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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The whole time I was thinking, this is the book I wish Amberlough had been, which made it so funny to read all the reviews whining about how the world was insufficiently explained. Fantasy readers have no imagination.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly don’t quite know how to rate this book… the different perspectives were super confusing, it took me a while to figure out what was going on. Claire and Leo are both just boring and kinda annoying, I didn’t care for either of them. There was basically no plot and the concept of the grand jeu bordered on pretentious but I did kinda love the dark academia vibe. The only interesting parts were the diary entries - a book written from Leo’s perspective during his school years with a full plot and development of his relationship with Carfax would have been five stars, it was giving ATYD.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
100 pages in and I still don’t know what this book is even about. The “games” are so vague.
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the part where I usually add in my own brief summary of the book, and whilst I loved this book, I have just finished it and have no way to explain it. It is a book you should go into blind, it might not be for you if you’re not a fan of open endings. But if you’re willing to enter blindly, you will be treated to a tale of mystery, bittersweet romance and political intrigue.
Told from 3 perspectives. Leo Martin, a disgraced ex politician who is forced back to his old school to study the Grand Jeu. Leo’s story is told in both the present and past tense through diary entries. We learn about his first time at Montverre, and these diary pages play an important part in the overall story. The Magister Ludi, the first female Magister and the one in charge of teaching the Grand Jeu, she has a link with Leo, one which grows deeper and deeper the more of the story is uncovered. And The Rat, whose story line at first seems strange and unneeded, but add’s extra depth and history to the story.
While Leo’s chapters definitely brought more to the overall story line, weaving in bits of information, just enough to keep you engrossed but not quite enough for you to guess the outcome, it is only towards the end of the book that the Magister Ludi and the rat’s chapters are brought into a sharp focus. Their stories are harrowing and life altering in a way, and they really help to bring to light the ego of man that is shown throughout the book. None of the characters in this book are overly likeable, there were non that I felt linked too, and yet you find yourself engrossed in their stories. There are a multitude of side characters we meet throughout the book, Leo’s classmates from his years at Montverre, the other Magisters. And while there are one or two that might worm their way into your hearts, the majority are wholly unlikable, filled with political and familial snobbery, and all have one thing in common, they want change and at the same time want things to stay as they always were.
The Betrayals didn’t have quite the same instant grab as the Binding. The story weaves between perspectives and years, hinting at ideas, but never quite leaving you with enough information to work it all out. I will admit took me a lot longer to get into the plot and to get invested in the characters, but by the end I was engrossed, I desperately needed to know the answer to the mystery of how these stories were entwined, hours had passed and I had finished the book without even realising. Collin’s lyrical writing style makes it easy to get swept away in the story, and her descriptions have you right there along side the characters while they walk, eat and perform the Grand Jeu.
You have to go into this book knowing a part of you wont be sated at the end, I’m not a lover of things left unexplained but Collins left me with a great understanding of the Grand Jeu and yet no way to explain it, no way to bring it to light. It’s part music and mathematics, philosophy and history, life and death. It brings us closer to God and yet keeps us at arms distance. And while the Grand Jeu plays a large part in the story, it’s not what it’s about. It’s about betrayal yes, but also love and humility and trust. It lulls you in with a false sense that you have every idea where the story is going, until you don’t. Each chapter brings a new twist, and you are constantly left guessing how it will play out.
There are so many themes brought to light in this book, the frail male ego, the battle between politics and religion, the misogyny of the male gaze, and yet at it’s heart it is a romance. It’s a tale of two people thought lost to one another, of how love doesn’t always overcome all, and that fear can be it’s greatest enemy. The romance is bittersweet, and at first you will be hard pressed to find it, but once it worm’s it’s way into your heat, their story has your gripped until the last few pages.
I will admit to saying I found this slow starting, there were time’s I wondered whether I would ever get the answers I sought, whether I would ever grow to like the characters, ever become invested in the story. But swiftly, and without me ever realising The Betrayal’s caught me in it’s grasp and took me on a journey I couldn’t help but love.
Told from 3 perspectives. Leo Martin, a disgraced ex politician who is forced back to his old school to study the Grand Jeu. Leo’s story is told in both the present and past tense through diary entries. We learn about his first time at Montverre, and these diary pages play an important part in the overall story. The Magister Ludi, the first female Magister and the one in charge of teaching the Grand Jeu, she has a link with Leo, one which grows deeper and deeper the more of the story is uncovered. And The Rat, whose story line at first seems strange and unneeded, but add’s extra depth and history to the story.
While Leo’s chapters definitely brought more to the overall story line, weaving in bits of information, just enough to keep you engrossed but not quite enough for you to guess the outcome, it is only towards the end of the book that the Magister Ludi and the rat’s chapters are brought into a sharp focus. Their stories are harrowing and life altering in a way, and they really help to bring to light the ego of man that is shown throughout the book. None of the characters in this book are overly likeable, there were non that I felt linked too, and yet you find yourself engrossed in their stories. There are a multitude of side characters we meet throughout the book, Leo’s classmates from his years at Montverre, the other Magisters. And while there are one or two that might worm their way into your hearts, the majority are wholly unlikable, filled with political and familial snobbery, and all have one thing in common, they want change and at the same time want things to stay as they always were.
The Betrayals didn’t have quite the same instant grab as the Binding. The story weaves between perspectives and years, hinting at ideas, but never quite leaving you with enough information to work it all out. I will admit took me a lot longer to get into the plot and to get invested in the characters, but by the end I was engrossed, I desperately needed to know the answer to the mystery of how these stories were entwined, hours had passed and I had finished the book without even realising. Collin’s lyrical writing style makes it easy to get swept away in the story, and her descriptions have you right there along side the characters while they walk, eat and perform the Grand Jeu.
You have to go into this book knowing a part of you wont be sated at the end, I’m not a lover of things left unexplained but Collins left me with a great understanding of the Grand Jeu and yet no way to explain it, no way to bring it to light. It’s part music and mathematics, philosophy and history, life and death. It brings us closer to God and yet keeps us at arms distance. And while the Grand Jeu plays a large part in the story, it’s not what it’s about. It’s about betrayal yes, but also love and humility and trust. It lulls you in with a false sense that you have every idea where the story is going, until you don’t. Each chapter brings a new twist, and you are constantly left guessing how it will play out.
There are so many themes brought to light in this book, the frail male ego, the battle between politics and religion, the misogyny of the male gaze, and yet at it’s heart it is a romance. It’s a tale of two people thought lost to one another, of how love doesn’t always overcome all, and that fear can be it’s greatest enemy. The romance is bittersweet, and at first you will be hard pressed to find it, but once it worm’s it’s way into your heat, their story has your gripped until the last few pages.
I will admit to saying I found this slow starting, there were time’s I wondered whether I would ever get the answers I sought, whether I would ever grow to like the characters, ever become invested in the story. But swiftly, and without me ever realising The Betrayal’s caught me in it’s grasp and took me on a journey I couldn’t help but love.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a very strange book. It was quite engrossing but the whole time I was reading it, I wasn’t sure if I actually liked it. Sometimes when it’s clear there’s going to be a reveal from early on, it becomes somewhat distracting trying to guess exactly what it will be and then it doesn’t pay off as much as it should. I liked elements of this but overall I don’t think it quite worked as a whole, and the ending was a rather strange, too. It kept my interest all along, though, and the writing was quite good. Pretty good book but not great.