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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Love this book because it falls into my favorite category of media: protagonist has the absolute shittiest few days of their fucking life
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
･:*˚:✧｡Trigger Warnings:･:*˚:✧｡
❥ Arranged marriage
❥ Attempted hanging of a child - (recounted)
❥ Blood
❥ Burn injury
❥ Child abuse
❥ Classism
❥ Confinement & captivity
❥ Death - (on-page & recounted)
❥ Emaciation
❥ Emotional abuse & manipulation
❥ Explosions
❥ Imprisonment
❥ Indentured children
❥ Injury/injury details
❥ Intimacy
❥ Kidnapping
❥ Physical abuse, assault & altercations
❥ Physical restraints
❥ Poverty
❥ Public execution - (recounted)
❥ Scars
❥ Starvation
❥ Torture
❥ Violence
❥ War
❥ Whipping of a child - (recounted)
❥ Arranged marriage
❥ Attempted hanging of a child - (recounted)
❥ Blood
❥ Burn injury
❥ Child abuse
❥ Classism
❥ Confinement & captivity
❥ Death - (on-page & recounted)
❥ Emaciation
❥ Emotional abuse & manipulation
❥ Explosions
❥ Imprisonment
❥ Indentured children
❥ Injury/injury details
❥ Intimacy
❥ Kidnapping
❥ Physical abuse, assault & altercations
❥ Physical restraints
❥ Poverty
❥ Public execution - (recounted)
❥ Scars
❥ Starvation
❥ Torture
❥ Violence
❥ War
❥ Whipping of a child - (recounted)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Blood, War
As much as I wanted to like the book, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the pace was slow for me. It felt like I was starting in the middle of something with not much explanation other than the occasional long and random disposition on history between certain groups. Has good potential, just wasn’t for me.
Audiobook Review⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jennifer A. Nielsen crafts a fun and intriguing story in The Traitor’s Game, but while it has its strengths, it didn’t fully stick with me. The plot is engaging, and the world-building is solid, setting up a unique fantasy world that’s easy to visualize and follow. Nielsen’s writing is fine overall, but the story didn’t quite elevate to something unforgettable.
One highlight is the female protagonist—her sass and snark make her an enjoyable character to follow. She adds energy to the narrative, and her strong personality stands out. However, the romance element felt flat and lacked the depth or chemistry needed to make it compelling.
I listened to this on audio, and while the narrator did a fine job, I didn’t feel fully immersed. The voice didn’t seem to fit the main character, which kept me from fully connecting with the story.
This isn’t a bad book, and I did enjoy it, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. Fans of light fantasy with spunky heroines will still find it worth a read.
Jennifer A. Nielsen crafts a fun and intriguing story in The Traitor’s Game, but while it has its strengths, it didn’t fully stick with me. The plot is engaging, and the world-building is solid, setting up a unique fantasy world that’s easy to visualize and follow. Nielsen’s writing is fine overall, but the story didn’t quite elevate to something unforgettable.
One highlight is the female protagonist—her sass and snark make her an enjoyable character to follow. She adds energy to the narrative, and her strong personality stands out. However, the romance element felt flat and lacked the depth or chemistry needed to make it compelling.
I listened to this on audio, and while the narrator did a fine job, I didn’t feel fully immersed. The voice didn’t seem to fit the main character, which kept me from fully connecting with the story.
This isn’t a bad book, and I did enjoy it, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. Fans of light fantasy with spunky heroines will still find it worth a read.
12/20/21
4 stars
Just a note, I am very biased, be it towards Jennifer Nielsen books or kingdom adventure stories, and this book happens to be both, so take from that what you will.
I loved this book from the first few chapters alone. I was afraid it'd be too similar to Nielsen's other books (namely the Ascendance series), but luckily it manages to set itself apart for three main reasons.
The first is the formatting/characters. The book trades POV every few chapters, from Kestra to Simon and back again. I really enjoyed this dynamic as it helped to develop their relationship in a two sided way, and allowed for expanded character development on both ends.
It also meant that mysteries were handled smoothly as well. Even if the reader knew a certain piece of information first, seeing the other characters slowly come to the same conclusion through another narrator still felt rewarding, and still allowed for certain plot twists to feel shocking, as they were justified due to an omission of narrator information.
The second is the handling of romance. Unlike in the Ascendance books, where the romance was kind of an afterthought, in The Traitor's Game it takes center stage, an unexpected but welcome surprise, given the author mainly likes to focus in the middle grade demographic. Enemies-to-lovers is a trope, yes, but is still skillfully handled in this book, and I found myself heavily invested.
There wasn't much of love triangle, with the exception of Kestra's forced betrothed, Basil, and even that one wasn't drawn out too long. It was clear from the beginning that the focus was on Simon (besides, was Kestra really going to consider the guy named after a pizza topping over him?) and I thought that was a solid writing decision.
The final main difference from the Ascendance series is the addition of fantasy.
Now, in my opinion, incorporation of magic tends to be a double edged (Olden) blade. On one hand, it can greatly enhance world building and add flair to the plot and story. On the other hand, authors often risk veering into "chosen one" territory, in which the protagonist has some sort of "special connection" with the world's magic, and now must "save the world" using their "newfound powers".
I appreciated The Traitor's Game for avoiding this. Things like oropods and grip gloves and the Olden Blade don't distract from the story, nor do they act as mere plot devices. Their magic mostly just looms in the background of the book, added only to show how King Endrick is a powerful threat – generally letting Kestra and Simon take the center stage.
I was very close to putting this on my "Typical YA" shelf, but decided against it since I loved the rest of the book too much. However, it's very possible that the second book could make it, especially if it continues to stress the magical "not-like-other-girls" trope with Kestra potentially joining the resistance.
Despite some minor pacing issues towards the end, this book was a very strong novel and I definitely plan on reading all of the sequels!
4 stars
Just a note, I am very biased, be it towards Jennifer Nielsen books or kingdom adventure stories, and this book happens to be both, so take from that what you will.
I loved this book from the first few chapters alone. I was afraid it'd be too similar to Nielsen's other books (namely the Ascendance series), but luckily it manages to set itself apart for three main reasons.
The first is the formatting/characters. The book trades POV every few chapters, from Kestra to Simon and back again. I really enjoyed this dynamic as it helped to develop their relationship in a two sided way, and allowed for expanded character development on both ends.
It also meant that mysteries were handled smoothly as well. Even if the reader knew a certain piece of information first, seeing the other characters slowly come to the same conclusion through another narrator still felt rewarding, and still allowed for certain plot twists to feel shocking, as they were justified due to an omission of narrator information.
The second is the handling of romance. Unlike in the Ascendance books, where the romance was kind of an afterthought, in The Traitor's Game it takes center stage, an unexpected but welcome surprise, given the author mainly likes to focus in the middle grade demographic. Enemies-to-lovers is a trope, yes, but is still skillfully handled in this book, and I found myself heavily invested.
There wasn't much of love triangle, with the exception of Kestra's forced betrothed, Basil, and even that one wasn't drawn out too long. It was clear from the beginning that the focus was on Simon (besides, was Kestra really going to consider the guy named after a pizza topping over him?) and I thought that was a solid writing decision.
The final main difference from the Ascendance series is the addition of fantasy.
Now, in my opinion, incorporation of magic tends to be a double edged (Olden) blade. On one hand, it can greatly enhance world building and add flair to the plot and story. On the other hand, authors often risk veering into "chosen one" territory, in which the protagonist has some sort of "special connection" with the world's magic, and now must "save the world" using their "newfound powers".
I appreciated The Traitor's Game for avoiding this. Things like oropods and grip gloves and the Olden Blade don't distract from the story, nor do they act as mere plot devices. Their magic mostly just looms in the background of the book, added only to show how King Endrick is a powerful threat – generally letting Kestra and Simon take the center stage.
Spoiler
That is, until the ending. It is revealed that Kestra is, in fact, the "chosen one" and must now bring about an end to Endrick's rule using the powers(?) of the Olden Blade. She is also part Endrean and was secretly magical the entire time. This major story beat was stuffed into the the waning end of the book and probably exists to set up the sequel, but it feels like it came out of nowhere, likely because the story goes out of its way to explain (and even prove) how Kestra could not possibly be the Infidante, yet somehow she is.I was very close to putting this on my "Typical YA" shelf, but decided against it since I loved the rest of the book too much. However, it's very possible that the second book could make it, especially if it continues to stress the magical "not-like-other-girls" trope with Kestra potentially joining the resistance.
Despite some minor pacing issues towards the end, this book was a very strong novel and I definitely plan on reading all of the sequels!
This book was fast-paced and full of many twists. I’m excited to read The Deceiver’s Heart after what happened at the end of this book. My favorite character is Kestra’s, and my favorite parts were when Simon and Kestra escape Woodcourt and when Kestra claims the Olden Blade. The part that surprised me the most was when it was revealed who Kestra’s parents actually were, and it was a bit hard to keep up with all of the twists. Overall, I really enjoyed The Traitor’s Game.