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Seek the Traitor’s Son
Not yet published
Expected 12 May 26A new epic romantic, dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor's Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth
Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.
She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.
But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.
In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.
Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.
She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.
But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.
In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.
Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 12, 2026
39 people are currently reading
21282 people want to read
About the author
Veronica Roth
61 books463k followersVeronica Roth is the New York Times best-selling author of Seek the Traitor's Son (coming 5.12.26), When Among Crows, Arch-Conspirator, Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, the Carve the Mark series, and the Divergent series. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
December 10, 2025
4.5 ★— I am in awe of this story in a lot of ways, because wow, this feels every bit as expansive, ambitious, and exciting as the author set it out to be. It doesn’t handhold, starting out without explaining much as it tells the story of multiple characters we slowly get to know.
Taking place in a futuristic, dystopian Earth where division has taken hold, Earth is split between the Talusar, people who worship a deadly fever and live in their own powerful territory, and the Cedrae, a significantly smaller nation that survives through superior technology and has expanded into a space station colony. The two groups sit in a constant, simmering conflict that shapes everything around them. And this story manages to showcase a fascinating world, giving a lot of nuance to these two groups and their beliefs, as I found myself trying to absorb every cultural detail I could as a reader.
The three main characters of the story are Elegy Ahn, the woman given a prophecy to lead the Cedrae into a brighter future she’s not ready to be the face of, Theren, a man forced into a knighthood under her that he doesn’t want, and Hela, Elegy’s sister, who’s pulled into all of this through her.
Roth does a good job of introducing them and building their arcs, and as the story spans years, there’s a lot of change we get to see these characters go through.
The politics and broader plot of it all truly take center stage here, while the romance mostly remains a slow-simmering subplot, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I could feel Roth slowly laying the seeds for Elegy’s and Theren’s connection, and I thought the buildup was handled extremely well. But a bit past the halfway point, I felt like that gradual tension was practically bulldozed aside to bring them together much faster than I thought made sense for both of them.
There was this beautiful sensitivity, gentleness, and curiosity that shone through their initial interactions, and I felt like this subtlety was lost quickly in order to resolve their relationship, when it really didn’t need to be. Sometimes there’s beauty in letting things simmer and build, and I really think the way their relationship was ultimately handled cost me a lot of enjoyment I’d had up to that point.
This truly is my only critique, and it stands out only because of how much I enjoyed everything else in this story and how entranced I was by the rest.
I’ve always wanted more worldbuilding-heavy sci-fi that includes romance subplots, and this book, with its dystopian world and rich sci-fi elements, is perfect for those of us who secretly wanted Dune to have a little more romance.
____________
Thank you to Tor Books for the ARC.
Taking place in a futuristic, dystopian Earth where division has taken hold, Earth is split between the Talusar, people who worship a deadly fever and live in their own powerful territory, and the Cedrae, a significantly smaller nation that survives through superior technology and has expanded into a space station colony. The two groups sit in a constant, simmering conflict that shapes everything around them. And this story manages to showcase a fascinating world, giving a lot of nuance to these two groups and their beliefs, as I found myself trying to absorb every cultural detail I could as a reader.
The three main characters of the story are Elegy Ahn, the woman given a prophecy to lead the Cedrae into a brighter future she’s not ready to be the face of, Theren, a man forced into a knighthood under her that he doesn’t want, and Hela, Elegy’s sister, who’s pulled into all of this through her.
Roth does a good job of introducing them and building their arcs, and as the story spans years, there’s a lot of change we get to see these characters go through.
The politics and broader plot of it all truly take center stage here, while the romance mostly remains a slow-simmering subplot, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I could feel Roth slowly laying the seeds for Elegy’s and Theren’s connection, and I thought the buildup was handled extremely well. But a bit past the halfway point, I felt like that gradual tension was practically bulldozed aside to bring them together much faster than I thought made sense for both of them.
There was this beautiful sensitivity, gentleness, and curiosity that shone through their initial interactions, and I felt like this subtlety was lost quickly in order to resolve their relationship, when it really didn’t need to be. Sometimes there’s beauty in letting things simmer and build, and I really think the way their relationship was ultimately handled cost me a lot of enjoyment I’d had up to that point.
This truly is my only critique, and it stands out only because of how much I enjoyed everything else in this story and how entranced I was by the rest.
I’ve always wanted more worldbuilding-heavy sci-fi that includes romance subplots, and this book, with its dystopian world and rich sci-fi elements, is perfect for those of us who secretly wanted Dune to have a little more romance.
____________
Thank you to Tor Books for the ARC.
Want to read
September 28, 2025I sincerely hope that this is NOT exactly what it says on the tin because putting a man as the focal point of a prophecy about two strong, independent, self-sufficient women in 2025 is...certainly a choice.
September 18, 2025
A brand new dystopian fantasy from Veronica Roth, it even has Traitor in the title and I’m absolutely over the moon excited for it!! I’M SO READY!!
Want to read
October 17, 2025TOR MY BELOVEDS THANK YOU FOR THE ARC I LOVE YOU
January 28, 2026
Seek the Traitor’s Son delivers what Veronica Roth does best: a character-driven story rooted in moral ambiguity, loyalty, and the long shadow of inherited choices. Rather than relying solely on action, the novel builds tension through internal conflict and difficult decisions, creating a story that feels thoughtful and emotionally grounded.
At its core, this is a novel about identity and legacy, what it means to be defined by a parent’s actions and whether it’s possible to escape that reputation. Roth explores these themes with nuance, asking hard questions about responsibility, guilt, and how much control we truly have over who we become.
The pacing is deliberate rather than fast, allowing relationships, conflicts, and ethical dilemmas to develop naturally. While the plot builds gradually, the emotional stakes remain consistent, and each decision feels purposeful. Roth excels at resisting easy answers; characters are faced with difficult choices, and the consequences feel realistic and earned.
The world-building is layered and immersive and explores political and interpersonal dynamics without becoming overwhelming for readers.
Overall, Seek the Traitor’s Son is a thoughtful and engaging read that prioritizes character and theme, and leaves a lasting impression well beyond the final page. Definitely am looking forward to book 2!
Thank you for the early copy for review
At its core, this is a novel about identity and legacy, what it means to be defined by a parent’s actions and whether it’s possible to escape that reputation. Roth explores these themes with nuance, asking hard questions about responsibility, guilt, and how much control we truly have over who we become.
The pacing is deliberate rather than fast, allowing relationships, conflicts, and ethical dilemmas to develop naturally. While the plot builds gradually, the emotional stakes remain consistent, and each decision feels purposeful. Roth excels at resisting easy answers; characters are faced with difficult choices, and the consequences feel realistic and earned.
The world-building is layered and immersive and explores political and interpersonal dynamics without becoming overwhelming for readers.
Overall, Seek the Traitor’s Son is a thoughtful and engaging read that prioritizes character and theme, and leaves a lasting impression well beyond the final page. Definitely am looking forward to book 2!
Thank you for the early copy for review
December 23, 2025
Struggling between 3 and 4 stars…. I did enjoy it but it started to drag for me at the end, and the characters never developed as much as I wanted. I was told a lot about them but rarely shown anything??
It was also in my opinion, always a little too confusing/hard to follow which prevented me from ever settling fully into the story
It was also in my opinion, always a little too confusing/hard to follow which prevented me from ever settling fully into the story
December 14, 2025
4.25 ⭐️ it wasn’t 5 stars only bc it took me a bit to really connect with the story and the characters but once it clicked i genuinely couldn’t stop reading. my favorite kind of books lately have been fantasies with a strong plot, a romance as a subplot that’s actually fun to read and complex relationships/characters, this one checked all those boxes. i just wish there had been a conclusion to one specific thing in this first book considering how long it is but i get why it was saved for the next one. i’m really excited for the sequel!!!
February 1, 2026
An absolutely incredible first book in a dystopian fantasy romance duology with a unique magic system. There’s so much about this that blew me away and I found myself wanting more words at the end of each chapter, I was utterly hooked. I haven’t read a book that has wowed me this much with the world building AND character building in a long time, but this took the cake for sure.
We have a complex world with feuding people and a prophecy stating one of them is going to come out on top to keep control of their land. Even though the world and the dynamics between people are more complex, it doesn’t feel too overwhelming to understand the landscape or political scene. The magic system in this is INCREDIBLE and conveyed with just how many warring emotions surround it. I loved that we got to connect with Elegy, Theren, and Hela and the paths they’re all on separately but also together. I love the transformation we’re already getting with all of the characters. The pacing is steady and there were no slow moments in my eyes, even as we explore traumas in a sensitive way and dive from present to past to explore and figure out how the past is impacting the present and future. The romance is almost a subplot but it has a big impact in the overall storyline and I loved it!! The tension, the pull to each other, the fact that everyone notices the stolen glances, ahhh! The ending had my jaw on the floor.
I need the next book in this duology STAT.
Add this to your tbr immediately!!!
~I received a gifted ARC of this book from St Martin’s Press/Tor Books. Thank you to the publisher and to Veronica Roth! My opinions are my own and voluntarily given~
We have a complex world with feuding people and a prophecy stating one of them is going to come out on top to keep control of their land. Even though the world and the dynamics between people are more complex, it doesn’t feel too overwhelming to understand the landscape or political scene. The magic system in this is INCREDIBLE and conveyed with just how many warring emotions surround it. I loved that we got to connect with Elegy, Theren, and Hela and the paths they’re all on separately but also together. I love the transformation we’re already getting with all of the characters. The pacing is steady and there were no slow moments in my eyes, even as we explore traumas in a sensitive way and dive from present to past to explore and figure out how the past is impacting the present and future. The romance is almost a subplot but it has a big impact in the overall storyline and I loved it!! The tension, the pull to each other, the fact that everyone notices the stolen glances, ahhh! The ending had my jaw on the floor.
I need the next book in this duology STAT.
Add this to your tbr immediately!!!
~I received a gifted ARC of this book from St Martin’s Press/Tor Books. Thank you to the publisher and to Veronica Roth! My opinions are my own and voluntarily given~
Read
December 27, 2025This was solid and epic, and I kept returning to it even thought sci-fi is not my genre of choice. The world building is very fleshed out, and is introduced indirectly, which is smart but occasionally confusing. I struggled at first to grasp ~when~ we were: spaceships, knights, and thrift stores, etc. I look forward to seeing the map bc boy would that have helped (although Losan=Los Angeles and Austra=Australia, yes???)
Now to the characters. They acted like normal people—with cowardice, PTSD, avoidance, etc.—and that was very refreshing. That said, I didn’t buy the romance, however YA it was. They simply have not spent enough time together. I look forward to #2!
Thank you Tor/Forge for the galley— my teen self is screaming 😁
Now to the characters. They acted like normal people—with cowardice, PTSD, avoidance, etc.—and that was very refreshing. That said, I didn’t buy the romance, however YA it was. They simply have not spent enough time together. I look forward to #2!
Thank you Tor/Forge for the galley— my teen self is screaming 😁
December 8, 2025
This book is like dessert. Everything that I wanted to happen, happened. Like a big chocolate cake. No think, just enjoy.
October 16, 2025
I was lucky enough to snag an uncorrected arc from comic con this past weekend and boy let me tell you this book was absolutely phenomenal. The world building was epic and I picked a mix between Star Wars, dune and the 100. I loved the character development with both the man female characters and male character as well as the side characters. This book had so much depth to it and the concept of the fever believers compared to the non fever believers was very unique. I loved the entanglement of a potential “alien” species and this was teased out nicely with a LOT of content that can be explored and played around with in the next book (not sure how many books there will be) especially the plant and what that actually means. I think the prophecy was done in a thoughtful way where even I was trying to guess the interpretation. I also loved how you can identify everyone’s emotions throughout the book and really tell someone’s true intentions. I cannot wait to read the final book coming out summer 2026! This was an epic, fantastical and unique read that really blew me away!
Read
November 16, 2025I was very lucky to receive this book as an ARC. Sadly I won’t rate it as I’m going to be DNF’ing it at 228 pages in. I think that this will be an immersive fantasy book for some readers, just not for me. And I hate to DNF - but I’ve spent the last four days trying to push through. And I’m just not feeling it. Not really connected to the characters, all the details in the writing style, that describe the environment but not the characters. How complicated the world building is, how slow the pace is. Just not my preferred kind of read.
This book is about 2 warring people - the Talusar and the Cedre. They live on a futuristic planet earth mostly being invaded by the Talusar and their “Fever” that kills everyone, but brings back half of them with special powers. The Cedre want to avoid this, therefore they isolate and even created a space station as to not get infected. Where one people sees it as a God, the other sees it as a curse. Elegy is the second daughter of the Sword of Cedre, a fierce warrior who holds a high position for their people as a protector. As Elegy is not the heir, she was raised by her father and then became a soldier, met her future husband and lives a more simple life. Until one day, she is called to present herself at the sacred temple where the monks there have a prophecy that she will be the saviour or doom or her people in their war against the Talusar. Now she is to before the Hope of Cedre. We pivot then to the view from the Cedre station where a Talusar exiles son Theren is about to follow in servitude and become a Knight to the hope of Cedre. All first born children of exiled Talusar children are promised to servitude as a show of loyalty. So at a ceremony on earth, he finds himself promising his life to the Hope of Cedre, Elegy. But then everything goes up in flames. Betrayal, political intrigue, grief and loss - the worlds of all those involved change forever. I won’t go much more into it as we get into spoiler territory.
This book is about 2 warring people - the Talusar and the Cedre. They live on a futuristic planet earth mostly being invaded by the Talusar and their “Fever” that kills everyone, but brings back half of them with special powers. The Cedre want to avoid this, therefore they isolate and even created a space station as to not get infected. Where one people sees it as a God, the other sees it as a curse. Elegy is the second daughter of the Sword of Cedre, a fierce warrior who holds a high position for their people as a protector. As Elegy is not the heir, she was raised by her father and then became a soldier, met her future husband and lives a more simple life. Until one day, she is called to present herself at the sacred temple where the monks there have a prophecy that she will be the saviour or doom or her people in their war against the Talusar. Now she is to before the Hope of Cedre. We pivot then to the view from the Cedre station where a Talusar exiles son Theren is about to follow in servitude and become a Knight to the hope of Cedre. All first born children of exiled Talusar children are promised to servitude as a show of loyalty. So at a ceremony on earth, he finds himself promising his life to the Hope of Cedre, Elegy. But then everything goes up in flames. Betrayal, political intrigue, grief and loss - the worlds of all those involved change forever. I won’t go much more into it as we get into spoiler territory.
December 27, 2025
I think this has to be a series because we were left with too many unanswered questions and dangling threads. There doesn’t appear to be a sequel listed yet, even as a placeholder, but I don’t think Veronica Roth would leave us hanging like that. Right?
This was very much a COVID book and honestly I’m here for it. We got to see kind of a different spin on nationalism, religious extremism, budding fascism, and an epidemic. There’s a lot of complex themes interwoven beneath the surface as many of our characters come from such different backgrounds with frayed and knotty family ties.
Pacing wise, it felt a little inconsistent. I think the characters (particularly Elegy, Theren, and Hela, our POV trio) really had a lot of insightful additions to the plot, the worldbuilding, and the character development (of themself and others). But sometimes it felt like the plot kind of took a backseat to Elegy and Theren gazing longingly at each other and Elegy feeling guilty about it. Probably my own personal impatience with romance-forward storytelling. But in the last 25% I was flying through it.
This one also had less of a poetic bent to it than I’ve come to expect from Roth’s books. The prose didn’t feel as tight and deliberate as usual, to the point where I almost forgot I was reading a Roth book - simply because it FELT different at the sentence level. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it felt weird to me.
But like I said, there’d better be a second book. She can’t just be leaving us there.
{Thank you Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
This was very much a COVID book and honestly I’m here for it. We got to see kind of a different spin on nationalism, religious extremism, budding fascism, and an epidemic. There’s a lot of complex themes interwoven beneath the surface as many of our characters come from such different backgrounds with frayed and knotty family ties.
Pacing wise, it felt a little inconsistent. I think the characters (particularly Elegy, Theren, and Hela, our POV trio) really had a lot of insightful additions to the plot, the worldbuilding, and the character development (of themself and others). But sometimes it felt like the plot kind of took a backseat to Elegy and Theren gazing longingly at each other and Elegy feeling guilty about it. Probably my own personal impatience with romance-forward storytelling. But in the last 25% I was flying through it.
This one also had less of a poetic bent to it than I’ve come to expect from Roth’s books. The prose didn’t feel as tight and deliberate as usual, to the point where I almost forgot I was reading a Roth book - simply because it FELT different at the sentence level. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it felt weird to me.
But like I said, there’d better be a second book. She can’t just be leaving us there.
{Thank you Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Five star read no question about it. This book had me utterly spellbound and at the edge of my seat for the whole experience. I read the When Among Crows duology last year and was blown away by the talent in such tiny books. This was certainly not a tiny book, and instead it was able to show off Roth's talent on a universe-spanning scale. Elegy and Theren are some of the most fascinating characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading: the emotional depth and grief that this story deals with is staggering - alongside the politics plotlines inextricably merged with faith and ideas of fate and predetermined destinies. Every character in here was facing impossible choices day after day, it felt like I was holding my breath for the last 100 pages.
Apparently book 2 in this duology is in edits at the moment, when I tell you I need it YESTERDAY
Five star read no question about it. This book had me utterly spellbound and at the edge of my seat for the whole experience. I read the When Among Crows duology last year and was blown away by the talent in such tiny books. This was certainly not a tiny book, and instead it was able to show off Roth's talent on a universe-spanning scale. Elegy and Theren are some of the most fascinating characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading: the emotional depth and grief that this story deals with is staggering - alongside the politics plotlines inextricably merged with faith and ideas of fate and predetermined destinies. Every character in here was facing impossible choices day after day, it felt like I was holding my breath for the last 100 pages.
Apparently book 2 in this duology is in edits at the moment, when I tell you I need it YESTERDAY
December 31, 2025
ARC provided by Tor Publishing, honest review below:
Man I really wanted to love this one - I mean it has a magical plant that transports people to a spectral garden, it’s like it was pulled from my mind! But there are a lot of moving parts and both the writing and the narrative suffers. I almost wish this was more of an epic fantasy instead of a (COVID informed) sci-fi so there was more space to expand the world and the characters. I also wished for more motivations/context for actions.
A few examples things that I didn’t fully enjoy to support my rating:
Example 1: Kesia’s character made very little sense and was extremely contradictory. She loves Talusar but was fine with having a second child with a man from another nation (a point that’s is glazed over, repeatedly, even by her second son who feels only there because we needed a pilot). She sells out her son, then helps him again (and asks for forgiveness and if not, understanding… like you crazy?), then attacks him almost immediately after? And the size of Talusar is like all of the United States yet somehow Kesia just hops around like distance isn’t an issue to be wherever the major plots shifts are happening. She just appeared too much for me, and become annoying and pathetic rather than a mystery. With that said, she is set up for major character expansion in the next book and I hope we get a broader understanding of her motivations so this perspective will shift.
Example 2: The entire breakdown of the nations and population figures didn’t track, there are two places where numbers are provided - early it is mentioned 2 million are on the space ship. Later it is mentioned the whole nation is 3 million strong. So you have a ton of people on a space ship and the one million is spaced between the Capitol (which is smack in the middle of Talusar btw) and all of Austra (which is the size of Australia). It doesn’t compute for me how that small of a number in the capitol would be tactically enough to defend it from invasion (yes, there is a rationale provided in the book, and I know it’s fantasy, but they are still humans that, in this case, can die).
Example 3: The random jaunt to Austra just because (plot items could have happened within the region already at play).
And again, bc this is the biggest thing that I wanted more of, and we had space for if we just trimmed in other areas: Isra, like we are just going to brush over his parentage?! Better be in book 2.
There were some good things too, the largest being the main character Elegy. I loved her and I felt like her grief was well represented and informed her actions. Ofc we love the alien plant I mean, who wouldn’t.
TBH, I think a highschool me would have LOVED it. Today, I just like it.
Man I really wanted to love this one - I mean it has a magical plant that transports people to a spectral garden, it’s like it was pulled from my mind! But there are a lot of moving parts and both the writing and the narrative suffers. I almost wish this was more of an epic fantasy instead of a (COVID informed) sci-fi so there was more space to expand the world and the characters. I also wished for more motivations/context for actions.
A few examples things that I didn’t fully enjoy to support my rating:
Example 1: Kesia’s character made very little sense and was extremely contradictory. She loves Talusar but was fine with having a second child with a man from another nation (a point that’s is glazed over, repeatedly, even by her second son who feels only there because we needed a pilot). She sells out her son, then helps him again (and asks for forgiveness and if not, understanding… like you crazy?), then attacks him almost immediately after? And the size of Talusar is like all of the United States yet somehow Kesia just hops around like distance isn’t an issue to be wherever the major plots shifts are happening. She just appeared too much for me, and become annoying and pathetic rather than a mystery. With that said, she is set up for major character expansion in the next book and I hope we get a broader understanding of her motivations so this perspective will shift.
Example 2: The entire breakdown of the nations and population figures didn’t track, there are two places where numbers are provided - early it is mentioned 2 million are on the space ship. Later it is mentioned the whole nation is 3 million strong. So you have a ton of people on a space ship and the one million is spaced between the Capitol (which is smack in the middle of Talusar btw) and all of Austra (which is the size of Australia). It doesn’t compute for me how that small of a number in the capitol would be tactically enough to defend it from invasion (yes, there is a rationale provided in the book, and I know it’s fantasy, but they are still humans that, in this case, can die).
Example 3: The random jaunt to Austra just because (plot items could have happened within the region already at play).
And again, bc this is the biggest thing that I wanted more of, and we had space for if we just trimmed in other areas: Isra, like we are just going to brush over his parentage?! Better be in book 2.
There were some good things too, the largest being the main character Elegy. I loved her and I felt like her grief was well represented and informed her actions. Ofc we love the alien plant I mean, who wouldn’t.
TBH, I think a highschool me would have LOVED it. Today, I just like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2025
I love everything that Veronica Roth has been doing post-Divergent and here is another great example. Set in a future world, a fever kills half the people it infects. There are those who are just trying to survive and others who worship the fever as a god. The book starts with a prophecy, which propels our main characters forward.
Here is another example that Roth has been doing - mentioning past events but not focused on it. You know these characters have full lives that we slowly learn.
Elegy is our main character followed by Theren. Their lives are interwoven and it’s intriguing seeing them come together. Near the end there is a twist which leads Elegy to an inevitable choice. Not completely unexpected but I still loved where it went and ended on a cliffhanger. I am very invested in this world and can’t wait for the next one!
Here is another example that Roth has been doing - mentioning past events but not focused on it. You know these characters have full lives that we slowly learn.
Elegy is our main character followed by Theren. Their lives are interwoven and it’s intriguing seeing them come together. Near the end there is a twist which leads Elegy to an inevitable choice. Not completely unexpected but I still loved where it went and ended on a cliffhanger. I am very invested in this world and can’t wait for the next one!
November 2, 2025
"Seek the Traitor's Son" is my first book by Veronica Roth. I can see where the praise for her comes from, but I don't know if her books or the dystopian genre in general are for me.
This is definitely the first in a series, so there is a lot of set up world-building. It was done very well and I felt immersed in the conflict between the two factions - Cedre and Talusar. There are still a million questions that need to be explored but I was not left wanting with what we were given.
Elegy and Rava seemed to be billed as our main character but there is hardly any time spent directly with Rava. Theren and Hela really take the other main character spots. For me, Hela was the breakout star. The romance seemed unnecessary and the book would have faired better without it.
Individually the plot and character are interesting but I didn't like how it came together. The middle part of the story had a lot of past exposition that really took me out of the action along with the fast acting romance it seemed a bit messy. I'll pick up the next book to see where the story takes us as the set up for that was wild!
Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC ebook.
This is definitely the first in a series, so there is a lot of set up world-building. It was done very well and I felt immersed in the conflict between the two factions - Cedre and Talusar. There are still a million questions that need to be explored but I was not left wanting with what we were given.
Elegy and Rava seemed to be billed as our main character but there is hardly any time spent directly with Rava. Theren and Hela really take the other main character spots. For me, Hela was the breakout star. The romance seemed unnecessary and the book would have faired better without it.
Individually the plot and character are interesting but I didn't like how it came together. The middle part of the story had a lot of past exposition that really took me out of the action along with the fast acting romance it seemed a bit messy. I'll pick up the next book to see where the story takes us as the set up for that was wild!
Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC ebook.
February 7, 2026
Since the Divergent series Veronica Roth had fallen off my reading radar until I came across ‘Seek the Traitors Son’. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed her writing and was not disappointed.
Taking place in a future earth, divided by a deadly fever and religion the plot moved quickly and I found myself swept up within the first few pages. It turned out to be one of the rare books that I finished in just a few days..
Whereas another reviewer mentioned getting bogged down by the detailed descriptions of the environment I didn’t find this at all. The dusty landscapes, air transport (think Millennium Falcon), combination of high tech with nomadic living, mercenaries and black marketeering are very evocative of Star Wars- particularly Tatooine. The world building was epic- setting the scene for so many possibilities-if anything I wanted more detail of this fascinating world!
The character development was well paced and revelations of past pains and human flaws made our protagonists highly relatable. I particularly liked the dynamic between Elegy and her sister and it made me realise how infrequently I come across healthy sibling relationships portrayed within what I read- I’m not sure if this is true more broadly?
I will definitely be watching out for further instalments as there is so much scope to become a trilogy or longer series of books.
Many thanks to Veronica Roth, Netgalley and Tor books for the ARC.
Taking place in a future earth, divided by a deadly fever and religion the plot moved quickly and I found myself swept up within the first few pages. It turned out to be one of the rare books that I finished in just a few days..
Whereas another reviewer mentioned getting bogged down by the detailed descriptions of the environment I didn’t find this at all. The dusty landscapes, air transport (think Millennium Falcon), combination of high tech with nomadic living, mercenaries and black marketeering are very evocative of Star Wars- particularly Tatooine. The world building was epic- setting the scene for so many possibilities-if anything I wanted more detail of this fascinating world!
The character development was well paced and revelations of past pains and human flaws made our protagonists highly relatable. I particularly liked the dynamic between Elegy and her sister and it made me realise how infrequently I come across healthy sibling relationships portrayed within what I read- I’m not sure if this is true more broadly?
I will definitely be watching out for further instalments as there is so much scope to become a trilogy or longer series of books.
Many thanks to Veronica Roth, Netgalley and Tor books for the ARC.
December 15, 2025
I've always loved Veronica Roth books and this one is no exception. I got more and more into it as the book went on... which is always the way I like it. By the end I didn't want it to end and I'm already ready for the next one. World building, science, war, and strong female characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan (Tor) for the opportunity of reading this ARC! All opinions are my own.
Firstly, I would like to say I’m a huge fan of the Divergent series, and I dived into this new book of Veronica Roth’s with both excitement and nervousness. I wondered if I would like something of hers as much as I loved Divergent, and I took a leap of faith — Roth didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, this book emphasises how much she grew as an author and I can’t but be filled with feelings of satisfaction. Witnessing a writer’s growth is indeed a gift.
“Seek the Traitor’s Son” is the first book of a scifi series which focuses on not only a prophecy’s fulfilment, but also on the deeper political intricacies of inter-planetary and inter-dimensional politics. The universe building and lore of this book has drawn clear inspiration from Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, Foundation and other famous space series, and Roth’s own twist to the basics of scifi literature definitely sets it apart from the others, giving it a recognisable complexity. This could very well be the next big space series. I genuinely feel that any Frank Herbert enthusiast would very much enjoy the universe of “Seek the Traitor’s Son”.
The book starts with a bang — showing us in what manner the universe itself exists. The exposition is done masterfully, at every point in the book the universe-building being perfectly blended with the lore, the plot, the character development and the little bits of mystery that are sprinkled here and there, of past, future and present. Great work to both Roth and her editor!
The prose is perfectly suited for the scifi genre, direct yet descriptive where needed — which is great, considering the fact that this first novel is a political action thriller, despite setting a proper basis for the universe building. The politics are both simple and complex — the division between the two societies is simple, yet their interactions complex and full of attacks and treasons.
Moving on to the true stars, the characters are easily liked or disliked, and throughout the novel they are all given several layers of depth. Even the characters whom I very much disliked (they were written so well, I couldn’t help myself) had elements and scenes which showed their complexity, the inner workings of their minds. The three main points of view, Elegy, Theren and Hela all grow more and more entertaining as each chapter passes by. Hela’s point of view felt disconnected from the others at the beginning, but it clicks very well soon enough, and her devotion and love as a sister to Elegy always filled my heart with warmth. Though not related by blood, it is one of the most (if not the most) endearing sisters relationships I’ve read this year.
Elegy and Theren both have traumatic events happening to them, so their psyche can be somewhat dark at times; however, the prose makes it bearable — as readers we feel their pain without getting lost in the tragedy of it all. Their character arcs are quite well done — for one it is acceptance of one’s fate, no matter how cruel and painful it may be, and for the other the realisation that one of life’s gifts is the responsibility of loving another. Which is genuinely a great feat considering Theren has gone through an excruciatingly horrible betrayal.
The love story is one of mutual healing. Like a soft flame at the start, burning more and more passionately, ending up in an affirmation of loyalty, of an intimacy so private and delicate, one can only hope it will be eternal.
Ultimately, all I can say without spoiling too much is that this is a great first novel of a hopefully longer series, and the cliffhanger at the end is more than enough to motivate me to pick up the next book the second I have the chance to. If you are a Dune fan and enjoy complex universe building with a touch of prophecies and politics, reading this is a must. If you like healing love stories like ACOTAR, this is a must.
Firstly, I would like to say I’m a huge fan of the Divergent series, and I dived into this new book of Veronica Roth’s with both excitement and nervousness. I wondered if I would like something of hers as much as I loved Divergent, and I took a leap of faith — Roth didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, this book emphasises how much she grew as an author and I can’t but be filled with feelings of satisfaction. Witnessing a writer’s growth is indeed a gift.
“Seek the Traitor’s Son” is the first book of a scifi series which focuses on not only a prophecy’s fulfilment, but also on the deeper political intricacies of inter-planetary and inter-dimensional politics. The universe building and lore of this book has drawn clear inspiration from Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, Foundation and other famous space series, and Roth’s own twist to the basics of scifi literature definitely sets it apart from the others, giving it a recognisable complexity. This could very well be the next big space series. I genuinely feel that any Frank Herbert enthusiast would very much enjoy the universe of “Seek the Traitor’s Son”.
The book starts with a bang — showing us in what manner the universe itself exists. The exposition is done masterfully, at every point in the book the universe-building being perfectly blended with the lore, the plot, the character development and the little bits of mystery that are sprinkled here and there, of past, future and present. Great work to both Roth and her editor!
The prose is perfectly suited for the scifi genre, direct yet descriptive where needed — which is great, considering the fact that this first novel is a political action thriller, despite setting a proper basis for the universe building. The politics are both simple and complex — the division between the two societies is simple, yet their interactions complex and full of attacks and treasons.
Moving on to the true stars, the characters are easily liked or disliked, and throughout the novel they are all given several layers of depth. Even the characters whom I very much disliked (they were written so well, I couldn’t help myself) had elements and scenes which showed their complexity, the inner workings of their minds. The three main points of view, Elegy, Theren and Hela all grow more and more entertaining as each chapter passes by. Hela’s point of view felt disconnected from the others at the beginning, but it clicks very well soon enough, and her devotion and love as a sister to Elegy always filled my heart with warmth. Though not related by blood, it is one of the most (if not the most) endearing sisters relationships I’ve read this year.
Elegy and Theren both have traumatic events happening to them, so their psyche can be somewhat dark at times; however, the prose makes it bearable — as readers we feel their pain without getting lost in the tragedy of it all. Their character arcs are quite well done — for one it is acceptance of one’s fate, no matter how cruel and painful it may be, and for the other the realisation that one of life’s gifts is the responsibility of loving another. Which is genuinely a great feat considering Theren has gone through an excruciatingly horrible betrayal.
The love story is one of mutual healing. Like a soft flame at the start, burning more and more passionately, ending up in an affirmation of loyalty, of an intimacy so private and delicate, one can only hope it will be eternal.
Ultimately, all I can say without spoiling too much is that this is a great first novel of a hopefully longer series, and the cliffhanger at the end is more than enough to motivate me to pick up the next book the second I have the chance to. If you are a Dune fan and enjoy complex universe building with a touch of prophecies and politics, reading this is a must. If you like healing love stories like ACOTAR, this is a must.
Review of advance copy
3.5 stars, rounded up
I won this arc from a giveaway at Dragonsteel Nexus so, while it's not the sort of thing I'd normally pick up, I decided to give it a go. I think this book fell into the camp of 'fine but not really for me'.
I did like the worldbuilding, the Fever was really interesting and I liked how it felt like a mash up of science fiction and fantasy. I thought the characters were well done, it was refreshing to have an older protagonist and I think trauma was written very well too- it didn't feel sensationalised at all like it unfortunately is in some books.
The plot fell a bit flat for me however. The vast majority of this book felt like set up for a bigger series, which is fine but it needed a little something more for it to stand by itself. The beginning sequence of hopping through multiple dimenions was super cool and interesting and set me up to think the whole book would be about that, but then it never happened again and was instead (presumably) left for the sequel. The rest of the book contained a lot of flashbacks and backstory, which I did enjoy and helped establish character but came at the cost of furthering the actual plot. The augurs were a really interesting concept but just kind of ended up as a device that promised really interesting things were going to happen, but then all of said interesting things were left unresolved for the sequel which was a little frustrating.
I think a lot of people will like the romance in this. I'm not really a romance reader so I was kind of indifferent to it, but it felt like it grew organically. What did irk me was the use of the word 'love' in the book. It's said that an antagonist is in love with one of the protagonists, and that's why they repeatedly abuse and sexually assault them. In what world is that love??? I don't care if it's the antagonist's "version of love" it just felt really weird to describe it in that way have it be comparable to the actual romance between the protagonists.
So I think fans of romance and dystopia will like this. I thought it was fine, but it didn't particularly excite me so I don't think I'll be picking up the rest of the series.
I won this arc from a giveaway at Dragonsteel Nexus so, while it's not the sort of thing I'd normally pick up, I decided to give it a go. I think this book fell into the camp of 'fine but not really for me'.
I did like the worldbuilding, the Fever was really interesting and I liked how it felt like a mash up of science fiction and fantasy. I thought the characters were well done, it was refreshing to have an older protagonist and I think trauma was written very well too- it didn't feel sensationalised at all like it unfortunately is in some books.
The plot fell a bit flat for me however. The vast majority of this book felt like set up for a bigger series, which is fine but it needed a little something more for it to stand by itself. The beginning sequence of hopping through multiple dimenions was super cool and interesting and set me up to think the whole book would be about that, but then it never happened again and was instead (presumably) left for the sequel. The rest of the book contained a lot of flashbacks and backstory, which I did enjoy and helped establish character but came at the cost of furthering the actual plot. The augurs were a really interesting concept but just kind of ended up as a device that promised really interesting things were going to happen, but then all of said interesting things were left unresolved for the sequel which was a little frustrating.
I think a lot of people will like the romance in this. I'm not really a romance reader so I was kind of indifferent to it, but it felt like it grew organically. What did irk me was the use of the word 'love' in the book. It's said that an antagonist is in love with one of the protagonists, and that's why they repeatedly abuse and sexually assault them. In what world is that love??? I don't care if it's the antagonist's "version of love" it just felt really weird to describe it in that way have it be comparable to the actual romance between the protagonists.
So I think fans of romance and dystopia will like this. I thought it was fine, but it didn't particularly excite me so I don't think I'll be picking up the rest of the series.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The resurgence of my childhood in sci fi fantasy adult form.
Elegy is the second daughter, the spare to The Sword of Cedrae. She’s happy living her nondescript life, but receives a prophecy that can change the fate of the war between her people and the religious-fevered enemy.
She must assemble the right three people or her people will be infected with the Fever which kills everyone who contracts it. Only half come back to life, possessing special gifts.
Theren is the son of a Talusar exile, forced to swear an oath to Elegy to ensure his survival and loyalty to the Cedrae.
I’m not going to say anything more, but there’s so much packed into here. I would call this sci fi fantasy. It is set in space, but the sci fi is light and mostly relies on mentions of technology, a gap in humanity’s history, and speculation about a secretive first contact.
We also get a time jump (which you may know I normally don’t like), however this was pulled off well, even if it did take some time to reorientate myself.
“Even your oath was a kind of confinement, wasn’t it?”
“I used to think so.” He shakes his head a little. “Now I think what I called ‘freedom’ then would just have been a lack of obligation to other people . . . and that’s not particularly appealing.”
At the heart of this is complicated relationships. There is such a range of internal interactions and the feelings that come with them. It is dark, so guilty emotions like shame and grief.
I love books that pack a punch, to readers and the characters, and a storyline that slowly unfurls the fist - the one that was thrown and the one that was clasped in tense anticipation.
I wish we got more political intrigue, slightly more stakes after the start, and a slower burn, but for the page-length? I am very happy.
This is set up to be a very exciting duology.
Physical arc gifted by Tor Publisher.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Elegy is the second daughter, the spare to The Sword of Cedrae. She’s happy living her nondescript life, but receives a prophecy that can change the fate of the war between her people and the religious-fevered enemy.
She must assemble the right three people or her people will be infected with the Fever which kills everyone who contracts it. Only half come back to life, possessing special gifts.
Theren is the son of a Talusar exile, forced to swear an oath to Elegy to ensure his survival and loyalty to the Cedrae.
I’m not going to say anything more, but there’s so much packed into here. I would call this sci fi fantasy. It is set in space, but the sci fi is light and mostly relies on mentions of technology, a gap in humanity’s history, and speculation about a secretive first contact.
We also get a time jump (which you may know I normally don’t like), however this was pulled off well, even if it did take some time to reorientate myself.
“Even your oath was a kind of confinement, wasn’t it?”
“I used to think so.” He shakes his head a little. “Now I think what I called ‘freedom’ then would just have been a lack of obligation to other people . . . and that’s not particularly appealing.”
At the heart of this is complicated relationships. There is such a range of internal interactions and the feelings that come with them. It is dark, so guilty emotions like shame and grief.
I love books that pack a punch, to readers and the characters, and a storyline that slowly unfurls the fist - the one that was thrown and the one that was clasped in tense anticipation.
I wish we got more political intrigue, slightly more stakes after the start, and a slower burn, but for the page-length? I am very happy.
This is set up to be a very exciting duology.
Physical arc gifted by Tor Publisher.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Big thanks to Net Galley fort this exciting ARC!
What a pleasure to jump back into Veronic Roth's writing.
As a huge Divergent fan (young teenager during the screening of the first movie, need I say more) I was beyond excited to receive this title. I knew that Veronica Roth's world building is beautiful, so I knew I was in for a ride.
Firstly, I love that this book straddles multiple genres: it's part dystopian, part fantasy, dare I say part speculative fiction. It weaves between these, equal parts magical and scientific - the Fever which the Talusar worship as a God, and which the Cedrae heed as an infectious disease. I thought that this was a really interesting concept, and is one that is really well done. After all, the line between illness and the supernatural blurs in many cultures (often with detrimental effects, such as epilepsy being treated similar to possession in some places).
What a pleasure to jump back into Veronic Roth's writing.
As a huge Divergent fan (young teenager during the screening of the first movie, need I say more) I was beyond excited to receive this title. I knew that Veronica Roth's world building is beautiful, so I knew I was in for a ride.
Firstly, I love that this book straddles multiple genres: it's part dystopian, part fantasy, dare I say part speculative fiction. It weaves between these, equal parts magical and scientific - the Fever which the Talusar worship as a God, and which the Cedrae heed as an infectious disease. I thought that this was a really interesting concept, and is one that is really well done. After all, the line between illness and the supernatural blurs in many cultures (often with detrimental effects, such as epilepsy being treated similar to possession in some places).
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
Seek The Traitors’s Son follows Elegy Ahn who is happy with her life as a soldier and she loves her husband, Shir. She defends her people from the Talusar who are a nation that worship a deadly fever. This fever kills but some people are blessed and come back with strange gifts. Elegy is summoned to hear a prophecy as is the most ruthless Talusar general, Rava Vidar. The prophecy states that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other but they don’t know which and one man lies at the centre of their fates. Elegy is told she will fall in love with him but she loves her husband Shir and cannot see how she could love another. In one day, Elegy’s life is over and she must act upon the prophecy to destroy Rava and save her people.
The book is close to a five star book for me but until I read the next book in this series I’m giving this 4.5 stars. The world in this is interesting and I appreciate how this author just throws you into the story. As the reader you learn about the world as the book unfolds. I liked the lore in this particularly the fever and I enjoyed reading this and just had a good time. I really enjoyed the relationship in this and I was swooning over the romantic interactions. The author built some insane chemistry in this and I am rooting for the romance. I think this book perfectly balances the world building, lore, character development and romance. I will be recommending this and I’m excited to see what comes next in this series.
Seek The Traitors’s Son follows Elegy Ahn who is happy with her life as a soldier and she loves her husband, Shir. She defends her people from the Talusar who are a nation that worship a deadly fever. This fever kills but some people are blessed and come back with strange gifts. Elegy is summoned to hear a prophecy as is the most ruthless Talusar general, Rava Vidar. The prophecy states that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other but they don’t know which and one man lies at the centre of their fates. Elegy is told she will fall in love with him but she loves her husband Shir and cannot see how she could love another. In one day, Elegy’s life is over and she must act upon the prophecy to destroy Rava and save her people.
The book is close to a five star book for me but until I read the next book in this series I’m giving this 4.5 stars. The world in this is interesting and I appreciate how this author just throws you into the story. As the reader you learn about the world as the book unfolds. I liked the lore in this particularly the fever and I enjoyed reading this and just had a good time. I really enjoyed the relationship in this and I was swooning over the romantic interactions. The author built some insane chemistry in this and I am rooting for the romance. I think this book perfectly balances the world building, lore, character development and romance. I will be recommending this and I’m excited to see what comes next in this series.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
📝ARC Book Review📝
Title: Seek The Traitor's Son
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication Date: May 14, 2026
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Blurb:
Bound by prophecy and divided by war. Elegy Ahn and her enemy, Rava Vidar are destined to clash over nations, power, and a love foretold neither of them chose. With the fate of two nations at stake, Elegy must carve her own ending or be destroyed by destiny.
Review:
Veronica Roth’s Seek the Traitor’s Son is a thoughtfully crafted start to a new series that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy. The worldbuilding was exceptional and Roth created a complex, multi-layered universe where political tension, prophecy, and clashing loyalties shape every strategic choice.
The romantic elements are subtle and secondary, never overpowering the larger narrative. What stood out most was the moral ambiguity, each character is shaped by history, fear, and expectation, making even their most frustrating choices feel believable. Roth balances intimate emotional stakes with the broader political and existential conflicts that drive the plot forward.
Like any story with intricate worldbuilding, shifting perspectives, and futuristic themes, the book demands patience, particularly for readers who favor simpler settings.
Overall, this is an immersive and rewarding read for those willing to invest their time. Seek the Traitor’s Son establishes a solid starting point for an ambitious series, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Seek The Traitor's Son
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication Date: May 14, 2026
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Blurb:
Bound by prophecy and divided by war. Elegy Ahn and her enemy, Rava Vidar are destined to clash over nations, power, and a love foretold neither of them chose. With the fate of two nations at stake, Elegy must carve her own ending or be destroyed by destiny.
Review:
Veronica Roth’s Seek the Traitor’s Son is a thoughtfully crafted start to a new series that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy. The worldbuilding was exceptional and Roth created a complex, multi-layered universe where political tension, prophecy, and clashing loyalties shape every strategic choice.
The romantic elements are subtle and secondary, never overpowering the larger narrative. What stood out most was the moral ambiguity, each character is shaped by history, fear, and expectation, making even their most frustrating choices feel believable. Roth balances intimate emotional stakes with the broader political and existential conflicts that drive the plot forward.
Like any story with intricate worldbuilding, shifting perspectives, and futuristic themes, the book demands patience, particularly for readers who favor simpler settings.
Overall, this is an immersive and rewarding read for those willing to invest their time. Seek the Traitor’s Son establishes a solid starting point for an ambitious series, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Received ARC from Tor Books and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Seek the Traitor’s Son is one of those books that has a solid foundation but doesn’t quite land the emotional punch it seems to be aiming for. Veronica Roth builds an intriguing sci-fi world with political tension, lore, and enough futuristic elements to keep things interesting without feeling like you need a tech manual at your side. Honestly, the worldbuilding is one of the book’s strongest features—imaginative but never overwhelming.
Where it wobbles a bit is in the character department. The characters are fine, and Roth definitely knows how to shape a cast, but there’s a certain flatness here. They feel like they should have more layers than we actually get. I kept waiting for that moment where someone would surprise me or reveal a deeper emotional dimension, but it never quite happened.
And then there’s the romantasy angle. If you’re not a romance reader, the romantic subplot feels unnecessary and almost like it was added to meet current genre expectations rather than because the story genuinely needed it. It’s not poorly written, just… distractingly shoehorned in. The main plot is strong enough to stand on its own, and the romance sometimes undercuts the momentum instead of enhancing it.
Overall, it’s a decent read with cool sci-fi ideas and a world worth spending time in, but it doesn’t deliver the emotional or narrative depth it hints at. A solid 3 stars: enjoyable, but not one that will stick with you after you close the book.
Seek the Traitor’s Son is one of those books that has a solid foundation but doesn’t quite land the emotional punch it seems to be aiming for. Veronica Roth builds an intriguing sci-fi world with political tension, lore, and enough futuristic elements to keep things interesting without feeling like you need a tech manual at your side. Honestly, the worldbuilding is one of the book’s strongest features—imaginative but never overwhelming.
Where it wobbles a bit is in the character department. The characters are fine, and Roth definitely knows how to shape a cast, but there’s a certain flatness here. They feel like they should have more layers than we actually get. I kept waiting for that moment where someone would surprise me or reveal a deeper emotional dimension, but it never quite happened.
And then there’s the romantasy angle. If you’re not a romance reader, the romantic subplot feels unnecessary and almost like it was added to meet current genre expectations rather than because the story genuinely needed it. It’s not poorly written, just… distractingly shoehorned in. The main plot is strong enough to stand on its own, and the romance sometimes undercuts the momentum instead of enhancing it.
Overall, it’s a decent read with cool sci-fi ideas and a world worth spending time in, but it doesn’t deliver the emotional or narrative depth it hints at. A solid 3 stars: enjoyable, but not one that will stick with you after you close the book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5/5 Rounded to 5 because no half stars.
As a fan of Veronica Roth’s writing and storytelling, this was another read that did not disappoint. From the very beginning, this story completely pulled me in. I am not exaggerating when I say I was finishing this book at a music festival because every chapter ended with me needing to know what would happen next.
The worldbuilding is outstanding, and the author takes the time to properly develop both the FMC and MMC, giving their character arcs real depth. Their motivations and moral frameworks are thoughtfully explored, which made their choices feel believable and earned. While the story is undeniably unique, it also feels familiar and welcoming in the best way. Despite being a dystopian sci fi novel set in the future, the writing is clear, accessible, and easy to digest.
This book delivers a great balance of elements. There is sharp and funny banter between characters, vivid worldbuilding that makes scenes leap off the page, political intrigue that adds tension, and well paced action throughout. The romance is present but never overwhelms the plot, which I appreciated, and having an FMC who is not a child was incredibly refreshing.
Overall, this was an engaging and addictive read that kept my attention from start to finish. I am extremely excited to continue this series and see where the story goes next.
**Thank you Netgally and the publisher for an advance copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
As a fan of Veronica Roth’s writing and storytelling, this was another read that did not disappoint. From the very beginning, this story completely pulled me in. I am not exaggerating when I say I was finishing this book at a music festival because every chapter ended with me needing to know what would happen next.
The worldbuilding is outstanding, and the author takes the time to properly develop both the FMC and MMC, giving their character arcs real depth. Their motivations and moral frameworks are thoughtfully explored, which made their choices feel believable and earned. While the story is undeniably unique, it also feels familiar and welcoming in the best way. Despite being a dystopian sci fi novel set in the future, the writing is clear, accessible, and easy to digest.
This book delivers a great balance of elements. There is sharp and funny banter between characters, vivid worldbuilding that makes scenes leap off the page, political intrigue that adds tension, and well paced action throughout. The romance is present but never overwhelms the plot, which I appreciated, and having an FMC who is not a child was incredibly refreshing.
Overall, this was an engaging and addictive read that kept my attention from start to finish. I am extremely excited to continue this series and see where the story goes next.
**Thank you Netgally and the publisher for an advance copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This is a review of an ARC from Edelweiss.
Elegy Ahn is a soldier for Cedre, a small country fighting off the empire of Talusar. The Talusar worship the Fever, a disease that kills half the population and gifts those who live with special powers. When she's summoned to hear a prophecy she meets Talusar general Rava Vidar, and they're told one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which.
This was fine. A sprawling dystopian saga that is clearly going to be multiple books in a series, with a million characters, plots, and stories being told. My main issue was that it was too *much* world building - there's the fight between Talusar and Cedre, the political battles within Cedre and Talusar, family issues for all of the main characters with other siblings and parents, the random people from other planets (or universes? unclear) popping into to imply this is all part of an even *bigger* story - just too much! If you're clearly going to be multiple books then space this out, front-loading it all into the first book slowed down the actual story and was confusing, without adding anything to the story now. (For example the whole sword versus hope thing with Elegy and her half-sister, and related political stay vs leave fight didn't add anything to the character and could have been completely eliminated.) There's an interesting story here when you clear all that away.
Elegy Ahn is a soldier for Cedre, a small country fighting off the empire of Talusar. The Talusar worship the Fever, a disease that kills half the population and gifts those who live with special powers. When she's summoned to hear a prophecy she meets Talusar general Rava Vidar, and they're told one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which.
This was fine. A sprawling dystopian saga that is clearly going to be multiple books in a series, with a million characters, plots, and stories being told. My main issue was that it was too *much* world building - there's the fight between Talusar and Cedre, the political battles within Cedre and Talusar, family issues for all of the main characters with other siblings and parents, the random people from other planets (or universes? unclear) popping into to imply this is all part of an even *bigger* story - just too much! If you're clearly going to be multiple books then space this out, front-loading it all into the first book slowed down the actual story and was confusing, without adding anything to the story now. (For example the whole sword versus hope thing with Elegy and her half-sister, and related political stay vs leave fight didn't add anything to the character and could have been completely eliminated.) There's an interesting story here when you clear all that away.
December 30, 2025
I stayed up until 2am reading this and then thought about it all day while I was out and about. Set in the far future, Earth is divided into two warring factions, one dominating the ground and one high above in an orbiting spaceship. When a prophecy is given that could apply to the daughters of either faction’s leader… everything goes to shit!!! In a very fun way for the reader.
The worldbuilding and character building in this is insanely top tier. I don’t know how she does it, but Veronica Roth’s writing just KEEPS getting more and more peak. Her trajectory is actually insane. I’m telling you I’ve been glazing her since Chosen Ones and I will continue to do so!!!
Theren is the saddest man ever and I’m obsessed with him, Elegy the most capable and compelling character I’ve read in a while. The trajectory of the book was actually compulsive and had me hitting my pillow in the middle of the night while everyone else was sleeping. I’m actually mad that I got an ARC of this because it means I have to wait so much longer to read the sequel!!!! Please pray for me and my patience… I fear I will not make it
The worldbuilding and character building in this is insanely top tier. I don’t know how she does it, but Veronica Roth’s writing just KEEPS getting more and more peak. Her trajectory is actually insane. I’m telling you I’ve been glazing her since Chosen Ones and I will continue to do so!!!
Theren is the saddest man ever and I’m obsessed with him, Elegy the most capable and compelling character I’ve read in a while. The trajectory of the book was actually compulsive and had me hitting my pillow in the middle of the night while everyone else was sleeping. I’m actually mad that I got an ARC of this because it means I have to wait so much longer to read the sequel!!!! Please pray for me and my patience… I fear I will not make it
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up)
This was… fine! Which I know sounds a bit lukewarm, but I did actually enjoy it overall.
I went into The Traitor’s Son hoping to be more emotionally hooked than I was with Divergent, and while this was definitely a step up in terms of writing and worldbuilding, I never quite clicked with the characters in the way I wanted to. I didn’t dislike them, but I also didn’t feel particularly attached — there was that slight emotional distance that made it harder to really care when things got intense.
That said, the worldbuilding was genuinely interesting. You can tell Veronica Roth has grown as a writer here: the setting feels more layered and thoughtful, with a darker, more mature tone than her earlier work. I found myself far more invested in the ideas of the world than in any individual character, which is probably why I kept reading even when the pacing felt a little off.
Overall, this felt like a solid, competent fantasy with some really nice worldbuilding and clear improvement from Divergent, even if it didn’t quite hit me emotionally. I’d still read on, but more out of curiosity than obsession.
This was… fine! Which I know sounds a bit lukewarm, but I did actually enjoy it overall.
I went into The Traitor’s Son hoping to be more emotionally hooked than I was with Divergent, and while this was definitely a step up in terms of writing and worldbuilding, I never quite clicked with the characters in the way I wanted to. I didn’t dislike them, but I also didn’t feel particularly attached — there was that slight emotional distance that made it harder to really care when things got intense.
That said, the worldbuilding was genuinely interesting. You can tell Veronica Roth has grown as a writer here: the setting feels more layered and thoughtful, with a darker, more mature tone than her earlier work. I found myself far more invested in the ideas of the world than in any individual character, which is probably why I kept reading even when the pacing felt a little off.
Overall, this felt like a solid, competent fantasy with some really nice worldbuilding and clear improvement from Divergent, even if it didn’t quite hit me emotionally. I’d still read on, but more out of curiosity than obsession.
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