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Crown and Tide #1
The Traitors We Are
In a world where writing disappears when the author dies, 22-year-old Cael Oberlan watches the last gasping breaths of his best friend. He pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket as his friend’s signature fades. Cael only wants vengeance for his friend and to create a reality where he no longer has to bow before any man. However, the nagging suspicion that his father, who started this war, hasn't given him the whole story about his role in this conflict threatens to unravel everything he ever thought he knew about himself and the people he is fighting to free.
As nephew of the King, 24-year-old Emil Trestinsen should be a hero. He should already hear his name echoing in celebration in the streets of the capital. In a young life already full of disappointment, the lack of recognition for ridding the kingdom of "Ruinous" Lorcen Oberlan may prove to be the final push he needs to seize his destiny. He will prove his worth to his family and his nation. He will end this rebellion and take his rightful place as the next governor of the rebels. When 18-year-old Merily Oberlan receives letters from the frontlines, and the top one is blank, she is devastated to realize one of her loved ones has died in battle. She is determined to help bring an end to this bloody war and be strong for her people, a cultural and religious minority in the kingdom of Harfal. What started as a simple rebellion transforms into a complicated web of lies, betrayal, and difficult decisions no one should have to make. It is a race against time and death as handwriting continues to disappear, erasing the contracts and historical records necessary for peaceful negotiations.
As nephew of the King, 24-year-old Emil Trestinsen should be a hero. He should already hear his name echoing in celebration in the streets of the capital. In a young life already full of disappointment, the lack of recognition for ridding the kingdom of "Ruinous" Lorcen Oberlan may prove to be the final push he needs to seize his destiny. He will prove his worth to his family and his nation. He will end this rebellion and take his rightful place as the next governor of the rebels. When 18-year-old Merily Oberlan receives letters from the frontlines, and the top one is blank, she is devastated to realize one of her loved ones has died in battle. She is determined to help bring an end to this bloody war and be strong for her people, a cultural and religious minority in the kingdom of Harfal. What started as a simple rebellion transforms into a complicated web of lies, betrayal, and difficult decisions no one should have to make. It is a race against time and death as handwriting continues to disappear, erasing the contracts and historical records necessary for peaceful negotiations.
- GenresFantasyEpic Fantasy
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2023
64 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Michael Roberti
5 books74 followersAbout Michael Roberti
From the time I was young, I loved books and words.
I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 9. Early on in my educational experience I found a love of books and poems, and the librarians of Laurel, Maryland knew me by name.
Later, I moved to Florida with my family. I continued my love of books and have fond memories of ignoring teachers’ lessons, so I could pillage their classroom libraries.
Eventually, I started a punk band with my best friend and we put out a few EPs and even did a full Florida tour. I started as a lyrics writing bass player, and eventually got the confidence to become the vocalist.
My band eventually broke up, and I did the only two things I could think to do: learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons and go to college.
I graduated from Appalachian Stare University in Boone North Carolina with a degree in English, Secondary Education in 2011. Somewhere in this adventure I decided to stay in NC.
Over the last 10+ years I’ve been: teaching, getting married, having two kids, and playing tons of DnD.
I came up with the world that would become Aithe in 2013, and the basic plot for The Traitors We Are in 2015, but could never find the motivation to write. For years these thoughts only coalesced into lore for the world I was DMing. In 2021, I decided to get serious about writing and Traitors was born.
The question I get asked the most is, “What gave you the idea to write about a world where writing disappears when someone dies?”
That’s tough to answer. I remember when the idea occurred to me, and I think there are two parts to it. The first is that history is already manipulated by the “winners” and those that write it down. How much of what we “know” is actually true?
The other thought was that there is already so much lost knowledge in our world. How much more would be lost if we lived on a world like Aithe? Even small wonders of technology would seem like magic if they had been lost for centuries. The words themselves would become the real magic.
So, that’s me. I love writing and words and believe in their power. I hope you join me on this journey as I attempt to make some magic of my own.
From the time I was young, I loved books and words.
I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 9. Early on in my educational experience I found a love of books and poems, and the librarians of Laurel, Maryland knew me by name.
Later, I moved to Florida with my family. I continued my love of books and have fond memories of ignoring teachers’ lessons, so I could pillage their classroom libraries.
Eventually, I started a punk band with my best friend and we put out a few EPs and even did a full Florida tour. I started as a lyrics writing bass player, and eventually got the confidence to become the vocalist.
My band eventually broke up, and I did the only two things I could think to do: learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons and go to college.
I graduated from Appalachian Stare University in Boone North Carolina with a degree in English, Secondary Education in 2011. Somewhere in this adventure I decided to stay in NC.
Over the last 10+ years I’ve been: teaching, getting married, having two kids, and playing tons of DnD.
I came up with the world that would become Aithe in 2013, and the basic plot for The Traitors We Are in 2015, but could never find the motivation to write. For years these thoughts only coalesced into lore for the world I was DMing. In 2021, I decided to get serious about writing and Traitors was born.
The question I get asked the most is, “What gave you the idea to write about a world where writing disappears when someone dies?”
That’s tough to answer. I remember when the idea occurred to me, and I think there are two parts to it. The first is that history is already manipulated by the “winners” and those that write it down. How much of what we “know” is actually true?
The other thought was that there is already so much lost knowledge in our world. How much more would be lost if we lived on a world like Aithe? Even small wonders of technology would seem like magic if they had been lost for centuries. The words themselves would become the real magic.
So, that’s me. I love writing and words and believe in their power. I hope you join me on this journey as I attempt to make some magic of my own.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 18, 2023
Part of my Review Roundup on Before We Go Blog.
Michael Roberti bases The Traitors We Are on a very intriguing premise: what if writing disappears when the author dies? Roberti explores the implications of this idea in a world reminiscent of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.
Although there is plenty of political intrigue in The Traitors We Are, Roberti excels when he focuses on personal relationships. I enjoyed all three of the lead protagonists, especially the delightful Merily, who was by far my favorite.
Roberti maintains a fast pace throughout The Traitors We Are. While the beginning of the book felt a little disorienting, I was fully engaged by about the 25% mark and particularly enjoyed the latter part of the novel.
The Traitors We Are is a stunning debut novel and recommended for fans of character-driven epic fantasy with plenty of gray morality.
Michael Roberti bases The Traitors We Are on a very intriguing premise: what if writing disappears when the author dies? Roberti explores the implications of this idea in a world reminiscent of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.
Although there is plenty of political intrigue in The Traitors We Are, Roberti excels when he focuses on personal relationships. I enjoyed all three of the lead protagonists, especially the delightful Merily, who was by far my favorite.
Roberti maintains a fast pace throughout The Traitors We Are. While the beginning of the book felt a little disorienting, I was fully engaged by about the 25% mark and particularly enjoyed the latter part of the novel.
The Traitors We Are is a stunning debut novel and recommended for fans of character-driven epic fantasy with plenty of gray morality.
May 16, 2025
Ok, it took longer than a week but that's cause I was getting Realm Runners up and running! Mike would understand, and if not....he can talk bad about me even more when I die!
Speaking of talking bad about someone who dies (killer segue Pete!) that was one of the most unique things to start off what is one of my favorite reads recently, The Traitors We Are!
I'm honestly kind of mindblown, cause people keep telling me that book 2 is even better, which I'm stoked to start, and after enjoying book 1 so much, that's really saying a lot.
I really loved this book! This was a perfect mix of all the things I look for; betrayals, politics, great world building, easy to connect with characters. I'm really impressed that this was Mike's first book, and I'm also pretty annoyed with myself for leaving it on my shelf for so long!
The main things I enjoyed was the world building especially. All of the different POVs had unique twists on the way in which the reader experiences the story, since all different sides of the underlying conflict are represented and very well at that. As always I'm going to try to avoid any spoilers, of which there are plenty (the word Traitors is in the title, no shit) so I'll keep it brief. The sides in conflict are both fully detailed, which leaves you trying to decide which to support. Again, that seems very straightforward but thanks to the incredible character-work, is much harder than it seems. For every person you despise on one side, there's another on the other who makes you just as angry. For every person you love, there's an equal to them across the way. It made it a lot of fun to read, especially because you never know WHAT can happen in the next sentence, and there were quite a few times I had to pause for a second to fully experience the "son of a B-" feelings.
It was a story full of backroom politics, which I love to read about and the entire time it was easy to understand motives and reasons for all the characters actions. Even if I didn't necessarily agree with some of them, the way the thoughts were fully fleshed out and explained made sense to me, which I appreciated. Nothing worse than a character doing something crazy just....because; that takes me right out of a story, and despite all the twists and turns that happened along the way here, I never felt like it was done just to advance the plot aimlessly.
Overall, I'm incredibly impressed. So many people told me over the past year that this is one of their favorite indie books, and set the bar and I can see why. I would recommend this to anyone, and will now hop on the train of people doing just that!
Speaking of talking bad about someone who dies (killer segue Pete!) that was one of the most unique things to start off what is one of my favorite reads recently, The Traitors We Are!
I'm honestly kind of mindblown, cause people keep telling me that book 2 is even better, which I'm stoked to start, and after enjoying book 1 so much, that's really saying a lot.
I really loved this book! This was a perfect mix of all the things I look for; betrayals, politics, great world building, easy to connect with characters. I'm really impressed that this was Mike's first book, and I'm also pretty annoyed with myself for leaving it on my shelf for so long!
The main things I enjoyed was the world building especially. All of the different POVs had unique twists on the way in which the reader experiences the story, since all different sides of the underlying conflict are represented and very well at that. As always I'm going to try to avoid any spoilers, of which there are plenty (the word Traitors is in the title, no shit) so I'll keep it brief. The sides in conflict are both fully detailed, which leaves you trying to decide which to support. Again, that seems very straightforward but thanks to the incredible character-work, is much harder than it seems. For every person you despise on one side, there's another on the other who makes you just as angry. For every person you love, there's an equal to them across the way. It made it a lot of fun to read, especially because you never know WHAT can happen in the next sentence, and there were quite a few times I had to pause for a second to fully experience the "son of a B-" feelings.
It was a story full of backroom politics, which I love to read about and the entire time it was easy to understand motives and reasons for all the characters actions. Even if I didn't necessarily agree with some of them, the way the thoughts were fully fleshed out and explained made sense to me, which I appreciated. Nothing worse than a character doing something crazy just....because; that takes me right out of a story, and despite all the twists and turns that happened along the way here, I never felt like it was done just to advance the plot aimlessly.
Overall, I'm incredibly impressed. So many people told me over the past year that this is one of their favorite indie books, and set the bar and I can see why. I would recommend this to anyone, and will now hop on the train of people doing just that!
July 6, 2024
3.5/5 Most of this book is excellent! I was not a fan of the last 20% more thoughts to come
April 30, 2025
3,5* rounded up
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti has a ton of promise, and is a really good debut.
It's a court intrigue with a big cast, and a lot of scheming and betrayal. I really enjoyed the different families, cultures, factions and personal goals clashing. There is no clear cut good or bad side, but like in real life there's all sorts of people found on every side of the war.
This gave a good depth to the whole world and made it easy to walk out of my living room and into this whole new world.
This could have been a full 5 star book, but there were quite a few niggles that could be fixed with a good editing pass, so I hope the next installment will improve on those. As authors learn with every book they write, I'm very optimistic this series will be going places!
So what are those niggles? Some of the dialogue felt too modern to fit the rest of the book. There's also quite some bits like "you" being shortened to Y' for one of the dialects, or trying to write dialogue the way it would sound with a full mouth. Yes, that definitely is a conscious choice of the author, but for me it didn't work as intended, but rather distracted me from the story.
I really liked most characters, but for one - namely Emil - we get told what he wants or doesn't want way too much. With the other characters this is well portrayed through their dialogues and actions, so I don't know why we get told over and over again with him. Again, nor a major problem, but it didn't read smoothly.
There's the occasional clunky prose, like the word "expected" three times in really short order, or some sentences that weren't actually incorrect, but just didn't read well.
There's some jumping back and forth between time lines, and those scenes didn't feel like a natural part of the book structure, but rather left me a bit disorientated for a while. The scenes themselves were quite fine, I just wished they were framed a bit hit differently, so it was easier to know where on the timeline you just jumped.
Overall this was a good start to a series, and as I said a really promising debut. Especially with an epic story like this, debuts often don't manage to pull off all the politics and plots satisfyingly, but Traitors We Are decidedly managed to hit those nails right on the head! So I'm really looking forward to a new epic series that spans multiple lands and families!
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti has a ton of promise, and is a really good debut.
It's a court intrigue with a big cast, and a lot of scheming and betrayal. I really enjoyed the different families, cultures, factions and personal goals clashing. There is no clear cut good or bad side, but like in real life there's all sorts of people found on every side of the war.
This gave a good depth to the whole world and made it easy to walk out of my living room and into this whole new world.
This could have been a full 5 star book, but there were quite a few niggles that could be fixed with a good editing pass, so I hope the next installment will improve on those. As authors learn with every book they write, I'm very optimistic this series will be going places!
So what are those niggles? Some of the dialogue felt too modern to fit the rest of the book. There's also quite some bits like "you" being shortened to Y' for one of the dialects, or trying to write dialogue the way it would sound with a full mouth. Yes, that definitely is a conscious choice of the author, but for me it didn't work as intended, but rather distracted me from the story.
I really liked most characters, but for one - namely Emil - we get told what he wants or doesn't want way too much. With the other characters this is well portrayed through their dialogues and actions, so I don't know why we get told over and over again with him. Again, nor a major problem, but it didn't read smoothly.
There's the occasional clunky prose, like the word "expected" three times in really short order, or some sentences that weren't actually incorrect, but just didn't read well.
There's some jumping back and forth between time lines, and those scenes didn't feel like a natural part of the book structure, but rather left me a bit disorientated for a while. The scenes themselves were quite fine, I just wished they were framed a bit hit differently, so it was easier to know where on the timeline you just jumped.
Overall this was a good start to a series, and as I said a really promising debut. Especially with an epic story like this, debuts often don't manage to pull off all the politics and plots satisfyingly, but Traitors We Are decidedly managed to hit those nails right on the head! So I'm really looking forward to a new epic series that spans multiple lands and families!
June 3, 2025
4.5 stars! ⭐️
Well, what can I say about this gem? Do I talk about the truly believable characters? Do I talk about Roberti's easy to read, yet powerful writing style? Or do I talk about the fact that the book just felt like one constant Game of Thrones style Red Wedding the entire way through?
The story gets off to an absolute banger of a start that will leave your head spinning from line one. What follows is a story of forging an uneasy alliance between two previously warring nations through the bond of marriage. Roberti introduces us to such a broad and diverse cast of personalities, that each has their own reason to be invested in their story. I won't go into too much detail about the arcs, as I don't want to risk spoiling it for potential readers.
Who I was really invested in:
Cael had to be number one. He suffered a bit of middle-child syndrome in trying to stand out (not in the story, but his arc). His path is a story of re-learning and growth. Being a young twenty-something, his whole life is ahead of him, he need only mature to achieve great things.
Merily - what I loved about Merily is that she held a bit of regality from her noble position in the Reach, but had enough wherewithal to stand up for herself and not be walked over. To picture Merily, think Anne Boleyn crossed with GOT's Ygritte.
HM - Freia - just a masterful supporting character with an amazing sense of humour!
What I loved about the story:
My love was in the way it was told. I like the way that Roberti played his hand, with major events in the beginning and end that flanked a story of political posturing, deception, and betrayal. He sprinkled in enough development through the second act to ensure you wanted to reach the end. His talent really shines in the crafting of his betrayal arcs (if the title of the story didn't give that away). Though some things you'll see coming, others you won't, and yet the payoff for both is sublime.
What I didn't love about the story:
I thought the middle section drug at some points. Understanding it was a lot of world and relationship development, with many lessons to be taught, but it was just a bit slow rolling in the middle–though not enough to shake me from the story whatsoever, because he did such an incredible job with his character development. I also wasn't a fan of the myriad of POVs, but that's a me thing, and not a knock on the author's style. If you like getting inside the heads of many different characters (a la GRRM), you'll love Roberti's style!
To sum up:
It was lovely to see the amount of care and concern that Roberti wrote into his characters. Each one we had the pleasure of spending time with felt fresh, and alive in their own way. No two characters were the same, and I truly appreciated that. His crafting of dialogue, with its wit and banter were immaculate, and will only get better as the author takes his next strides. I'm super excited to see where he takes this series, and I definitely look forward to returning for the sequel!
***
Now, on to the rating scale you read through my review to get to...how many f**k offs did this story get. I'm pleased to say its been given two for moments that really stood out:
1 - That opening...like WHAT!?!
2 - The events of the Ghol house that one night...
Mike, well done - absolutely amazing story and I very much look forward to seeing what you do with the rest of this series!
Well, what can I say about this gem? Do I talk about the truly believable characters? Do I talk about Roberti's easy to read, yet powerful writing style? Or do I talk about the fact that the book just felt like one constant Game of Thrones style Red Wedding the entire way through?
The story gets off to an absolute banger of a start that will leave your head spinning from line one. What follows is a story of forging an uneasy alliance between two previously warring nations through the bond of marriage. Roberti introduces us to such a broad and diverse cast of personalities, that each has their own reason to be invested in their story. I won't go into too much detail about the arcs, as I don't want to risk spoiling it for potential readers.
Who I was really invested in:
Cael had to be number one. He suffered a bit of middle-child syndrome in trying to stand out (not in the story, but his arc). His path is a story of re-learning and growth. Being a young twenty-something, his whole life is ahead of him, he need only mature to achieve great things.
Merily - what I loved about Merily is that she held a bit of regality from her noble position in the Reach, but had enough wherewithal to stand up for herself and not be walked over. To picture Merily, think Anne Boleyn crossed with GOT's Ygritte.
HM - Freia - just a masterful supporting character with an amazing sense of humour!
What I loved about the story:
My love was in the way it was told. I like the way that Roberti played his hand, with major events in the beginning and end that flanked a story of political posturing, deception, and betrayal. He sprinkled in enough development through the second act to ensure you wanted to reach the end. His talent really shines in the crafting of his betrayal arcs (if the title of the story didn't give that away). Though some things you'll see coming, others you won't, and yet the payoff for both is sublime.
What I didn't love about the story:
I thought the middle section drug at some points. Understanding it was a lot of world and relationship development, with many lessons to be taught, but it was just a bit slow rolling in the middle–though not enough to shake me from the story whatsoever, because he did such an incredible job with his character development. I also wasn't a fan of the myriad of POVs, but that's a me thing, and not a knock on the author's style. If you like getting inside the heads of many different characters (a la GRRM), you'll love Roberti's style!
To sum up:
It was lovely to see the amount of care and concern that Roberti wrote into his characters. Each one we had the pleasure of spending time with felt fresh, and alive in their own way. No two characters were the same, and I truly appreciated that. His crafting of dialogue, with its wit and banter were immaculate, and will only get better as the author takes his next strides. I'm super excited to see where he takes this series, and I definitely look forward to returning for the sequel!
***
Now, on to the rating scale you read through my review to get to...how many f**k offs did this story get. I'm pleased to say its been given two for moments that really stood out:
1 - That opening...like WHAT!?!
2 - The events of the Ghol house that one night...
Mike, well done - absolutely amazing story and I very much look forward to seeing what you do with the rest of this series!
December 16, 2022
Please read my review at the following link:
https://escapistbookcompany.com/2022/...
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
https://escapistbookcompany.com/2022/...
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
March 22, 2025
An exciting book full of political machinations, backstabbings (literally), and complex characters I really enjoyed following. The worldbuilding bit with all writing disappearing on death was pretty cool. Roberti does a great job making you absolutely hate his villains. Full RTC
January 11, 2025
There couldn't be a better title to explain what you will find in this book.
If you like brutal fights, political intrigues, grey characters, schemes and betrayals, plenty of betrayals, this is the perfect book.
The kingdom of Harfal is not a nice place to live, and it's full of despicable and dangerous people.
Nobody is ever safe, not even with relatives.
Well... Especially with them...
Despite all the betrayals and the sour taste that I had in my mouth at the end, the book was very good, so I will definitely continue the series.
At least to see if at the end there will still be someone alive....
If you like brutal fights, political intrigues, grey characters, schemes and betrayals, plenty of betrayals, this is the perfect book.
The kingdom of Harfal is not a nice place to live, and it's full of despicable and dangerous people.
Nobody is ever safe, not even with relatives.
Well... Especially with them...
Despite all the betrayals and the sour taste that I had in my mouth at the end, the book was very good, so I will definitely continue the series.
At least to see if at the end there will still be someone alive....
October 24, 2024
Realizing I never crossposted my review here, originally published and posted on Burt's Library:
Vague Spoilers: There are traitors, and we are them. A few layers of magic in this one, the most notable is the fact that on death, written words leave with the deceased, a really interesting concept especially when you start to think about legacy and what it means for the world as a whole.
From chapter one, I decided that Michael Roberti could write. At times, his prose is simple, but it always felt intentional, allowing for more beautiful sentences and wordplay to shine through. Where The Traitors We Are shined brightest for me was the characters.
Each POV of the main cast felt unique in the way they thought, acted, and saw the world. The plot seemed straightforward and while I expected most of the book to be about the war, when it took a left turn, I was happy with the direction it went.
If I had a single complaint, it would be that some of our characters felt like they had very little agency, but that was by intention and by the book’s resolution, I was left satisfied with how they all reacted to that revelation.
The epilogue segment was a highlight that hinted at larger things to come. Overall, The Traitors We Are was an enjoyable read, with great character work, interesting world-building, and magic that posed more questions than answers. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the First Law Trilogy for the political machinations in it and the brutal combat within.
4.5 traitors out of 5.
Vague Spoilers: There are traitors, and we are them. A few layers of magic in this one, the most notable is the fact that on death, written words leave with the deceased, a really interesting concept especially when you start to think about legacy and what it means for the world as a whole.
From chapter one, I decided that Michael Roberti could write. At times, his prose is simple, but it always felt intentional, allowing for more beautiful sentences and wordplay to shine through. Where The Traitors We Are shined brightest for me was the characters.
Each POV of the main cast felt unique in the way they thought, acted, and saw the world. The plot seemed straightforward and while I expected most of the book to be about the war, when it took a left turn, I was happy with the direction it went.
If I had a single complaint, it would be that some of our characters felt like they had very little agency, but that was by intention and by the book’s resolution, I was left satisfied with how they all reacted to that revelation.
The epilogue segment was a highlight that hinted at larger things to come. Overall, The Traitors We Are was an enjoyable read, with great character work, interesting world-building, and magic that posed more questions than answers. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the First Law Trilogy for the political machinations in it and the brutal combat within.
4.5 traitors out of 5.
April 4, 2023
Traitors will most certainly be in that conversation I have with myself every December about what my favorite book of the year was. I loved how every time I thought I had something figured out, I was most likely a few passages or chapters away from being proven wrong.
The fact that this is a debut novel is really impressive. If things only get better from here it’s crazy to think how good the following books could be. These characters are very dynamic, and each of them stand out. They were all given enough detail that any of them really could have been the main character of a story. All of them felt unique, and they are all memorable.
The politics, cultures and world building in general were all intriguing, and really helped me immerse myself into this world. I got the feeling while reading that Michael went over this with a fine tooth comb many times. It just felt polished, and everything had a purpose. Absolutely zero filler. Twists and turns that made sense, and consequences that mattered to me as an invested reader. Something else I notice now that I’m reflecting back on the story is that Michael also writes very good action scenes. The combat flowed very smoothly, and it was easy to visualize.
Michael is another writer on my list of when their book releases, it goes to the front of my TBR. He’s hooked me, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store!
Thanks for the awesome story, Mike!
The fact that this is a debut novel is really impressive. If things only get better from here it’s crazy to think how good the following books could be. These characters are very dynamic, and each of them stand out. They were all given enough detail that any of them really could have been the main character of a story. All of them felt unique, and they are all memorable.
The politics, cultures and world building in general were all intriguing, and really helped me immerse myself into this world. I got the feeling while reading that Michael went over this with a fine tooth comb many times. It just felt polished, and everything had a purpose. Absolutely zero filler. Twists and turns that made sense, and consequences that mattered to me as an invested reader. Something else I notice now that I’m reflecting back on the story is that Michael also writes very good action scenes. The combat flowed very smoothly, and it was easy to visualize.
Michael is another writer on my list of when their book releases, it goes to the front of my TBR. He’s hooked me, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store!
Thanks for the awesome story, Mike!
October 21, 2023
Wow. What a great study it well-laid intrigue. It had all the right pieces, from those who thought themselves clever, to those that were.
It was a rolling stone with not a bit of moss growing upon it as it rolled toward its inevitable and well-laid end.
When does book 2 continue this saga?
It was a rolling stone with not a bit of moss growing upon it as it rolled toward its inevitable and well-laid end.
When does book 2 continue this saga?
June 22, 2023
First of all I'd like to apologize that's it's taken me this long to finally get around to picking up a book by Michael Roberti. He's actually been on my radar close to a year now and I just hadn't worked his books into the rotation. Well that stopped her in June as I dove head first into The Traitors We Are which is another SPFBO-9 entry. If this is any sign of things to come of this author's work I've truly been missing out. Not to take anything at all away from any other great books I've read so far in this competition but this one just landed right in my wheelhouse!
I'd say the pacing was steady but leaning toward the fast pace side of things. It's certainly not non-stop action. However I never really felt a lull or a slog through unnecessary details at all. As I tend to mention with pacing, I didn't really have any issues with names of characters or places to stumble over. The writing and story rolled along smoothly for me. This was another one of those simply enjoyable reads that was difficult to put down and was quickly picked back up as soon as I could.
The world building was done well. We certainly have a good mix of regions, cultures, regions and fighting styles covered in The Traitors We Are. I am anxiously awaiting to next installment of this series to see how the world building expands from here. I could see if going either way. Either it expands the world itself more or we simply get further details on many of these things already introduced in book one here.
I saved the character development for last because it was probably my favorite aspect of this book. The author does a great job introducing and fleshing out our characters. It was easy for me to find character I didn't like or were annoyed with along with connecting with those I found myself pulling for. As I mentioned on social media while reading and by the name of the title, be careful who you begin to trust in this one!
Mike kept me on my toes thought out this book. I can't help but connect with Cael and Erik but there are so many colorful characters both good, bad and perhaps misunderstood in this one.
I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy their epic fantasy to include lots of action, betrayal and plenty of political intrigue the likes of A Song of Ice and Fire.
At this point I need to find ways to explore more of Mike's work in the future. I found out there is a prequel available and book 2 is scheduled for release yet this year.
I'd say the pacing was steady but leaning toward the fast pace side of things. It's certainly not non-stop action. However I never really felt a lull or a slog through unnecessary details at all. As I tend to mention with pacing, I didn't really have any issues with names of characters or places to stumble over. The writing and story rolled along smoothly for me. This was another one of those simply enjoyable reads that was difficult to put down and was quickly picked back up as soon as I could.
The world building was done well. We certainly have a good mix of regions, cultures, regions and fighting styles covered in The Traitors We Are. I am anxiously awaiting to next installment of this series to see how the world building expands from here. I could see if going either way. Either it expands the world itself more or we simply get further details on many of these things already introduced in book one here.
I saved the character development for last because it was probably my favorite aspect of this book. The author does a great job introducing and fleshing out our characters. It was easy for me to find character I didn't like or were annoyed with along with connecting with those I found myself pulling for. As I mentioned on social media while reading and by the name of the title, be careful who you begin to trust in this one!
Mike kept me on my toes thought out this book. I can't help but connect with Cael and Erik but there are so many colorful characters both good, bad and perhaps misunderstood in this one.
I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy their epic fantasy to include lots of action, betrayal and plenty of political intrigue the likes of A Song of Ice and Fire.
At this point I need to find ways to explore more of Mike's work in the future. I found out there is a prequel available and book 2 is scheduled for release yet this year.
May 22, 2023
4.5 stars
Take notes, y'all. This is how you do court intrigue and political scheming in a fresh new light. The Traitors We Are brings a unique twist to Machiavellian politics and turns it into something I'll be thinking about for quite a while.
Set in a world where one's writing vanishes the moment they die, Traitors follows the waning days of a civil war and the tenuous and fragile peace talks that arise from it. Caught in the middle of it all are Cael and Merily, the children of their people's Chief; and Emil, the nephew of his people's King. A world of mistrust, deceit, vengeance, and bloodshed opens up to them, and neither side will come out of it unscathed.
The fact that one's writing disappears upon their death is such a fantastic idea and it is handled masterfully. It becomes an incredibly useful tool for the schemers to manipulate, to erase people, and subsequently erase them from history, and that provides an incredible well of intrigue to this story. The characters and plotlines are good in their own right, but vanishing script is such a cool plot device that has the potential to open up plenty of conversation about the nature of censorship and "erasing" history. It's one of those concepts that I can't stop but think, "Damn, I wish I thought of that." (Mike, hopefully no hard feelings if I steal this from you one day)
While the middle of the book somewhat ground to a halt to allow different connected plot threads to play out, it doesn't take away from the fact that The Traitors We Are is a fantastic book. If you're in the market for political fantasy with an incredibly unique twist, you need look no further than here.
Take notes, y'all. This is how you do court intrigue and political scheming in a fresh new light. The Traitors We Are brings a unique twist to Machiavellian politics and turns it into something I'll be thinking about for quite a while.
Set in a world where one's writing vanishes the moment they die, Traitors follows the waning days of a civil war and the tenuous and fragile peace talks that arise from it. Caught in the middle of it all are Cael and Merily, the children of their people's Chief; and Emil, the nephew of his people's King. A world of mistrust, deceit, vengeance, and bloodshed opens up to them, and neither side will come out of it unscathed.
The fact that one's writing disappears upon their death is such a fantastic idea and it is handled masterfully. It becomes an incredibly useful tool for the schemers to manipulate, to erase people, and subsequently erase them from history, and that provides an incredible well of intrigue to this story. The characters and plotlines are good in their own right, but vanishing script is such a cool plot device that has the potential to open up plenty of conversation about the nature of censorship and "erasing" history. It's one of those concepts that I can't stop but think, "Damn, I wish I thought of that." (Mike, hopefully no hard feelings if I steal this from you one day)
While the middle of the book somewhat ground to a halt to allow different connected plot threads to play out, it doesn't take away from the fact that The Traitors We Are is a fantastic book. If you're in the market for political fantasy with an incredibly unique twist, you need look no further than here.
May 13, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. Started off with a bang then dived into the slower moments of the middle. Plenty of twists to keep a reader engaged. Looking forward to book 2
June 12, 2023
(3.75 rounded up)
First book on my list of #spfbo9 books completed!
I feel like this was a solid first book. Is it a new fave? Not really, but it was pretty well done nonetheless.
I agree with other reviewers that you have to push through the slower pace of the first 30-40% before you get to the real meat of the story. When things take off, they take off.
I loved reading about the different customs each group of people had - things like insulting the dead so the God's wouldn't get jealous, exchanging mugs after taking a sip, etc. The different types of people in this book and their different gods was also very interesting to read about.
Getting different POVs was definitely the best way for this story to go as well.
Michael Roberti's true strength lies in his ability to write some engaging political intrigue. The way he has his characters execute their betrayals is phenomenal, and he show some real skill when it comes to jumping into scenes that have just happened and tying all the strings together, without making it seem repetitive.
There were some slight grammatical errors, but I was able to overlook that because the story really was interesting. Especially the latter half, my God. At first I was debating whether I would continue on with this series, but after I finished I literally changed my mind. I will be continuing on and I really feel that with a bit more polish, this can be a pretty darn good series! There's amazing potential and I would love to see Michael Roberti pull it off.
First book on my list of #spfbo9 books completed!
I feel like this was a solid first book. Is it a new fave? Not really, but it was pretty well done nonetheless.
I agree with other reviewers that you have to push through the slower pace of the first 30-40% before you get to the real meat of the story. When things take off, they take off.
I loved reading about the different customs each group of people had - things like insulting the dead so the God's wouldn't get jealous, exchanging mugs after taking a sip, etc. The different types of people in this book and their different gods was also very interesting to read about.
Getting different POVs was definitely the best way for this story to go as well.
Michael Roberti's true strength lies in his ability to write some engaging political intrigue. The way he has his characters execute their betrayals is phenomenal, and he show some real skill when it comes to jumping into scenes that have just happened and tying all the strings together, without making it seem repetitive.
There were some slight grammatical errors, but I was able to overlook that because the story really was interesting. Especially the latter half, my God. At first I was debating whether I would continue on with this series, but after I finished I literally changed my mind. I will be continuing on and I really feel that with a bit more polish, this can be a pretty darn good series! There's amazing potential and I would love to see Michael Roberti pull it off.
May 3, 2025
3.5 round up to 4 because authors are cool
Always love some revolutionaries in media.
A proud people living on the outskirts of a kingdom. Begging for lower taxation and a chance at representation. Sound familiar? We are tossed into the story in the closing days of battle. Loved ones dead. Others injured. Hatred and tension between both sides.
And then all go to the capital and discuss peace. Sitting next to those who killed loved ones. Having to talk to the ones who brutally injured them. So, no tension right?
It's a quick book. 345pgs. What does this in a bit is that there wasn't enough space to fully build the tension. To fully flesh out characters. As a character guy, I wanted more time getting to know them.
If you like revolutions and shadowy political dealings, this is quick scratch to that itch.
Always love some revolutionaries in media.
A proud people living on the outskirts of a kingdom. Begging for lower taxation and a chance at representation. Sound familiar? We are tossed into the story in the closing days of battle. Loved ones dead. Others injured. Hatred and tension between both sides.
And then all go to the capital and discuss peace. Sitting next to those who killed loved ones. Having to talk to the ones who brutally injured them. So, no tension right?
It's a quick book. 345pgs. What does this in a bit is that there wasn't enough space to fully build the tension. To fully flesh out characters. As a character guy, I wanted more time getting to know them.
If you like revolutions and shadowy political dealings, this is quick scratch to that itch.
June 15, 2022
Schemes within schemes. Machiavelli would approve.
You're going to love watching people poison and stab and stomp on each others' heads in this political catfight. What's that? You don't like those things? Then this might not be your lead-lined cup of arsenic. And definitely not bedtime reading for the kiddos, either. All the assassinations found herein reminded me of ancient Chinese dynasties.
Okay, it's not ALL about violence. There's lesser flavors of betrayal, too. (the title says it all) And there's love and loyalty enough to soften you up for the next killing. My favorite part is when one major character teaches another how to fence. I was so engrossed by that scene that I forgot I was reading a book.
And the author makes so many great character observations that I'm reminded of Brent Weeks in the lightbringer series and of Joe Abercrombie in the First Law trilogy:
-"Something was condescending, even patronizing about that smile, and that was not how smiles were intended to be used"
-"Ordan stopped pacing and watched her face for a reaction. He was always doing things like that, trying to figure people out. She liked to watch him do it to others, but it wasn’t so fun when you were on the other end of it."
-"Here they were, happy to finally be killing each other."
-"Some men preferred violence to calm and trouble to peace."
The book is packed with other clever one-liners:
-"It takes more than blood on a sword to make a hero."
-"The stars burned brightly overhead as if they were there to bear witness to the horror."
-"it was as if the room understood the depth of its history and importance."
-"It felt good to kill his brother." (easily one of the most disturbing lines I've ever read in a book!)
The author opens a great big window into the hearts of men who pine for respect, exposing how vulnerable their deep-seated insecurities render them. And how easily their foes can exploit it. The sin nature of man struts down the catwalk on full display here. "We are all traitors in our own ways, he supposed." Yep. I suppose so, too.
There are a few minor editorial hiccups, but the story and world building and vivid prose distracted me from those with ease. Roberti's writing wields a grim beauty that's not flashy but still grabs you by the eyeballs. Take the first sentence of chapter one: "Only when he felt the other man go limp did he know he could stop pushing." When I read that, I knew I had to keep reading. I'm glad I did.
You're going to love watching people poison and stab and stomp on each others' heads in this political catfight. What's that? You don't like those things? Then this might not be your lead-lined cup of arsenic. And definitely not bedtime reading for the kiddos, either. All the assassinations found herein reminded me of ancient Chinese dynasties.
Okay, it's not ALL about violence. There's lesser flavors of betrayal, too. (the title says it all) And there's love and loyalty enough to soften you up for the next killing. My favorite part is when one major character teaches another how to fence. I was so engrossed by that scene that I forgot I was reading a book.
And the author makes so many great character observations that I'm reminded of Brent Weeks in the lightbringer series and of Joe Abercrombie in the First Law trilogy:
-"Something was condescending, even patronizing about that smile, and that was not how smiles were intended to be used"
-"Ordan stopped pacing and watched her face for a reaction. He was always doing things like that, trying to figure people out. She liked to watch him do it to others, but it wasn’t so fun when you were on the other end of it."
-"Here they were, happy to finally be killing each other."
-"Some men preferred violence to calm and trouble to peace."
The book is packed with other clever one-liners:
-"It takes more than blood on a sword to make a hero."
-"The stars burned brightly overhead as if they were there to bear witness to the horror."
-"it was as if the room understood the depth of its history and importance."
-"It felt good to kill his brother." (easily one of the most disturbing lines I've ever read in a book!)
The author opens a great big window into the hearts of men who pine for respect, exposing how vulnerable their deep-seated insecurities render them. And how easily their foes can exploit it. The sin nature of man struts down the catwalk on full display here. "We are all traitors in our own ways, he supposed." Yep. I suppose so, too.
There are a few minor editorial hiccups, but the story and world building and vivid prose distracted me from those with ease. Roberti's writing wields a grim beauty that's not flashy but still grabs you by the eyeballs. Take the first sentence of chapter one: "Only when he felt the other man go limp did he know he could stop pushing." When I read that, I knew I had to keep reading. I'm glad I did.
October 5, 2022
Drama and politics driven plot, with a wide cast of well-developed characters and fantastic world building throughout pages, makes this book really stand out and absolutely worth reading. Narrated from multiple points of view, the story always keeps you on the edge, with a hard-to-guess ‘what will happen next’ attitude. That, in line with well-developed characters, makes “The Traitors We Are” gripping from the very first pages.
I really enjoyed how detailed the world-building was and how well it the author has embedded in the narration style. Often represented through a comparison between different locations - it was all there: traditions, religion, food; even fashion!
Character development and general choice of cast were fantastic too. Since it’s a spoiler-free review, I don’t want to tell too much about each of the characters and what was happening to them, so I’ll focus on character-related themes I enjoyed the most. Definitely the unexpected romance theme without social acceptance! I really liked how it was developed and how it progressed. Sense of responsibility, or even more - sense of expectations, was a powerful theme for many characters. They were sacrificing their happiness to fulfil those expectations. And finally, (although there were more themes to enjoy!), families’ disfunctions. There were so many variations of these within the story and I really loved how the author represented their impact on characters. It made characters believable and easy to understand in their motivations.
With themes of this book being rather dark (regarding war, murders, forced marriages etc) and the goals/intrigues being complex, I would suggest this book for an older/adult audience. Definitely a brilliant read for epic fantasy readers who enjoy politics-plot in fantasy-historical settings! I look forward to reading the next books in the series!
I really enjoyed how detailed the world-building was and how well it the author has embedded in the narration style. Often represented through a comparison between different locations - it was all there: traditions, religion, food; even fashion!
Character development and general choice of cast were fantastic too. Since it’s a spoiler-free review, I don’t want to tell too much about each of the characters and what was happening to them, so I’ll focus on character-related themes I enjoyed the most. Definitely the unexpected romance theme without social acceptance! I really liked how it was developed and how it progressed. Sense of responsibility, or even more - sense of expectations, was a powerful theme for many characters. They were sacrificing their happiness to fulfil those expectations. And finally, (although there were more themes to enjoy!), families’ disfunctions. There were so many variations of these within the story and I really loved how the author represented their impact on characters. It made characters believable and easy to understand in their motivations.
With themes of this book being rather dark (regarding war, murders, forced marriages etc) and the goals/intrigues being complex, I would suggest this book for an older/adult audience. Definitely a brilliant read for epic fantasy readers who enjoy politics-plot in fantasy-historical settings! I look forward to reading the next books in the series!
February 11, 2025
This is one of the best indie novels I've read.
Michael crafted a vivid world, full of memorable characters.
The story drives you to desire more of it, teases you in search for answers and brings you the sort of delicious despair of glimpsing some of the answers you wanted and how traitorous those answers are.
I think it will get even better in the following book, I need more of Ainthe! (spoiler: it absolutely did)
The character work Michael manages here is simply superb. You can't remain neutral to them, either love them or loathe them, but you'll always be gripped to what happens to all of them, especially to the most TRAITOROUS of them, you want to see them paying!
A delightful story of political intrigue and some good people trying to make good choices in a bloody awful situation.
I’d say this is a Grim story. It’s not particularly Dark. And certainly not grimdark.
If you liked “A song of Ice and Fire” I can confidently say you will like this.
Michael crafted a vivid world, full of memorable characters.
The story drives you to desire more of it, teases you in search for answers and brings you the sort of delicious despair of glimpsing some of the answers you wanted and how traitorous those answers are.
I think it will get even better in the following book, I need more of Ainthe! (spoiler: it absolutely did)
The character work Michael manages here is simply superb. You can't remain neutral to them, either love them or loathe them, but you'll always be gripped to what happens to all of them, especially to the most TRAITOROUS of them, you want to see them paying!
A delightful story of political intrigue and some good people trying to make good choices in a bloody awful situation.
I’d say this is a Grim story. It’s not particularly Dark. And certainly not grimdark.
If you liked “A song of Ice and Fire” I can confidently say you will like this.
June 28, 2023
The Traitors We Are is book 1 in the Crown and Tide series and a solid 4 star read for me.
I thought this book had good pacing, storytelling and characters. There were some things that I thought I knew were going to happen to certain characters, and they did, but I did NOT know how they were going to happen and didn't expect them to happen in the way that they did. However, I didn't have a lot of connection with the characters reading this book alone. I had some connection with the characters because I read the Prequel Novella (The Revenge of Thousands) before reading Traitors We Are, but I don't know if I would have had that same level of connection, had I not read the prequel. Overall, though, this was a great start to the trilogy and I'm looking forward to seeing where Roberti takes this story.
I thought this book had good pacing, storytelling and characters. There were some things that I thought I knew were going to happen to certain characters, and they did, but I did NOT know how they were going to happen and didn't expect them to happen in the way that they did. However, I didn't have a lot of connection with the characters reading this book alone. I had some connection with the characters because I read the Prequel Novella (The Revenge of Thousands) before reading Traitors We Are, but I don't know if I would have had that same level of connection, had I not read the prequel. Overall, though, this was a great start to the trilogy and I'm looking forward to seeing where Roberti takes this story.
Read
September 16, 2024TL;DR Review – “Light” grimdark flavor, with singular characters and a world that just keeps getting more interesting with every chapter.
Full Review:
I was utterly unprepared for what I was getting myself into when I first cracked open The Traitors We Are.
Right in the beginning, we’re thrust into a big, bloody battle (my favorite!) and get a juicy dose of both action and worldbuilding from the jump. But we’re also introduced to some of our main players and some very cool aspects of the world. Over the course of the story, all of that keeps getting dialed up—until by the end, I was very much a fan of this fascinating fantasy world.
The World:
The world is familiar in many ways: the Reach (thing Scotland/Ireland) is fighting for its independence against the Keeps (England), only in this story, the Keeps are forced to consider making peace and giving the Reach what they want because the Reach’s chieftain, Ordan, keeps winning battles.
We’re given a look at the Scottish highlands-feeling world of the Reach, with its small towns, humble people, and tight-knit families. Then we’re whisked away to the very London-meets-King’s-Landing capital city, home to all the power players who want to take advantage of this new balance to, inevitably, gain more power.
There are also some very fascinating and unique elements, though. Chief among them is the way that writing disappears after someone dies. People keep letters or signatures written by their loved ones, and check them after every battle to see whether those people are alive. There are times I wish this was used to more dramatic effect—a critical piece of information isn’t given to the hero because the one who wrote it was killed—but instead it’s used in a fascinatingly callous, almost off-handed way that serves to underscore the grimdark flavor of the story.
The characters also have to “speak ill of the dead” to avoid angering the gods, so every funeral is filled with insults and disrespect—the crueler and harsher, the more it demonstrates the person’s love and respect for the fallen. A fascinating twist on the usual funeral/reverence for the dead flavors.
There’s a lot about the world outside the Reach and Keeps that isn’t explained, but overall, you know more than enough to stay grounded in the action and follow along with the characters’ journeys.
Characters:
There are a lot of POV characters throughout—sometimes they’re used as a “throwaway” to introduce some twist or reveal, to flesh out the world in interesting ways, or to give insight into some of the darker, twistier characters.
However, the main POV characters are:
Cael Oberlan. Fighter, hot-head, and general asshole, he’s always angry and spoiling for a fight with anyone over anything. He also has an immense amount of agency—he will do anything without considering the consequences until after it’s done, and that “wild card” flavor makes him a character you absolutely want to follow along to see what he’s going to do and how he’s going to make everything worse. Yet he’s also a surprisingly decent man (somewhere WAYYYYY down deep) in his own way.
Emil Trestinsen. War hero, slayer of Lorcan Oberlan (Cael’s brother), and spoiled nobleman, he’s an absolute naif when it comes to the world in which he lives. He thinks everything is glory and heroics, spectacular duels and celebratory parades. He trips his way through the world untouched by reality, but also unmarred by it. He is genuinely “good” and wants to try to make things better—he just goes about it with the innocence of a sheltered child in the body of a sword-wielding man. His story is a spectacular exercise in irony.
Merily Oberlan. Daughter to the conquering Reach chief, sister to Cael, and, unfortunately, prize to be offered off in marriage to whoever suits her father’s whims. She doesn’t start off with a great deal of agency, but she slowly develops into one of the strongest, most compelling characters in the story. Her pairing with (WON’T SPOIL IT FOR YOU!) makes for a fascinating dynamic, and promises interesting dramatic developments down the road.
Erik Tremmin. Knight of the Evertree, a soldier to the core, he carries around the scars and disabilities resulting from his loss in battle to Cael. Curiously, though, he and Cael both have a “that was war” mentality, so though they both had good cause to want the other dead in battle, they forge an interesting…well, friendship isn’t the right word quite yet, perhaps better said a mutual respect and grudging understanding.
Each of these characters feels utterly unique from the others, and in many ways, they’re standouts in the fantasy genre. They make for very compelling reading and anchor the story so well they keep you coming back to find out what’s going to happen next.
The Tone:
The Traitors We Are definitely falls into the grimdark genre tonally. There’s an utter disregard for human life, an almost casual acceptance of death and suffering, the mocking of the dead, the almost “breeziness” to the battles (people just die and no big deal is made of it), and the overall story progression skews toward the dark.
But it’s not PITCH BLACK like some other grimdark books I’ve read. Instead, it’s more “grimdark light”, where there are happy moments that are only slightly marred by the grim to come, and the grimness never goes quite as deep or dark as it could.
Wrapping Up:
The Traitors We Are proves a truly entertaining, compelling, and complex read, with some of the most unique characters I’ve encountered in grimdark—or in the fantasy genre at large. Highly, highly recommended!
Full Review:
I was utterly unprepared for what I was getting myself into when I first cracked open The Traitors We Are.
Right in the beginning, we’re thrust into a big, bloody battle (my favorite!) and get a juicy dose of both action and worldbuilding from the jump. But we’re also introduced to some of our main players and some very cool aspects of the world. Over the course of the story, all of that keeps getting dialed up—until by the end, I was very much a fan of this fascinating fantasy world.
The World:
The world is familiar in many ways: the Reach (thing Scotland/Ireland) is fighting for its independence against the Keeps (England), only in this story, the Keeps are forced to consider making peace and giving the Reach what they want because the Reach’s chieftain, Ordan, keeps winning battles.
We’re given a look at the Scottish highlands-feeling world of the Reach, with its small towns, humble people, and tight-knit families. Then we’re whisked away to the very London-meets-King’s-Landing capital city, home to all the power players who want to take advantage of this new balance to, inevitably, gain more power.
There are also some very fascinating and unique elements, though. Chief among them is the way that writing disappears after someone dies. People keep letters or signatures written by their loved ones, and check them after every battle to see whether those people are alive. There are times I wish this was used to more dramatic effect—a critical piece of information isn’t given to the hero because the one who wrote it was killed—but instead it’s used in a fascinatingly callous, almost off-handed way that serves to underscore the grimdark flavor of the story.
The characters also have to “speak ill of the dead” to avoid angering the gods, so every funeral is filled with insults and disrespect—the crueler and harsher, the more it demonstrates the person’s love and respect for the fallen. A fascinating twist on the usual funeral/reverence for the dead flavors.
There’s a lot about the world outside the Reach and Keeps that isn’t explained, but overall, you know more than enough to stay grounded in the action and follow along with the characters’ journeys.
Characters:
There are a lot of POV characters throughout—sometimes they’re used as a “throwaway” to introduce some twist or reveal, to flesh out the world in interesting ways, or to give insight into some of the darker, twistier characters.
However, the main POV characters are:
Cael Oberlan. Fighter, hot-head, and general asshole, he’s always angry and spoiling for a fight with anyone over anything. He also has an immense amount of agency—he will do anything without considering the consequences until after it’s done, and that “wild card” flavor makes him a character you absolutely want to follow along to see what he’s going to do and how he’s going to make everything worse. Yet he’s also a surprisingly decent man (somewhere WAYYYYY down deep) in his own way.
Emil Trestinsen. War hero, slayer of Lorcan Oberlan (Cael’s brother), and spoiled nobleman, he’s an absolute naif when it comes to the world in which he lives. He thinks everything is glory and heroics, spectacular duels and celebratory parades. He trips his way through the world untouched by reality, but also unmarred by it. He is genuinely “good” and wants to try to make things better—he just goes about it with the innocence of a sheltered child in the body of a sword-wielding man. His story is a spectacular exercise in irony.
Merily Oberlan. Daughter to the conquering Reach chief, sister to Cael, and, unfortunately, prize to be offered off in marriage to whoever suits her father’s whims. She doesn’t start off with a great deal of agency, but she slowly develops into one of the strongest, most compelling characters in the story. Her pairing with (WON’T SPOIL IT FOR YOU!) makes for a fascinating dynamic, and promises interesting dramatic developments down the road.
Erik Tremmin. Knight of the Evertree, a soldier to the core, he carries around the scars and disabilities resulting from his loss in battle to Cael. Curiously, though, he and Cael both have a “that was war” mentality, so though they both had good cause to want the other dead in battle, they forge an interesting…well, friendship isn’t the right word quite yet, perhaps better said a mutual respect and grudging understanding.
Each of these characters feels utterly unique from the others, and in many ways, they’re standouts in the fantasy genre. They make for very compelling reading and anchor the story so well they keep you coming back to find out what’s going to happen next.
The Tone:
The Traitors We Are definitely falls into the grimdark genre tonally. There’s an utter disregard for human life, an almost casual acceptance of death and suffering, the mocking of the dead, the almost “breeziness” to the battles (people just die and no big deal is made of it), and the overall story progression skews toward the dark.
But it’s not PITCH BLACK like some other grimdark books I’ve read. Instead, it’s more “grimdark light”, where there are happy moments that are only slightly marred by the grim to come, and the grimness never goes quite as deep or dark as it could.
Wrapping Up:
The Traitors We Are proves a truly entertaining, compelling, and complex read, with some of the most unique characters I’ve encountered in grimdark—or in the fantasy genre at large. Highly, highly recommended!
November 28, 2022
vivid unique fantasy world
Ceaseless brutal engagements. Ripe with deception & treachery. In lands where contracts disappear when its creators do. Can there any hope for peace in this war torn kingdom? Lots of fantastic characters, riveting politics & battle depictions.
Ceaseless brutal engagements. Ripe with deception & treachery. In lands where contracts disappear when its creators do. Can there any hope for peace in this war torn kingdom? Lots of fantastic characters, riveting politics & battle depictions.
June 20, 2024
A fantastic story with complex themes of treachery, uneasy alliances and difficult choices. Michael Roberti has weaved a thoroughly enjoyable tale. It was right up my alley, one of my favourite reads of the year! I look forward to reading Book 2.
The Traitors We Are focuses mainly on the two warring factions of The Reach and The Keep, with a few surprises along the way. The Reach are a collective of rough and ready people; think working class style warriors, they have straight forward traditions as part of their culture. The people of The Reach are a no nonsense type of folk, however, this does not mean some of the characters trade in deception and lies.
The Keep are built up of many upper class individuals of Royalty and Nobility; they almost look down upon the people of The Reach as less. This doesn't mean it is all sunshine and roses as the outer rim of The Keep still faces poverty, this area was known as The Lack. I love the complexities of this, it is realistic in its depiction. Many of the protagonists we follow are complex and multi-layered, they have well thought out vulnerabilities and strengths, I will list a few examples below:
Cael, Son of Ordan. Cael is an honourable protagonist and a fierce warrior of The Reach, many times within the story he acts in a way which is morally right in the context of the situation. One of the weaknesses he displays is naivety towards the political rulings of Kings; he is a young warrior still learning.
Emil, royalty of The Keep. Emil is a very intriguing protagonist to begin with, his weaknesses at the start of the story lie in him not being a 'true fighter'. He is seen as weaker but from his point of view he wants to change perceptions of him. As the story progressed Emil grew as a person and had many noble traits and actions. I liked this aspect greatly.
Merily, Daughter of Ordan. Merily is one of the youngest of the three main protagonists at just 18 years of age. I empathised with Merily's situation greatly, she is thrust into a potential life she never even wanted. For her young age, she is mature and strong minded, and this maturity grows as the story progresses. Roberti did an impressive job at really humanising each protagonist and allowing the reader to place themselves in their shoes.
Alongside the three 'main' protagonists, there are plenty of other important characters which make up the chapters. The depth of the world and the political chess by each faction brings it to life, not forgetting the fact that the written word disappears when a person dies! I do not have many negatives at all, however, this is the one aspect I hope is brought further to the forefront and entwined within. It is a unique and interesting part of the world which could be used to great effect.
This is only a minor niggle and did not detract from the reading experience at all.
I highly recommend The Traitors We Are.
5*
The Traitors We Are focuses mainly on the two warring factions of The Reach and The Keep, with a few surprises along the way. The Reach are a collective of rough and ready people; think working class style warriors, they have straight forward traditions as part of their culture. The people of The Reach are a no nonsense type of folk, however, this does not mean some of the characters trade in deception and lies.
The Keep are built up of many upper class individuals of Royalty and Nobility; they almost look down upon the people of The Reach as less. This doesn't mean it is all sunshine and roses as the outer rim of The Keep still faces poverty, this area was known as The Lack. I love the complexities of this, it is realistic in its depiction. Many of the protagonists we follow are complex and multi-layered, they have well thought out vulnerabilities and strengths, I will list a few examples below:
Cael, Son of Ordan. Cael is an honourable protagonist and a fierce warrior of The Reach, many times within the story he acts in a way which is morally right in the context of the situation. One of the weaknesses he displays is naivety towards the political rulings of Kings; he is a young warrior still learning.
Emil, royalty of The Keep. Emil is a very intriguing protagonist to begin with, his weaknesses at the start of the story lie in him not being a 'true fighter'. He is seen as weaker but from his point of view he wants to change perceptions of him. As the story progressed Emil grew as a person and had many noble traits and actions. I liked this aspect greatly.
Merily, Daughter of Ordan. Merily is one of the youngest of the three main protagonists at just 18 years of age. I empathised with Merily's situation greatly, she is thrust into a potential life she never even wanted. For her young age, she is mature and strong minded, and this maturity grows as the story progresses. Roberti did an impressive job at really humanising each protagonist and allowing the reader to place themselves in their shoes.
Alongside the three 'main' protagonists, there are plenty of other important characters which make up the chapters. The depth of the world and the political chess by each faction brings it to life, not forgetting the fact that the written word disappears when a person dies! I do not have many negatives at all, however, this is the one aspect I hope is brought further to the forefront and entwined within. It is a unique and interesting part of the world which could be used to great effect.
This is only a minor niggle and did not detract from the reading experience at all.
I highly recommend The Traitors We Are.
5*
October 17, 2025
The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti immerses readers in a richly textured world where loyalty and betrayal form an intricate, shadowy web. The novel’s standout premise is skillfully woven into the plot and raises profound questions about memory, history, and the erasure of truth. Following a cast of deeply human and distinct characters, the story unfolds amid a ruthless backdrop of political maneuvering and the ravages of war. Roberti’s meticulous attention to cultural nuances and the complex moral landscape his characters inhabit lends an authenticity and tension that make the world feel vividly alive yet perilous.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is Roberti’s skillful character work and worldbuilding. His unique concept of writing disappearing upon the author’s death creates a compelling dimension to the story that challenges readers’ perceptions of truth and history. Roberti’s thoughtful storytelling balances intricate political complexity with deeply emotional character arcs. His prose is engaging and evocative, drawing readers into a morally ambiguous world where decisions are rarely clear-cut. As a debut author, Roberti’s voice shines through with confidence and promise, and his background as a teacher and storyteller clearly informs a narrative that encourages reflection alongside entertainment.
However, the book’s pacing occasionally falters. The opening sections can feel uneven, marked by abrupt shifts in point of view and dialogue that sometimes clash with the established tone and setting. Midway, the narrative slows as multiple plotlines converge, which could test some readers’ patience. Nonetheless, the story steadily regains momentum, building to a compelling and twist-laden climax that rewards careful reading. While a few aspects of emotional development lean more heavily on exposition than dynamic action, the characters remain strikingly memorable for their contradictions and depth, adding to the story’s overall impact.
In sum, The Traitors We Are is solid as a promising debut that combines imaginative worldbuilding with intricate political complexity. It will particularly appeal to readers who favor morally ambiguous fantasy and characters who defy standard moral alignments. Though it leaves room for refinement in terms of pacing and stylistic consistency, the novel’s originality and the emotional texture of its flawed characters make it a powerful introduction to a series with considerable potential to unfold and could be considered an interesting entry point for newer dark fantasy/grimdark-curious fans.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is Roberti’s skillful character work and worldbuilding. His unique concept of writing disappearing upon the author’s death creates a compelling dimension to the story that challenges readers’ perceptions of truth and history. Roberti’s thoughtful storytelling balances intricate political complexity with deeply emotional character arcs. His prose is engaging and evocative, drawing readers into a morally ambiguous world where decisions are rarely clear-cut. As a debut author, Roberti’s voice shines through with confidence and promise, and his background as a teacher and storyteller clearly informs a narrative that encourages reflection alongside entertainment.
However, the book’s pacing occasionally falters. The opening sections can feel uneven, marked by abrupt shifts in point of view and dialogue that sometimes clash with the established tone and setting. Midway, the narrative slows as multiple plotlines converge, which could test some readers’ patience. Nonetheless, the story steadily regains momentum, building to a compelling and twist-laden climax that rewards careful reading. While a few aspects of emotional development lean more heavily on exposition than dynamic action, the characters remain strikingly memorable for their contradictions and depth, adding to the story’s overall impact.
In sum, The Traitors We Are is solid as a promising debut that combines imaginative worldbuilding with intricate political complexity. It will particularly appeal to readers who favor morally ambiguous fantasy and characters who defy standard moral alignments. Though it leaves room for refinement in terms of pacing and stylistic consistency, the novel’s originality and the emotional texture of its flawed characters make it a powerful introduction to a series with considerable potential to unfold and could be considered an interesting entry point for newer dark fantasy/grimdark-curious fans.
Read
February 1, 2024Misfortunate is the one that calls Aroegin Reach home. When the only guarantees in life are taxes and hard times, only the strong survive here. They pay their dues with blood. For a better future, these fierce men and women have gone to war under the command of War Chief Ordan. But the revolution is not all that it seems. After all, the saying goes, “The gods have been unkind to the Reach.” The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti is an epic fantasy bursting with political intrigue and treachery.
The worldbuilding in The Traitors We Are is something to obsess about. Michael Roberti’s world is intricately detailed. The rich traditions from the Reach are particularly noteworthy. A soldier knows the outcome of battle by either the victory or defeat beer served. The deceased must be spoken ill of, with the cruelest insults reserved for the best of them. Antitheism in the Reach starkly contrasts with the rest of Midland’s worship of the Goddesses. Culture is further emphasized since the reader is given perspectives from the opposing sides.
The Traitors We Are follows the exploits of several characters but predominately those of Emil Trestinsen and Cael Oberlan. Emil is the King of Harfal’s nephew and bent on obtaining glory. He will conquer the Reach and squash the rebellion. He will achieve greatness. The only problem is no war general wants him. As far as they are concerned, Emil is green and born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Meanwhile, Cael’s name is already legend. His prowess on the battlefield earned respect from his troops and enemies. These polar opposite characters offer distinct insight into this world.
Readers may notice the influence of Joe Abercrombie. In a similar manner, like The Black Prism and Dark Oak, this book is a fantastic mix of political and modern fantasy. Since the reader is given opposing perspectives, treason hits heavily. Michael Roberti spins schemes and deceptions until even victory feels like defeat. The Traitors We Are has no heroes, only survivors.
The attention given to political schemes overshadows a couple plot points. Certain outcomes feel rushed. Cael’s war legacy, the Reach’s suffering, the failing faith in the Keep could have been showcased. However, The Traitors We Are more than compensates for this with its fast pace.
The Traitors We Are is an excellent debut from Michael Roberti. His imaginative worldbuilding and multifaceted schemes make him an author to watch out for.
Review first posted in Grimdark Magazine https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...
The worldbuilding in The Traitors We Are is something to obsess about. Michael Roberti’s world is intricately detailed. The rich traditions from the Reach are particularly noteworthy. A soldier knows the outcome of battle by either the victory or defeat beer served. The deceased must be spoken ill of, with the cruelest insults reserved for the best of them. Antitheism in the Reach starkly contrasts with the rest of Midland’s worship of the Goddesses. Culture is further emphasized since the reader is given perspectives from the opposing sides.
The Traitors We Are follows the exploits of several characters but predominately those of Emil Trestinsen and Cael Oberlan. Emil is the King of Harfal’s nephew and bent on obtaining glory. He will conquer the Reach and squash the rebellion. He will achieve greatness. The only problem is no war general wants him. As far as they are concerned, Emil is green and born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Meanwhile, Cael’s name is already legend. His prowess on the battlefield earned respect from his troops and enemies. These polar opposite characters offer distinct insight into this world.
Readers may notice the influence of Joe Abercrombie. In a similar manner, like The Black Prism and Dark Oak, this book is a fantastic mix of political and modern fantasy. Since the reader is given opposing perspectives, treason hits heavily. Michael Roberti spins schemes and deceptions until even victory feels like defeat. The Traitors We Are has no heroes, only survivors.
The attention given to political schemes overshadows a couple plot points. Certain outcomes feel rushed. Cael’s war legacy, the Reach’s suffering, the failing faith in the Keep could have been showcased. However, The Traitors We Are more than compensates for this with its fast pace.
The Traitors We Are is an excellent debut from Michael Roberti. His imaginative worldbuilding and multifaceted schemes make him an author to watch out for.
Review first posted in Grimdark Magazine https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/revi...
January 13, 2024
Porridge, Political intrigue, and Plots
This book is packed with plots and ton of political intrigue, and of course porridge. Roberti has created a world where no one is truly as they seem. It took a while to stop disliking Emil, but I stopped hating him toward the middle. Ordan is a great villain, even until the end. The writing magic was so cool, and I wanted to see more of it. It took be a while to get into the book and sometimes I wanted more to be happening in the middle. I wanted to know more about the world and how the writing magic affects this world, especially in terms of history and how communication is impacted. There were also a lot of phrases and dialogue that felt too modern for the story setting that took me out of the story. This is a solid debut and is great for those who really love politically twisted stories.
This book is packed with plots and ton of political intrigue, and of course porridge. Roberti has created a world where no one is truly as they seem. It took a while to stop disliking Emil, but I stopped hating him toward the middle. Ordan is a great villain, even until the end. The writing magic was so cool, and I wanted to see more of it. It took be a while to get into the book and sometimes I wanted more to be happening in the middle. I wanted to know more about the world and how the writing magic affects this world, especially in terms of history and how communication is impacted. There were also a lot of phrases and dialogue that felt too modern for the story setting that took me out of the story. This is a solid debut and is great for those who really love politically twisted stories.
October 21, 2024
This book was a lot of fun and honestly has something for everyone. While the first hundred pages or so focus heavily on combat, warfare, and the tensions between rival nations, the second half shifts gear to the courtly realm, where the politics are more intimate (but no less deadly).
It was fantastic to read a multi-POV book, as that's my preference in an epic fantasy, and I've seen those falling by the wayside lately. Roberti's characters are compelling (Freia, Emil, and Erik were my personal favourites!) and I suspect different readers will have vastly different preferences in terms of who they're most excited about--something that's very much to the book's credit. There wasn't a character I didn't feel like Roberti fleshed out in terms of their motivations. Even some of the most unlikeable characters (e.g. Ordan and a secret second character I can't name) were believable and had a sense of realism to them in terms of their motivations and actions.
For those who like betrayals and twists, there are plenty of those, but rather unexpectedly, what shone brightest for me were the romantic and emotional storylines. I found myself very invested in in particular--
Book One wraps up some key storylines while leaving plenty of questions open for the rest of the series and I can't wait to jump into Book 2!
It was fantastic to read a multi-POV book, as that's my preference in an epic fantasy, and I've seen those falling by the wayside lately. Roberti's characters are compelling (Freia, Emil, and Erik were my personal favourites!) and I suspect different readers will have vastly different preferences in terms of who they're most excited about--something that's very much to the book's credit. There wasn't a character I didn't feel like Roberti fleshed out in terms of their motivations. Even some of the most unlikeable characters (e.g. Ordan and a secret second character I can't name) were believable and had a sense of realism to them in terms of their motivations and actions.
For those who like betrayals and twists, there are plenty of those, but rather unexpectedly, what shone brightest for me were the romantic and emotional storylines. I found myself very invested in in particular--
Book One wraps up some key storylines while leaving plenty of questions open for the rest of the series and I can't wait to jump into Book 2!
May 28, 2024
Pretty good
It's kinda surprising kind a like George rr Martin but less boring anyway enjoy
Bla lba hsksn let me send this review already
It's kinda surprising kind a like George rr Martin but less boring anyway enjoy
Bla lba hsksn let me send this review already
August 25, 2023
Brief Synopsis:
War? Check. Political Intrigue? Check. A world where writing fades away after the writer dies? Triumphant check!
As the Tides and the Crown cross swords, an unlikely alliance comes by the way of a marriage of families. Cael Oberlan is one of the Tides’ greatest warriors and he just took out the Crown’s version of him in single combat, only for the King’s nephew and murderer of Cael’s older brother, Emil Trestinsen, to wound him in battle. The leader of the Tides, Ordan Oberlan, and the King’s brother (and Emil’s father) come to an agreement that would stop the war: Emil to marry Ordan’s only daughter, Merrily. What follows is political backstabbing and trail of bodies, leaving only the traitorous the victors while the losers’ written pacts lost to the ages.
What worked for me:
The title should give much away to what works. There’s traitors, a plethora of them and they commit lots of treachery by the end of this book and leaves our “heroes” in a bad spot (I put heroes in “” because they are not exactly what we might think of heroes, more on that below). Honestly, I’m curious to how Mr. Roberti was able to keep all his treacherous threads organized, because there were a lot of plates spinning all at once. The most enjoyable aspect of this story was trying to figure out where the inevitable betrayals were going to hit and to whom. While I figured out the main traitor fairly early on, I didn’t see one death coming, so that was an excellent twist.
Also, there was a lot of blood in this book. Never going to complain about plots and backstabbing and murder of characters who are set up to be big roles in the story. Love that type of story!
No heroes here (ok, well maybe Emil is in his own mind). Cael, Merily, and Emil are the three main POV characters and each of them are fairly complex in their own way. Cael, yeah, he’s a right bastard, but I liked him all the same. Emil, won’t lie, took me a hot minute to warm up to him, but that’s because he’s fairly self-assured, self-confident, basically anything with “self” in it because he’s kinda all about him. Merily was fun, humorous, and had a spark about her that I truly enjoyed. Ordan, the main traitor, was not a nice man, so let’s just leave it at that.
One bit that I found super intriguing is the disappearing writing after death of the writer. Now that’s a cool bit of world-building! I mean, you could literally wipe out everything a person has every done by just slitting his/her/their throat (although I suppose that’s why there is a scribes guild…). The concept wasn’t used a ton, which was good because when the final traitorous twist occurs, major things were undone because of some character deaths. Definitely sets book 2 up nicely for the fallout.
One thing that was done well was that the first 30% of the book is basically all-out warfare, battles galore, but after the marriage agreement, the story becomes this slow burn political thriller. This transition could go way off course if not handled correctly, but I think it worked well. I enjoyed the web of lies that built off of the ending of the war, and each needed time to bloom.
The ending twist was exceptional. Again, part of it was pretty plain to see coming from miles away, but there was yet another back to stab. Definitely didn’t disappoint!
What didn’t work for me:
Aside from some minor grammatical or formatting errors, there wasn’t a whole lot in this story that didn’t work, but there are two small things I would have liked to see.
One, while Ordan was indeed a clever jerk, I wanted to see it played out more than being told about it. Sure, there were some interlude-like POV scenes that show Ordan’s plans unfolding, but when in his POV, I would have liked him engaging in his other plans more, more of him setting things in motion as opposed to just going along with him. Also, if Ordan is supposed to be this clever dude, I feel like some of his actions were a little too plot armor-y, kinda makes him seem not as clever (or maybe that was intentional by Mr. Roberti and I completely missed it!). I guess what I’m trying to say is that the character of Ordan had a lot more potential that wasn’t tapped, but there is a prequel novella, so perhaps we get more of his dastardly machinations in that story.
Two, while the political intrigue was handled nicely, I do think a little more aggression between the characters would have made more sense. I get it, these two families are enemies one minute, then become allies through Merily/Emil’s marriage, but there was a slight lack of distaste for each other really soon after the announcement (aka treaty). A little more tension, especially from Merrily’s POV (let’s face it, Emil is kinda a punching bag, but in a good way!) would have gone a long way to making this story even better.
Rating:
4.5 out of 5
War? Check. Political Intrigue? Check. A world where writing fades away after the writer dies? Triumphant check!
As the Tides and the Crown cross swords, an unlikely alliance comes by the way of a marriage of families. Cael Oberlan is one of the Tides’ greatest warriors and he just took out the Crown’s version of him in single combat, only for the King’s nephew and murderer of Cael’s older brother, Emil Trestinsen, to wound him in battle. The leader of the Tides, Ordan Oberlan, and the King’s brother (and Emil’s father) come to an agreement that would stop the war: Emil to marry Ordan’s only daughter, Merrily. What follows is political backstabbing and trail of bodies, leaving only the traitorous the victors while the losers’ written pacts lost to the ages.
What worked for me:
The title should give much away to what works. There’s traitors, a plethora of them and they commit lots of treachery by the end of this book and leaves our “heroes” in a bad spot (I put heroes in “” because they are not exactly what we might think of heroes, more on that below). Honestly, I’m curious to how Mr. Roberti was able to keep all his treacherous threads organized, because there were a lot of plates spinning all at once. The most enjoyable aspect of this story was trying to figure out where the inevitable betrayals were going to hit and to whom. While I figured out the main traitor fairly early on, I didn’t see one death coming, so that was an excellent twist.
Also, there was a lot of blood in this book. Never going to complain about plots and backstabbing and murder of characters who are set up to be big roles in the story. Love that type of story!
No heroes here (ok, well maybe Emil is in his own mind). Cael, Merily, and Emil are the three main POV characters and each of them are fairly complex in their own way. Cael, yeah, he’s a right bastard, but I liked him all the same. Emil, won’t lie, took me a hot minute to warm up to him, but that’s because he’s fairly self-assured, self-confident, basically anything with “self” in it because he’s kinda all about him. Merily was fun, humorous, and had a spark about her that I truly enjoyed. Ordan, the main traitor, was not a nice man, so let’s just leave it at that.
One bit that I found super intriguing is the disappearing writing after death of the writer. Now that’s a cool bit of world-building! I mean, you could literally wipe out everything a person has every done by just slitting his/her/their throat (although I suppose that’s why there is a scribes guild…). The concept wasn’t used a ton, which was good because when the final traitorous twist occurs, major things were undone because of some character deaths. Definitely sets book 2 up nicely for the fallout.
One thing that was done well was that the first 30% of the book is basically all-out warfare, battles galore, but after the marriage agreement, the story becomes this slow burn political thriller. This transition could go way off course if not handled correctly, but I think it worked well. I enjoyed the web of lies that built off of the ending of the war, and each needed time to bloom.
The ending twist was exceptional. Again, part of it was pretty plain to see coming from miles away, but there was yet another back to stab. Definitely didn’t disappoint!
What didn’t work for me:
Aside from some minor grammatical or formatting errors, there wasn’t a whole lot in this story that didn’t work, but there are two small things I would have liked to see.
One, while Ordan was indeed a clever jerk, I wanted to see it played out more than being told about it. Sure, there were some interlude-like POV scenes that show Ordan’s plans unfolding, but when in his POV, I would have liked him engaging in his other plans more, more of him setting things in motion as opposed to just going along with him. Also, if Ordan is supposed to be this clever dude, I feel like some of his actions were a little too plot armor-y, kinda makes him seem not as clever (or maybe that was intentional by Mr. Roberti and I completely missed it!). I guess what I’m trying to say is that the character of Ordan had a lot more potential that wasn’t tapped, but there is a prequel novella, so perhaps we get more of his dastardly machinations in that story.
Two, while the political intrigue was handled nicely, I do think a little more aggression between the characters would have made more sense. I get it, these two families are enemies one minute, then become allies through Merily/Emil’s marriage, but there was a slight lack of distaste for each other really soon after the announcement (aka treaty). A little more tension, especially from Merrily’s POV (let’s face it, Emil is kinda a punching bag, but in a good way!) would have gone a long way to making this story even better.
Rating:
4.5 out of 5
August 8, 2023
This is not your typical fantasy.
It is light on tropes, heavy on characters, full of intrigue, betrayal, and politics.
I started my path of the Crown and Tide books with the prequel "The Revenge of Thousands."
I am really glad I did. I don't think I would have been as invested in the story or characters if I hadn't. The prequel was a "perfect" prologue for "The Traitors We Are-Book 1 of the Crown and Tide.
Our story starts as the war is ending and peace may have been achieved through negotiations but there is still plenty of twist, turns, betrayals, and political wrangling happening in this story to keep you interested.
I found the way Michael Roberti wrote this book well-paced with an easy-to-read prose. His characters well not all of them we love and in fact you may hate a few of them interesting.
If you love a character driven political type fantasy, then check out "The Revenge of Thousands" and "The Traitors We Are".
It is light on tropes, heavy on characters, full of intrigue, betrayal, and politics.
I started my path of the Crown and Tide books with the prequel "The Revenge of Thousands."
I am really glad I did. I don't think I would have been as invested in the story or characters if I hadn't. The prequel was a "perfect" prologue for "The Traitors We Are-Book 1 of the Crown and Tide.
Our story starts as the war is ending and peace may have been achieved through negotiations but there is still plenty of twist, turns, betrayals, and political wrangling happening in this story to keep you interested.
I found the way Michael Roberti wrote this book well-paced with an easy-to-read prose. His characters well not all of them we love and in fact you may hate a few of them interesting.
If you love a character driven political type fantasy, then check out "The Revenge of Thousands" and "The Traitors We Are".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews