You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Kestra, a coddled but unloved Dallisor daughter, has been called home from her exile in the lava fields. She believes herself fair-minded and capable. When rebels kidnap her, she discovers she's overestimated herself on both counts.
This book was a great combination of character and action. Neither one overruled the other, though the book definitely falls into the adventure category. The story-telling carries notes of the same whimsy as The Ascendance Trilogy, but the age of the characters and the presence of a very defined love-story (including a few, savored kisses) pushes it into Young Adult.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mainstream adventure, historical fantasy, and/or dystopian. The Traitor's Game delivers an excellent, engaging story without taking itself too seriously. A great book for letting the story carry you along without having to exert too much brain power.
This book was a great combination of character and action. Neither one overruled the other, though the book definitely falls into the adventure category. The story-telling carries notes of the same whimsy as The Ascendance Trilogy, but the age of the characters and the presence of a very defined love-story (including a few, savored kisses) pushes it into Young Adult.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mainstream adventure, historical fantasy, and/or dystopian. The Traitor's Game delivers an excellent, engaging story without taking itself too seriously. A great book for letting the story carry you along without having to exert too much brain power.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars
I really wanted to like [b:The Traitor's Game|30809677|The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game, #1)|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502149668s/30809677.jpg|51396926] by [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] because I loved her [b:Ascendance Trilogy: The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|23900993|Ascendance Trilogy The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428012270s/23900993.jpg|42472995] however there were a lot of things that I didn’t like in this book. But let's start with what I liked first. :)
Pros
-The plot kept me guessing throughout the whole book and it wasn’t obvious how it would end.
-I love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s writing style. It flows smoothly and isn’t confusing to read.
-One of the main character has a lot of snark and yet she still has a defined character and isn’t like any of the other characters Jennifer A. Nielsen has written.
-I liked that one of the main character was a guy who plays an important role in the book. We need more main characters who are guys in young adult fantasy.
-Kestra’s feelings towards her father were realistically portrayed and I appreciated that I got an in depth look at how and what she was feeling.
Cons
-I wish the book had a map because I was getting confused to where the countries where and which ones they were talking about. And maps are awesome. :)
-The characters were two dimensional and predicatble and there wasn't any character growth.
-The book was told from the POVs (point of view) of Simon and Kestra. However it was very hard to differentiate between the two. I had to keep looking up at the chapter to see whose POV it was in. It would have been nice if the two POVs were distinctly different from each other because the two characters were very different.
-The characters thoughts and actions were often contradictory. For instance in one chapter Simon was thinking about how much he hated Kestra but in the next minute he was comforting her and thinking about how much he would like to kiss her.
- THE ROMANCE. This was my biggest problem with the book. Jennifer A. Nielsen is amazing at writing romance in her books however the one in this book felt rushed and too much YA. And what I mean by "YA" is that the romance was based on physical attraction rather than communication and knowing who the person really is.
It’s a hate to love romance and I don’t have a problem with hate to love romances as long as they are well done. However this one turned from hate to love in four days. It felt rushed and forced. I would have preferred for them to have become friends and it maybe blossom into something more in future books.
That was the biggest problem I had with The Traitor’s Game- the romance didn’t feel realistic.
All in all I did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy read.
Content & Age Recommendation
13+
-there are some kissing scenes but they don’t go into “great” detail
-fighting scenes that go into more detail than her Ascendance Trilogy did
-there is no written profanity only “he or she cursed”
I really wanted to like [b:The Traitor's Game|30809677|The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game, #1)|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502149668s/30809677.jpg|51396926] by [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] because I loved her [b:Ascendance Trilogy: The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|23900993|Ascendance Trilogy The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428012270s/23900993.jpg|42472995] however there were a lot of things that I didn’t like in this book. But let's start with what I liked first. :)
Pros
-The plot kept me guessing throughout the whole book and it wasn’t obvious how it would end.
-I love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s writing style. It flows smoothly and isn’t confusing to read.
-One of the main character has a lot of snark and yet she still has a defined character and isn’t like any of the other characters Jennifer A. Nielsen has written.
-I liked that one of the main character was a guy who plays an important role in the book. We need more main characters who are guys in young adult fantasy.
-Kestra’s feelings towards her father were realistically portrayed and I appreciated that I got an in depth look at how and what she was feeling.
Cons
-I wish the book had a map because I was getting confused to where the countries where and which ones they were talking about. And maps are awesome. :)
-The characters were two dimensional and predicatble and there wasn't any character growth.
-The book was told from the POVs (point of view) of Simon and Kestra. However it was very hard to differentiate between the two. I had to keep looking up at the chapter to see whose POV it was in. It would have been nice if the two POVs were distinctly different from each other because the two characters were very different.
-The characters thoughts and actions were often contradictory. For instance in one chapter Simon was thinking about how much he hated Kestra but in the next minute he was comforting her and thinking about how much he would like to kiss her.
- THE ROMANCE. This was my biggest problem with the book. Jennifer A. Nielsen is amazing at writing romance in her books however the one in this book felt rushed and too much YA. And what I mean by "YA" is that the romance was based on physical attraction rather than communication and knowing who the person really is.
It’s a hate to love romance and I don’t have a problem with hate to love romances as long as they are well done. However this one turned from hate to love in four days. It felt rushed and forced. I would have preferred for them to have become friends and it maybe blossom into something more in future books.
That was the biggest problem I had with The Traitor’s Game- the romance didn’t feel realistic.
All in all I did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy read.
Content & Age Recommendation
13+
-there are some kissing scenes but they don’t go into “great” detail
-fighting scenes that go into more detail than her Ascendance Trilogy did
-there is no written profanity only “he or she cursed”
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What an incredible beginning to what I can only assume will be an incredible trilogy.
My sister has given me her copies to read as they are among her favourite books and I can see why.
The main character, Kestra, is a headstrong, stubborn girl with an emotional attachment to her sharp blades. Her love interest, Simon, is also rather well written though he does have less of a presence than Kestra.
The traitors game is filled with thrilling twists, and sharp turns that left me hanging by the edge of my seat. Where I guessed one plot point two others would take me completely by surprise and leaving me craving more. The world building was fantastic and the twisty relationships between all the characters was complex creating a spectacular story.
This book is definitely for readers aged similarly to its main character but if you enjoyed the razor-edged capers in folk of the air’s (holly black), the romance in defy the night (Brigid Kemmerer) or throne of glass’s very own spiteful aelin, this book is worth giving a shot!
My sister has given me her copies to read as they are among her favourite books and I can see why.
The main character, Kestra, is a headstrong, stubborn girl with an emotional attachment to her sharp blades. Her love interest, Simon, is also rather well written though he does have less of a presence than Kestra.
The traitors game is filled with thrilling twists, and sharp turns that left me hanging by the edge of my seat. Where I guessed one plot point two others would take me completely by surprise and leaving me craving more. The world building was fantastic and the twisty relationships between all the characters was complex creating a spectacular story.
This book is definitely for readers aged similarly to its main character but if you enjoyed the razor-edged capers in folk of the air’s (holly black), the romance in defy the night (Brigid Kemmerer) or throne of glass’s very own spiteful aelin, this book is worth giving a shot!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really liked it. Definitely going to continue on with the series. I am curious whether the romance part of it will be more convincing? I wasn’t really feeling it. But I still have hope.
Honestly, I am so disappointed. I loved the False Prince trilogy. It was clever and poignant and I really cared about Jaron.
I thought this book woulr be as good or better than that trilogy. I was so wrong.
I had a lot of problems, but my biggest was the emphasis on THAT DAY every few pages. Like, we get it. Stop waving your neon sign.
And then there's the fact that Simon was an idiot. Often. and he contradicted himself, often in the next sentence. Trina was...eh. I didn't care either way.
Kestra was actually worse than Simon, in a lot of ways. "we're enemies" but only when it's really convenient for her to think so.
Ugh. Sorry guys. I'm done.
I thought this book woulr be as good or better than that trilogy. I was so wrong.
I had a lot of problems, but my biggest was the emphasis on THAT DAY every few pages. Like, we get it. Stop waving your neon sign.
And then there's the fact that Simon was an idiot. Often. and he contradicted himself, often in the next sentence. Trina was...eh. I didn't care either way.
Kestra was actually worse than Simon, in a lot of ways. "we're enemies" but only when it's really convenient for her to think so.
Ugh. Sorry guys. I'm done.