kells30 's review for:

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

5.0

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ARGH THIS WAS GOOD. The Binding was wonderful but this was better, and for me really cements Collins as an author to watch out for. I’m not really sure what genre to ascribe it to - it’s sort of an alternate reality historical fiction with a romance at its heart but also a dystopian undemocratic government in power which gives everything a sinister edge. The main character Léo goes to an elite school high in the mountains to learn how to play the ‘grand jeu,’ a mysterious and arcane game that is part music, part maths, part poetry, part religious exercise. As one of the most promising young students, he develops a rivalry with another brilliant student, Carfax, which starts as hate and then begins to mellow towards friendship when they are forced to work on a joint game together. But something tragic occurs and we also read from the point of view of a decade later when Léo goes back to visit the school while in disgrace. At the heart of this book is a really beautiful exploration of the friendship and rivalry of two equals, Léo and Carfax, and I really enjoyed reading about this and also about the mysterious ‘grand jeu’.