The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire #3)

Synopsis

Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from this kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return hime is cut short when a mysterious imposter takes his place-- and no one believes Javan is the true prince.

After barely escaping the imposter's assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom's most dangerous prison. The only way to gain an audience with the king- and reveal Javan's identify- is to fight in Maqbara's twice-yearly tournament. But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena, but also by a band of prisoners allied against him, and even by the warden herself.

The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara's warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check. Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive- but she has dangerous secrets.

Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the dangerous warden, outfight deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan. If they fail, they'll be trapped in Maqbara for good- and the secret Sajda's been hiding will bury them both.

Loved

• Javan! Javan is just so good. He's honest, hard-working, studies constantly, and always does the right thing. I love his strength throughout the book even though everything bad that could possibly happen to him does happen. His goodness and integrity were refreshing and I loved rooting for him. I also really appreciated his journey of learning that his higher power still cares for him and has a plan for him even though he's experiencing all these crazy challenges.

• The romance. Ah, this romance is the BEST. At first I was terrified of Sajda (and so was Javan), but it turns out she's just a heartbroken girl with dreams, hopes, and a love for the stars. Javan's open sincerity and compassion are the perfect combination to bring out Sajda's selflessness and passion hidden beneath the fierce brutality and cold mask she's worn throughout her life. I love these two and the way their opposite personalities complement each other.

• The Hunger Games vibes! This book felt very different from the others in the series, mainly because we get major Hunger Games vibes in this plot. We get a tournament requiring innocent people to fight to the death, everyone competing for one major prize, and MONSTERS. Although the monsters cause a lot of gore in this story, I thought they were so interesting and creative. The tournament was brutal, but so gripping and intense- I really couldn't put the book down and just had to keep flipping pages.

• The retelling. I've never read The Prince and the Pauper (don't judge me, but I didn't realize it was written by Mark Twain until I saw the physical book recently . . . ) But I don't know this story at all (except for the Barbie musical version, which I love. Again, save your judgment until you've watched it yourself ;) Anyway, this retelling was so interesting because it hasn't been redone many times- that I know of- and the whole idea of a prince being kicked out his throne by an imposter is just fascinating. The plot was just one twist after another, and I loved experiencing a new retelling where I couldn't guess what would happen and how things would end up.

Didn't Love

• I loved everything about this story- I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe not having  so many people die . . . 

Content

• Language: 
• No swearing in this story.

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses, not much described.
• Some derogatory sexual comments made about a female character.

• Violence:
• Since we have a death tournament going on, there's a LOT of violence. Definitely the most violent of the Ravenspire series. 
• LOTS of descriptions of people dying in various ways- being stabbed/killed by fellow prisoners, being eaten/maimed by monsters, drowning, and getting bitten by poisonous things. Bodies, body parts, and blood are described throughout the three tournaments. It really does feel Hunger-Games-ey in that everyone is trying to kill each other and chaotic violence is happening around the main character during these tournaments.
• A secondary character is stabbed and killed.
• A character is found with spikes driven through his hands, feet, and heart.
• A character is pushed to his death off a high place.

Overall Thoughts

Okay, this is the Ravenspire I was least excited about, but it's definitely my favorite of the series- I just completely devoured it in pretty much one day. I loved the retelling of the Prince and the Pauper because I had never read any retellings of this and it was very original. I loved the Middle Eastern culture mixed with the Hunger Games-like intensity of the tournaments, monsters, and prisoner gangs. Sajda's fierceness paired with Javan's goodness is perfect and their love story is to die for. If you don't read any other Ravenspire books, definitely read this one- you won't regret it I promise you!