Blog Tour- TRAITOR TO THE THRONE by Alwyn Hamilton An Interview & Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on blog tour for TRAITOR TO THE THRONE by Alwyn Hamilton! I LOVE this series so freaking much! I have an interview with Alwyn to share with you today! 

Haven't heard of TRAITOR TO THE THRONE? Check it out!

Title: TRAITOR TO THE THRONE(Rebel of the Sands #2)

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 528
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Audible | B&N | iBooks

The sizzling, un-put-downable sequel to the bestselling Rebel of the Sands!

Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she's fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne. 

When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan's palace—she's determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she's a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she's been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about djinni and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change.

Now on to the interview!

Hey Alwyn!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! TRAITOR TO THE THRONE was freaking AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

Thanks so much! So so glad you enjoyed it!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about the events leading up to TRAITOR TO THE THRONE and the characters?

REBEL OF THE SANDS is about a young female sharpshooter named Amani going from being single-mindedly set on the goal of escaping her small town, to becoming part of something bigger than herself: A Rebellion lead by Prince Ahmed, who is intent on dethroning his cruel father. Also part of the rebellion is Prince Ahmed’s half brother Jin, the Rebel Prince’s brother, and Amani’s love interest. And Shazad, a general’s daughter, all around brainy badass, and Amani’s eventual BFF.

Also joining the cause are a handful of Demdji, the children of mortal women and immortal Djinn fathers, who are born with certain superpowers. The Twins, Izz and Maz who can shapeshift into animals, Imin who can shapeshift into other human bodies, and Hala and Delila who can summon illusions.

Amani discovers that she is also one of them and has the power to manipulate the desert sand.

Traitor to the Throne picks up about six months after the end of REBEL with Amani firmly ensconced in the Rebellion and starting to master her powers, just in time for the rug to get pulled out from under the rebels, and Amani to wind up captured by the enemy.

So do we have a title for book 3 yet?

No quiiiiite. Though I’d say it’s down to a few final contenders. I’m notoriously bad with titles though. The folder for all of the REBEL books is still called “Wild West Arabian Nights” which was the document name while I worked on it. So I don’t think I’ll be the one to come up with the one which is perfect.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

Not consciously I don’t think. Tragically I don’t know a Jin or Sam IRL. Though I did dedicate TRAITOR to my friend Rachel “Who always watches my back” which is a line from the book about the friendship between Shazad and Amani.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

Hands down my favorite was Sam. He is a new character who appears about a 1/3^rd of the way into the book. The best way to describe him is that he thinks he’s Cary Elwes as Wesley in the Princess Bride but he’s actually way more Cary Elwes as Robin Hood Men in tights.

I don’t really find I dislike writing anyone because if I did they probably wouldn’t survive very long. But Hala can be tricky, because she is so very negative and she keeps everything on lockdown. Sometimes I don’t even know if her snark is because she hates someone or just for the sake of it.

What is your favorite passage/scene in TRAITOR TO THE THRONE?

I really liked writing the dinner between Amani and the Sultan because on the surface it is a perfectly polite conversation, albeit with a pretty heavy political theme (and we all know it’s impolite to bring up politics at a dinner party). But it’s a defining moment for Amani where she seriously starts to doubt every belief that drives her actions, and there is a lot going on under the calm surface in the relationship between these two enemies.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

Most of my research this time around was about life in the Harems specifically because about half of the book is set there. I remember sending a text to a friend when I was in the middle of reading it basically summing up my findings as “it’s just like an 80’s High School, but with more infanticide.” Which…is maybe fairly reductive. But not inaccurate.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

W.W Hale the Third from Ally Carter’s HEIST SOCIETY. Or maybe Arin from Marie Rutkoski’s THE WINNER’S CURSE. Or…Kash from Heidi Heilig’s THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE. Do I have to pick just one?

What inspired you to write YA?

How much I loved reading it mainly. I took a brief detour through non YA after university before finding my way back to reading YA. And I realized that what I loved about YA that adult didn’t give me as much of was that it was all about characters becoming who they were going to be, and the big moments, the firsts, the life changing and defining moments that were going to make them who they were going to turn out to be. Whereas in adult I was getting a lot of flashbacks to those moments as backstory and explanation. And I just preferred to actually get to be on that path of self discovery with characters.

Lightening Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I’m working my way through the Short Stories from Stephanie Perkins’ SUMMER DAYS, SUMMER NIGHTS, because it is cold and dark out.

I’m seriously excited to get to Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I loved her SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY series and I can’t believe I have not gotten to TRUTHWITCH yet!

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Hufflepuff! (And proud)

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter, 100%

Favorite Superhero?

Rorschach from Watchmen

Favorite TV show?

Obsessed with Netflix’s LOVESICK at the moment. Of all time, maybe Avatar The Last Airbender.

Sweet or Salty?

Salty. Give me Pretzels or give me Death.

Any Phobias?

Heights. Or actually…falling. I’m fine with heights as long as I’m entirely enclosed. It’s as soon as there is an open gap, my whole body freezes up.

Also, I’m not great with small spaces.

And mice and bats freak me out.

So…yes, a lot of phobias.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

“How Far I’ll go” sung by Auli’l Cravalho, from the Moana Soundtrack.

2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.

(With Guardians of the Galaxy and Beauty and The Beast tied in a slightly distant second place).

Thanks so much Alwyn for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read TRAITOR TO THE THRONE!

About Alwyn:

Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her childhood bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She grew up in a small town there, which might have compelled her to burst randomly into the opening song from Beauty and the Beast were it not for her total tone-deafness. She instead attempted to read and write her way to new places and developed a weakness for fantasy and cross-dressing heroines. She left France for Cambridge University to study History of Art at King’s College, and then to London where she became indentured to an auction house. She has a bad habit of acquiring more hardcovers than is smart for someone who moves house quite so often.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr

Giveaway Details:

Enter for a chance to win one (1) grand prize set of Alwyn Hamilton’s books, including a paperback copy of Rebel of the Sands and a hardcover of Traitor to the Throne, or to win one (1) of five (5) paperback copies of Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (ARV: $10.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 6, 2017 and 12:00 AM on March 27, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about March 29, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

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Tour Schedule:

 Week One:

3/6 – The YA Book Traveler – Mood Board

3/7 – Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Author Q&A

3/8 – Love is Not a Triangle – Review

3/9 – Mundie Moms – Review + Favorite Quotes

3/10 – Butter My Books – Guest Post

Week Two:

3/13 – Brittany’s Book Rambles – Guest Post

3/14 – The Eater of Books! – Favorite Quotes

3/15 – Two Chicks on Books – Author Q&A

3/16 – Lost in Lit – Review

3/17 – My Friends Are Fiction – Review

Week Three:

3/20 – The Yong Folks – Author Q&A

3/21 – The Book Addict’s Guide – Traitor Candle

3/22 – Seeing Double in Neverland – Review

3/23 – Bookworm Everlasting – Review

3/24 – Fiction Fare – Guest Post 

Grab book 1 now!