A review by tessa_talks_books
The Traitor by Ava Glass

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Penguin Random House for the free digital book!

🌻The Traitor by Ava Glass (book 2 in the Alias Emma series) 🌻

One-word review: high-octane

Emojis: 🛥️ 📱 🙇🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Rating: 5🌟s

My thoughts:

The Traitor by Ava Glass is a high-octane escapist read perfect for a rainy day. I loved the incredibly fast-pace from start to finish. It’s like watching an action/adventure movie - my favorite kind - but so much more, as the novel format offers more room to develop a story. The writing is engaging and immersive, allowing me to visualize everything as the story unfolds easily.

Emma Makepeace (and no, that’s not her real name, but I do love the irony) is smart and determined, and physically, she can take down men more than twice her size. But, she constantly feels like she has to prove herself, as women in a man’s world often do. She believes that a couple of missteps define her in a not-so-capable light as a secret agent. Yet, they define her as human and ensure the reader knows she is vulnerable and relatable and could fail in her mission. This keeps the tension high and me wholly invested in the story.

The twist was not such a twist to me, as a particular character might as well have been wearing the equivalent of a red shirt on Star Trek. No, that person didn’t die, but they are marked from early on in the story. The only surprise is that Emma didn’t see it coming. But again - that makes her human, and I don’t hold that against her. The Traitor was an excellent rainy weekend read, and I can’t wait for more books in this series!