What do you think?
Rate this book
The Traitor
There are some things you can only learn in a storm.
Derethe is the daughter of a traitor. Exiled to the fringes of Sairasee, she is made to suffer a life of poverty and torment. With her twin at her side, the pair have survived a decade of solitude.
But when a mysterious foreign force sweeps along the border, Derethe is captured and enslaved. Taken across the sea, she arrives in a land from which no Sairan has ever returned—Varund. The Varundians are a frightening and cunning people who value glory, wealth, and power above all else.
Forced into a world of storms and sea serpents, she soon learns that the Varundians aren’t the only ones to fear. As latent powers awaken deep within Derethe, she faces new enemies with only a few friends at her side.
But Derethe has one goal. Her freedom.
If she’s going to survive and achieve liberation, Derethe will have to choose: her kin that banished her or the monsters that shackled her.
Derethe is the daughter of a traitor. Exiled to the fringes of Sairasee, she is made to suffer a life of poverty and torment. With her twin at her side, the pair have survived a decade of solitude.
But when a mysterious foreign force sweeps along the border, Derethe is captured and enslaved. Taken across the sea, she arrives in a land from which no Sairan has ever returned—Varund. The Varundians are a frightening and cunning people who value glory, wealth, and power above all else.
Forced into a world of storms and sea serpents, she soon learns that the Varundians aren’t the only ones to fear. As latent powers awaken deep within Derethe, she faces new enemies with only a few friends at her side.
But Derethe has one goal. Her freedom.
If she’s going to survive and achieve liberation, Derethe will have to choose: her kin that banished her or the monsters that shackled her.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
257 pages, Unknown Binding
Published August 5, 2018
16 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Marian Gray
5 books20 followersProfessional cat herder by day, mystical archivist by night, Marian Gray can often be found existing in multiple dimensions. Her days consist of 26 hours, two of which always seem to get misplaced, and she prefers tea over coffee for a daily leaf reading.
When she's not frightening the neighbors or placing herself on FBI watchlists due to her google searches, she spends her time deep in a book with a toddler gnawing on her ankle or battling the Dark Lord.
FULL LIST OF BOOKS
Series
When she's not frightening the neighbors or placing herself on FBI watchlists due to her google searches, she spends her time deep in a book with a toddler gnawing on her ankle or battling the Dark Lord.
FULL LIST OF BOOKS
Series
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 16, 2019
DNF @ 26%
Yeah, no. I'm just bored. Like, I kind of enjoy the story but it's so slow and boring that I kind of am not motivated to read it. I downloaded a bunch of other e-books instead so I had alternative reading material.
So yeah, not a favourable opinion of this at this point, but I still might get around to finishing it one day. I'd like to try, I just have way too many other good books to get through.
Yeah, no. I'm just bored. Like, I kind of enjoy the story but it's so slow and boring that I kind of am not motivated to read it. I downloaded a bunch of other e-books instead so I had alternative reading material.
So yeah, not a favourable opinion of this at this point, but I still might get around to finishing it one day. I'd like to try, I just have way too many other good books to get through.
May 16, 2018
I'm a big fan of Vikings TV series and while reading The Traitor, I kept thinking about all the similarities. Hopefully, Derethe will be able to hone her powers in the coming installment. I wanted to know more about her abilities.
March 27, 2019
I received this book for free through Voracious Readers Only.
Derethe is a twenty-five year old Sairan woman. She thinks being unmarried and forced to take care of her ailing mother is bad, until one day she is captured by Varundians and taken to their mysterious country as a slave.
In many ways life as a slave serving her rich owners, Hetla and Svotheim, is easier than her old life. She learns to navigate a foreign city, its foreign language and culture. She has decent clothing and shoes for a change.
But her fellow Sairan slaves are not as well off, and infighting within the group is vicious. Those who came from positions of power act like they are still in charge and they need her help to escape and go back home, but Derethe and the others face a death sentence back home because they are considered traitors.
In the midst of everything, Derethe also starts to gain mysterious magical powers.
The Traitor is a high fantasy novel that feels almost like a viking story. The Varundians are seafaring raiders who are after valuables and slaves from foreign lands. The story is very low on magic, and what magic there is doesn't play much of a role in the story, though I have a feeling it might later in the series.
I liked the world building, and it was very well done. There's two very different cultures and the reader discovers new things at the same time Derethe does. Though because of the slow pacing, Derethe sometimes seems slow on the uptake, which made it seem strange that other characters were continually calling her clever.
This is very obviously book 1 in a series and doesn't quite have a satisfying ending. It just stops with the promise of more to come.
A promising start to the Varundian series. For lovers of viking stories with a hint of romance.
Derethe is a twenty-five year old Sairan woman. She thinks being unmarried and forced to take care of her ailing mother is bad, until one day she is captured by Varundians and taken to their mysterious country as a slave.
In many ways life as a slave serving her rich owners, Hetla and Svotheim, is easier than her old life. She learns to navigate a foreign city, its foreign language and culture. She has decent clothing and shoes for a change.
But her fellow Sairan slaves are not as well off, and infighting within the group is vicious. Those who came from positions of power act like they are still in charge and they need her help to escape and go back home, but Derethe and the others face a death sentence back home because they are considered traitors.
In the midst of everything, Derethe also starts to gain mysterious magical powers.
The Traitor is a high fantasy novel that feels almost like a viking story. The Varundians are seafaring raiders who are after valuables and slaves from foreign lands. The story is very low on magic, and what magic there is doesn't play much of a role in the story, though I have a feeling it might later in the series.
I liked the world building, and it was very well done. There's two very different cultures and the reader discovers new things at the same time Derethe does. Though because of the slow pacing, Derethe sometimes seems slow on the uptake, which made it seem strange that other characters were continually calling her clever.
This is very obviously book 1 in a series and doesn't quite have a satisfying ending. It just stops with the promise of more to come.
A promising start to the Varundian series. For lovers of viking stories with a hint of romance.
May 24, 2018
Wonderful story professionally crafted in magical realism. The plight of a girl, who is labelled as a traitor's daughter is highlighted here. She fought against odd and won. Expecting more from the author.
August 7, 2019
Loved it. Storing female characters. Has a Vikings storyline. Some sexual content. Ended in a cliffhanger. Must find book two...need to know what's next. #voraciousreaders only.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews