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mingreads_ 's review for:
The Traitor's Game
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
3.5 stars
I really wanted to like [b:The Traitor's Game|30809677|The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game, #1)|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502149668s/30809677.jpg|51396926] by [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] because I loved her [b:Ascendance Trilogy: The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|23900993|Ascendance Trilogy The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428012270s/23900993.jpg|42472995] however there were a lot of things that I didn’t like in this book. But let's start with what I liked first. :)
Pros
-The plot kept me guessing throughout the whole book and it wasn’t obvious how it would end.
-I love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s writing style. It flows smoothly and isn’t confusing to read.
-One of the main character has a lot of snark and yet she still has a defined character and isn’t like any of the other characters Jennifer A. Nielsen has written.
-I liked that one of the main character was a guy who plays an important role in the book. We need more main characters who are guys in young adult fantasy.
-Kestra’s feelings towards her father were realistically portrayed and I appreciated that I got an in depth look at how and what she was feeling.
Cons
-I wish the book had a map because I was getting confused to where the countries where and which ones they were talking about. And maps are awesome. :)
-The characters were two dimensional and predicatble and there wasn't any character growth.
-The book was told from the POVs (point of view) of Simon and Kestra. However it was very hard to differentiate between the two. I had to keep looking up at the chapter to see whose POV it was in. It would have been nice if the two POVs were distinctly different from each other because the two characters were very different.
-The characters thoughts and actions were often contradictory. For instance in one chapter Simon was thinking about how much he hated Kestra but in the next minute he was comforting her and thinking about how much he would like to kiss her.
- THE ROMANCE. This was my biggest problem with the book. Jennifer A. Nielsen is amazing at writing romance in her books however the one in this book felt rushed and too much YA. And what I mean by "YA" is that the romance was based on physical attraction rather than communication and knowing who the person really is.
It’s a hate to love romance and I don’t have a problem with hate to love romances as long as they are well done. However this one turned from hate to love in four days. It felt rushed and forced. I would have preferred for them to have become friends and it maybe blossom into something more in future books.
That was the biggest problem I had with The Traitor’s Game- the romance didn’t feel realistic.
All in all I did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy read.
Content & Age Recommendation
13+
-there are some kissing scenes but they don’t go into “great” detail
-fighting scenes that go into more detail than her Ascendance Trilogy did
-there is no written profanity only “he or she cursed”
I really wanted to like [b:The Traitor's Game|30809677|The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game, #1)|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502149668s/30809677.jpg|51396926] by [a:Jennifer A. Nielsen|3267859|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304970313p2/3267859.jpg] because I loved her [b:Ascendance Trilogy: The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|23900993|Ascendance Trilogy The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne|Jennifer A. Nielsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428012270s/23900993.jpg|42472995] however there were a lot of things that I didn’t like in this book. But let's start with what I liked first. :)
Pros
-The plot kept me guessing throughout the whole book and it wasn’t obvious how it would end.
-I love Jennifer A. Nielsen’s writing style. It flows smoothly and isn’t confusing to read.
-One of the main character has a lot of snark and yet she still has a defined character and isn’t like any of the other characters Jennifer A. Nielsen has written.
-I liked that one of the main character was a guy who plays an important role in the book. We need more main characters who are guys in young adult fantasy.
-Kestra’s feelings towards her father were realistically portrayed and I appreciated that I got an in depth look at how and what she was feeling.
Cons
-I wish the book had a map because I was getting confused to where the countries where and which ones they were talking about. And maps are awesome. :)
-The characters were two dimensional and predicatble and there wasn't any character growth.
-The book was told from the POVs (point of view) of Simon and Kestra. However it was very hard to differentiate between the two. I had to keep looking up at the chapter to see whose POV it was in. It would have been nice if the two POVs were distinctly different from each other because the two characters were very different.
-The characters thoughts and actions were often contradictory. For instance in one chapter Simon was thinking about how much he hated Kestra but in the next minute he was comforting her and thinking about how much he would like to kiss her.
- THE ROMANCE. This was my biggest problem with the book. Jennifer A. Nielsen is amazing at writing romance in her books however the one in this book felt rushed and too much YA. And what I mean by "YA" is that the romance was based on physical attraction rather than communication and knowing who the person really is.
It’s a hate to love romance and I don’t have a problem with hate to love romances as long as they are well done. However this one turned from hate to love in four days. It felt rushed and forced. I would have preferred for them to have become friends and it maybe blossom into something more in future books.
That was the biggest problem I had with The Traitor’s Game- the romance didn’t feel realistic.
All in all I did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a fun and light fantasy read.
Content & Age Recommendation
13+
-there are some kissing scenes but they don’t go into “great” detail
-fighting scenes that go into more detail than her Ascendance Trilogy did
-there is no written profanity only “he or she cursed”