The Queen Will Betray You by Sarah Henning Series: Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #2
Published by Tor Teen (7.6.2021)
Genres: High Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 352 pages
Length: 14 hours, 44 minutes
Narrator: Katharine Lee McEwan
Source: Library
The breathtaking sequel to The Princess Will Save You in the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky duology — a brilliantly-executed YA fantasy homage to The Princess Bride
To stay together forever, Princess Amarande and her stableboy love, Luca, must part: Amarande to reclaim her kingdom from usurpers, and Luca to raise a rebellion and find his destiny. Arrayed against them are all the players in the game of thrones for control over the continent of The Sand and Sky. Facing unspeakable betrayals, enemies hidden in the shadows, and insurmountable odds, their only hope is the power of true love...
My thoughts
I honestly don’t remember a darn thing about the second book. I enjoyed the first book for the most part, even though it was generic AF (thanks to the fantastic audiobook narrator, I’m quite sure); but sadly I enjoyed this one a bit less than the first. I did still mostly enjoy it while I was listening, but it felt even more generic than the first book and had a bit of second book syndrome going on.
Although, Luca and Ama split up and spend most of the book apart; which I actually kind of liked, because the romance wasn’t the driving point about this book as much as it was the first (one even though they kept harping on how they’d do anything for each other).
Overall Assessment
Plot: 2/5
Premise: 3/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 1/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 1/5
Narration: 4/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 2.5/5
The King Will Kill You by Sarah Henning Series: Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #3
Published by Tor Teen (8.2.2022)
Genres: High Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 368 pages
Length: 14 hours, 48 minutes
Narrator: Katharine Lee McEwan
Source: Library
Princess Amarande is finally on the verge of having everything she wants. To be with her true love Luca, no one nor law standing in the way. To rule Ardenia as queen outright, no marriage necessary, as Luca does the same with the reformed Torrence. To rebuild the continent of The Sand and Sky into a place not defined by archaic, patriarchal laws, but by the will of its people.
However, threats await in the shadows of Amarande’s hoped-for happily ever after. One expected and deadly to both her love and every one of her objectives. The other, unexpected, and arising with a vicious aim: revenge at any cost. Against the princess who killed him, the boy whose love made her do it, and the continent cruel enough to deserve his rage.
The King Will Kill You is the epic, pulse-pounding conclusion to Sarah Henning’s Kingdoms of Sand and Sky trilogy.
My thoughts
Not gonna lie, I pretty much only read this because I was 2 books in and felt the need to see it through. This was by far my least favorite of the whole series. It was just so….dull? Things were happening but I still feel like nothing happened. This series should have been a duology. It’s also geared toward a much younger audience than me, so maybe that’s why, but it just seemed very melodramatic with zero actual stakes. Characters would be freaking out about something and I’d just be rolling my eyes like ‘it’s fine, you’ll be fine.’
I also haaated a certain thing in this book that I feel was just a plot device to push this into a trilogy, when it should have been a duology all along. View Spoiler »
I would probably only recommend reading this series just for Ula. The main characters are pretty meh. Ula should have been the MC. Also, if you do read it? Stop at the last part of the epilogue in book 2 and pretend book 3 never existed.
Overall Assessment
Plot: 1/5
Premise: 1/5
Writing style: 2.5/5
Originality: 1/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 2/5
Feels: 0/5
Narration: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall rating: 1/5
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