First of all, thank you to Tor Teen for an eARC.

This picks up where book 1 left off, but I'll be honest, the beginning threw me off. The writing became more flowery, and the fancy word choice and the strange voice of the writing honestly took away from the story for me.

I enjoyed book 1, and honestly I was really disappointed. I hope other people love it, but the writing style for book 2 just wasn't for me.

3.5/5 stars overall.
While it was just as easy to read as the first due to Sarah Henning’s beautiful writing, I felt as if it fell short to the first book in the series, but it’s something that often happens with the second book of a trilogy.

I felt as if there were many opportunities in which the plot could have expanded and developed more quickly since the beginning was a bit slow, but it did eventually pick up in a way that had me unable to stop reading.

Overall, it was a beautiful read and a lovely adventure, and it’s leaving me impatiently waiting for book 3!

I think the thing I love most about this duology is the cover art. Both books have phenomenal art with such beautiful characters on the front. That always draws me into a fantasy book. Another thing that drew me in was that it's a gender-swapped retelling of The Princess Bride. What a cool concept! However, ultimately I wasn't super impressed. Here are a few reasons why.

I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of The Princess Bride. I don't know why. Maybe if I rewatch it as an adult, I'll like it better. But I just didn't love it growing up. So perhaps that influenced my opinion of this duology. I always though Buttercup and Wesley were a little much, and I felt the same with Amarande and Luca. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes every time they got near each other.

And speaking of characters, I just couldn't connect to any of them. There were some interesting villains to be sure, but the rest I felt "meh" about. But I continued to read because of the plot. There was lots of intrigue, betrayal, politics, and action—enough to keep me happy and reading. All in all, a fine duology, but probably one I'll forget rather soon.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3.5
Character Development: 2
Overall: 3

Thank you, Tor Teen and NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book has the same quality of writing as I've come to expect from Sarah Henning, even if I found that there were opportunities in the plot that weren't taken that would have just boosted the book's overall enjoyment.

I did enjoy this book more than the first in the series, and I'll be waiting patiently for the next installment. Sarah Henning is an auto read author for me just because I love the worldbuilding, the writing style and the enjoyment factor.

When I finished The Princess Will Save You, I was quite excited to read the sequel. The first book was ​an adventurous and easy-to-read book with sweet friends-to-lovers romance. And after the last cliffhanger, I immediately started to read the second book. My expectations were high, but truth be told, this book had full potential that mostly stayed unused.

The beginning of the story slowly sets the reader back to the world where are things far from easy for Luca and Ama. Both of them have their own problems, and dark and mysterious secrets from past that will be little by little revealed. It won't change their relationship though, which made me happy. This romance is the main reason why I enjoyed the story so much, it's just so sweet, adorable, and gentle, perfect for younger readers.

While the plot of The Princess Will Save You focused mainly on Ama's rescuing mission and there were only a few political scenes, the plot of book two is literally the opposite of it. That's good news for readers who enjoy this kind of scenes because there is a lot of them. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I was glad for this change since these scenes felt bland and boring to me. That's why I preffered another part of storyline. A revealing of Ama's and Luca's past was written much better and reader can look forward to some new characters and . However, even there was one thing I didn't like. There were way too many plot twists, often small and predictable that started to irritate me at some point. Fortunately, most of them was only in the first half of book.

The writing style was just as good as before and thanks to it, it was so hard for me to stop reading. If you're looking for easy to read story, you should give it a chance! Overall, The Queen Will Betray You was an enjoyable read with great writing. Though this series is still average for me, it has all the potential and I am excited to see what will this author write next.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride! Henning upped the stakes even more in this sequel - taking off with bang and never letting up until the very end. All kinds of cray happens (in the best way possible): nothing ever goes as planned, everyone is trying to hide something from everyone else, double-crosses abound, a creepy villain surprises you with humor, plus a bunch of badass women reign supreme (and most are up to nothing good).
**Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.**

And here we go, heading into danger with a shield of sarcasm:
"So we're entering an enclosed space, trying to extract information from someone who you may have had a hand in severely maiming or killing?"
"Yes"
"Suddenly my dagger does not seem sufficient."

She does a great job of building upon the mystery of several of characters in this one, with layers of hidden/secret identities along with a large helping of "morally gray", you're never quite sure who to trust or where someone might show up next. It made for a delightfully twisty high stakes plot. I loved it.

The twisty plot made it a little hard to know who to root for beyond our main couple with so many characters having divided or hidden loyalties. That being said, I was happy with the way General Koldo turned out, and previous sociopath Taillefer brought less of his creeptasticness to the table and more of his wit and humor, in a surprising bid for semi-redemption. Luca sadly fell once again very flat for me. Ughh this boy could have been so much more, he's like a boy version of a Mary Sue, almost too nice and TSTL. I really wanted him to get some energy, passion, pizzazz in this one but, despite his characters plot arc, he just sort of floated through...nicely.

If the first book payed some general homage to The Princess Bride, this one left it well in its wake, concerning itself with its own amazing plot line (and rightly so). However, that being said, I did almost get my favorite PB line: "My name is Ulara Vidal. You killed my mother..."

Honestly so much was packed into this one, that in terms of pacing, the last quarter felt rushed. I almost wish this had been a trilogy (segmenting that last part into a third book), or had added another 100 pages to this one.

And FINALLY - Pet Peeve: PUBLISHERS Please PUT A MAP IN IT!!!!! There's no reason for a fantasy series to NOT have a map in the front (unless the entire story takes place inside a single castle located in the middle of the enchanted woods) Especially stories where you have lots of different Kingdom/Lands and lots of movement in and around said world.

'The Queen will betray you" was an incredible sequel to 'The Princess will save you'. As a lover of The Princess Bride so I was drawn to the first book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Queen was an utter perfect sequel and built on the story with such incredible character development and more intrigue. While Princess surprised me with how good it was, Queen absolutely blew me away!

If you love politics, intrigue, female badasses, love, support characters that you adore and a questionable grey character who you shouldn't love but you do- then this book is the best one I can recommend for you. Join Amarande and Luca as they defy the odds to try to claim both their rightful kingdoms and be together. It's one hell of a ride and worth every page, world and letter you rove your eyes over.

A fabulous, action packed novel from the first page to the last. This is the second book in the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky series. The first novel, The Princess Will Save You, was fantastic and I couldn't wait to read this sequel. As a retelling of the Princess Bride, which is one of the greatest movies, I am excited to see what happens now that we have moved beyond where the story would have left off. Amarande has saved her love, Luca, but now they must go their own ways. It was really sad to see them have to part after she worked so hard to get back to him, but there are kingdoms to rule and wars to fight. The work of a princess never ends, not even for love. Luca finally gets to shine in this book and have his own storyline, rather than just being rescued and a love interest. I enjoyed how his quest for power never corrupted his love for Ama. Ama finally grows into her character too. The writing of her character and personality has greatly improved from the first book. I also enjoyed how Tallifer turned out to not be a classic villain, more of a morally grey person always looking out for their own best self-interest. It was a change from the first novel but it worked. I appreciate a good redemption arc. The action packs a punch and it doesn't hold back on the occasional gruesome aspects of war. Even though the book has romance aspects, it isn't a true YA romance and more of a coming-to-power story for both the MC's. It details their journey as individual people which I appreciate. I can't wait for the third book to come out!

The Queen Will Betray You was an epic book from start to finish. It builds on everything I loved about the first book and then takes it further. It picks up right after the previous book finishes. Ama is trying to reclaim her kingdom and wants to do it with Luca by her side. It is full of political drama, unknown loyalties, plot twists and adventure.

The fact that this is a second book works in the trilogies favour. Normally this is where the book becomes a bit of a filler and suffers from second book syndrome, but in this series, the book allows full character development and for the story to develop at its own pace. It doesn't feel rushed and we come to understand the characters more. We get so much more background for Aramande, her family, Luca and many other players. We even get to see a lot more of Tallifer. Initially I did not like his character at all, but he sort of grew on me in this book. I enjoyed the dynamic he brought to the story and the role he played. I was hesitant at first but I really liked how the story played out with his involvement.

One of my favourite characters was Koldo and she features more in this book than the previous. I love seeing awesome female characters come together and this book had many, including Amarande, Ula and Koldo. I also love that while I was initially skeptical of the childhood love between Ama and Luca, it shines through honestly and uniquely in this book. It was really great to read.

The only complaint I would have is that on more than once occasion the author used very modern words, for example; panties. This just seemed so out of place in a fantasy book that involves swords and travel by horses...

I read it in one sitting and would definitely recommend it to fans of the first book or anyone who loves books about kingdoms at war, royal politics, sweet and friendship based romance and fun adventures with a range of entertaining cast.

3.5 stars

Reading this series as a satire on YA fantasy is definitely the way to go for me, to read it an exaggeration that both plays homage and teases the typical tropes and story beats. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it if I'd taken it seriously, as a lot of these tropes are ones I'm not a big fan of as I see them too much. Instead, I could read it as a teasing take from someone who loves the genre.

The multi-POV aspect of the series really comes into its own (and gains more POVs) in this book. The first story was a much tighter one - Amarande going after Luca, so the POVs other than those two felt a little unnecessary at times as they were only really providing context about what side characters were thinking. However, the story is happening in a lot of places and with a lot of different threads this time, and so a large cast helped follow it all.

Taillefer is a character whose portrayal I wasn't sure if I liked or not. On the one hand, having a prince who was a clear villain in the first book (brutally torturing Luca) appearing to have a redemption arc as he helps Amarande and then having him be revealed as self-serving but then potentially not does fit into the satire-feeling of the series well. However, I generally don't like redemption arcs as they rarely feel like the characters are being held accountable for what they've done and that justice isn't achieved for the victims.

Though this series was originally announced and acquired as a duology, it is now a trilogy, so there's one final book to come - THE KING WILL KILL YOU - next year. You can tell the series was originally meant to be a duology as the major threats are dealt with in THE QUEEN WILL BETRAY YOU.

However, the world is in a bit of a mess thanks to the very large death count of royals. I'm guessing/hoping the next book will therefore be a "how do we solve this?" book, which I'm actually pretty excited about as we rarely get the "after" books, when the world is a mess that has to be fixed. Thus I will be finishing the trilogy.

I have no words for how amazing this book was! It drew me in and I was unable to put it down! I was completely blow away! Phenomenal read!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book picks up straight from where The Princess Will Save You ends and the action, drama, politics romance and intrigue is definitely amped up from the first book. Amarande continues to be a strong female protagonist and charms us with her attitude, wit and swift swordsmanship. Luca has a good amount of character development in comparison to the first book and I admire his relationship with Amarande. We are introduced to a host of new characters that bring in their own personality to the table, shaking things up and carrying the story forward. Personally, Tallifer stole the show and despite being a villain, he had his ways of making you love him. His manipulative and clever tendencies are addictive and I think after The Darkling, I can safely say, this is a villain that you want to forgive. I definitely feel this is a strong sequel to the first book and I look forward to seeing what the final book brings.

One of my most anticipated reads and this did not let down! Love the strong characters and storyline.

"my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die."
I was SO excited to read that version of the line in this! Plus the sand pits? Amazing!
The ending was excellent! I wanted another chapter, it kind of left things unsolved, but it was still enjoyable. I'm glad that Ama and Luca weren't around each other much in the book, otherwise the CHEESE would have been too much. I kind of wished some people (cough cough Ula) would have made fun of them a little more for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for providing me with an advance review copy!!
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This book was gripping from start to finish!!

As a massive fan of book one, I got so excited when I was accepted to review the second book!! I will firstly start by saying that once again the cover art is gorgeous!! I love the representation of both Ama and Luca and find it incredibly eye-catching!

Now, after the cliff-hanger of book one, I was eager to get my paws into this book. However, instantly, we were sent straight back to the rising conflict and Ama and Luca's struggles. Ama, I feel, had it worse in this book than Luca, which I found excellent as it was sort of Luca doing the rescuing this time around and Ama being saved.

My favourite thing about this book is the love between Ama and Luca! Their love shines so brightly throughout the book, and I love how they call each other 'my love' throughout, and people can see and know that these two are true loves and that on its own is 'power'. I also love how deeply and passionately they both care for those that are loyal to them. No matter what, they are there, and they stick with them, and I think that is one of the main reasons I love their characters so much.

I found the story a lot easier to follow this time around, and I could connect with the characters more. I also like how this book isn't as political as the first, don't get me wrong, there is still politics within the book, but not as much as the first, which made reading more straightforward for me.

The only problem I had with the book is the number of injuries Ama sustained. In the first book, she was made out to be a strong, battle-ready woman who could think strategically and hold her own; however, throughout this book, it felt like that was all thrown out of the window, which was a shame as I truly loved her strength and power during book one.

Overall I feel like this is a great conclusion to book one, and I can't wait to see where it's taken in book three.

A kingdom to reclaim, a love reunited, and family secrets revealed. Picking up after the events of the first book, Ama is returning to her kingdom after saving her beloved...only to find that her runaway mother has come back and given the throne to her bastard brother. Luca is on his own journey, of claiming his kingdom and joining the resistance. With so much political intrigue and betrayals at every turn... soon Ama finds herself finding help in the most unexpected ally and betrayal from those closest to her. I have to say I definitely enjoyed the continued journey of Ama and Luca.. and I must take a moment to say that THE STANDOUT STAR OF THIS BOOK IS TAILLEFER!!! He has become one of my favorites, he is complex, a little crazy, ambitious, manipulative and getting to know him more in this book was a joy. He was a tragic character, yes he did what he had to and yes he was not the most stable person, but the one thing I did like about him is just how much he didn’t hesitate in achieving his goals and how he adapted to situations and planned for things. I am so happy to find out that there will be a third book!! The ending for this book was a bit abrupt but finding out that the story continues I can’t wait to see where we go. Ama and Luca once again are such an amazing couple, they both love and trust one another and will fight to the death for each other. Ama, continues to be an amazing protagonist, and I do adore a girl who is fights with a sword and is not afraid to fight her way out of things! So I definitely would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the first book and I can’t wait for the next one!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The Queen Will Betray You is an epic sequel to The Princess Will Save You! The story picks up right where the first book left off, and it is action-packed, riddled with danger, intrigue, treachery, and more. I love that the series pays homage to The Princess Bride while still feeling wholly original. The setting is immersive and detailed – horrific at times and majestically beautiful at others. The characters are dynamic and compelling, and there’s a startling redemption for a character that felt irredeemable.

The story is told from many different perspectives, which gives such a well-rounded view of what is happening in the different kingdoms. Politics, political maneuvering, and complex, power-hungry machinations weave into every aspect of life in this world, and with so many different points of view, we see all of it. The characters are so well-developed and interesting, and I loved learning more about each of their stories. There are so many characters with secrets, and it’s never clear who Ama and Luca should trust. Layers upon layers of manipulation and political maneuvering make for a complicated web of lies, half-truths, and deception, and just when I thought I had everything figured out, Henning threw another twist that changed everything!

Ama is a fantastic protagonist, and I love her journey. As her physical journey intensifies, so does her emotional one. Ama learns so much about her family, and she realizes that she doesn’t know the people she loves as well as she thought she did. Luca is also quite well-developed, and I love that we see him learning more about his family and past, as well as his future as a leader. He seems more self-assured and confident, yet his core values and morals remain unchanged. New alliances and old are tested, and Luca and Ama both show strength, loyalty, and determination to do what is right for their people.

Ama and her allies are fighting against the patriarchal laws of society in hopes of a more equal future. In this male-dominated society, different women use different means to rise up in a world that wants to keep them submissive. And Amarantha is not the only woman who wants the laws to change. Other women want to rule on their own too. However, the ways they go about reaching their shared goal are vastly different. I like that the story shows both good and bad women and all the women in between.

The story also examines the lengths people go to gain and keep control and the different ways that people choose to rule and how these decisions intrinsically affect their entire world. There’s so much action and suspense. It’s violent and graphic, at times, and some scenes are shocking in their brutality. But these scenes also show the imperativeness of demanding change.

Taillefer is a masterfully complex character, and his arc is fascinating. He is evil and manipulative, disturbing in his willingness and eagerness to hurt others. Yet, there’s something about Taillefer. I’m not sure if it’s his candidness, his innate ability to get to the heart of a matter, his arrogant humor, or his redemptive actions, but he went from being one of my least favorite to my favorite character. I feel like the more I learned about him, his family, his past, and his intention, the more he became less villainous. Of course, many of his actions are unforgiveable, but Henning’s skillful characterization of Taillefer creates a well-rounded, complex, and redeemable person.

Ama’s father, though dead, is another strong presence in the story. Flashbacks from several characters, as well as recollections of advice given and cryptic messages left behind, create a dynamic character who has left a strong imprint on the land and people he loved. I found it fascinating that Ama’s father was so well-developed and complex even though he wasn’t a physical presence in the story. Even after his death, his life impacted so many, especially Ama and Luca

Ultimately, this is a love story, and Ama and Luca’s love story is sweet and true and reminiscent of Wesley and Buttercup in The Princess Bride. Their devotion to each other is wonderful, and the story left enough wiggle room at the end that i could see a potential follow-up book. Other budding romances are interesting as well, and I’m eager to see these new relationships grow.

The Queen Will Betray You is an immersive, well-paced story, and I loved the characters, plot, world-building, and themes. There are many unexpected twists and turns, and I like that the story kept me guessing. There are also many morally grey people, situations, and actions throughout the book, which creates blurry lines between right and wrong and is so intriguing! I highly recommend this series to readers who like YA fantasy and romance and am so thankful to Sarah Henning, the publisher, and Terminal Tours for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I barely have words to describe how much I love this story! The Queen Will Betray You picks up right after The Princess Will Save You and doesn't let up, which I loved! These characters are so engaging and the pace of and flow of the story are so great. Luca and Amarande continue to be two of my all time favorite characters, and really ,all of the supporting characters add so much depth! I loved learning more of the history of the Sand and Sky and all the twists and turns kept me glued to the page all the way through. I was sad to finish the story, as I didn't want to say goodbye, but the day after I finished, the best news ever...there's going to be a third book!! The King Will Kill You is going to continue the story of these amazing characters and I can hardly wait!

Well what can I say about The Queen Will Betray You other than I loved loved loved it!!!! I am simply thrilled that The Princess Will Save You and this are inspired from the Princess Bride and in The Queen Will Betray You the underlying notes of The Princess Bride are certainly there. I love Luca and Amarande's story. Luca very much grows into his own in this book, I loved watching him become stronger and more sure of himself without ever doubting or regretting his love for Amarande and the extent that the two of them would and do go for one another. Taillifer ended up being a rather intriguing character and you never know exactly where his loyalties lie. It was surprising to hear the words "As You Wish" come from him to many times. I actually grew to rather like him. The Warlord is ever present in the story along with some interesting twists that I can't wait for people to read. Koldo continues to be a favorite of mine even while I may have been slightly disappointed a few times by her choices. I cannot shout it from the rooftops or the pages as it is how much I love this book, I was so sad to come to the end!

✨The Queen Will Betray You by Sarah Henning✨

<b>Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor Teen publishers for an ARC of Sarah Jenning’s second book in The Kingdom of Sand and Sky series, <i>The Queen Will Betray You </i> (“TQWBY”)in exchange for an honest review. </b>

3.5 Stars

*Spoiler Free*

Amarande: continues to kick butt and take names! I still enjoyed her attitude, wit, and swords(wo)manship as much in this novel as book 1.

Luca: we save a significant amount of character development in TQWBY. He is so much more than a love interest, he is a very well written strong male feminist character who will do anything he can for his people and his love.

Tallifer: MY GUY! Ya know for a villain he really had a way of making you like him. He was quite clever and had evil tendencies but seemed more along the lines of great companion but annoying little brother full of useful and useless knowledge.

Super strong female characters good and evil throughout this entire novel in Ines, Geneva, Ama and more which I loved!

TQWBY was a continuation of the fast paced adventure we found ourselves in Book one. The writing and plot was clear and concise, never leaving me confused or with need to reread for clarity.

TQWBY was heavier on politics and betrayal among the kingdoms of sand and sky putting the travel and love on the back burner but still important to the lines. Each chapter from start to finish carried excellent prose and head turning twists keeping you guessing.

The world building continued to expand in book two giving us a deeper look at the kingdoms and the terrain allowing you to better picture the area in your mind. Customs, terrain, goods all differ between the areas and you truly get a feel for each group.

The ending was left very open ended leaving us okay if that’s all there is but also curious and wanting if more was to come. I saw online that a third book is in the works so if that’s true I cannot wait!

The Queen Will Betray You is due to hit shelves on July 6, 2021

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