La Couleur du mensonge

The Traitor's Circle #1

by Erin Beaty, Jean-Baptiste Bernet (Translator)

Sage Fowler, seize ans, est une bâtarde recueillie par un oncle riche et respecté. Sa seule chance de s'en sortir ? Faire un beau mariage. Elle se présente donc chez une des entremetteuses chargées de l'évaluation du potentiel de chaque candidat – des femmes qui font et défont les fortunes d'une famille, d'une région, d'un pays tout entier. Mais avec sa légendaire indiscipline et sa langue trop acérée, elle échoue lamentablement. Amusée par son cynisme et son sens aigu de l'observation, la marieuse fait toutefois d'elle son apprentie.

Sage s'embarque donc avec un groupe de beaux partis triés sur le carreau dans un périple vers la capitale. Cette précieuse cargaison est escortée par un bataillon de soldats d'élite qui ne tardent pas à réaliser qu'ils sont sur le point de se jeter dans la gueule du loup : le pays voisin, qui prépare une invasion, s'est allié avec certains des seigneurs locaux, et chaque étape du voyage pourrait bien être la dernière. Spécialiste des missions de reconnaissance, l'un des membres de la troupe recrute alors l'aide de Sage. Mais plus elle avance dans sa mission, plus elle découvre, horrifiée, que tout le monde joue double jeu... à commencer par son recruteur lui-même ! Et, doucement, le piège se referme sur elle...

Identités secrètes, machinations politiques et jeu de dupes passionné, La Couleur du mensonge fait monter les enchères jusqu'à un final surprenant. Le talent de conteuse d'Erin Beaty vous tiendra en haleine jusqu'à la dernière page !

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, High Fantasy

506 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

***Hello Readers! I just want to pop in here and explain that I do not accept friend requests on social media (Goodreads included) unless I know you in real life for several reasons, foremost being the nature of my husband's military job. I promise it isn't personal, and I appreciate everyone who wants to know more about me!***

Erin Beaty was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, which means she can't drive a tractor, but she won't eat veggies that come from a can. She graduated from the US Naval Academy with a degree in rocket science and somehow always ended up writing her study group's lab reports. After serving in the fleet as a weapons officer and a leadership instructor, she resigned to take care of her growing family. It still amazes her when other people want to hear the stories that come out of her head.

She and her husband have five children, two cats, and a vegetable garden and live wherever the navy tells them to go.

​
Erin Beaty is represented by Valerie Noble. Her young adult fantasy adventure, THE TRAITOR'S KISS, the first in a trilogy called The Traitor's Trilogy, will be released May 9th, 2017

Reviews

[Joshua Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more the second time around because I was able to anticipate and appreciate the major plot twist. However, my thoughts and rating remain the same.

My written interview with the author can be found here.

The phrasing annoyed Sage. As long as she was pretty and in a good mood, her husband would love her? People needed love most when they weren't at their best.

You might be wondering why in the world did I give this book 4 stars. After all, many people have given it 1 star because it supposedly reinforces girl hate and racism. Basically, the majority of the YA community claims that The Traitor's Kiss is a sexist and whitewashed retelling of Mulan. I generally respect the opinions of my fellow readers, but I think that the hate surrounding this book is predominantly subjective. Hopefully, my review will encourage others to be open-minded and give this book a chance.

The Traitor's Kiss is less like Mulan and more like a Jane Austen novel, such as Pride and Prejudice. Like the latter, this book features an empowered female protagonist who lives in a patriarchal world where marriage makes the world go round. Unlike her peers, Sage is not eager to be a mere political pawn. Deemed unfit for marriage because of her "lack of femininity," she becomes a spy for the most sought after matchmaker in the kingdom. Sage's story becomes more intriguing when an enigmatic soldier named Quinn asks her to help him eradicate a political conspiracy.

I was able to read this book rather quickly because I was engrossed by the plot. For me, there was hardly any dull moment, even at the beginning of the novel. The perfect balance between romance and political intrigue piqued my interest. I normally read two to five books alternately, so I was quite surprised that this book monopolized my attention. The climax of the book was particularly intense and well-executed. A lot of things were happening to many characters, but the author managed to connect them in such as way that was delightfully comprehensible.

I've always been fond of empowered females, so Sage was easy to like. As her name implies, Sage was a very wise/erudite character. She loved reading, gathering information, and sharing her knowledge with others. Her keen intuition definitely made her a force to be reckoned with. It even came to a point that no one could keep secrets from her. At least not for a long time. xD

As I've mentioned earlier, many readers have expressed their indignation for the girl hate in this book, which apparently depicts femininity in a negative way. With that in mind, it is true that Sage and her peers said mean things about each other. However, I believe that this could be viewed as a depiction of society in general, specifically of the struggle between the upper and lower classes. Throughout the novel, both men and women looked down on Sage because of her status as a commoner. In other words, the mean girls in this book weren't naturally mean because of their sex. Furthermore, like the male population of our own world, not all females are inherently or totally good. I myself have met my fair share of mean girls (and boys). Thus, please don't judge the author for adding a touch of reality to her book. For heaven's sake, you don't have to take things personally!

The next aspect of this book I enjoyed was the absence of instalove. Sage and her love interest had an "organic," slow-building relationship. I loved that there weren't any cheesy sparks or internal monologues about fate, meeting their other half, or whatever overrated concept. This is going to sound vague, but I also liked their relationship because it was reminiscent of The Kiss of Deception. It's no wonder Mary E. Pearson (one of my favorites authors) blurbed this book. That plot twist messed with my mind for more than an hour!

Finally, although this book is infamous for being racist, I actually appreciated its diversity. I honestly couldn't understand why people described it as whitewashed when many of the characters (both protagonists and antagonists) were people of color. The Kimisar, the secondary antagonists, were indeed "dark-skinned." However, it is important to note that the main antagonist was "light-skinned." In other words, both "dark-skinned" and "light-skinned" people were depicted as capable of doing evil. Hence, "equality" was achieved, and you don't have to be so triggered. :l

Nevertheless, the haters were right about one thing: skin tone was unnecessarily (and sometimes ridiculously) described in this book. Here are some examples:

1. Kimisar were even darker than Demorans from Aristel, and this close he almost faded into the shadows.

2. He had the darker skin of an Aristelan as well as the nearly black hair. She'd never be able to match his color even if she stayed outdoors all summer.

As you can see, the word choice sounds mocking, if not condescending. I would have given this book a higher rating if the colored characters had other distinguishing characteristics worth mentioning. Whether we like it or not, political correctness is imperative nowadays. Sadly, it wasn't consistently shown in this novel. I wasn't personally triggered, but I was bothered by how the descriptions made me want to laugh. :3

Overall, I encourage you to read The Traitor's Kiss with an open mind. It does fall short in regards to its emphasis on skin tone, but it really doesn't deserve to be hated. Gleaning upon the strengths I mentioned, I can honestly say that Erin Beaty is a promising author. I look forward to reading her future works.

[Aila · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Traitor's Kiss was overall extremely disappointing and discouraging. My journey from learning of this book to finishing it has been a tumultuous one, but one that nevertheless left me wishing I hadn't wasted time in it from the first place.

This book was first brought to my attention in being a Mulan retelling, which made me extremely excited. Mulan is one of my favorite Disney princesses - or, er, generals - and also celebrates my own culture. Although it uses minor elements in terms of plot and character description similar to ones in Mulan, The Traitor's Kiss had no other resemblance. The biggest thing that made me pause was it being advertised as a Mulan retelling... then learning the characters' white names. Now it's marketed as "Jane Austen meets espionage," which is much more fitting since it's a very-much white fantasy where POC are described as having "darker" skins - making white skin the norm and maintaining an ambiguous air about what the "darker" characters look like in general. Seriously, it's like the author's vocabulary in describing characters was terribly limited.

The plot itself was an absolute snooze-fest for me. The pacing is horrendously slow, which I'm okay with. However, it was slow to the point where when it started picking up in the latter quarter, I simply stopped caring about the characters and story. Let's backtrack to the beginning. Sage Farrow is not like the other girls. She makes this exceptionally clear from the very start, where she's seen teaching her cousins. She's so intelligent, she doesn't need to be matched. She also has a fierce temper that makes her unsuitable to the matchmaker she was foisted on. All is not lost though, because the matchmaker isn't a bad guy and decides to take Sage as an apprentice to help make matches. This gives Sage, the unwanted orphan relative with no prospects, the perfect opportunity to live life. This also gives Sage, the skinny, flat-chested girl with freckles, the distinction against the other girls who are obsessed with make-up and catching boys under matchmaking. It sounds like the author has something against girls with cleavage, because they're all supercilious and extra. Sage isolates herself from the other girls waiting to have a match made because they are superficial and dumb and care about make-up. This behavior is further reinforced as the author writes in several male POV scenes where the male's thoughts create a distinction between Sage's sage scent and the other girl's stifling perfume. I'm really tired of reading girl-on-girl hate and the reasoning that in order to create a special heroine, she must be pitted - and won - against other girls. There's a way to write characters unique to themselves without having to carry about prejudice against others, and I wish more authors would incorporate that into their works. Sage makes only one female friendship in this story that fulfills more of a "checkbox" than anything. The lady she makes a friendship with gets minimal page time, is wholly unimportant to plot/character progression, and has a caricature of a character. Instead, Sage is the epitome of tomboy and gets along with every soldier she comes into contact with really well. All the guys love her and most of the girls hate her - do you see why I'm upset with this characterization? A heroine can still be a tomboy and carry out unorthodox ways without diminishing the power of make-up and feminine wiles.

"Violet powder on her eyelids made her gray eyes appear almost blue, which was probably the intention, but they were barely visible between her curled and blackened lashes.
'Is this what ladies at court look like every day?' she asked.
Her aunt rolled her eyes. 'No, this is what a nobleman's bride looks like. What do you think?'
Sage twisted her scarlet lips in distaste. 'I think I know why Mother ran away.'"

In the story, Sage must travel with the matchmaker and girls waiting to be matched with an army of escorts because of the political situation. While Sage is gathering information about the soldiers in the chances of pairing them off with prospective girls, the Captain is suspicious that she's spying for the enemy. The situation is that there is a traitor who is trying to help the Kimisar, the enemy nation that Crescera is currently fighting. Which brings me up to another point: the use of the dark-skinned aggressor trope in this book.

"The man nodded once from inside his hood but said nothing. Kimisar were even darker than Demorans from Aristel, and this close he almost faded into the shadows. Swirling tattoos on his exposed forearms added to the shapeless effect."

Not only is this exceedingly lazy and discriminate world-building, but could it have been written in a worse way? I have no clue what it means by "darker" than another race that's described as "dark." While Sage is described as having these golden freckles and strawberry blonde hair, the only descriptions given to other characters, especially POC (including the love interest!), are "dark hair" and "dark skin." There are numerous other more creative, less offensive ways to describe POC, and it's extremely disappointing to see that the words used in this book are limited to "dark" and "darker." Also note in the quote that the Kimisar general has tattoos and fades in the shadows... tattoos because of an equally vague culture that is not explored, and fading into shadows another inapt description of his skin color. And truth be told, the world is written with such ambiguity that I'm really not sure why the nations are fighting in the first place - nor do I really care. I do recall that the Kimisar are undergoing a famine and the traitor in the court holds the prize of food over their head to ensure that they continue following his orders. Apparently the Kimisar also really like holding hostages as well (like every country at war doesn't?), further separating the distinction between them and the country where the main characters are from. Sure, I can't see the racist undertones of their characterization at all.

Honestly, the espionage in this book was one of the largest snooze-fest I've ever read as well. You would think that Red Queen's "Anyone can betray anyone" adage would remain true to a book titled The Traitor's Kiss, but the only momentous betrayal this book conveyed was the fact I was actually excited about it in the first place. There is a lot of boring dialogue where you get to read how Sage is so fierce, so intelligent, so worldly that the soldiers actually use her as their own spy to uncover the traitor in their midst. The captain of the soldier escorts also take a liking to her, all the while pretending to be another undercover soldier to ascertain information. Cue clandestine meetings of two tiresome characters that deserve each other. Captain Quinn is super loyal to the crown and wants to use Sage's spying abilities, all the while keeping her in the dark about important information for the purpose of plot. On the other hand, Sage is ascertaining things left and right and charging forward towards danger anyhow. Throughout it all, Sage proves herself "different from the other girls" by hanging out with the guys, wearing breeches while riding horses, and reading books in different languages. Also, she can manipulate others but they can't do the same because that's not how things work, even if the other party loves her. Sage also never makes mistakes because everything she discovers, learns, and does is picture perfect. I cared almost nothing for the romance in this book, which is pretty momentous considering I love romance. This is a kind of unequal romance that reinforces unbalanced ideals, constant undermining of the other party, and overall an imbalance between characters that, no matter how important it is for the whole "espionage" portion of the plot, I could not get behind.

By the end of the book, I was practically counting down the pages. The sad thing is that I think I would have genuinely liked the book, if Sage weren't such a snowflake that isolated herself from other girls, sans one cardboard character and the writing didn't extend towards such racist undertones in world-building and characterization. Nevertheless, I'm surprised at all the 4-5 star raving reviews, no one caught the offensive writing and equally disappointing characterization that showed minimal character growth and empathy. There are numerous fantasies out there with more down-to-earth characters (even if they are special snowflakes) and non-offensive writing. Also if you're looking for a Mulan retelling, do yourself a favor and skip this one. The lackluster world-building, lazy writing, and tiresome characters made it an exasperating ~340 page read for me that had me cheering when I finally finished.

If you choose to pick this book up, consider the implications of having the mostly white main characters fighting against a black nation that adorn themselves with tattoos and have no other description. Also think to yourself if you would be a friend to Sage, because with her obvious prejudice against other "superficial" girls who wear make-up, I know I wouldn't. Also check out the romance, which is built on distrust and keeping the other party in the dark about important information - no matter how intelligent Sage is advertised as. If those sounds unappealing to you (as they should, being a reader in the twenty-first century), then I would advise you to not waste your time on this one.

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So before I review a book, I read some reviews of the people that I follow to see the points that people have on the book and see where my views are in comparison. With that being said, apparently there is a lot of hate for this book because it is anti-feminism and encourages girls to hate on girls?



That’s absolutely silly. It’s like people are looking for reasons to hate a book these days.

You are correct in saying that some of the girls Sage (our heroine) was trying to match (she’s an apprentice for a match maker after being deemed unmarriageable) said some terrible things about her. But it wasn’t because she was another girl, it was because of her place in the class system which is just a history thing.

She was basically a commoner compared to the ladies she was assigned to match. She played the part of a lady in order to encourage the men to pick whom she wanted them to (which is a tactic used by the matchmaker), which upset the girls; which, I will admit, was super petty because she was trying to help them, but it had nothing to do with her gender. It had everything to do with her class. I mean, even when she pretended to be a maid she was treated as a next bang by the guards.

So if you are reading this review, and you are hesitant to read this book because of all the hate, just know I had no idea that was a thing people were saying and completely and utterly enjoyed this book.

The plot was driven and unique. So many people were spies and had layers of different faces they used. Sage pretended to be a lady, and then a maid, and then another maid, and then a soldier. I’m not sure where the comparison to Mulan is suppose to be in this, because I don’t see that at all.

I do have one complaint: how in the world does Sage come up with so many military plays when the actual men in the military can’t? I would feel they would be more trained in the planning of the military and not just the execution of killing people and defending their country; but instead, they were sometimes like “oh I have no idea” and then Sage would be like “oh how about this” and they would be like “you are a genius” and then that was that. That was a little off to me.

There was no instalove in this and that was a strong reason I loved this book. It could have swung in the direction of instalove so easily, but it was a gradual and bumpy ride before we got there.

This was a really entertaining read and I hope people will read it and form their own opinions on it, instead of just assuming its content. I’m actually pretty excited for the sequel. This pretty much concluded itself, so I have no idea where the next book is going to go.



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Umm.... this was amazing. Why aren't more people reading this?

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A match maker? I could totally get on board with that.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

im crying that this isnt a standalone because it has the perfect set-up for it. so im just going to mentally rewrite the last two pages, ignore the fact that there are two more books, and rate accordingly. lol.

AS A STANDALONE, this is pretty dang perfect. it has a wonderful opening, super smart and intriguing characters, a great plot that makes every page feel purposeful, and a very satisfying conclusion. but what impressed me the most is how, even though the storyline is very military-heavy, i wasnt bored! nothing felt too technical or strategic, but provided great entertainment by way of secrets and spying.

i honestly wasnt expecting to enjoy this as much as i did, so what a very pleasant and welcome surprise!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ Characters
✅ Plot & Plot twist
✅ Pace
✅ Action and spying
✅ Fakeout Makeout
✅(🆗) Romance
✅(🆗) World-building
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: death of loved ones (past and present), death by fire, death of a child
_______________________

Second read: It didn’t have the same impact this time, because I knew the twists that were coming, but it was still very enjoyable. I do not remember much of the second and third books, so it’s going to be interesting to reread those, too.

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This seems to be a “love it or hate it” kind of book. Thankfully, I loved it!

After being the matchmaker’s apprentice for a year, Sage and her mentor are traveling to the capital with the best brides-to-be of the province so they can be matched and wedded. Captain Quinn’s group has been assigned to escort and protect the brides, and while on the road, Sage meets Ash Carter, a funny and very handsome soldier. Pretty quickly, though, Sage realizes that something is not right, and she is asked to spy for Captain Quinn. Someone does not want the brides to reach the capital, and they need to figure out a way to stop the attack and protect the brides before it is too late.

The pace is a little slow at first, and I was not sure where this was all going, but it picks up after a few chapters, and it remains engaging until the end. There is action, traveling, spying, and politics, and overall, it was a solid debut.

I'd rather make a mistake than yield my destiny to someone else.

Sage is a strong-willed and independent girl who was raised by her father until he died when she was 12 years old. She is now 17 years old and has been deemed “unmarriageable” because she does not fit the mold of the perfect and dainty lady. I like the fact that Sage remains true to herself, and does not want to, nor tries to fit the mold society wants to squeeze her into. Later on, when she gets involved in politics, she is not a super spy or a kick-ass warrior like many main characters in YA books. Her secret weapons are her sharp wits, her intelligence, and her acute sense of observation, and she does not magically become a super warrior simply because she trained for a few hours here and there.

The phrasing annoyed Sage. As long as she was pretty and in a good mood, her husband would love her? People needed love most when they weren't at their best.

This story is set in a patriarchal society, where Sage is trying to fit in even though she does not want to get married, lacks the femininity and grace of a proper lady, and prefers to wear breaches rather than dresses. Many readers complained that it was a sexist setting, but I prefer to see it as an empowerment of the female main character. The setting resembles what we find in most Victorian novels, where appearances are everything, and a woman’s main value resides in the marriage she can secure. Sage shows everyone that she does not need a husband to thrive and be happy. Nor does she need one to keep her safe and sheltered. She makes her own decisions, and she takes her future into her own hands, even when everyone makes fun of her or shuns her because of it.

I loved the concept of the matchmakers, and the power they hold. They observe and decide who should be paired with whom, based on what would be good for them, and not simply what they want. I liked seeing the subtlety of their work and their reach and influence in the kingdom. Through marriage, they can make people happy or miserable, but mainly, they can join powerful families and create alliances, and it was fascinating to see how they would notice every little detail and use their observation to find the perfect match for their clients.

The politics and world-building are interesting, but could have been more developed. We know the names of the nations and regions, but there are not a lot of descriptions about their inhabitants or their customs, besides the clothing and their hair and skin tones being lighter or darker. I do hope to get more depth when it comes to the world-building in the next book, and to know more about the enemy nations, besides the fact that they have dark skin.

The characters in this book are easy to like and entertaining. The matchmaker Darnessa Rodelle is cunning, and I loved seeing how she always knew more than she let on, and how she was pulling at the strings, but making people think everything came from them. Seeing the way this book ends, I do not know if we will see her as much in the rest of the series, but I hope she will still be a part of the plot.

The soldiers are nice and kind, and what you usually see in fantasy novels where the heroine travels with soldiers, and there is a “found family” vibe. They are respectful, funny, and all very easy to love. I would like to see more of them, too, but I would also like them to have a little more depth in the next books. Besides the love interest, we do not know much about the other soldiers, besides the fact that they are all loyal to Quinn, and are great guys overall.

The romance is sweet, but it develops too quickly in the second half. I liked that it started slow, and that both sides were wary and trying to keep their emotions under control. In the second half, though, they went from “I care about you” to “I would die for you” too quickly for me to enjoy the relationship development between them. It wasn't insta-love, but I still find that once they allowed themselves to admit their feelings, it quickly became intense. Still, there are cute and more intense moments between Sage and Ash, and I liked their chemistry.

There is a big plot twist about the characters near the end that is awesome. I like it when not everything is predictable (and also when there is drama), and when there are some darker parts. I admit, though, that a little part of me died when Charlie was killed, even though it is the kind of darker and more shocking moment that differentiates a basic YA story from a more intense story that really gets to you.

We each play several roles in life – that doesn’t make them all lies.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to romantasy lovers. It did remind me of The Winner's Curse, probably because of the main character, and also of The Kiss of Deception, but the plot is very different. It was a great discovery, and I am really happy I gave it a try.


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[♛ may · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very much surprised (in a good way) how this book turned out for me

- So there’s a few things we need to understand right from the start
- This is a book on espionage and spying and politics
- And I know it got a lot of flak for having problem*tic themes but tbh, in my professional opinion, I didn’t find anything inherently problem*tic…so there won’t be much discussion on that in this review
- What this book DID have was lots of strange but enjoyable things
- Let’s start with the writing
- The writing is good, nothing memorable, but I feel like it’s worth to mention that the beginning was rocky for me
- There was A LOT going on, a lot of characters are introduced at once and since the chapters are alternating between two point of views, its hard to grasp all the info at once
- And amidst this is a lot of political jargon that is cloaked and confusing, BUT IM HERE TO TELL YOU IT WILL GET BETTER
- As you progress, like with most books, most of the confusion clears up, though I was still slightly confused at certain names, titles, people, and had to recheck them so…just putting that out there
- Next, the characters
- Sage is kind of a strange mc in the way that she is like your kicka*s fem representative that is a genius in espionage and solving things before everyone else
- But shes also like that kid in class who //reminds// the teacher of a test
- So like she’s a little too smart for her own good
- I found this kinda ??? bc well she’s only like 16 or smthing and she’s putting generals in the army to shame
- Also she has this holier than thou attitude about her and blah blah love yourself and all that but there were moments when she turned her nose down at other girls due to the fact that they liked frilly dresses and //girl// stuff
- And like dude NO
- But it wasn’t like a main aspect of the book, so it didn’t impact my rating a whole lot, partially bc I believe it was done more to build the historical feel of the setting (like ya know, girls don’t wear pants and stab people etc.)
- The romance was fantastic imo
- I thought it was built really well and I was very much invested in their friendship and the relationship they built from it and how they dealt with the rocky times like it was solid
- NOW
- LETS
- TALK
- ABOUT
- THE
- TWISTS
- I REMEMBER TWO MOMENTS WHERE I CLOSED THE BOOK STARED AT THE WALL AND INTERNALLY SCREAMED FOR 43 seconds trying to understand what I just read
- I was just like:

- They were good man I had to go back and reread some scenes bc damn I didn’t see that coming
- There’s so much war tricks they pull and its so interesting and fun to read
- It really builds the suspense and plot aong
- I am okay as long as my baby Charlie is happy and healthy and hydrated
- There were so excessive moments that I felt could have been cut down bc although it had its entertaining moments it also lulled a lot
- Anyways,
- Way better than I expected okay
- First time ever a book’s cover doesn’t lie to me

“We each play several roles in life – that doesn’t make them all lies.”

4 stars

[Maditales · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me feel anxious and a stressed at the same time. And not it a good book type way.
.
.
.
I have a few different issues with the book so I’m going to have to list them below in chronological order of what I remember first so buckle in:

1. The pacing was way too slow even for a fantasy book:
This book is almost 400 pages long and 100 of those could have been cut away. There were a lot of repetitive scenes about spying and planning something that we still can’t know so all we read was “I can’t tell her yet everything but she started trusting him”.
Yeah no f-ing shit. You said this 7 times already.

2. The characters had no emotions at all:
There were 2 romance tension scenes where I felt a bit of chemistry and thought the characters had feeling but apart from that, the characters were emotionless.
I especially noticed that at 95% because there is “what is supposed to be a very sad and traumatic scene” for one of the main characters AND THEY FELT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
HOW??????

3. The description of characters:
I didn’t understand what most of these characters looked like because they all had inconsistent descriptions. The female mc was described as having freckles and wild hair and being super skinny. And the male mc was described as dark. That’s it. Just dark.
There’s a sentence where the author writes that he blends in with the shadows and even his tattoos are almost invisible. What a weird way to describe skin color and tone…
Why is one character’s skin the only description and the other ones just freckles? Let’s please stop making it seem the default that every character is white.

4. The “plot twist”
Okay so obviously I was confused by it and shocked but looking back it absolutely made no sense. I feel like the author created 100 different perspectives on purpose just so the reveal would be shocking and it felt not very well thought out but just thrown in there.

5. Mulan retelling.
I saw someone saying this was inspired by Milan but that’s just a lie. There’s like no similarities except for the fact that he’s the son of a commander.
I mean come on don’t compare Milan to this girl that is “so not like other girls and could never do any of these girly things and being girly is just so stupid”.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to just come right out and be a complete fangirl – this book has one of the sexiest (yet not graphic) scenes EVER written for YA (or…for any genre, for that matter). Fiery Sage and soldier Ash have some serious leap-off-the-page blazing chemistry (which is often attempted in books, and rarely achieved). Author Beaty is able to pull this off, I think, because these characters are so well-drawn and their dialogue is filled with crackling tension (fans of Pride & Prejudice will LOVE this book). But don’t read THE TRAITOR’S KISS just for the deliciously crafted romance. Read it for Sage’s independent, feisty spirit as she navigates the political maneuvering of her new life as a matchmaker’s apprentice, deftly works with soldiers stationed to guard young ladies about to be matched, and finds herself pulled into the dangerous world of military espionage. Sage is no shrinking violet, and I absolutely loved her for it – can’t wait for Book Two. (And as an aside, I do have to mention how much I enjoyed the Machiavellian matchmaker, Darnessa Rodelle. She's one of my favorite characters).

[BabyLunLun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buddy read with My Awesome Rant Buddy

I couldn't write a coherent review on this considering I have spaced out on this more than I can count. The writing is good and the story could be better but the pacing is TERRIBLE.

352 pages and Erin Beaty makes it feels like 1000 pages so good job on her part.

The world building is not good at all. I have many questions like What does the Concordium does? Why is it absolutely important for girls to be matchmake? And why does the dowry from the girls go to Duke A'miran??? Ermmmm perhaps its been there but I was too busy sleeping on this book.

I like main character Sage. She is clever and actually come up with some ideas to help Quinn the army solve their military dilemmas. I mean these are only the very few part of the story that I felt enjoyable. But sadly I feel like all those military operations being put on hold for all the stupid Ash and Quinn and Sage drama.

A lot of things are all telling instead of showing. I can't take out an example bcuz I rmb very little of this book. But there is too much of talking in there .

Beaty also try to pull a trick on the readers. For a while there are POVs of Quinn and Ash, but later it is revealed that Quinn is pretending to be Ash. It got me confused. If Quinn is pretending to be Ash then who is pretending to be Quinn? Also the characters have some spy or code names. Quinn is being referred to as Mouse/Alex/Quinn /Captain. Yes that trick is old and take me by surprise but it also has backfire and make me further lose interest.

Ok no more to talk about. This book is BORING, SLOW and super difficult to keep up

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was really not good.

[Jaime (Two Chicks on Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I'm so happy this is a series! And no there wasn't a cliffhanger I just need more of this world! I am in love with Sage, Alex, Ash, and all the amazing characters! I normally don't love fantasies that don't have magic but I loved this! The world building was amazing and like I said the characters were fantastic! Book 2 now please!!!

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly really enjoyable! Also, this isn’t a Mulan retelling?? I don’t know why it’s labeled as that and that’s what the whole controversy was surrounding this book (white washed mulan). My only problem was the way dark skinned people were described. It was extremely... unnecessary.

Full review to come. I loved Sage’s character, the political schemes and the romance. I enjoyed it all so much and I cannot wait to read book 2.

—————
I’ve heard from many reviewers that the only problem with this book is the way dark skinned characters are described as. :/ That annoys me, but people still say it’s a good book. I’m going to give this a try and see how it goes for me. The story sounds interesting, but I can’t and won’t ignore the whole race thing. :/

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack)]

Oh. So apparently this "Mulan retelling" is actually about white people? okay

--------- an update from four months later
Ignoring the whitewashing, it should also be noted that this book has been accused of using the dark skinned aggressor trope. since this review has somehow gotten popular - it's worth noting that villain-coding for black characters is a long-standing trope built off racism.

hey guys, newsflash: if you harass a reviewer, her one-sentence ten-likes prereview will get popular and this bullshit will happen! Nowhere did I rate this book one star or attack anyone for reading. So why, exactly, did this review get popular? Because a certain user chose to be racist - and yes, I do mean racist - and derogatory in the comments. This culminated in said user going through my twitter and harassing me and multiple friends about a completely unpolitical and irrelevant thread.

Four months after this review - reading “Oh. So apparently this "Mulan retelling" is actually about white people? okay” - blew up.

I don't give a crap about this book and you know what? Neither does anyone getting all butthurt over my one line prereview! But apparently, some people cared enough to drag out the drama.

Newsflash: people on the internet are people, not fucking drama vehicles. Go take a nap and let go of your bitterness. And your victim complex over how hard it is being white in America, because I swear, some of you have no concept of reality.

[Aneta Bak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Traitor's Kiss has a captivating story line, a fearless main character and enough action to keep you reading until the AM.

Yes, I know this book is getting a ton of backlash from many reviewers for offending POC (more about this later in my review). While I don't support this at all, taking colour out of the story, this book was actually really good. The main character is very relatable, and she's the type of independent and tough character that I absolutely love, the romance is ship-worthy and there is tons of action.

Sage Fowler is force to reckon with. She is the exact opposite of what a girl in her society should look and act like. She doesn't like make-up and acting like a helpless girl who needs the help of man. Sage would rather read books or spend time outdoors, she is not afraid to get down and dirty and work for her living. Sage is intelligent, sassy and caring to those who care about her. I absolutely loved her as a main character.

The romance in this story is great. The two main character are able to relate to one another, teach each other new things, and they just compliment each other so well. I was so happy that this book didn't have an insta-love romance, or a love-triangle. I found myself shipping the couple early on in the book and I still do. It was a very well written romance.

The antagonists of the story is where the author made a lot of big mistakes. The author chose to describe the antagonists as "dark" and "darker" which is already offensive enough, but she also went on to say things like "they faded into the shadows" and a lot of stereotyping when it comes to tattoos and such. I was really surprised by reading some of these lines in the story. I feel like the editing team going through this book during its first stages should have pointed it out and changed it. I'm just hoping that Erin has learned from her mistakes (since this is her first published book), and won't do this again in the future.

Overall, it was such an amazing book. I really recommend it, as long as you're able to put colour aside when you read this book. I know its not for anyone, and if you don't want to support the book/author for this reason I completely understand, I just ask you not to rate the book (especially on goodreads) without reading it first.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Originally posted in my blog!

Gah. I was over the moon after receiving an arc because I have heard such phenomenal reviews of this book. All 5 stars on Goodreads and a lot of big bloggers I look up to raved about it, so I thought it must be amazing! Oh boy was I in for a surprise. I honestly don’t even know where to begin. The first half of the book dragged on for waaaaay too long in my opinion and pulled a Kiss of Deception move that made me have to reread some chapters to understand what was happening.
First, we meet Sage Farrow, an orphan living with her Aunt, Uncle, and their kids. Within the first chapter, we are told that she is exceptionally smart and has a sharp temper that makes her stand out among all the other prim and proper girls of her age. A matchmaker takes Sage in as an apprentice to help form matches. *sigh* Here is where I took stars off.

Every single girl who was mentioned throughout this book, but one, was criticized in such a derogatory manner. The overwhelming girl-on-girl hate is really upsetting in my opinion. Clare was the only girl among the group that wasn’t branded as slutty and spoiled, but Sage didn’t even like her in the first half of the story. She constantly reasons that Clare is only being nice because she had ulterior motives to take advantage of her. Plus, Clare is such a minor character and has no effect over the plot or anything in the book at all. Throughout the story, it is emphasized that Sage is so special and not like all the others girls. This kind of description have gone on far too long, when will it ever end?! The “main character is smart, witty, unlike all the other girls that are mentioned in the story. Who are all described as being catty and guy-crazy.” Like no, do not put down all the other girls just to make your main character look good. Do not make her a special snowflake. Just, gah.

Exhibit A:

“Well, what do you think?” asked the Matchmaker.

Sage leaned back and made a face. “I don’t like her. She is spoiled, rude, and overbearing.”

…

Darnessa rolled her eyes. “I can count the number of girls you’ve liked on one hand. She’s a Concordium candidate-of course she’s a spoiled brat. Have you learned nothing?”

Exhibit B:

Maybe that’s the reason for the showy cleavage. When she can’t keep up, she can use the hill scenery to keep suitors hypnotized.

During the journey to the capital, Sage and the girls are accompanied by soldiers for security. Here, she meets a handsome young soldier named Ash Carter, the romantic interest. Sage, on the hunt for more information about the soldiers so she can make matches, is instantly seen as a threat and spy to Captain Quinn after he notices the numerous questions she asks about them. Here is where we learn more about the political conflict. The Kimisar are Demora’s rivals, from a bordering country. Every time they appear, the Kimisar are described as dark. Characters of color should not just be written as dark repeatedly. After voicing this on twitter, a fellow friend linked me to a guide on how to describe People of Color, and it’s really helpful! Check it out!

Exhibit A:

The man nodded once from under his hood but said nothing. Kimisar were even darker than Demorans from Aristel, and this close he almost faded into the shadows. Swirling tattoos on his exposed forearms added to the shapeless effect.

Exhibit B:

Ash drew his brows together. He had the darker skin of an Aristelan as well as the nearly black hair. She’d never be able to match his color even if she stayed outdoors all summer, contrary to her aunt’s endless lectures on ruining her complexion.

When buddy reading with Aila from One Way Or An Author, we talked about how yet again, the enemies, Kimisar, resemble the ones from other disappointing novels. Aila then shared a link with me that I would like to share with you guys about the dark skinned aggressor trope that is seen often in problematic books like The Continent and more.



Anywho, the action and plot finally started to pick up near the end but by then, I was pretty much done with this book and was about to just DNF it. It was such a crazy ride and the plot was really confusing in the middle but it ended up okay. I’m a sucker for romance so I do have to admit there were a few swoony scenes sprinkled about but overall, I am crestfallen with how this anticipated book turned out.

Thank you to Macmillian for the ARC!

[mith · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't have a review before but i did have a one line, err, reaction? i suppose to the book, that i have deleted. i've also gotten rid of my star rating.

this update, however, is because of something new that opened up my eyes to the book. i'm disappointed in myself for not having picked it up while reading and i'm so, so sorry for that. i hadn't realised the author had use the dark-skinned aggressor trope and i know that it's extremely harmful to many readers, and again, i want to apologise for not being able to pick it up sooner and warning you guys about it.

you can find more about this over on angies review here!

Edit: i recommend following @bookavid over on twitter because she keeps the community, amongst others, up to date with problematic books. here's her small thread on this book that i recommend reading.

for those who were interested because of my initial reaction of the book, i am so sorry for misleading you and strongly urge you to read angie's review and acknowledge the mistakes with this book.

[Patry Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseña completa -> https://thewordsofbooks.blogspot.com/...

*AVISO* No es fantasía, no se porque lo venden como que si

Estoy entre 4,5 y 4,75 porque realmente me ha gustado muchísimo. Con unos personajes muy bien definidos, con carácter y que saben lo que quieren, valientes y decididos. Me ha gustado sobre todo la ambientación y la historia de amor, de esas que van poco a poco <3

[My_Strange_Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

25% DNF. Too many cliché tropes and too little time to care about them. I only picked this book up because I have owned it for years and never read it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Now I'm just sad that I own it.

[~Bellegirl91~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MULAN RETELLING. I REPEAT, NOT A MULAN RETELLING. Besides, China wasn't the ONLY time and place they did matchmaking, so yeah. but still worth the read.

and one last thing: this was TRULY worth staying up past 3am and finishing it along with the audiobook on overdrive and agh! I WANT MORE! and now I have a book hangover.... but on the bright side... 3 books finished in less than a week of each other!! shock!!


ONTO THE REVIEW:

oh my heart! so this wasn't like AMAZING or OH MY GOSH, but it was fun enough and got me fangirling. And if you saw one of my updates about totally missing a hint of a plot twist and finding out the truth about a certain someone and giving the same reaction as the one particular character that found out the truth... *head banging* I feel stupid! But hey, we all do it at times right? haha. I sure did back in Mockingjay when I read Coin's death but was so engrossed in that moment at the time and thought it was Snow until she said something about Coin a few pages later, I was confused, went back, and felt dumb. haha. so not my first time, and DEFINITELY won't be my last.

but overall, GREAT story! It was fun, characters were great, I laughed once in awhile and wanted to cry at a certain moment towards the end, I fangirled (which is a VERY VERY good sign for me if I'm doing that in a book which means I'm either loving it or really enjoying it).... I'm just glad I don't have to wait as long for The Traitor's Ruin however. but after reading that story line.... AAAAAAHHHHH!!!! I NEED IT NOW OR I'M GOING TO GO INSANE!! And I LOVE Alex and Sage! They're too adorable and the perfect ship!

If you want a fun adventure YA story that gets you questioning and lots of lovable characters, and a great plot twists that get you grinning and asking yourself "what did I just read" or "WHAT THE HECK!?" moments, a story that will also tear you apart and also get you rooting for a good OTP/Ship... you'll like this book. totally worth reading.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

New best series. Forget the Mortal Instruments and Twilight. This book is seriously sexy and badass.

[Rachel (APCB Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Traitor's Kiss was easily one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. Pitched as Jane Austen with an espionage twist, this book delivers just that and more. Fans of Jane Austen and "The Kiss of Deception" by Mary E. Pearson will likely enjoy this book too!

I'd like to start by addressing the fact that this book's early stages of branding were rocky... Comparing this book to Mulan in a pitch is a bold statement to make. Especially when this book is decidedly very different from Mulan. I see some vague similarities (the idea of matchmaking and the protagonist deemed unsuitable) but I'd say that's where the similarities end. I did get much more of a Jane Austen feel from this story, the idea of pride and prejudices and all that jazz. As a fan of Austen I'm a sucker for these tales...

Now overall I really enjoyed this book. Sadly it's one of those books where I can't coherently and cohesively explain why I loved it so much. I just did! This book has plenty of deception and spying which I really liked. The stakes are so high throughout, and I couldn't help but speed through the pages to find out what happened next. If I'm not mistaken Erin Beaty has a military background and that definitely was seen in the novel by the military tactical strategies.

Sage, the main character, has Lia's stubbornness and spirit (MC from The Kiss of Deception) paired with Kestrel's analytic abilities and sharp mind (MC from The Winner's Curse). I'll admit she has plenty of prejudices though. Sage assumes many things and judges people at times, as a matchmaker she makes observations on all that she sees but that part of her personality still bugged me at times. I do love her fierce loyalty to her country and her mission though.

Speaking of country, the world building was severely lacking. I felt I was in the middle of the most mundane kingdom ever. Actually this book could've been a historical piece for all the details it gave. I hope that in the next books Erin explores the world a bit more by fleshing out the history, introducing the culture, and overall just expanding on everything. This book was clearly character-driven above all else, but I would like these mistakes to be remedied in the future. Also a map would be nice! *coughs @ Macmillan* Also just me being nitpicky, a character calls someone a SOB in this book and refers to measurements like inch and feet and that just felt off. In a fantasy setting I feel like those modern elements wouldn't be included.

I really loved the characters in this book, especially the soldiers we got to know. I don't want to give too much away, but I really liked the ensemble and I hope to see them more in the next books! My one qualm is that this book isn't as diverse as I'd hoped it would be. Some characters have darker complexions, but besides that I don't see much in that way. On to the romance, once again I don't want to give anything away but it is adorable and slowly developed and basically the cutest.

The pacing was leisurely yet spread replete with crumbs along the way. There are many revelations in this book, and Erin did a great job blowing my mind on multiple occasions. This book has more strategy and espionage and a budding romance in its focus than action. There's more suspense and buildup and scheming which I liked, but others might tire from that. Erin's writing was great, and I loved the style of dialogue she swept into her tale. The alternating points of view really rounded out the story too and worked well.

Overall I really enjoyed this book despite its flaws, and I will definitely read the next book!

[Nassy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review

4.5

ooh, I enjoyed this.

I can see the comparison to Mulan but it's mostly different. The only part of Mulan that reminded me of this was the whole "please bring honor to us all" with the matchmaker.

I enjoyed the plot especially since the main character wasn't a warrior like your typical YA books, but instead, it was her intelligence that made powerful. She was able to figure important things out before anyone else. This book focused on how matchmaking can be used as tools of war. By joining families through marriage, you can get powerful allies. Our MC, Sage, is an assistant to a highly regarded matchmaker, and her task was to note down everything about the people to be matched so she can make the right choice for them. With the help of some guards, she escorts the girls to an important event (can't remember the name) where there is a matching ceremony (i think) but not everyone wants the girls to arrive at the proper destination.

Another thing i enjoyed was a plot-twist I didn't see coming! YA books usually are predictable in their plot twists but this caught me by surprised and had me rethinking everything i previously read.

I'm pretty sure i had more points but i read this over a week ago and I can't recall all the details lol

(I'm not entirely sure why this is called Traitor's kiss)

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really found the characters in this book so amusing. This is an adorable book that has a good amount of adventure and romance. It was actually humorous to read because so many of the characters are lying and deceiving yet the basically quickly give themselves away or admit to their deceit. Until one big unrevealing in which you will be like whoa! It was a fun read and I am excited to continue this series.

[alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will not be reading this book because Erin has made it clear she does not care about POC.

WHITE MULAN RETELLING? I'd rather be dead.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty
Book One of the Traitor's trilogy
Publisher: Imprint (Macmillan)
Publication Date: May 9, 2017
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

An obstinate girl who will not be married.
A soldier desperate to prove himself.
A kingdom on the brink of war.

With a sharp tongue and an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they’d call a lady―which is perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be married off for political alliances. She spies on the girls―and on the soldiers escorting them.

As the girls' military escort senses a political uprising, Sage is recruited by a handsome soldier to infiltrate the enemy ranks. The more she discovers as a spy, the less certain she becomes about whom to trust―and Sage becomes caught in a dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.

What I Liked:

This is probably going to end up ending the most mixed of mixed reviews of all time. I feel both extremes of the spectrum, with this book. On the one hand, there were parts of the story that I really enjoyed. On the other hand, there were parts of the story and the book in general that I abhorred. I recognize some problematic content, but mostly it was the boring quality of the writing and storytelling that dragged my enjoyment - and the rating - straight down.

Sage Fowler was taken in by her uncle, a nobleman, at a young age. Now sixteen, she is not marriageable, and she becomes apprenticed to a matchmaker. Sage detests matchmaking, but Mistress Rodelle - Darnessa - is extremely astute and a master manipulator when it comes to making matches. Sage learns how to be crafty and astute from Darnessa - more than she already was. Sage isn't working for Darnessa for very long before she, Darnessa, and a bevy of eligible noble ladies begin the journey to nation's capital for a large event to see the noblewomen married. Escorting them are highly trained young soldiers, led by Captain Alexander Quinn. Alex has a secret undercover mission to accomplish while escorting the ladies, one that Sage must not know about. But he decides to recruit Sage when he realizes how clever and observant she is. Navigating the web of deceit and scheming that surrounds them proves critical, because they uncover a plot that is on its way to toppling the kingdom.

This book is written in third-person, limited to several POVs. There is Sage's, and Alex's, and several others', though Sage's and Alex's are the most important. The chapters do not alter between characters. I personally really enjoy third-person narratives (most of the time), so this worked for me. Especially with all of the deceit going on (on both Sage and Alex's part, to the world and to each other).

Speaking of deceit, it was cleverly done, by Beaty - this very particular thing that she did that I won't talk about more specifically. She had me fooled for a little, but I figured it out long before the major hints were dropped. Mostly it was hope, and not quite "figuring it out". You'd have to read the book to see what I mean!

I had a hard time caring about Sage (and I'll take about her in the next section), but I did like Alex a lot. Alex is the first son of the General, and he is already a captain, at twenty-one years old. He is young but very mature, intelligent, clever, and selfless. He commands the attention and respect of everyone who meets and knows him, and with good reason. He kind of reminds me of Brigan (from Kristin Cashore's Fire, a.k.a. my favorite book of all time). He's quiet, alert, calculating, and perceptive, and he is brave and selfless and always concerned about protecting and accounting for everyone else. Alex is a good man and a good person, and I am in awe of all of the clever planning and scheming he did throughout this book.

The politics and the scheming were a lot to handle at times, so I commend Beaty on doing a fairly decent job of packing so much of it into a YA book. To be honest, I'm going to complain about how boring this book was in the next section, and that boredom is partly due to the amount of political "stuff" the author has going on (maybe too much). But on the other hand, it was cool that she went so far with everything political.

What else... I guess I liked the romance. No love triangle, and the romance is kind of neat, if you think about it (I won't say too much). I liked how little drama there was - especially since there was potential for A LOT of drama towards the end of the book. Again, no love triangle, and probably no love triangle in the future, though I don't want to speak too quickly. This latest crop of YA debut authors reaaaaaally seem to like introducing love triangles in book two.

The book ends very well, though one could argue that most book ones of a trilogy end really well. It's a good ending, and I liked it! In general, I liked the story, though it's not super original. Once I got past the first one hundred pages or so (maybe one hundred and fifty), I got a little more invested in the story and I wanted to know more. But I also had issues with the book - see below.

What I Did Not Like:

Ohhhhh boy. This might take a while. Or it might not. It's 2:30 AM and this review should have been posted two and a half hours ago, so, this section might be brief in comparison to how much I really want to discuss.

The beginning of this book was incredibly boring. Friends, I usually muscle through anything. I power through boring like nobody's business. Slow start? No problem! I will keep reading because I believe in you and your book and I want to give it a fair shot. Slow starts are the worst (or one of the worst) but they almost never deter me. But, friends. I almost stopped reading this book, after about one hundred pages.

Most of you know me well by now - I don't stopped reading. I don't DNF. I always finish books I start. And yet, I was so close to setting this one aside (and arguably never coming back to it, because who has the time for that). The first one hundred pages are so incredibly boring! My goodness, they are the reason why I am writing this review so late! I didn't care for Sage, or her tragic backstory (which doesn't really add up to me, by the way), or her pity-party in which she doesn't want to get married or be forced to do blah blah blah. I also didn't really care about whatever scouting mission Alex was on, because it was a real snoozefest.

Things started to look up when Alex and his soldiers begin escorting the caravan of ladies to the Concordium in the capital, to hopefully become brides of lords and nobles. Then things start to get a little more interesting - though still boring. I think I was fully invested when they reach a duke's home, because that is when action actually starts to happen.

Is this a slow-burn type of story? Maybe? But it took way too long to get to any type of "good stuff", especially for a YA fantasy novel. Sure, Sage is supposed to be some great intellectual, and Alex is supposed to be a very clever soldier, so you'd expect a lot of mind games and internal action happening. But there was too much thinking and politics and it was incredibly boring.

Keep in mind, I usually love the intellectual mind games and the politics. But in this book? Snooze.

Also, the fact that this book is a YA high fantasy baffled me a little, mostly because I had a hard time grasping the world-building. I could barely keep track of the names of the countries, let alone figure out who was an enemy country and who wasn't. The author did a poor job of conveying the world to readers. I don't even know what nation Alex is from and is serving! Demora? I don't think it's Kimisara because I'm 80% sure Kimisara is the enemy country. Maybe? See!

The author also had me a little lost when it came to the skin tones and physical descriptions. I think she was trying to be purposefully vague AND make sure we knew that she had some diversity going on, in her book. But I was just so confused. So is Alex some sort of golden/tanned-skinned guy? Mixed heritage? Sage is pale? The enemies are "dark"-skinned? It bothered me how often the author used the same word to describe skin tone (dark, dark, dark), though I suppose there isn't anything flagrant about the word.

I didn't really like Sage - well, I liked her sometimes, and other times I didn't. I didn't like her at all, in the beginning. She is incredibly stuck up! She grew up with poor parents who let her run around in the forest and become one with nature (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea), so when her uncle of genteel birthing takes her in with his wife and small children, Sage is not amenable to the domestic lifestyle and refuses to get married. What's more, she really looks down on the ladies that are sent to the matchmaker to get married. Who are you to judge young ladies who want a matchmaker to help them secure their future? Who are you to judge whether they are frivolous or shallow because they like gorgeous dresses and looking pretty? Sage is such a snob! Look, I have nothing against girls who don't like what are known as typically "girly" things (dresses, hair, giggling about boys, whatever), but I also have nothing against girls who DO like those things. Sage could be a little less judgmental? Read: a lot less.

But she sort of grew on me, as the story went on. She is so nosy and way too intrusive for her own good, but I don't deny that she is smart and occasionally capable, and realistic in many cases. Like, she knows she isn't suddenly an expert in defending herself after having one lesson in fighting.

Originally, this book was pitched as a Mulan retelling. Now I think they're pitching it as some sort of Jane Austen inspired novel. In any case, the Mulan retelling aspect is garbage, and I don't know why the author and publisher were selling this one as that. Helllooooooooo, whitewashing! And I'm really not understanding the Jane Austen pitch (and yes, I've read enough Jane Austen to know).

Tl;dr - the book was boring and not just in the beginning, though mostly in the beginning. There are problematic aspects, there are annoying aspects, and I didn't always like the female protagonist. And I was confused about the world-building.

Would I Recommend It:

I'm going to go ahead and say no, I don't recommend this book. Who even knows what kind of mess the author will make, in book two? There was NO HINT of love triangle in this book, but I'm pretty much going to just brace myself for the introduction of some mysterious hot prince or something, who will fall in love with Sage (and of course she'll return those feelings even though she has found her one and only, in this book). This book wasn't impressive, it wasn't a big hit like I expected, and it's a trilogy written by a debut author. Yeah, I don't recommend it.

Rating:

2.5 stars. I think I'll round up to 3 stars because there were aspects of this book that I really liked (Alex, the romance, the general story, the amount of insane deception going on). But it really wasn't anything special, and there were enough problems to irritate me. I might read the rest of the series? I might not? I think I need to see the synopsis of book two to make that decision.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty entertaining and fast read, especially due to the short chapters, undemanding writing and easy to get into plotline. Although it's definitely not the most diverse or feminist book out there, it didn't have any glaring problems to it either. It was just slightly standerd-ish fun YA story, nothing more for me, nothing less.

I did like the characters for the most part, but I wasn't really connected them. They just seemed slightly run of the mill to me. And the romance was likeable enough, but also quite avarage. I may start liking them more later on in the series tho. Sage's character especially had a lot of promise. Other then that, Sage had one female friend, but largely did ignore the rest of the ladies traveling with her, which... considering her earlier job, was slightly weird and a miss for me. Although, she did not actally avoid them because they were girls, but because 1. they were ladies of way higher statues 2. Because she's never had a friend before and she was used to people being friendly with her only when they wanted something from her, so of couse she was weary. What I thought was a missed opportunity, though, was the fact that her relationship with all of them except for one did not deepen or got more friendly by the end either.

I have to say I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second, I also expected to get into the psychology and intricacy of the matchmaker business more, but in the end the plot ended up focusing largely on other things instead.

It mainly focused on: the spying aspect, politics and on the soldiers. Which does make sense I guess as the author, I'm pretty sure, was in the navy. This military-ish, tactical aspect to the story - how logical the charcter's tactics were, how detailed the attention to the war for territory was, the machinations of all the characters - ended up being really interesting to me. As well as the overall history of the world.

The writing is very easy to read. The book is told in multiple POVs, which definitely surprised me, as I expected to read only from Sage's POV coming into this book.

As for the 'plot-twist', it wasn't really a twist in the first place... because.. was it even supposed to be? The reveal of the love interestes actually being Captain Quinn instead of Ash.. Like maybe if Ash's character was as important as Quinn at the beginning, if he had POV of his own at the start, and then the POV would dissapear and become Quinn's identity, then maybe.. But his chapters started just later on, when Quinn took his identity, so duh. It was way too obvious. It's like this book tried to be The Kiss of Deception and just... didn't pull it off.
Also, one precious side character, Alex's kid brother Charlie, was killed off needlessly, serving as a simple plot device. His death was unecessary and made me relly mad. Because, of all the characters, and of what he had to do to survive the battle at the end, he was just killed off? It was just such a plot device to further Quinn/Alex's character and I was not here for it.
And what happened with the maid, who had exacly one POV?

All in all, I will definitely give a try to the sequel and see if the story improves some not-so-polished things. Otherwise: enteratining YA read, not really a high fantasy per se as it has no such element to it. Some spying, a bit of matchmaking business, very romance centered and overall fast, undemanding read.


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So I know there's been some controversy surrounding this book last year, because the publishers or whoever (dumbly) pitched this book as a Mullan retelling to get people more interested (what a dumb idea), even though this has white, non-poc female protagonist. As a result, of course people were rightly angry.
But I don't think the author intended for this book to be a retelling of any kind when she wrote it and I want to give the story a fair chance to know if this book is, to me, any good or not on its own merit.

[Sana⁷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The MC: the not like other girls type (every other girl, except Sage and Clare, are portrayed as mean and hollow); can do everything the plot needs; somehow smarter and cleverer than any military officer; incredibly hypocritical (acknowledges that, but did similar thing in the next page) and overall unlikeable.

The love interest: as interesting as a pile of wood; I have no idea why Sage fell for him (except for the plot said so). P.S. remember when in one of my updates I wrote that I don't understand why are the guys, especially the main one, referred by his last name? It had a reason - because we needed Sage to call him by his name after she found out his real identity. After that he's called in by his first name only.

The romance: totally uninteresting; I didn't know why they had fallen for each other and, honestly, I found myself not caring at all.

The antagonist: the type that plotted and killed people and hated the son, because the son's father had taken a woman he liked from him. Wow.

The worldbuilding: basically non-existent; most of the time I had no idea where am I (and there was a map attached)

The relationships: exist, but you will not feel A THING

The writing: totally anticlimactic (when a certain character dies, the two MC's cry for a bit and the plot just moves on, because, you know, the romance is the most important thing).


No wonder that I didn't remember a thing from this book, when I first read it in 2017. It's not only incredibly forgettable, but also incredibly boring. I barely made it to the end! You can say that it's not the book's fault, that I'm the problem - normally I would agree, but not this time. There is absolutely nothing original in The Traitor's Kiss. It's incredibly simple and incredibly predictable. It's supposed to be a great choice for The Selection fans - you can love of hate that series, but The Traitor's Kiss is totally bland in comparison. I do not recommend.

[Anya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me explain why I'm giving this a very hard pass:

The original Mulan story was so much more than just a girl going off to war to save her country and her father. It was about filial and fraternal piety too, because Mulan had a younger brother at home she wanted to protect. If he went off to war, it was very likely that family line would end with her father. So she went to bat for her family and saved her country. She didn't have a love interest the whole time and she was a kickass strategist and fighter whose cleverness saved her troops and won the war. When she returned back to the country, the emperor offered her untold riches for her valiance. She turned it down so she could go back home and be a regular girl again.

A whitewashed retelling of Mulan slaps my culture and the story of Mulan in the face. When you take such a revered figure from Chinese history and use it for your own purposes of telling a 'diverse' story, you're no better than the people who casted ScarJo in Ghost in the Shell or Matt Damon as the white saviour in The Great Wall. (FFS the Chinese saved themselves for thousands of years long before the West forced open China's borders.)

So shame on you, Erin Beaty, for using a beloved figure from Chinese history for your own purposes, and shame on your agent and your publisher too. Stop stealing from my roots and my history for your 'story'.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even know what happened. The first 40% of this novel was amazing... Click for full review.

[Giselle · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I could give .5 stars I would round it up to 2.5/5. The very big reason? The slow as molasses beginning. I got halfway and decided to stop. Skimmed the rest of the book to find out what happened. I was also weary of how boring the plot was. I could care less about Sage trying to be a spy because I didn't feel the need for her to be one. Maybe because I didn't feel the danger they were in. And the word building is too short. Told in dialogue, I lost interest immediately. And even though the matchmaking part was like MULAN, this character didn't become a spy to save her father. Sorry this book is nothing like Disney's incredible girl empowerment movie, Mulan.

The main character Sage had a lot of anger issues and I was tired of how condescending she felt towards everyone, even her family. She hates it when people are condescending to her, but then she turns around and does it to others. I found her rudeness to be rather unlikeable. There was also girl on girl hate for no reason whatsoever. Sage being arrogant, hating on the other girls who like makeup and dresses. She also complains a lot. It was very hard to sympathize with her when I didn't really like her character to begin with.

For someone who doesn't want a man to marry to help her, she sure thinks differently?

"She began to wonder if she should find a man who might like her enough to protect her—should the worst come to pass."

Then there's the mini love interest twist. It's quite predictable so I wasn't surprised. And the viewpoints with the villain felt like interruptions instead. I grow weary of all the dialogue and wanted more of a "showing" instead of a "telling."

There was also a quote that mentioned some character being so dark he was hidden in the shadows. I don't know about you, but I had to read that part several times to make sure I read it correctly. That line needs to be stricken from the final copy. It's not right to describe someone's skin colour like that.

Overall, I think it's fair to skip this one if you're looking for a fantasy adventure, because there wasn't much of one. Pick it up if you like swoon-worthy slow-burn romances though!

RATING 2/5