The Queen of Traitors

The Queen of Traitors (The Fallen World #2) by Laura Thalassa (2016)

the queen of traitors

NA Fiction | Romance | Dystopia | (TV-MA)
Blurb:

“They say I am a queen.
They say I married a monster. That I did so willingly.
They say he cannot die, that he does not age. That together, we rule a ravaged world.
They say I used to be one of them, but now I am a traitor.
They say many things, all which I cannot remember, but…

I fear what they say is true.

Then there is what they don’t say, what I see in their eyes—
The king terrifies them. He cannot be stopped. And, most worrisome of all …

He is coming for me.“
–Goodreads

Book One: THE QUEEN OF ALL THAT DIES

pooled ink Review:

I am out of breath. I AM OUT OF BREATH. I don’t know how the stars aligned but whatever it is this series has clicked with me. I’m left astounded and completely confused as to how but it is nevertheless true.

Thalassa has written a series that throws all predictability, all rigid morality, all literary choreography straight out the window without a backward glance. Instead she presents us with blunt brutality, paradoxical relationships, and an intensity that grips your throat. I know I’ve spread my reviews apart (I like to be proactive and schedule posts ahead of time for my blog) but I just read the first two books of this trilogy in one day. The moment I finished The Queen of All that Dies my fingers flew across the keyboard as my mind reeled from what I had just read and then immediately bought the sequel for my Kindle and once more I am raging with emotions but at a loss for words.

Intense. That is what this series is. Intense, unpredictable, ludicrous, twisted, and addicting.

Serenity and Monte remain an absurdly perfectly matched power couple. They both continue to simultaneously threat and protect one another feeding both hatred and love. Okay, but by this book Monte is simply 100% in love with Serenity but Serenity remains able to honestly hate him and love him at the same time. They fight against each other, they rescue one another, and they fall to their knees grasping at the empire that remains determined to slip through their fingers even if surrender meant peace.

Honestly this book is just more of the whirlwind that was book one. Assassination attempts, traitors, spies, and horrible despicable infuriating war games played by greedy nasty souls fill these pages and it truly left me breathless. I didn’t have time to mentally map out where this book would go, I barely had time to grip the sides as it went careening to its finish. And just as with the last book this one leaves us panting with exhaustion and furious at the cliffhanger we’re left with.

So many elements to this series seem so futile, so blunt in their inevitability, and yet somehow Thalassa manages to keep me on my toes constantly second-guessing everything. The world-building expands in this sequel and yet remains horrifyingly realistic. This is a bloody book and it does not shy away from the realities of war and politics. And more people die. From the very first page of the first book I could sense that no one was safe and with each book it proves true.

I truly cannot say too much without spoiling what happens in this book but all I can say is that despite the late hour and how tired my eyes are from reading I am still buzzing with energy and the need to know how this will all end. Thank goodness this is just a trilogy because I don’t think I could stand it if this series went on any longer. Too much could happen.

The Queen of Traitors picks up where its predecessor leaves off and charges forth with the same horrifying sharpness and enthralling intensity that will leave you breathless and clawing for more. Taking a dystopian plot and bleeding it cruelly cold and taking romance and twisting it into something fascinating yet dysfunctional, this series is one not for the faint of heart but for those willing to dive into a world of nightmares and soft futile dreams.

Cheers.

Purchase here: The Queen of Traitors