The House of Lazerin is filled with secrets – the kind that end in ruin.Elivya yearns for nothing more than a sword and the skill to wield it, but war is the province of men. Duty demands she join the duplicitous ranks of the King’s Court instead, using wit and guile to lure a respectable husband and ensure the continuation of her dwindling House. The coveted son of a powerful noble family … noble family quickly catches her eye, but securing an advantageous marriage is not the only challenge that awaits her as she enters society.
An enemy has infiltrated the royal court, whispering in the King’s ear and sowing the seeds of war. What hard-won skills Elivya has accrued will be put to the test in a desperate bid to save her homeland, an endeavor that will require her to do the unthinkable: commit treason.
Praise for Traitor:
A fantastic protagonist whose own desires, hopes, and dreams tie in beautifully with a broader theme of duty, love, and faith. – Author Comhghall McKeating
I was instantly hooked. – Author S.W. Holt
Addictively good. […] An absolutely epic start to what is guaranteed to be an engaging series. – Amazon reviewermore
TL;DR: A familiar plot, but told with winning narration and a maturity that’s not often seen in indie fantasy. Intelligent and emotional, it challenges you not to be drawn in to this fantastical and complex low fantasy world. A slow-burn to savour.
You know that feeling you get that you’ve read this story before? I did get a little of that when starting this book. About 30% of the way in, I wondered if I needed to read another story of a high-born girl growing to womanhood, acting the rough-n-tumble tomboy in a world where female heirs are supposed to be brood mares while managing a flourishing love life on the side. The blurb makes it sound like just one of those YA novels, all feminist outrage with yet another “feisty” heroine to take down the patriarchy while getting tangled up in fast-paced political intrigues.
Traitor is not this book. It is an emotionally intelligent, maturely written coming of age tale that, while following the same basic origins trope, slows everything down and doesn’t make big bombastic set pieces out of each twist and turn. It’s more new adult than young adult, and though it’s reasonably clean (fade to black sexy tiemz, a smattering of swear words) it doesn’t feel dumbed down to be acceptable. The writing and narration is gorgeous, and that’s what kept me hooked.
The basic story is of Elivya fen Lazerin, the last heir to her noble house in a world where blood purity has dictated the ruling classes since mythological times. She longs to learn the way of the sword and bow, not because she wants to be a warrior, but just because she wants to prove she can master any skill. Her father is less than impressed, and despite her parents’ lenient upbringing it’s up to her to devise ways of getting what she wants, even if it can be reckless. As she grows and schemes and plans, she discovers there’s more to her world than the overt politics of court. Friendships are made, loves come and go, but when she hears whispers of dangers stirring she cannot stay away. She is heir to House Lazerin, and she will be cowed by no one.
It’s darned impossible to sum up this book without spoiling it, but suffice to say there’s a lot more going on under the hood than a blurb can safely deliver. Basically it reads like a historical romance set in a politically difficult time… Only it’s a fantasy land, probably coming up to Regency time, and the romance isn’t the only thing that influences the heroine’s journey.
I say it’s slow because despite being titled “Traitor”, it’s not about our heroine actually being a traitor on the run, but about how she came to be one. Each little piece of her life gradually pulls together, even if you aren’t sure how it can fit into the bigger picture. It’s not big and loud storytelling; it’s wonderfully subtle and natural in how it flows.
Elivya is a great protagonist. Tough, but not unbelievably so; smart, but not whipping out deus ex machina at every turn; a good learner, but despite training montages she doesn’t go from 0 to Master Warrior in five seconds flat. She has flaws. She feels fear, doubt and regret without going into melodrama. Her romantic liaisons are utterly believable, and despite the obvious setup available for a love triangle (or quadrilateral maybe), it doesn’t go for the cheap drama of jealousy and pining. It’s subtle, enchanting stuff.
In fact, the romance worked for me because it was so believable and, despite being a big theme, fairly low-key. The boys are all likeable in their own way (finally, no cliched bad boys who treat ’em mean while the lady simpers!) We don’t spend the whole book sitting out will-they-won’t-they scenarios filled with confected conflicts just to add that YAish ~drama~ that every love story supposedly needs.
My only issues, other than that the main plot isn’t the most original, is that there are so many names. Think a Game of Thrones number of lesser noble houses with different allegiances. While the major side characters are interesting and well fleshed out (from broody Quintin to gruff James, the quiet Shena, the steely mother… and even if he was a walking trope, scatterbrained romantic Aubrey is love), there are many others who I kept forgetting who was who. The pacing may also be a bit of a problem to some, purely because it takes so long to get to the semi-familiar political intrigues bit.
Regardless by the end I felt emotionally invested in Elivya’s story, and even the over-familiarity of the political situation couldn’t make the cliffhanger any less heartbreaking. Book 2 is where the originality could come, and I think it’s worth looking forward to.
-I received a free copy of this e-book from a giveaway. This does not influence my review-
It was a long book but I wanted to see how it was going end, especially since there is a traitor. Then, I got to the end only to find out I would have to get the 2nd book to find out how it ends. No, thank you!