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A review by truthlessofcanada
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Somehow both these first 2 books have had a love triangle thing center stage and yet it hasn't been annoying at all. That's a neat trick.
Betrayal in Winter is a novel full of political scheming, and heart. It is one of the novels that manages to have deeply honourable characters who still are complex, conflicted and human, showing that you don't have to write bastards to write characters who feel human.
It also shows that you can write bastards who seem human, as it also has a fantastic antagonist point of view who a lot of people seem to actually like (?), like as a person? huh, but who I consider a fantastically written antagonist whose motives come from an extremely understandable place, but it is destroyed by ambition, ruthlessness, and frankly a lack of self-awareness, and unwilligness to consider their own responsibility in the outcome of events. They managed to be a somewhat tragic antagonist who I felt for as the reader, while also not liking them....like really at all.
In general, compared to Shadow in Summer the events of this book felt more important as I was reading them, and to me the characters stood out more. I thought while reading book 1 and continue to think that Abraham is extremely efficient at characterization, but book 1 for me didn't have stand out moments where while reading it I was blown away by the characters I was reading, and Betrayal In Winter did.
Also, the Andat, and how they interact with their poet is such a good idea.
8.8
Betrayal in Winter is a novel full of political scheming, and heart. It is one of the novels that manages to have deeply honourable characters who still are complex, conflicted and human, showing that you don't have to write bastards to write characters who feel human.
It also shows that you can write bastards who seem human, as it also has a fantastic antagonist point of view who a lot of people seem to actually like (?), like as a person? huh, but who I consider a fantastically written antagonist whose motives come from an extremely understandable place, but it is destroyed by ambition, ruthlessness, and frankly a lack of self-awareness, and unwilligness to consider their own responsibility in the outcome of events. They managed to be a somewhat tragic antagonist who I felt for as the reader, while also not liking them....like really at all.
In general, compared to Shadow in Summer the events of this book felt more important as I was reading them, and to me the characters stood out more. I thought while reading book 1 and continue to think that Abraham is extremely efficient at characterization, but book 1 for me didn't have stand out moments where while reading it I was blown away by the characters I was reading, and Betrayal In Winter did.
Also, the Andat, and how they interact with their poet is such a good idea.
8.8