineered by the antagonist all along!
I loved the ending and how it sets up a whole new stage for the third book which I need now!