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agakoczur 's review for:
The Betrayals
by Bridget Collins
I am convinced that Bridget Collins is not capable of writing a bad book. That being said, I have only read two and none of their work published under B.R. Collins, so it may be an overstatement on my part, but [b:The Binding|39964740|The Binding|Bridget Collins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524759055l/39964740._SX50_.jpg|61870369] was amazing, and now The Betrayals. This whole fantastical and historical fiction genre that she has immersed herself and her last two novels in is so well suited for her I am excited to read more of what she has to offer.
From reading the blurb I wasn't 100% sold on this one, but then again I had some mixed feelings about [b:The Binding|39964740|The Binding|Bridget Collins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524759055l/39964740._SX50_.jpg|61870369] and loved that one so when I eventually got to picking it up after having it on my wishlist for months, I knew I had to get to it as soon as possible. No regrets there. Admittedly, there is only one thing that left me confused, and that was the inclusion of the character of 'the Rat' which, aside from playing an important part in one of the final chapters, seemed like an odd inclusion and I am still uncertain of their relevance to the tale. Over the course of the novel, there are references made to a crying sound that could be heard within the walls of the crumbling institution, but they are so brief that even if these are allusions to 'the Rat', even to me that assumption seems a little far fetched.
The novel is split into chapters of different perspectives going between the present-day accounts of the main characters and diary entries of one of them, and of course 'the Rat'. Despite these splits, it's still really easy to follow, everything flows, where the retrospective entries add to the readers understanding of the actions between the characters, as well as forming a background on the protagonist, allowing readers to form a visual of those within the tale as well as the surrounding settings. Collins forms beautiful connections between the luxury that the institution was in the past as well as those of Léo's life and the crumbling nature of the present-day walls of the school, the surrounding government, as well as the secrets long-kept secret.
Elements of the fantastical like the grand jeu (which, I am still a little uncertain as to what it actually is), transport readers to another world so close to the one we live in, it's easy to forget it is all fictional. Along with romantic and mysterious notes flowing through the novel, there is a perfect balance between all its features. The language flows from page to page, no embellishments necessary to convey the messages of the text to its readers.
Overall it's a very enjoyable book, and it's really hard to find a fault with it, as usual, I seem to be able to find at least one thing to pick on, yet nothing really comes to mind with this one. Everything connects nicely, and in essence, no loose ends remain, the plot trickles away into a nice unknown between the characters that the readers are not privy to, and in some ways, I like the open-ended-ness of it, remaining hopeful of another chance encounter between the characters. A great novel for any day, any season, for any reader, there is something in it for everyone.
From reading the blurb I wasn't 100% sold on this one, but then again I had some mixed feelings about [b:The Binding|39964740|The Binding|Bridget Collins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524759055l/39964740._SX50_.jpg|61870369] and loved that one so when I eventually got to picking it up after having it on my wishlist for months, I knew I had to get to it as soon as possible. No regrets there. Admittedly, there is only one thing that left me confused, and that was the inclusion of the character of 'the Rat' which, aside from playing an important part in one of the final chapters, seemed like an odd inclusion and I am still uncertain of their relevance to the tale. Over the course of the novel, there are references made to a crying sound that could be heard within the walls of the crumbling institution, but they are so brief that even if these are allusions to 'the Rat', even to me that assumption seems a little far fetched.
The novel is split into chapters of different perspectives going between the present-day accounts of the main characters and diary entries of one of them, and of course 'the Rat'. Despite these splits, it's still really easy to follow, everything flows, where the retrospective entries add to the readers understanding of the actions between the characters, as well as forming a background on the protagonist, allowing readers to form a visual of those within the tale as well as the surrounding settings. Collins forms beautiful connections between the luxury that the institution was in the past as well as those of Léo's life and the crumbling nature of the present-day walls of the school, the surrounding government, as well as the secrets long-kept secret.
Elements of the fantastical like the grand jeu (which, I am still a little uncertain as to what it actually is), transport readers to another world so close to the one we live in, it's easy to forget it is all fictional. Along with romantic and mysterious notes flowing through the novel, there is a perfect balance between all its features. The language flows from page to page, no embellishments necessary to convey the messages of the text to its readers.
Overall it's a very enjoyable book, and it's really hard to find a fault with it, as usual, I seem to be able to find at least one thing to pick on, yet nothing really comes to mind with this one. Everything connects nicely, and in essence, no loose ends remain, the plot trickles away into a nice unknown between the characters that the readers are not privy to, and in some ways, I like the open-ended-ness of it, remaining hopeful of another chance encounter between the characters. A great novel for any day, any season, for any reader, there is something in it for everyone.