relzreviewz.com The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine

Synopsis:~

Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return home 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 identity — is to fight in Maqbara’s 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 a band of prisoners allied against him, and even 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 vicious warden, outfight the 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.

My take:~

I immersed myself in the C.J. Redwine’s fantasy world while on holiday with The Traitor Prince, the third novel in her Ravenspire series, which find their inspiration in fairytales and fables. What a treat it was! Redwine is adept at engaging all the reader’s senses, plunging them into the bowels of a dank and dangerous prison, tugging at their heartstrings at the injustice and betrayal meted out to Javan and Sadja – past and present – and conjuring up the glittering opulence of an Arabic like kingdom. Honor and redemption are themed beautifully through this tale, as the mismatched and slow burn romance between a gifted slave girl and the imprisoned prince blossoms. I don’t often review my general market reads here as my blog’s focus is Christian Fiction, but the spiritual underpinnings of this story are too good not to share. I loved this story and Redwine’s way with words. I didn’t intend to start my Ravenspire journey with book 3, but rest assured I’ll be continuing it with The Shadow Queen, The Wish Granter, and the just released, The Blood Spell.

The Traitor Prince was my own purchase. How stunning is the cover?!