This book was pretty much THE instruction manual for groveling in a fantasy world. Lara my traitor queen--and I say this as an endearment--literally threw everything in her power to get a shot at that redemption card, and this book. THIS BOOK. Practically threw everything in its power to repeatedly try to break this poor girl.

But anyway.

I might like The Traitor Queen a smidgen better than The Bridge Kingdom (I'm still debating actually 5-starring this or not...leaning toward not for now). There was enough of the world established in its predecessor, so this book didn't have to do as much heavy lifting in terms of the world. But, despite much of the story being action-packed and solely focused on Lara and Aren's trials and tribulations, there are still glimpses of the politics and the overarching story that is clearly not just focused on retaking Ithicana from the Maridrinians. Yes, this is one of the main plots for Lara and Aren, but we're also introduced to the inner workings of a third nation in play. And judging from the characters that we meet in this book to lead to the third book, I'm actually really excited, because from the bits and pieces we got from The Traitor Queen, I'm going to LOVE Keris and Zarrah.

As for the story itself, it follows the events that take place during the end of the first book. Lara is facing the consequences of her actions and searching for away to save Aren from her father's clutches. A lot of obstacles are in the way, however; namely, the fact that she is considered a traitor to the country she's married into. But needs must, and she manages to find characters along the way who will help her in achieving the goals she set out to accomplish. We also get Aren's point of view, and it's fairly grueling on his first few chapters. Needless to say, once Lara gets the ball rolling, things start to escalate and speed up. And suddenly it's become one fast-paced adventure after another.

Honestly, I was here for the ride. It's not every day I get an entire fantasy book where the FMC spends a majority of it groveling in the most badass--and most unhinged--way possible. While I liked Lara and Aren's budding relationship in the previous book, I did feel like they didn't spend as much time together as they did in this book. I felt the palpable tension and the emotional turmoil both characters went through, especially because they were practically stuck together for most of the story. And yes, I could have honestly done with a bit more spice, but easing that back for their character arcs to make sense was understandable.

Also, I would never want to cross an angry pregnant Sahrina. Give this woman all her happiness. Girl has done ENOUGH.

The end of this book had me grinning tho! Great callback to the beginning of this book, AND the beginning of the first book.