SPOILER FREE BOOK REVIEW

*This is the third in a trilogy so if you haven't read the first two books and intend to, there will be slight spoilers in the synopsis however, you won't get spoiled from my review itself.
Title: Hero at the Fall
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 21 February 2018
RRP: $16.99 AUD

Synopsis:
When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew or rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

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I was slightly hesitant to devour this like I wanted to deep down; it is the end of a trilogy and essentially an era in my opinion. After seriously loving Rebel of the Sands and definitely enjoying Traitor to the Throne; Hero at the Fall is where some new things may start but it will all come to an end. And I just have to say this, but the cover is so beautiful and they couldn't have done it better.

The storyline throughout this entire trilogy is so interesting and exciting, and I was very curious as to how it was going to play out in this final book. It definitely did not disappoint and I would have to say, this is my favourite out of the series. I mean, when you get super invested in the characters lives and find yourself imitating their emotions, well... you must love it, right?

The book starts off with short descriptions of the characters that have popped up throughout the first two books, and having read book two (Traitor to the Throne) a year earlier, I found it to be a great way to remind myself of what had previously happened in the stories without the repetition. Another plus and the new story hadn't even begun.

The story picks up immediately and you'll be transported straight back to the world of Amani and her crew. The author's writing, in my opinion, is better than ever and found myself breezing through the pages, eager to know more. You're constantly thrown into emotional battles and while some parts I adored, some just broke my heart. In book two, I felt that the Demdji powers were not really present however, they much more prominent in this novel which makes me VERY happy.

Throughout this series, I've found that some readers have a bit of love-hate feelings toward our main character, Amani. While I can see how they do, I adore her. I feel like she is strong when she needs to be strong but still has that soft side that she's working on and I love her for it. And if you're not always keen on her, she definitely has some great character development that I think everyone will appreciate.

The other characters are, to put it simply, amazing. I love the dynamics of this rebel crew and wish I could see them together for all of eternity. You'll meet a couple of new characters but there is one that really stands out for me, don't worry, I won't give it away but I got a little bit obsessed (some people won't be surprised at who it is haha).
And of course, Jin; oh Jin, what did we ever do to deserve you? I felt like his presence was lacking throughout a lot of the book. He's still around but I wanted more Jin, perhaps I'm a little selfish? But there is a point where you'll get your fix, don't you worry. I was talking to my friend Bek (@bexnbooks) about Hero at the Fall and how we would not mind, in fact, we would encourage a novel told in Jin's perspective - yes please!

There was only one part of the book that I was disappointed with and it was to do with the Sultan, or lack thereof - but it did not deter me in the way of rating the book (as you'll see below!)

As you can probably tell, I adored this book and this series as a whole. Hero at the Fall was definitely my favourite of the three and I think most people will really enjoy these books. A great, diverse read!

My rating: 5/5 stars

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*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
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Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publication date: 25 January 2017
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $16.99 AUD

Synopsis:
This is not about blood or love. This is about treason.
Nearly a year has passed since the events in Rebel of the Sands. Amani has come into both her powers and reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible.
Stripped of her powers and her identity, and told from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the hare is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

*Please note this review will not have any spoilers for Traitor to the Throne but may contain spoilers for Rebel of the Sands (book one).

If you can recall, I read Rebel of the Sands (book one) in December last year and flew through it; it was an incredible, fast paced read that I wanted more of so I was highly anticipating the release of Traitor to the Throne. In the very beginning of the book, the author has given us a rundown of the characters which I actually really enjoyed going through; it then goes into the first chapter from the perspective of The Foreign Prince, aka Jin which I may have squealed about. I really hope we get more chapters from him in the future (hint hint Alwyn Hamilton).

WRITING

In Rebel of the Sands, I fell in love with the author's writing and the love kept coming whilst reading Traitor to the Throne. The flow of the book was great and there's something about the way Alwyn describes everything that makes my little bookish heart warm. I absolutely love the mix of magic and what seems to be mythology? You wouldn't think to have those two in a book together but it works and I'm happy about it.

PLOT

In Traitor to the Throne we delved into the story a lot more than book one. I felt like some parts were skimmed over a bit more than I wanted to, but there was also a lot going on this book that partly made up for it. In Rebel of the Sands, there was rarely time for rest and that's what made it so fast paced. In Traitor to the Throne, it slows right down however, there is still so much going on that keeps your interest. To some this may be a good thing, to others... not so much?

There was definitely a lot of magical power and gun action that I felt was missing, we still get some of it but not as much as I'd have liked. I think this is what makes the book a bit slower. We still have our suspenseful and exciting situations but it missed what I loved most about book one. It's very obvious though that the author wanted to get deeper into the story and is setting us up for what I can only imagine as an intense finale.

CHARACTERS

The character development is this novel was amazing. We got to know the characters a bit more, I wanted more but I know that's probably asking too much. I think I'm just nosy and want to know everyones back story. I felt that Amani really grew into a likeable leader, I thought she was interesting already in Rebel of the Sands, but I really loved her character development in this book.

I'm really surprised at how much I liked it when the Sultan was involved/mentioned and I honestly think I'm not the only one. He was so interesting every time he spoke and I would really love to know more about how he thinks.

There were a few new characters introduced to our story. I absolutely loved Sam, he made for a lighter yet still serious time and I loved it when he was around. We get to meet a few of Jin and Ahmed's other siblings which really added to the Rebel Prince's story and I can't wait for it to delve more into that particular part.

There was a huge lack of Jin which I was disappointed in. I understand it's hard when it's told in Amani's perspective but he was such a huge part of the previous book, I felt that he should have some of his own chapters even if it was only a couple.


OVERALL

Overall, the book was exciting and written so beautifully, the world building is phenomenal and the character development is spot on. Traitor to the Throne got deeper into our rebellion story and sets us up for book three with an intense and emotional ending.

I would highly recommend picking up Rebel of the Sands if you haven't already; pick up Traitor to the Throne while you're at it because you're gonna need it right away! I would love to know your thoughts on Traitor to the Throne (or Rebel), leave a comment below or message me on Instagram if they contain spoilers.

Rating: 4/5

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See you soon.

x

*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:
Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads

Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!