Reviews

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

oliviaclaire's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

meg444's review against another edition

3.0

Meh. Sort of hard to follow with ambiguous description of the grand jeu. Still don't even know what it is?

tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

‘The outside world is a distraction, at best. At worst, it can destroy you.’ 

I’ll open my comments with a warning. If you only enjoy novels with clear endings and messages, with all the mystery solved, then you are unlikely to enjoy ‘The Betrayals’. This is the type of novel you can immerse yourself in, where your conclusions may depend on the interpretations you make. 

Here’s the blurb: 

‘If everything in your life was based on a lie would you risk it all to tell the truth? 

At Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious contest. Léo Martin was once a student there, but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters. 

Montverre has changed since he studied there, even allowing a woman, Claire Dryden, to serve in the grand jeu’s highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before. 

Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies. And as the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, secrets are whispering in the walls…’ 

The story is brought to us through four different viewpoints. The first character we meet is the Rat. She is important, mysterious and (when she appears) offers the reader a different perspective of Montverre and its people. The second character we meet is present day Léo Martin. We meet Léo as he is about to become a disgraced politician, exiled to Montverre, the school he left ten years earlier.  The third character is Claire Dryden, first ever female Magister Ludi to hold office at Montverre. And finally, we have the viewpoint of young Léo Martin, desperate to fit in and excel at Montverre. 

No, we do not know where Montverre is. Nor do we have details about the grand jeu. Ms Collins was in part inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel ‘The Glass Bead Game’ and I recognise echoes of this in how I visualise the grand jeu with its unclear rules, with its combination of maths, music, and ideas. And the outside world is changing, becoming more authoritarian and less tolerant. 

So, what else can I tell you without spoilers? Nothing. If you read it, approach it with an open mind, be curious about the people you meet, question your conclusions, enjoy the prose. Did I enjoy it? Yes, once I realised how elusive it was. 

I am about to read Ms Collins’s next novel ‘The Silence Factory’, and I am looking forward to it. 

Jennifer Cameron-Smith 

lucita_knjige's review against another edition

2.0

2 stars just because of the cute flowery prose.

mshaniak's review against another edition

DNF at around 50% Soooo boring. I really don’t see a point of this book 

rabbithalliwell's review

challenging dark inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was a surprise from beginning to end and had me thinking about the characters for days. What does the Grand Game look/ sound like? I want to know more about the events after the book! I tweeted the author though, and she says it's a standalone book, so no sequel at this time. 

heleliis's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

2.0

culturekath's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

iamcat's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

jose_kg's review

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was so ready to love this book, I was really intrigued by the first few chapters, but the consistent lack of pay off was so draining I nearly stopped reading 50 pages from the end. 

I don't like the trope of lovers that start off with a betrayal that comes out after they get togethe and this book did this over and over again. I have never been told two people are in love more but their actions, their constant assumption of the worst in each other shouts that they don't even know what love is. I didn't like Leo or Carfax/ Claire, I thought they were both shitty people and but they both acted like martyrs, especially Carfax/Claire. 

My biggest gripe is that it felt like the author didn't know enough about the world they were creating. The political system, the location of the school, the reality of the big new purity bill were all just hinted at. The Rat's storyline was totally pointless and did not impact the overarching story at all. It would have been more appropriate for Simon to have killed Emile. And biggest of all they clearly had no idea what the Grand Jeu was because 400+ pages on neither do I. 

I don't think I've ever read a book with more ideas and less follow through. This was a first draft, someone in the publishing process should have sent it back to be properly de eloped.