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.

Books I read in March!: Rebel of the Sands, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, A Gathering of Shadows

I read and marked like a zillion essays and dissertations in March so my reading brain was very tired, but I did manage to read three whole books! I also read some graphic novels and you can read my round up of the ones I read in February and March in their very own dedicated post. The few books I did manage to read were the wonderful Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, Ayisha Malik's Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, which I loved, and much anticipated sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic- A Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab. 

Rebel of the Sands

I may have initially judged this book by its beautiful shiny cover, but the contents were no disappointment. Set in a desert land with magical sand beasts and a Rebel Prince uprising against the king, Amani Al'Hiza is determined to leave her tiny dead-end town and head for the bright lights of the big city. Our heroine is particularly skilled with guns, and can definitely fend for herself, although it helps that she can pass for a boy. The world building is brilliant- I had amazing imagery in my head of this Middle Eastern meets cowboy Western land, especially appreciating the train scenes, there's just something about a desert train that I really love. Romance, adventure, mythology, and gun-slinging are all woven together beautifully, in what I was very pleased to learn is the first part of a trilogy. Follow Alwyn on social media too, she's great! 

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged 

I took the recommendation of Leena Norms in her Fresh Reads video, and I regret nothing! I loved this book. It was so much fun and I learned so much about British Muslim culture. Sofia Khan has just broken up with her boyfriend, due to his unwillingness to move out of his parents house after their potential future marriage. Discussing her dating experiences at work, as a publicist at a London publishing house, her boss convinces her to write a Muslim dating book. This book is essentially that, a British Muslim dating book. Full of wit and humour, balancing religion and relationships, marriage-obsessed relatives, racists on the tube, praying at work, writing her book,  and joining a Muslim dating site, Sofia's story is extremely entertaining and engaging. 

A Gathering of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows is the much anticipated sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic, and I was very excited to see what would happen next after the very fast paced first book. This sequel takes place four months after the events of book one, and spans several months too, so we get a real feel for the wider world. Lila is the more central protagonist this time and she has essentially become a pirate and it's great. She has also been practicing magic under the tuition of her ship's captain, Alucard Emery, and learning as much as she can about Red London. Back in the city itself, Kell and Rhy are under much closer protection after both almost dying to defeat the Dane twins in White London, with Prince Rhy busy planning the massive international event, The Element Games, to be hosted in the city, and Kell essentially just pining after Lila. I really enjoyed the book, it was a great sequel, picking up the pace from the first book, and continuing this great pacing throughout. I loved Lila's new pirating life, and oh! that amazing opening scene. The bustling crowds of the Games really reminded me of the Quidditch World Cup, so that obviously sat very favourably with me. There was an effort throughout to remind the reader of details and events from the first book, which I found to be very elegantly executed and helpful, and that certainly isn't an easy thing to pull off. I found the chapter lengths to be perfect too; there is really just an overall brilliant attention to detail throughout. An amazing sequel- so excited for part three!


I'm currently reading Riverkeep, so far so good, and I have such a big tbr pile right now it's a little overwhelming but as far as problems go, it really could be worse! I just got a copy of The Girl From Everywhere from Hot Key Books and I have a sneaky feeling it's going to jump to the top of the pile...!