Review! Three Excellent Sequels: The Scarecrow Queen, Traitor to the Throne, The Ship Beyond Time // ruthlilywrites

Welllll what do we have here! Only a three reviews squeezed into one post! I have read three much anticipated sequels in the last month and I wanna gush about all three of them basically. The Scarecrow Queen is part three of The Sin Eater's Daughter trilogy by Melinda Salisbury, Traitor to the Throne is part two in the Rebel of the Sands series by Alwyn Hamilton, and The Ship Beyond Time is the sequel to The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig. I also recently read A Conjuring of Light, part three in V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy, my thoughts on which you can read over here in a different post.

The Scarecrow Queen picks up in the midst of war. We get to spend time with both lead characters this time: Twylla and Errin are in their own separate struggles in the aftermath of the attacks on the secret conclave at the end of book two. Aurek is being the full evil King he wants to be, with Errin held captive. She has to figure out all she can do from within the castle while under the control of Aurek's magic. Twylla meanwhile has to find it within herself to become a leader and a symbol for the rebellion. She learns to fight and lead and strategise. Lief is there being an evil or possible-not-evil-after-all solider man, Merek is in hiding within the castle, and Silas is a prisoner but alive at least. There was a lot to wrap up and I can't quite believe how the gang managed to pull everything off and (SPOILER) survive and win! I thought it was a brilliant conclusion to the trilogy- I found it gripping and well paced and so full of action. It was a good mix of the intense castle prisoner pacing of the first book, and the war brewing, dark magic, run away pacing of the second. I keep remembering scenes I'd forgotten about and being taken right back into that world again. I think I could probably do with a reread of the whole trilogy so I can properly pay attention to all the detail in the lore and everything. I can't wait to see what's coming next from Melinda Salisbury (and I should probably get my hands on The Heart Collector short companion stories to this series!)

Traitor to the Throne takes us back to the middle of the Rebel Prince's rebellion in the desert almost a year after the events of Rebel of the Sands. Amani's reputation is spreading as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, with rumours swirling about the battles she's fought in along with the rebellion, using her sand shifting powers and super gun skills. The pacing of this sequel is a little different from the first in the series, with a lot of time spent in the harem of the Sultan's palace. I think this was a problem for some readers but I found the politics and dynamics of the harem fascinating. Amani has to deal with the loss of her powers, isolation from the rest of her friends in the rebellion and has to face up to characters from her life before the rebellion. There is action, tense political manoeuvring, the summoning of the gods, betrayal, deceit, and an amazing twist in the end. I keep thinking about this book; Alwyn Hamilton has created such a strong sense of place. I want to be back in that world asap and I can't wait for part three.

The Ship Beyond Time is a little different in that it brings many of the issues of book one back in to play, but with a totally new storyline and setting. Nix's dad is sobering up and dealing with the aftermath of the events of book one. Nix takes charge and follows an invitation and map to the mythical island of Ker-Ys, which should be set for a flooding disaster as its story goes. The idea of fate and the telling of fortunes continues to be the main theme, with another rival Navigator messing with the rules of time travel. Most of the book is set in Ker-Ys as Nix, Kashmir, and Blake try to unravel the mystery and figure out what purpose has brought them to the island, and how they can change its doomed fate. This book definitely got my head in a tangle a few times over timelines and time travelling concepts but I really enjoyed being back on the Temptation with its crew. In fact it felt like a really good stand alone episode of Doctor Who, with a time based mystery to solve all set in one really cool location, great guest characters, and the fates of our lead time traveller and her companions brought into question. Now I want to see it on screen a lot. Does Heidi Heilig want to take over from Moffat?


There you have it! Three awesome sequels continuing stories or ending trilogies, each totally enthralling to me. If you haven't read these series, forget everything I just said spoiler-wise and start from the beginning. Well worth your time. There's something for everyone: a fairytale kingdom where old lore is becoming true; a dusty desert, with magic handed down by gods, in the midst of a rebellion; and a ship that can sail through time to lands real and mythical.