Scan barcode
A review by raisingself
Traitor Born by Amy A. Bartol
3.0
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Traitor Born starts shortly after Secondborn ends. Roselle is now under the protection of the most powerful person in her world and the leader of Virtue, Fabian Bowie and seems like she is little more than a political pawn who can’t leave the elaborate palace where she resides indefinitely. She’s also dealing with a number of obstacles including her desire to protect her first born heir brother from her allies, avoiding the clutches of a tyrannical murderous mother, plots within plots, betrayals within betrayals, PTSD and multiple viable love interests (yay). Amy Bartol threw everything but the kitchen sink at us, it’s my favorite thing about many of her stories.
I really do like this series, there are certain reoccurring themes in Amy’s writing that I love and I loathe but Ms. Bartol is a great storyteller, what some of her stories lack in nuance they make up for in the fervor of the narrative. This book is a 3 for me, at best 3.5 stars. It feels very transitional in a chaotic and almost unsatisfying way. I can tell Bartol is writing us toward book 3. I love multi-part series where each book could almost standalone within the larger narrative, but book 2’s are often hard when the writer and her publishers have sequels in queue. This would likely be less of an annoyance if book 3 was already available for immediate consumption.
Pros and Cons
Cons
-Making stupid decisions for the sake of "love", it happens to the best of us but in Traitor Born there are moments of dialogue or situations that create these minor plot inconsistencies for the sake of a romance.
-Book 2 feels a little rushed and transitional. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is an undertone of chaos to this book. There are a ton of moving parts and layers that could be better organized. More time is spent describing outfits or elaborate architecture than streamlining the intricacies of the story-line.
- I still feel that there is a foundational weakness in the way in which the Second Born series explains a society built on filial cruelty (cruelty toward one's own child) and prolicide (killing of one's offspring). There were some inconsistent commentary on this within Traitor Born.
-The dialogue was kitschy or roll your eyes sappy at times.
Pros
-Multiple love interests. I love a writer who is not afraid to give a protagonist options and allowing her to explore them. Traitor Born gives Roselle the space to explore 3 enticing romantic relationships.
-Adding depth to the protagonist. Roselle is a strong lead. Her abilities and skills are hard earned. Book two exploits her strengths (combat, strategy, etc.), her weaknesses (familial ties, PTSD, etc.), and adds some much needed depth.
-Action packed with interesting subplots.
-Unexpected plot twists, the book is not predictable and I couldn’t put it down until I was done. (I finished by the next day)
I ended up liking the book, it’s good science fiction – escapist – new adult literature, however you probably won’t love it if you don’t like these types of books. You probably will enjoy if you liked Secondborn. Is there room for improvement… yes, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading Rebel Born (book 3).
Addendum:
I read a preview of book 3 Rebel Born... I'm excited! Looks like some of my cons will be thoroughly addressed.
Traitor Born starts shortly after Secondborn ends. Roselle is now under the protection of the most powerful person in her world and the leader of Virtue, Fabian Bowie and seems like she is little more than a political pawn who can’t leave the elaborate palace where she resides indefinitely. She’s also dealing with a number of obstacles including her desire to protect her first born heir brother from her allies, avoiding the clutches of a tyrannical murderous mother, plots within plots, betrayals within betrayals, PTSD and multiple viable love interests (yay). Amy Bartol threw everything but the kitchen sink at us, it’s my favorite thing about many of her stories.
I really do like this series, there are certain reoccurring themes in Amy’s writing that I love and I loathe but Ms. Bartol is a great storyteller, what some of her stories lack in nuance they make up for in the fervor of the narrative. This book is a 3 for me, at best 3.5 stars. It feels very transitional in a chaotic and almost unsatisfying way. I can tell Bartol is writing us toward book 3. I love multi-part series where each book could almost standalone within the larger narrative, but book 2’s are often hard when the writer and her publishers have sequels in queue. This would likely be less of an annoyance if book 3 was already available for immediate consumption.
Pros and Cons
Cons
-Making stupid decisions for the sake of "love", it happens to the best of us but in Traitor Born there are moments of dialogue or situations that create these minor plot inconsistencies for the sake of a romance.
-Book 2 feels a little rushed and transitional. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is an undertone of chaos to this book. There are a ton of moving parts and layers that could be better organized. More time is spent describing outfits or elaborate architecture than streamlining the intricacies of the story-line.
- I still feel that there is a foundational weakness in the way in which the Second Born series explains a society built on filial cruelty (cruelty toward one's own child) and prolicide (killing of one's offspring). There were some inconsistent commentary on this within Traitor Born.
-The dialogue was kitschy or roll your eyes sappy at times.
Pros
-Multiple love interests. I love a writer who is not afraid to give a protagonist options and allowing her to explore them. Traitor Born gives Roselle the space to explore 3 enticing romantic relationships.
-Adding depth to the protagonist. Roselle is a strong lead. Her abilities and skills are hard earned. Book two exploits her strengths (combat, strategy, etc.), her weaknesses (familial ties, PTSD, etc.), and adds some much needed depth.
-Action packed with interesting subplots.
-Unexpected plot twists, the book is not predictable and I couldn’t put it down until I was done. (I finished by the next day)
I ended up liking the book, it’s good science fiction – escapist – new adult literature, however you probably won’t love it if you don’t like these types of books. You probably will enjoy if you liked Secondborn. Is there room for improvement… yes, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading Rebel Born (book 3).
Addendum:
I read a preview of book 3 Rebel Born... I'm excited! Looks like some of my cons will be thoroughly addressed.