Book Review of The Traitor by Anthony Ryan

 

Name of Book: The Traitor

Author: Anthony Ryan

ISBN: 978-0-316-43083-8

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Covenant of Steel (The Pariah and The Martyr are prequels)

Type of book: Medieval fantasy, charismatic leader, behind the scenes, war torn kingdoms, resources, friendship, determination, mysteries, new mysteries, wars, fighting, good vs evil 

Year it was published: 2023 

Summary:

Alwyn must make a difficult decide between his heart and his morals as he prepares for his final battle.

It’s been a long journey for Alwyn Scribe. Born a bastard and raised an outlaw, he’s now a knight and the most trusted advisor to Lady Evadine Courlain. Together they’ve won countless battles and helped to bring order to a fractured kingdom.   

Yet Evadine is not the woman Alwyn once knew. As puritanical fury increasingly replaces her benevolent faith, Alwyn begins to question what her true motives really are.   

As the kingdom braces itself for one final battle, Alwyn’s conscience fights its own war with his heart. Now, more than ever, he must decide whose side he’s really on.

Characters:

Main characters are Alwyn and Evadine. Alwyn continues to be the lovable outlaw turned scribe who is all too human and blind when it comes to true nature of certain characters. He is resourceful, talented, determined and yes, still very lucky. The Evadine I met in first and second books has drastically changed. (In second book, I can never forget how she debated and felt sorry for her enemies. ) Yet here those qualities are no more. Evadine in this novel is best described as extremely blind to the damage she is doing, and she is single-minded and has only one purpose. She is also very manipulative and isn't afraid to sacrifice everyone for her cause. 

Theme:

What must rise must fall

Plot:

The story is in first person narrative from Alwyn's point of view. Literally, this is the book that shocked and broke me apart. Just remembering my sojourn through it has my heart palpitating all sorts of feelings for Alwyn and Evadine's journey because this is just...unforgettable. I have never forgot the ending of THE MARTYR, and THE TRAITOR picks up from it. For awhile, Alwyn becomes blind to what Evadine is becoming into, but then a lot of niggling doubts thanks to people he knows starts to mark his thoughts, and thus begins a heartbreaking journey of what happens after Evadine rises to the top. (I am doing my best to avoid as much spoilers as I can.) Like its two prequels, THE TRAITOR is divided into three parts that take place at certain times of Alwyn's life and yes the action really picks up. There was some humor, but not as much as in first book. The author wraps up some mysteries but he also leaves some mysteries open and introduces a few new mysteries. The strong point of the tale are the action and grimness. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Anthony Ryan was born in Scotland in 1970 but spent much of his adult life living and working in London. After a long career in the British Civil Service he took up writing full time after the success of his first novel Blood Song, Book One of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. He has a degree in history, and his interests include art, science and the unending quest for the perfect pint of real ale.

For news and general wittering about stuff he likes, check out Anthony's blog at: http://anthonystuff.wordpress.com

Opinion:

Dear author, please please with sugar on top let me know if you are planning on continuing to write stories that take place in Alwyn's world? I mean the third book is just too exciting to not imagine the possibilities and continuation of Alwyn's adventures, or at least a mention of him. Okay, with that out of the way, THE TRAITOR should be high on all fantasy lovers' TBR list because it has everything in spades; the push and pull between good and evil? Yes! Adventures? Yes! Return of some old characters? Yes! Shocking plot twists? Oh Yes! More unsolved mysteries? Of course! So please come and get this wonderful and heartbreaking novel that will continue and maybe conclude adventures of our lovable Alwyn the Scribe. 

This was given for review

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)