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Call Me Traitor
Not yet published
Expected 1 Dec 26ULTIMATE WEAPON MEETS COMPLETE DISASTER
A thrilling and romantic fantasy adventure from Everina Maxwell, bestselling author of Winter's Orbit.
En is a weapon. Battle spells are carved into her skin, she's trained to work through pain, and she's magically compelled with loyalty to the archmage. When she's sent on a mission to retrieve a group of infamous traitors from exile in a land of unpredictable and deadly magic, she's forced to team up with a common soldier to have any chance of success, or survival.
Tamol is a disaster. En isn't fooled by the soldier's silver tongue and good looks. Tamol is flighty, cowardly and the worst soldier En has ever met. But she's also brilliant at magic and kinder than En has any right to expect. When she saves En's life, it takes everything En has not to start falling for her. That is, until En discovers Tamol is one of the very traitors she seeks.
The empire never forgets. Years ago, the exiled traitors were just normal students with a vision for a better kingdom. They put their lives on the line fighting for it and lost. So they were exiled to the Far Peninsula to die. But now, the empire discovers the traitors may yet live, and they've unearthed something in the wilderness that the archmage will pay any price to get. But the might of an unforgiving empire isn't the greatest force in all the land. Something monstrous is living in the Far Peninsula that does not discriminate between soldiers, traitors, and kings. The future of the empire is unexpectedly in the hands of En and Tamol. The perfect soldier would never betray her orders, no matter how much she starts to question her command. Would she?
Call Me Traitor is an enthralling sapphic adventure from academia into exile and beyond. Everina Maxwell's books have been recommended by NPR, BookRiot, Paste Magazine, and featured in The New York Times "Romantasy: A Starter Pack"!
A thrilling and romantic fantasy adventure from Everina Maxwell, bestselling author of Winter's Orbit.
En is a weapon. Battle spells are carved into her skin, she's trained to work through pain, and she's magically compelled with loyalty to the archmage. When she's sent on a mission to retrieve a group of infamous traitors from exile in a land of unpredictable and deadly magic, she's forced to team up with a common soldier to have any chance of success, or survival.
Tamol is a disaster. En isn't fooled by the soldier's silver tongue and good looks. Tamol is flighty, cowardly and the worst soldier En has ever met. But she's also brilliant at magic and kinder than En has any right to expect. When she saves En's life, it takes everything En has not to start falling for her. That is, until En discovers Tamol is one of the very traitors she seeks.
The empire never forgets. Years ago, the exiled traitors were just normal students with a vision for a better kingdom. They put their lives on the line fighting for it and lost. So they were exiled to the Far Peninsula to die. But now, the empire discovers the traitors may yet live, and they've unearthed something in the wilderness that the archmage will pay any price to get. But the might of an unforgiving empire isn't the greatest force in all the land. Something monstrous is living in the Far Peninsula that does not discriminate between soldiers, traitors, and kings. The future of the empire is unexpectedly in the hands of En and Tamol. The perfect soldier would never betray her orders, no matter how much she starts to question her command. Would she?
Call Me Traitor is an enthralling sapphic adventure from academia into exile and beyond. Everina Maxwell's books have been recommended by NPR, BookRiot, Paste Magazine, and featured in The New York Times "Romantasy: A Starter Pack"!
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
January 24, 2026
OH MY GOD THE COVER IS OUT THE TITLE IS OUT!!! I read this book last year (2025, whatever time is) and it was SO GOOD. Split timelines, brainwashed lesbian soldiers and the women who ruin their lives…sweet, sweet betrayal!
Maxwell wrote this book just for me, I swear it.
Maxwell wrote this book just for me, I swear it.
1-tbr-priority
January 23, 2026Y'all have no idea how desperate I was for a new Everina Maxwell book.
March 22, 2026
no i actually hate reading ARCs because I need to talk to someone about how much I loved this book but most people won’t get to read it til december
I went into this with high expectations and it delivered. I cried. I loved this so much. The blurb sounded incredible, so I knew I had to read it and requested the ARC on a whim, I could not believe my luck when I saw I actually got approved for it!
Call Me Traitor is about En and Tamol. En is a war tank, a magically modified super soldier, with runes carved all over her skin, whose only purpose in life is to follow her superior’s commands. She is sent to a remote, desolate peninsula to assist two inept junior mages in apprehending a group of exiled traitors, but soon finds everything going awry when she runs into Tamol. Tamol is one of the traitors En was sent to find, exiled to this hostile landscape at the edge of the world for something she and her friends did years ago, back when they were still students. En and Tamol’s paths never should have crossed, yet they did. Chaos ensues.
This was just a wonderful read all around. I loved how gorgeously atmospheric the setting was and I especially loved the characters in all their chaotic glory. The narrative is definitely more towards the character-driven side, which might not be for everyone, but is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The characters and their relationships are just so well done and expertly deliver some devastating emotional gut punches throughout the story. The world-building wasn’t the most extensive or detailed, and some questions do go unanswered by the end, but I personally didn’t mind that, because it felt very organic and worked perfectly with the story.
I’m so happy I got to read this early and I already know I’m gonna reread this when my physical copy arrives in December cause my god this was delicious and I want to spend more time with these chaotic queer dumbasses.
----
Many thanks to Tor for the ARC!
I went into this with high expectations and it delivered. I cried. I loved this so much. The blurb sounded incredible, so I knew I had to read it and requested the ARC on a whim, I could not believe my luck when I saw I actually got approved for it!
Call Me Traitor is about En and Tamol. En is a war tank, a magically modified super soldier, with runes carved all over her skin, whose only purpose in life is to follow her superior’s commands. She is sent to a remote, desolate peninsula to assist two inept junior mages in apprehending a group of exiled traitors, but soon finds everything going awry when she runs into Tamol. Tamol is one of the traitors En was sent to find, exiled to this hostile landscape at the edge of the world for something she and her friends did years ago, back when they were still students. En and Tamol’s paths never should have crossed, yet they did. Chaos ensues.
This was just a wonderful read all around. I loved how gorgeously atmospheric the setting was and I especially loved the characters in all their chaotic glory. The narrative is definitely more towards the character-driven side, which might not be for everyone, but is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The characters and their relationships are just so well done and expertly deliver some devastating emotional gut punches throughout the story. The world-building wasn’t the most extensive or detailed, and some questions do go unanswered by the end, but I personally didn’t mind that, because it felt very organic and worked perfectly with the story.
I’m so happy I got to read this early and I already know I’m gonna reread this when my physical copy arrives in December cause my god this was delicious and I want to spend more time with these chaotic queer dumbasses.
----
Many thanks to Tor for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Loved this! Everina Maxwell is the champion of chaos gremlin x rule follower dynamic--give me ten more. I loved both main characters but especially En.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.
Want to Read
January 18, 2026I did not know how much I needed Everina Maxwell to write a wlw fantasy book, I feel like life is worth living until October.
Did Not Finish
August 9, 2026DNF. I've read this author before and liked them, but this one just didn't grab me. Maybe just the wrong time for me. I may revisit in the future.
July 27, 2026
I was very lucky to get my hands on the long-awaited new Everina Maxwell and I liked it a LOT. The absolute monarch of sweet queer pining, slow burn, and complex politics has retained their title. I can’t wait for the rest of you to read this!
May 10, 2026
i have nothing to say except long live lesbians and god bless america. thank you and goodnight.
Want to Read
January 15, 2026EVERINA MAXWELL YOU WILL ALWAYS BE EXTREMELY FAMOUS TO ME
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
A compelling character driven story with an interesting magic system, not too deeply explored. The larger party of characters could have used a bit more fleshing out, or could have been a more minor inclusion and the wrap-up was a bit drawn out; otherwise, beautiful prose and heartfelt exploration of trauma and identity.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Just how exactly am I meant to focus on literally anything knowing this is forthcoming later this year???
Preorder from!:
- libro.fm
- Bookshop.org
- Kindle
#afiliate links
Preorder from!:
- libro.fm
- Bookshop.org
- Kindle
#afiliate links
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This wasn't entirely what I expected, but it was delicious nonetheless. The worldbuilding/magic system was interesting, and I definitely would read more books in this world. And of course, I loved En and Tamol.
unreleased
January 13, 2026this cover is soooooo legend of zelda coded give it to me https://torpublishinggroup.com/call-m...
Want to Read
January 15, 2026Officially my most anticipated release!! Will be pre-ordering from my local gay bookstore!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you’re three pages in, and you already know a book is going to rearrange something in you? What about when a book scratches exactly the itch that you have for storytelling? Over the last few weeks, my girlfriend and I have been talking about what it means to have different tastes. We were both drawn to Call Me Traitor’s premise, but for different reasons. I love stories about people who have had the humanity beaten out of them, while she loves a great fantasy premise with character intrigue.
So why do tastes matter? Because what you’re going to get out of a book is sort of sometimes determined by the expectations (implicit or otherwise) you’re coming in with. I knew that I was going to be into the relationship between Tamol and En, and Call Me Traitor overdelivered on that premise in ways that—frankly—I wasn’t even expecting. For my brain and its…unique tastes, Call Me Traitor has one of those moments when you’re reading a book and come to the slow realization that the author knows exactly where you would want a story to go.
But then I wanted so much more of that thing. I wanted more time to explore it slowly and faithfully, to give it the time it deserves for us (and the characters) to ruminate in these new revelations. But because it’s situated at the 50% mark, we have no time to explore what the characters mean to each other after the revelation. The story is paced in such a way where now is the time it also needs to address several external conflicts that are cascading down on the characters at the same time.
I don’t think Call Me Traitor is a perfect book. I think the last third of the novel struggles with the brilliant pacing and character development that was present in the first half of the story. If my experience with Call Me Traitor was a graph, it would be quickly ascending from zero and then spiking to a ten at about halfway through the novel, before lowering slightly and plateauing at an eight or nine. An eight or nine is still really good and probably one of my favorite reads of 2026, but it’s not the euphoric experience I was having at that halfway point.
But to be honest, I don’t really care. I almost instantly began missing this world with its compelling magic system that reminds me of the bending from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series but darker and more political, and its characters that are complex and nuanced but also so charismatic in the way that they move and speak and understand the world around them. I knew as soon as the post-book depression hit that I would do anything to read more of Everina Maxwell’s work and that I was very, very sad that it was over.
I don’t know if it’s the same for other people, but any story that gives me post-book depression is a masterpiece in my book. Call Me Traitor is joining the ranks of Harrow the Ninth, A Memory Called Empire, and Some Desperate Glory, to name just a few—books that I’m not ready to move on from just yet and might not be for a while. Even if they don’t fully stick the landing on this one, I think Everina Maxwell really cooked up something unique and special (and epic) for their first sapphic novel. I look forward to reading more of their work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you’re three pages in, and you already know a book is going to rearrange something in you? What about when a book scratches exactly the itch that you have for storytelling? Over the last few weeks, my girlfriend and I have been talking about what it means to have different tastes. We were both drawn to Call Me Traitor’s premise, but for different reasons. I love stories about people who have had the humanity beaten out of them, while she loves a great fantasy premise with character intrigue.
So why do tastes matter? Because what you’re going to get out of a book is sort of sometimes determined by the expectations (implicit or otherwise) you’re coming in with. I knew that I was going to be into the relationship between Tamol and En, and Call Me Traitor overdelivered on that premise in ways that—frankly—I wasn’t even expecting. For my brain and its…unique tastes, Call Me Traitor has one of those moments when you’re reading a book and come to the slow realization that the author knows exactly where you would want a story to go.
But then I wanted so much more of that thing. I wanted more time to explore it slowly and faithfully, to give it the time it deserves for us (and the characters) to ruminate in these new revelations. But because it’s situated at the 50% mark, we have no time to explore what the characters mean to each other after the revelation. The story is paced in such a way where now is the time it also needs to address several external conflicts that are cascading down on the characters at the same time.
I don’t think Call Me Traitor is a perfect book. I think the last third of the novel struggles with the brilliant pacing and character development that was present in the first half of the story. If my experience with Call Me Traitor was a graph, it would be quickly ascending from zero and then spiking to a ten at about halfway through the novel, before lowering slightly and plateauing at an eight or nine. An eight or nine is still really good and probably one of my favorite reads of 2026, but it’s not the euphoric experience I was having at that halfway point.
But to be honest, I don’t really care. I almost instantly began missing this world with its compelling magic system that reminds me of the bending from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series but darker and more political, and its characters that are complex and nuanced but also so charismatic in the way that they move and speak and understand the world around them. I knew as soon as the post-book depression hit that I would do anything to read more of Everina Maxwell’s work and that I was very, very sad that it was over.
I don’t know if it’s the same for other people, but any story that gives me post-book depression is a masterpiece in my book. Call Me Traitor is joining the ranks of Harrow the Ninth, A Memory Called Empire, and Some Desperate Glory, to name just a few—books that I’m not ready to move on from just yet and might not be for a while. Even if they don’t fully stick the landing on this one, I think Everina Maxwell really cooked up something unique and special (and epic) for their first sapphic novel. I look forward to reading more of their work.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Somewhere between 3.5 to 4, rounded to a four.
I'll come back with a full review, thank you Everina Maxwell for responding to my "the worst she can say is no" dm for an Arc copy of this book.
--- full review ---
Thank you Everina Maxwell and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book - i actually screamed when I saw I got it. To begin, typically my reviews are completely spoilered because I just have to rant. I will not be doing that today in the interest of not spoiling.
Call Me Traitor follows the war-tank En, a magically transformed human who can kick magical ass, is forced to obey orders, and also has her memories wiped after every campaign. Winter Soldier just about sums it up. Her story begins on a new campaign, memory wiped with new commanders on a mission to capture or kill the rogue traitors.
Instead, they find Tamol. An exile in the mountains who offers them food that captures En enough for her to “misalign.” Oh wait, she’s actually one of the traitors. Oh shit.
That’s the jist - that’s basically the jist. I am not good at compelling summaries, but I did enjoy this book.
I have been ITCHING for a queer, specifically WLW book, that didn’t feel cliche. I really loved the premise of the book, and when you dive into the pages, you’ll find there is an interesting time jump narration element that made me even more excited. I was heavily invested by the last third of the book and actually finished it in less than two days because I simply needed to know what happened. I really can’t talk about the actual plot line much, but it’s very very interesting. The fantasy element reminds me very heavily of The Owl House. Additionally, the fantastical events in the second half were SO GOD DAMN GOOD I would eat it up every day.
Truthfully speaking, however, this book did fall a little bit short for me because the middle … third of the book felt a little slow and a tiny bit forced. I didn’t grasp why things were happening, and because of the interesting style of narration, I wasn’t fully grasping the romance. Additionally, this book develops many plots, and while they worked throughout the novel, I didn’t fully understand the importance of elements before the book (ex. Elani, gauze, ghosts, memory wiping). I need to reiterate the romance felt lacking in the first half. I really REALLY was not invested. Also, I guessed the “twist” genuinely at the first foreshadow - removed almost all of the supposed suspense of that plot thread.
As Ocean’s Echo #1 fan, I was REALLY trying to adore this book, but I think I only enjoy it. It is 100% worth your while for a queer fantasy with limited romance, and I did find the book much more interesting the the second half. Overall, I do plan to buy a physical copy asap, but the book itself remains at a 3.5-4 star rating.
Now, I’ve been screaming for an Ocean’s Echo sequel since I first read it. This time, I would beg and scream and cry for a prequel of this book. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this, it would be GOOD.
Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU Everina Maxwell for responding to my fangirl dms asking for an ARC.
I'll come back with a full review, thank you Everina Maxwell for responding to my "the worst she can say is no" dm for an Arc copy of this book.
--- full review ---
Thank you Everina Maxwell and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book - i actually screamed when I saw I got it. To begin, typically my reviews are completely spoilered because I just have to rant. I will not be doing that today in the interest of not spoiling.
Call Me Traitor follows the war-tank En, a magically transformed human who can kick magical ass, is forced to obey orders, and also has her memories wiped after every campaign. Winter Soldier just about sums it up. Her story begins on a new campaign, memory wiped with new commanders on a mission to capture or kill the rogue traitors.
Instead, they find Tamol. An exile in the mountains who offers them food that captures En enough for her to “misalign.” Oh wait, she’s actually one of the traitors. Oh shit.
That’s the jist - that’s basically the jist. I am not good at compelling summaries, but I did enjoy this book.
I have been ITCHING for a queer, specifically WLW book, that didn’t feel cliche. I really loved the premise of the book, and when you dive into the pages, you’ll find there is an interesting time jump narration element that made me even more excited. I was heavily invested by the last third of the book and actually finished it in less than two days because I simply needed to know what happened. I really can’t talk about the actual plot line much, but it’s very very interesting. The fantasy element reminds me very heavily of The Owl House. Additionally, the fantastical events in the second half were SO GOD DAMN GOOD I would eat it up every day.
Truthfully speaking, however, this book did fall a little bit short for me because the middle … third of the book felt a little slow and a tiny bit forced. I didn’t grasp why things were happening, and because of the interesting style of narration, I wasn’t fully grasping the romance. Additionally, this book develops many plots, and while they worked throughout the novel, I didn’t fully understand the importance of elements before the book (ex. Elani, gauze, ghosts, memory wiping). I need to reiterate the romance felt lacking in the first half. I really REALLY was not invested. Also, I guessed the “twist” genuinely at the first foreshadow - removed almost all of the supposed suspense of that plot thread.
As Ocean’s Echo #1 fan, I was REALLY trying to adore this book, but I think I only enjoy it. It is 100% worth your while for a queer fantasy with limited romance, and I did find the book much more interesting the the second half. Overall, I do plan to buy a physical copy asap, but the book itself remains at a 3.5-4 star rating.
Now, I’ve been screaming for an Ocean’s Echo sequel since I first read it. This time, I would beg and scream and cry for a prequel of this book. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this, it would be GOOD.
Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU Everina Maxwell for responding to my fangirl dms asking for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The cover for this immediately caught my eye, and I’m glad it did because this is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.
The book is primarily from the point of view of En, a war-tank (a sort of super soldier with magic) who is on a mission to retrieve a group of traitors. Early on, En and her two commanders come across Tamol, one of the traitors that is pretending to be a soldier, who En ends up having to work with. The other chapters are the transcript of Tamol’s interrogation and explain what happened in the past when Tamol and the other traitors were in college.
En and Tamol are both great characters. They’re both a bit of mystery; Tamol because you never know whether or not she’s telling the truth and En because her memories are mostly wiped between missions. Despite this, her personality always came through in her thoughts, if not her words. Tamol was the opposite, always showing her personality through her sarcasm and banter and jokes, which gave them a fun dynamic.
I only really had one major complaint about the book, which was the use of a word that may have a legitimate meaning, but it is also a racial slur against Chinese people. I am definitely not in that group of people, but it still made me cringe every time I read it. It obviously wasn’t used in that way, but it still made me uncomfortable, especially because it appears eight different times in the book, and I just felt like a word with less baggage could have been used in its place.
My only other issues were that I just never really understood Elani’s hold on the group, and I wish the transcripts had explained this a little better. The other was that I had to read the word “heather” (the plant, not the name) so many times, but that was a small annoyance.
Those are mostly minor issues. Overall, I loved the book, and the best thing about it was En and Tamol’s growing friendship/relationship. War-tanks aren’t exactly supposed to have friends or even feelings, but En is drawn to Tamol and this (among other things) makes her feel broken as a war-tank. These complicated feelings are what makes En such an interesting character, though. Call Me Traitor is also very much a slow burn, which I always prefer in books. I like the anticipation and getting to know the characters as they get to know each other over time rather than just rushing into everything. I also appreciated the fact that it was a fantasy book with romance weaved into it rather than a romance story with bits of fantasy.
I really can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you like fantasy novels at all. I don’t buy a lot of physical books anymore, but I’m definitely planning on buying this one once it’s released so I can put it on my bookshelf.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
The book is primarily from the point of view of En, a war-tank (a sort of super soldier with magic) who is on a mission to retrieve a group of traitors. Early on, En and her two commanders come across Tamol, one of the traitors that is pretending to be a soldier, who En ends up having to work with. The other chapters are the transcript of Tamol’s interrogation and explain what happened in the past when Tamol and the other traitors were in college.
En and Tamol are both great characters. They’re both a bit of mystery; Tamol because you never know whether or not she’s telling the truth and En because her memories are mostly wiped between missions. Despite this, her personality always came through in her thoughts, if not her words. Tamol was the opposite, always showing her personality through her sarcasm and banter and jokes, which gave them a fun dynamic.
I only really had one major complaint about the book, which was the use of a word that may have a legitimate meaning, but it is also a racial slur against Chinese people. I am definitely not in that group of people, but it still made me cringe every time I read it. It obviously wasn’t used in that way, but it still made me uncomfortable, especially because it appears eight different times in the book, and I just felt like a word with less baggage could have been used in its place.
My only other issues were that I just never really understood Elani’s hold on the group, and I wish the transcripts had explained this a little better. The other was that I had to read the word “heather” (the plant, not the name) so many times, but that was a small annoyance.
Those are mostly minor issues. Overall, I loved the book, and the best thing about it was En and Tamol’s growing friendship/relationship. War-tanks aren’t exactly supposed to have friends or even feelings, but En is drawn to Tamol and this (among other things) makes her feel broken as a war-tank. These complicated feelings are what makes En such an interesting character, though. Call Me Traitor is also very much a slow burn, which I always prefer in books. I like the anticipation and getting to know the characters as they get to know each other over time rather than just rushing into everything. I also appreciated the fact that it was a fantasy book with romance weaved into it rather than a romance story with bits of fantasy.
I really can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you like fantasy novels at all. I don’t buy a lot of physical books anymore, but I’m definitely planning on buying this one once it’s released so I can put it on my bookshelf.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was so excited about this book coming out that I requested a digital ARC from netgally and Tor. I did not wait to see if an audiobook was coming, I just could not wait. It did take me... a hot minute to read it with my eyeballs, but I really really enjoyed the pleasure of sinking down into my couch, and opening this one up- instead of consuming this while traversing the highways and by ways.
Maxwell did not disappoint! This book, for me is the whole package. It's Romantasy, but it's romantasy that really is a true fantasy. In other words, this is not a romance with a few castles and dragons added in. It really is a solid fantasy, and a solid romance, either could stand without the other. This book will reward fantasy readers with delicious, detailed unique world building, a plot with a bit of a mystery that slowly unravels and reveals itself, and complex characters that are really easy to fall in love with! For romance readers, the world building may seem overly detailed, but the yearning between our two love interests in this slow burn will more than make up for any confusion over the world building. And, it's sapphic.
Now, with out any spoilers- because of course, spoilers are the worst - here's a synopsis.
En is a super soldier imbued with magic and programmed to obey orders no matter the cost. She's sent to support a team that is extracting traitors from a wild, rough area known as the upper peninsula. Things, of course, do not go as planned! She encounters Tamol, who is also a soldier - who's got magic more of less in her soul. Tamol, in direct opposition to En is not programmed for anything, and seems to be the human embodiment of chaos. As events continue to push this unlikely pair together, they discover that together they have greater power. Can En and Tamol stand against all odds? You'll want to read to find out.
Some readers may note that many of Maxwell's books do contain a steady solemn partner and one who's a bit flighty. Despite this similar set up- the story is wholly original and the characters are wildly different than her previous two books- Ocean's Echo and Winter's Orbit. The strength lies in the deep character development that Maxwell creates. She doesn't info dump a tragic story over her character, instead her characters show through actions, and little moments how their life has created each flaw or strength possessed. I felt like I'd recognize not just En and Tamol but a few of the supporting characters as well- if I saw them in line at my local coffee shop.
On top of being a grand adventure, and romantic story, I did take some inspiration that even when one feels weak or damaged, it's still possible to make good choices and uphold what feels right. I think we need more of this in our world. So Cheers to Call Me Traitor being out in the world soon!
Maxwell did not disappoint! This book, for me is the whole package. It's Romantasy, but it's romantasy that really is a true fantasy. In other words, this is not a romance with a few castles and dragons added in. It really is a solid fantasy, and a solid romance, either could stand without the other. This book will reward fantasy readers with delicious, detailed unique world building, a plot with a bit of a mystery that slowly unravels and reveals itself, and complex characters that are really easy to fall in love with! For romance readers, the world building may seem overly detailed, but the yearning between our two love interests in this slow burn will more than make up for any confusion over the world building. And, it's sapphic.
Now, with out any spoilers- because of course, spoilers are the worst - here's a synopsis.
En is a super soldier imbued with magic and programmed to obey orders no matter the cost. She's sent to support a team that is extracting traitors from a wild, rough area known as the upper peninsula. Things, of course, do not go as planned! She encounters Tamol, who is also a soldier - who's got magic more of less in her soul. Tamol, in direct opposition to En is not programmed for anything, and seems to be the human embodiment of chaos. As events continue to push this unlikely pair together, they discover that together they have greater power. Can En and Tamol stand against all odds? You'll want to read to find out.
Some readers may note that many of Maxwell's books do contain a steady solemn partner and one who's a bit flighty. Despite this similar set up- the story is wholly original and the characters are wildly different than her previous two books- Ocean's Echo and Winter's Orbit. The strength lies in the deep character development that Maxwell creates. She doesn't info dump a tragic story over her character, instead her characters show through actions, and little moments how their life has created each flaw or strength possessed. I felt like I'd recognize not just En and Tamol but a few of the supporting characters as well- if I saw them in line at my local coffee shop.
On top of being a grand adventure, and romantic story, I did take some inspiration that even when one feels weak or damaged, it's still possible to make good choices and uphold what feels right. I think we need more of this in our world. So Cheers to Call Me Traitor being out in the world soon!
September 26, 2026
Writing as traitorous as the characters but you'll love both all the more for it. A dark academia fantasy romance that earns every second.
En is a war-tank and the ultimate magical combat weapon under the control of the Archmagus. She has been sent on a mission to track down and capture a band of traitors exiled to a remote island after a failed coup. They should be dead since no one has been able to survive on the island, but they aren't and the Archmagus wants to know why. Tamol is a traitor to crown and friends, she is messy, unreliable, and all over the place. When En and her commanders run into Tamol on the island, at first she appears to be an army deserter. But as the island does it's best to rid itself of the new arrivals, En finds out there is so much more to Tamol and the secrets she is keeping could be the key to finding the rest of the traitors but also something about En she has long forgotten...
While romance is an element I tend to shy away from for personal reasons in general, I was all in on this one. This is the romance I want! The publisher's premise calls this a romantic fantasy, but this is absolutely a romance first even if a low spice one. It's one that builds slowly and feels deeply earned and hard-won. There are a lot of fantasy and world-building elements that are left to fall away around the edges that I would have loved to seen explored further if this was a fantasy-first. A few times, I had to double check that this wasn't a series because I felt like it could have been.
Maxwell expertly crafts a narrative that isn't predictable. There is a lot of depth and history built around En and Tamol's relationship but also the rest of the group of traitors as well. Partly set in academia in the past and a mysterious remote island in the present, the narrative smoothly jumps timelines before and after the coup attempt.
There is a heavy theme of body autonomy, control, and conditioned beliefs. As a war-tank, En is taught absolute loyalty to her commanders through pain and "alignment". Once of my favorite parts of this story was En's journey of "misalignment" and how powerful yet terrifying it can be to condition someone through nothing more than their own mind.
Recommended for readers who want more stories of sapphic love, queer identities, friendship, betrayal, rebellion, and fighting back against those who are desperate to control the narrative for their own gain. Also for readers who enjoy humor and wit in writing and characters!!
Thank you to TOR for the review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
En is a war-tank and the ultimate magical combat weapon under the control of the Archmagus. She has been sent on a mission to track down and capture a band of traitors exiled to a remote island after a failed coup. They should be dead since no one has been able to survive on the island, but they aren't and the Archmagus wants to know why. Tamol is a traitor to crown and friends, she is messy, unreliable, and all over the place. When En and her commanders run into Tamol on the island, at first she appears to be an army deserter. But as the island does it's best to rid itself of the new arrivals, En finds out there is so much more to Tamol and the secrets she is keeping could be the key to finding the rest of the traitors but also something about En she has long forgotten...
While romance is an element I tend to shy away from for personal reasons in general, I was all in on this one. This is the romance I want! The publisher's premise calls this a romantic fantasy, but this is absolutely a romance first even if a low spice one. It's one that builds slowly and feels deeply earned and hard-won. There are a lot of fantasy and world-building elements that are left to fall away around the edges that I would have loved to seen explored further if this was a fantasy-first. A few times, I had to double check that this wasn't a series because I felt like it could have been.
Maxwell expertly crafts a narrative that isn't predictable. There is a lot of depth and history built around En and Tamol's relationship but also the rest of the group of traitors as well. Partly set in academia in the past and a mysterious remote island in the present, the narrative smoothly jumps timelines before and after the coup attempt.
There is a heavy theme of body autonomy, control, and conditioned beliefs. As a war-tank, En is taught absolute loyalty to her commanders through pain and "alignment". Once of my favorite parts of this story was En's journey of "misalignment" and how powerful yet terrifying it can be to condition someone through nothing more than their own mind.
Recommended for readers who want more stories of sapphic love, queer identities, friendship, betrayal, rebellion, and fighting back against those who are desperate to control the narrative for their own gain. Also for readers who enjoy humor and wit in writing and characters!!
Thank you to TOR for the review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
August 1, 2026
I picked up this book almost solely for its beautiful cover (done by Eliot Baum, who's art I am a big fan of!). However, even after being intrigued by the premise, I was afraid I would dislike this story on account of it being a romantasy. I always find that in fantasy stories where romance is the central plot that the world building and actual fantasy elements can fall flat. This book absolutely exceeded my expectations, as it establishes great characters, magic, and then delivers an amazing sapphic romance story on top of all of it.
En, a human weapon, awakens in a land full of dangerous magic with no recent memories. She is informed by young and inexperienced commanders that they are to kill and capture a small group of exiles who have long outlived what they were supposed to. But En's simple task of following orders and casting her deadly magic is muddled when her commanders go out of commission, and she must live with a soldier named Private Tamol, who is secretly one of the traitors she must kill. More truths come to light as the reason behind the group's exile begins to be revealed, and En struggles to remain oblivious to her hidden memories and emotions. When the connection between Tamol and En continues to grow stronger, En must choose who to betray: her magi commanders or a traitor that she has grown to love.
There were a lot of tropes mentioned on the book that I worried wouldn't be done right, such as dark academia, slow burn, and forbidden love, but I personally feel like they were all well incorporated into the story, creating something really unique. I loved all the characters, and I enjoyed how they were all struggling differently with the situations they found themselves in. The dual timeline and point of views were a good idea that was fun to read, but it could get a little confusing at times. I think that both parts of the story were really great, just too different to where I struggled to connect them until the very end. I believe that this story would have made a good duology, with the politics and academia being central to the first book and En's struggle with the traitors in the second.
The magic system was cool and entertaining but not complicated enough to confuse readers. I do think I would like the system more if the book was a little clearer on how it worked, just so there would be more weight to all the experimentation with magic that happens later on. The twist was also super good, I was sure I had it figured out for most of the story only to be very wrong, and I hope other readers will be as surprised as I was. Overall, this was a great book that I can't wait to recommend to fellow fantasy fans, especially those who loved Priory of the Orange Tree that might like something less lore heavy. My only real critque is that there might have been too much good material for just one book!
En, a human weapon, awakens in a land full of dangerous magic with no recent memories. She is informed by young and inexperienced commanders that they are to kill and capture a small group of exiles who have long outlived what they were supposed to. But En's simple task of following orders and casting her deadly magic is muddled when her commanders go out of commission, and she must live with a soldier named Private Tamol, who is secretly one of the traitors she must kill. More truths come to light as the reason behind the group's exile begins to be revealed, and En struggles to remain oblivious to her hidden memories and emotions. When the connection between Tamol and En continues to grow stronger, En must choose who to betray: her magi commanders or a traitor that she has grown to love.
There were a lot of tropes mentioned on the book that I worried wouldn't be done right, such as dark academia, slow burn, and forbidden love, but I personally feel like they were all well incorporated into the story, creating something really unique. I loved all the characters, and I enjoyed how they were all struggling differently with the situations they found themselves in. The dual timeline and point of views were a good idea that was fun to read, but it could get a little confusing at times. I think that both parts of the story were really great, just too different to where I struggled to connect them until the very end. I believe that this story would have made a good duology, with the politics and academia being central to the first book and En's struggle with the traitors in the second.
The magic system was cool and entertaining but not complicated enough to confuse readers. I do think I would like the system more if the book was a little clearer on how it worked, just so there would be more weight to all the experimentation with magic that happens later on. The twist was also super good, I was sure I had it figured out for most of the story only to be very wrong, and I hope other readers will be as surprised as I was. Overall, this was a great book that I can't wait to recommend to fellow fantasy fans, especially those who loved Priory of the Orange Tree that might like something less lore heavy. My only real critque is that there might have been too much good material for just one book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Have to start off with saying I'm a huge fan of Everina Maxwell: I was among the early readers of Course of Honor, revisited this story multiple times when it was released as Winter's Orbit, lost my mind several times over Ocean's Echo (still losing my mind over it, due to a recent reread, tbh) - you get the drift. Naturally, I had been expecting her third novel - a sapphic one, no less! a winter soldier one, even more so!! - with great anticipation. Aaaand - I enjoyed it. I read it in one day. I did not, however, love it to bits the way I loved the other two novels.
I've been trying to understand what could be the reason: it's definitely not the premise, or the characters. On reflection, I am thinking it's probably the structure. The dual timeline didn't work for me, because I wanted to spend the time with En and Tamol and their current predicament. I had very little interest in the golden days nostalgia timeline delivered via an unreliable narration: I didn't feel like the princess and her clique were particularly compelling, and I felt that the flashback revealed some information way too early - the information that I would have preferred to find out via the current timeline. I would have honestly read way much more about En critically fixing up Tamol's shambolic cottage with DIY furniture than any golden days. I think I'm landing on the conclusion that the introduction of the dual timeline and the extended cast (the clique) actually chipped away from what Everina Maxwell does superbly: the close-up of two people shoved into an messed up unhappy circumstance falling in love and making the best of the situation at hand. It's too short on that intimacy of the dual viewpoints focused on each other as well as what's happening around them. The clique and the dual timeframe is taking away from this fulfilling experience without rewarding as much - at least that has been my experience. And because of the information reveals being spaced like they are, I suspect the reread value of this book is not going to be as great as Winter's Orbit or Ocean's Echo, which is a loss to me, a habitual rereader of Everina Maxwell.
Having said that, I will of course buy the book once it comes out, and reread it again, and I'm honestly opening to having my opinion change on reread. For the moment, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
I've been trying to understand what could be the reason: it's definitely not the premise, or the characters. On reflection, I am thinking it's probably the structure. The dual timeline didn't work for me, because I wanted to spend the time with En and Tamol and their current predicament. I had very little interest in the golden days nostalgia timeline delivered via an unreliable narration: I didn't feel like the princess and her clique were particularly compelling, and I felt that the flashback revealed some information way too early - the information that I would have preferred to find out via the current timeline. I would have honestly read way much more about En critically fixing up Tamol's shambolic cottage with DIY furniture than any golden days. I think I'm landing on the conclusion that the introduction of the dual timeline and the extended cast (the clique) actually chipped away from what Everina Maxwell does superbly: the close-up of two people shoved into an messed up unhappy circumstance falling in love and making the best of the situation at hand. It's too short on that intimacy of the dual viewpoints focused on each other as well as what's happening around them. The clique and the dual timeframe is taking away from this fulfilling experience without rewarding as much - at least that has been my experience. And because of the information reveals being spaced like they are, I suspect the reread value of this book is not going to be as great as Winter's Orbit or Ocean's Echo, which is a loss to me, a habitual rereader of Everina Maxwell.
Having said that, I will of course buy the book once it comes out, and reread it again, and I'm honestly opening to having my opinion change on reread. For the moment, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A great premise with a meandering execution.
I’ve read every book Maxwell has published so far, and I liked this one slightly less than its two predecessors. There are a lot of similarities: in tone, in the general messiness of the characters, in their inner voices, even in their dynamics (one character is exasperating, everyone else is exasperated).
I found the writing style wittier than I remembered, but also full of ramblings and digressions that slowed the pace, and that in particular hurt my enjoyment of the story. The plot is ambitious, but it wasn’t given enough room to breathe. The first half of the book trod the same ground over and over, in the relationship, in the information we were given about our protagonist En and the peculiarities of her enforced servitude to the magi, and even literally as the characters go up and down the same mountain. As a result, when the story hit its stride in the second half, there wasn’t enough time left to properly explore everything, and that’s a pity, because there were a lot of original ideas.
My favourite was the past timeline, told as the transcript of an interrogation, about the titular traitor and her group of college friends, all infatuated with a charismatic princess and willing to push the boundaries of magic to help her achieve the throne. I would’ve loved to learn more about each of them, the princess especially. They were all distinctive and compelling in their own way, but they weren’t given enough pages to really make me feel the pain of their eventual downfall. I also guessed what the main twist would be quite early into the book, though I appreciated all the misdirection the author employed to hide it.
The romance was good. It was based on friendship, mutual ribbing and acceptance of one another’s idiosyncrasies, and it never veered into cliché territory like the previous books, no matter what the list of tropes accompanying the marketing wants you to believe. I hope to see other sapphic stories from Maxwell in the future, possibly with tighter plotting.
Read if you like: geology lessons, geology puns, home renovations and only two men in a story with a dozen or more named female characters.
I received a digital copy from NetGalley for review; all opinions are my own.
I’ve read every book Maxwell has published so far, and I liked this one slightly less than its two predecessors. There are a lot of similarities: in tone, in the general messiness of the characters, in their inner voices, even in their dynamics (one character is exasperating, everyone else is exasperated).
I found the writing style wittier than I remembered, but also full of ramblings and digressions that slowed the pace, and that in particular hurt my enjoyment of the story. The plot is ambitious, but it wasn’t given enough room to breathe. The first half of the book trod the same ground over and over, in the relationship, in the information we were given about our protagonist En and the peculiarities of her enforced servitude to the magi, and even literally as the characters go up and down the same mountain. As a result, when the story hit its stride in the second half, there wasn’t enough time left to properly explore everything, and that’s a pity, because there were a lot of original ideas.
My favourite was the past timeline, told as the transcript of an interrogation, about the titular traitor and her group of college friends, all infatuated with a charismatic princess and willing to push the boundaries of magic to help her achieve the throne. I would’ve loved to learn more about each of them, the princess especially. They were all distinctive and compelling in their own way, but they weren’t given enough pages to really make me feel the pain of their eventual downfall. I also guessed what the main twist would be quite early into the book, though I appreciated all the misdirection the author employed to hide it.
The romance was good. It was based on friendship, mutual ribbing and acceptance of one another’s idiosyncrasies, and it never veered into cliché territory like the previous books, no matter what the list of tropes accompanying the marketing wants you to believe. I hope to see other sapphic stories from Maxwell in the future, possibly with tighter plotting.
Read if you like: geology lessons, geology puns, home renovations and only two men in a story with a dozen or more named female characters.
I received a digital copy from NetGalley for review; all opinions are my own.
September 28, 2026
3.5*
This one took me quite some time to get into and immerse myself in the world and characters. I started to get tentatively intrigued around the time when En and Tamol spend time in that cottage getting to know each other and things picked up for me more and more after that. These two and their relationship were definitely the main draw for me in this book. They are really lovely together in a my-weird-matches-yours kinda way, and there’s a bittersweetness to their relationship that I really loved.
The book has some interesting magic, world-building aspects and concepts, but I felt they were all a bit underexplored. I think this is supposed to be a standalone, but it probably would have worked better as a series or at least a duology. There’s dark academia, adventure, some action, an evil empire, mysterious magic, and a romance that’s at the core of everything. All of this works somewhat decently together on the surface but there were parts that came way too short. We barely see anything from the world and the evil empire itself, so the related characters’ actions didn’t get the weight and justifications they needed. The final showdown felt a bit too out there as well, because it introduced a whole other thing that was dealt with way too quickly, in my opinion.
The story is told mostly from En’s point of view, and I really liked being in her head as it allowed us to see her journey from command-following war-tank to finding her way back to herself. I wanted to give her a hug. Sprinkled in between her present-day chapters are transcripts of Tamol’s interrogation of past events at the college that led everyone where they are now. Those chapters didn’t manage to endear me much to the other characters, and I think they made the later reveal a bit too obvious. They characterised Tamol quite well though, so I liked them for that.
Overall, this book has great characters in Tamol and En, and a wonderful sapphic romance plotline, but couldn’t fully convince me of everything else. I had a solidly fun time, though, and I’d like to read other works by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
This one took me quite some time to get into and immerse myself in the world and characters. I started to get tentatively intrigued around the time when En and Tamol spend time in that cottage getting to know each other and things picked up for me more and more after that. These two and their relationship were definitely the main draw for me in this book. They are really lovely together in a my-weird-matches-yours kinda way, and there’s a bittersweetness to their relationship that I really loved.
The book has some interesting magic, world-building aspects and concepts, but I felt they were all a bit underexplored. I think this is supposed to be a standalone, but it probably would have worked better as a series or at least a duology. There’s dark academia, adventure, some action, an evil empire, mysterious magic, and a romance that’s at the core of everything. All of this works somewhat decently together on the surface but there were parts that came way too short. We barely see anything from the world and the evil empire itself, so the related characters’ actions didn’t get the weight and justifications they needed. The final showdown felt a bit too out there as well, because it introduced a whole other thing that was dealt with way too quickly, in my opinion.
The story is told mostly from En’s point of view, and I really liked being in her head as it allowed us to see her journey from command-following war-tank to finding her way back to herself. I wanted to give her a hug. Sprinkled in between her present-day chapters are transcripts of Tamol’s interrogation of past events at the college that led everyone where they are now. Those chapters didn’t manage to endear me much to the other characters, and I think they made the later reveal a bit too obvious. They characterised Tamol quite well though, so I liked them for that.
Overall, this book has great characters in Tamol and En, and a wonderful sapphic romance plotline, but couldn’t fully convince me of everything else. I had a solidly fun time, though, and I’d like to read other works by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the e-arc of this book.
In Call Me Traitor we follow a war-tank, an enhanced human form with runes all over their body who’s meant to obey magus on campaigns, called En. War-tanks are designed to be efficient with their magic, which makes them great killing machines. Their memory is whipped out after each campaign so they can focus on the present without emotional attachment.
En is dropped off on a deserted island and finds two magus. Their mission consists of capturing one and killing the other traitors before the 10th regiment arrives. On their trip they encounter Tamol, a last regiment deserter. En finds herself unwillingly stuck with Tamol and together they will find themselves uncovering the Sentry’s (huge mountain of the Island) secret.
I’m hesitating between this was good and this was bad. There are so many things I liked about this book, but also so many that left me unsatisfied.
It’s cute, funny and imaginative. I’d say what I liked the most was definitely the storyline and the imagination. Another strong point is the character’s chemistry and distinct personalities. It’s always interesting to follow a group of fellow students. Elani adoration by the other students made so much sense. Also, how not to fall for the complete disaster who’s Tamol couple with the dutiful En. Has for the psychological evolution of En, I thought it was really well done and considered.
On the downside, this book is very slow and contains not much action up to 40%. The descriptions of the land and the mountain should be majestic but are hard to follow most of the time. Same thing for the magic system which remains frustratingly vague, as well as a lot of other stuff in this book, like the ghosts… which we should definitely have had more of an understanding of.
At the beginning, I also found the characters' conversations to be quite childish.
When I read a book, I like to have a clear understanding of what's happening. Because of this deficiency, this book is unfortunately a miss for me.
In Call Me Traitor we follow a war-tank, an enhanced human form with runes all over their body who’s meant to obey magus on campaigns, called En. War-tanks are designed to be efficient with their magic, which makes them great killing machines. Their memory is whipped out after each campaign so they can focus on the present without emotional attachment.
En is dropped off on a deserted island and finds two magus. Their mission consists of capturing one and killing the other traitors before the 10th regiment arrives. On their trip they encounter Tamol, a last regiment deserter. En finds herself unwillingly stuck with Tamol and together they will find themselves uncovering the Sentry’s (huge mountain of the Island) secret.
I’m hesitating between this was good and this was bad. There are so many things I liked about this book, but also so many that left me unsatisfied.
It’s cute, funny and imaginative. I’d say what I liked the most was definitely the storyline and the imagination. Another strong point is the character’s chemistry and distinct personalities. It’s always interesting to follow a group of fellow students. Elani adoration by the other students made so much sense. Also, how not to fall for the complete disaster who’s Tamol couple with the dutiful En. Has for the psychological evolution of En, I thought it was really well done and considered.
On the downside, this book is very slow and contains not much action up to 40%. The descriptions of the land and the mountain should be majestic but are hard to follow most of the time. Same thing for the magic system which remains frustratingly vague, as well as a lot of other stuff in this book, like the ghosts… which we should definitely have had more of an understanding of.
At the beginning, I also found the characters' conversations to be quite childish.
When I read a book, I like to have a clear understanding of what's happening. Because of this deficiency, this book is unfortunately a miss for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC from Netgalley!!
First of all, I really love the title and cover of this book. I feel that they both really fit the story well and the cover stands out to me as a fantasy reader.
I enjoyed reading this book. The prologue had me hooked. I think the the pacing was good, though there was a couple chapters back to back that were a bit slow. But, that’s understandable given it was world building. I liked that it went back and forth between cosy and chaotic vibes. The story follows both main character's POV, one in the present and one in the past. I found this was a nice way to give background and kept my interest throughout.
The fantasy elements were very interesting to me. I found that the magic system was unique, with the ways magic was used and the consequences of it. I found that the world building wasn’t overwhelming, as it was explained bit by bit.
I really liked the romance aspects. The tension and chemistry between the characters just got better as the story went on. This is more of a slow burn romance, with the plot and romance being fairly equal in the story.
The main characters were both well written and had good development during the book. The side characters were also very interesting and I loved the dynamics between the group.
The main plot twist in this story is one that I suspected from early on. But I didn’t feel that it was too obvious and enjoyed the reveal. So angsty!
Overall, I recommended this book to anyone who loves a romantasy with an interesting magic system and chaotic characters! I think everyone needs to read this as soon as they can!!!
I’m not sure if there will be another book with these characters, but I would be totally up for it!!!
First of all, I really love the title and cover of this book. I feel that they both really fit the story well and the cover stands out to me as a fantasy reader.
I enjoyed reading this book. The prologue had me hooked. I think the the pacing was good, though there was a couple chapters back to back that were a bit slow. But, that’s understandable given it was world building. I liked that it went back and forth between cosy and chaotic vibes. The story follows both main character's POV, one in the present and one in the past. I found this was a nice way to give background and kept my interest throughout.
The fantasy elements were very interesting to me. I found that the magic system was unique, with the ways magic was used and the consequences of it. I found that the world building wasn’t overwhelming, as it was explained bit by bit.
I really liked the romance aspects. The tension and chemistry between the characters just got better as the story went on. This is more of a slow burn romance, with the plot and romance being fairly equal in the story.
The main characters were both well written and had good development during the book. The side characters were also very interesting and I loved the dynamics between the group.
The main plot twist in this story is one that I suspected from early on. But I didn’t feel that it was too obvious and enjoyed the reveal. So angsty!
Overall, I recommended this book to anyone who loves a romantasy with an interesting magic system and chaotic characters! I think everyone needs to read this as soon as they can!!!
I’m not sure if there will be another book with these characters, but I would be totally up for it!!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"In return for her existence, the archmagi only asked that En was perfect." -Ch. 1 uncorrected copy.
I almost broke my laptop with how fast I was clicking, trying to get this ARC. I wanted to savor this book and space out my reading, but it was just so good that I ate it up in one sitting. Definitely one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2026, I mean, look at the cover! I was instantly attracted to the premise, and the book really delivered. The writing was so cohesive and entrapped you with its immersive world filled with great detail. En and Tamol's story and progressing relationship kept me captive to Call Me Traitor.
The story switches infrequently between the present and transcripts of Tamol's old comrades of the past, leading to the present, explaining events and conversations had as to why they were labeled as traitors. A personal preference, but one of my favorite ways a book can be written.
We follow En, a soldier, otherwise known as war-tanks (basically a person for hire who's trained in magic, battle, and called on for missions). On a specific mission to a land where traitors are dumped, En meets an unfamiliar stranger whom she's instantly bewildered by (cue me screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet). En is a terrific main character. Her chemistry with Tamol is something I cannot get over. Everina Maxwell did a wonderful job writing their connection. Tamol was written with so much life; her sarcastic comments, along with her banter was never too overly done, and I thought it balanced perfectly with En's more serious personality.
The plot is layered with intensity, action, and romance. It was filled with tropes I've read before, but felt so refreshing in this book. A phenomenal read!! And YES, I will be buying the physical book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I almost broke my laptop with how fast I was clicking, trying to get this ARC. I wanted to savor this book and space out my reading, but it was just so good that I ate it up in one sitting. Definitely one of my favorite fantasy reads of 2026, I mean, look at the cover! I was instantly attracted to the premise, and the book really delivered. The writing was so cohesive and entrapped you with its immersive world filled with great detail. En and Tamol's story and progressing relationship kept me captive to Call Me Traitor.
The story switches infrequently between the present and transcripts of Tamol's old comrades of the past, leading to the present, explaining events and conversations had as to why they were labeled as traitors. A personal preference, but one of my favorite ways a book can be written.
We follow En, a soldier, otherwise known as war-tanks (basically a person for hire who's trained in magic, battle, and called on for missions). On a specific mission to a land where traitors are dumped, En meets an unfamiliar stranger whom she's instantly bewildered by (cue me screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet). En is a terrific main character. Her chemistry with Tamol is something I cannot get over. Everina Maxwell did a wonderful job writing their connection. Tamol was written with so much life; her sarcastic comments, along with her banter was never too overly done, and I thought it balanced perfectly with En's more serious personality.
The plot is layered with intensity, action, and romance. It was filled with tropes I've read before, but felt so refreshing in this book. A phenomenal read!! And YES, I will be buying the physical book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
For someone whose favorite genres are queer sci-fi/fantasy and queer romance, I often find myself weirdly unsatisfied by queer romantasy. Everina Maxwell's Call Me Traitor finally helped me figure out why! It's because I actually prefer the ratio to be more of, like, 3:1 fantasy to romance, and usually it is the opposite. BUT NOT THIS TIME!
Call Me Traitor is first and best of all a brilliantly imagined and frankly terrifying fantasy world where an esteemed professor at a mage college has figure out how to make "war-tanks" out of human mages. Our war-tank is named En, and the only thing she knows how to do is follow orders and not question authority. In fact, she pretty much forgets everything she's experienced in between campaigns due to the constant dark magic tomfoolery her to boss mages keep doing to her brain.
Things get real weird real fast for En when she meets Tamol, one of the traitors exiled to a spooky and dangerous island where En wakes up at the beginning of this book. Tamol makes En feel like she's getting misaligned constantly, maybe even warped, maybe even broken beyond repair — but En is drawn to her in ways she can't even begin to understand. The way Maxwell bends the traditional dual POV we often get in romance novels is masterful.
This is one of those books where I was like "I'm just going to slowly make my way through this and savor the storytelling," but then blitzed through the whole thing in two days because I couldn't put it down. I would REALLY love a second book in this series.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.
Call Me Traitor is first and best of all a brilliantly imagined and frankly terrifying fantasy world where an esteemed professor at a mage college has figure out how to make "war-tanks" out of human mages. Our war-tank is named En, and the only thing she knows how to do is follow orders and not question authority. In fact, she pretty much forgets everything she's experienced in between campaigns due to the constant dark magic tomfoolery her to boss mages keep doing to her brain.
Things get real weird real fast for En when she meets Tamol, one of the traitors exiled to a spooky and dangerous island where En wakes up at the beginning of this book. Tamol makes En feel like she's getting misaligned constantly, maybe even warped, maybe even broken beyond repair — but En is drawn to her in ways she can't even begin to understand. The way Maxwell bends the traditional dual POV we often get in romance novels is masterful.
This is one of those books where I was like "I'm just going to slowly make my way through this and savor the storytelling," but then blitzed through the whole thing in two days because I couldn't put it down. I would REALLY love a second book in this series.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Here is a picture of the stunning ARC that they sent me:
Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell is a sapphic fantasy with plenty of action! The story revolves around En, who is on a mission to retrieve a group of traitors when she's forced to team up with Tamol, a soldier with magical powers. But what will happen when En discovers that Tamol is one of those traitors who she is tasked with returning to the empire? Will the allies become enemies, or something else?
Overall, Call Me Traitor is a romantasy that will appeal to fans of Samantha Shannon and Allison Saft. One highlight of this book is the LGBT representation. At its heart, the book features a sapphic romance, and there is a character who uses they/them pronouns, which is very underrepresented in fantasy books. Another highlight of this book is the magical-powered attacks and action sequences, which drew me in the world and kept me excited to finish the book.
One final highlight of this book is the great worldbuilding, even if it felt a bit too long at times. I understand though that great worldbuilding requires a lot of text. If I had to complain 1 thing, I would say that I didn't care for any of the characters in particular. I'm sure that most readers won't have that problem though. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in December!
Here is a picture of the stunning ARC that they sent me:
Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell is a sapphic fantasy with plenty of action! The story revolves around En, who is on a mission to retrieve a group of traitors when she's forced to team up with Tamol, a soldier with magical powers. But what will happen when En discovers that Tamol is one of those traitors who she is tasked with returning to the empire? Will the allies become enemies, or something else?
Overall, Call Me Traitor is a romantasy that will appeal to fans of Samantha Shannon and Allison Saft. One highlight of this book is the LGBT representation. At its heart, the book features a sapphic romance, and there is a character who uses they/them pronouns, which is very underrepresented in fantasy books. Another highlight of this book is the magical-powered attacks and action sequences, which drew me in the world and kept me excited to finish the book.
One final highlight of this book is the great worldbuilding, even if it felt a bit too long at times. I understand though that great worldbuilding requires a lot of text. If I had to complain 1 thing, I would say that I didn't care for any of the characters in particular. I'm sure that most readers won't have that problem though. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in December!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have absolutely never read a story quite like Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell. I am fundamentally obsessed with En and Tamol. They are my children. My baby girls. My destructive divas. Call Me Traitor is about a subservient yet extremely deadly super weapon who must go on a mission to capture a group of traitors who have been exiled to a similarly deadly location. En was a monster created, not a monster born. And I loved watching this sarcastic, LOYAL, optimistic despite her unfathomable levels of trauma woman break the chains her government had put on her. And Tamol was an absolute delight wrapped up in a chaotic ADHD mess. You'd think Tamol was the optimistic one on the surface, but her deep mistrust of her society, government, superiors and even friends make her such a complex character. I could not love these two more.
Call Me Traitor follows two timelines: En's POV as she attempts to carry out her mission of capturing traitors and Tamol's POV right after her capture as she is forced to recount the events that lead to her capture.
There were twists I absolutely saw coming, which I think was intentional. You start to understand this story in fits and starts based on clues from both timelines. And even though I knew what the reveals would be. it did not impact my enjoyment of this book whatsoever. Do not under any circumstances ask me how this magic system works though. It was honestly a bit too complex and convoluted, but I was vibing so hard it didn't matter.
Chaotic, toxic lesbians are the only thing that cure my Fantasy Romance slump.
Call Me Traitor follows two timelines: En's POV as she attempts to carry out her mission of capturing traitors and Tamol's POV right after her capture as she is forced to recount the events that lead to her capture.
There were twists I absolutely saw coming, which I think was intentional. You start to understand this story in fits and starts based on clues from both timelines. And even though I knew what the reveals would be. it did not impact my enjoyment of this book whatsoever. Do not under any circumstances ask me how this magic system works though. It was honestly a bit too complex and convoluted, but I was vibing so hard it didn't matter.
Chaotic, toxic lesbians are the only thing that cure my Fantasy Romance slump.
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