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Beloved Traitor
TBD re-release coming soon
492 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 11, 2020
When the Queen is killed, it sets the stage for three princesses to begin their journeys. Each of which have their own passion that fuels them onward. Will that be enough to save their kingdom or will they fall beside it?
Filled with plenty of twists that show that good and evil is not so black and white. Characters that I thought to be heroes were anything but.
As I went deeper into the story, I fell in love with the depth of the character arcs and the emotion that they showed to one another throughout the journey. The shifting POV makes it easy to appreciate and get inside the heads of nearly every character along the way which made the book even more immersive.
The magic and worldbuilding was well-done. Plenty of magic and prophecy. A fantastic high fantasy voyage into a new world.
Filled with plenty of twists that show that good and evil is not so black and white. Characters that I thought to be heroes were anything but.
As I went deeper into the story, I fell in love with the depth of the character arcs and the emotion that they showed to one another throughout the journey. The shifting POV makes it easy to appreciate and get inside the heads of nearly every character along the way which made the book even more immersive.
The magic and worldbuilding was well-done. Plenty of magic and prophecy. A fantastic high fantasy voyage into a new world.
April 15, 2020
BELOVED TRAITOR is the first book of the Fragile Fate trilogy, a work of sword and sorcery in the vein of Game of Thrones. It takes place in kingdoms with little racial variation and a common religion. The main characters are nobles, rulers, and powerful men.
Wyborn of the Guild Taufr in the north is the now the only mage king. The other mages serve as religious figures—stjarna—dedicated to the spiritual health of their regions. Each kingdom has a high stjarna in charge of the other mages. The stjarna are celibate and hear confessions like priests. They do not hold property or armies, and they are expected to use their magical powers only for the good of their kingdoms (primarily the nobility). The high stjarna are served by a few light keepers, mages who have no clearly defined role in their religion.
Light keeper Brandt Taufr (the book’s male protagonist) serves Jerrik, the high stjarna of Guild Aldrnari and is in love with (and betrothed to) Princess Frikka (the book’s female protagonist), also of Guild Aldrnari. But love means nothing to anyone but the lovers, so they are used as pawns because every character in the novel is involved in one of many secret plots.
In addition to the stjarna and light keepers is a group of wandering commoners known as travelers who seem ordinary but apparently have secret powers.
The high stjarna read the stars, which tell the future, not only what will be but what should be, yet together the high stjarna plot to shape a future of their own liking in harmony with the skies. They want to re-establish Guild Vindr and consolidate their power under the foretold future king who will unite the kingdoms. In support of this goal (and to a lesser extent in resistance to it) many foul deeds are committed, destroying the lives of the characters.
The novel is an interesting study in how the single-minded allegiance to a supposedly lofty goal can ruin everyone if legal, moral, and ethical considerations are ignored in pursuit of it. Since there are a lot of characters and schemes, BELOVED TRAITOR is a complicated work, but it is long, and the situations develop slowly so the reader can follow the twisting plots with interest until the climax when there is a battle with a body count worthy of HAMLET.
The characters are well developed, and their actions follow smoothly from their predilections and traits in response to the machinations of other characters according to the mores and traditions of their society. Making the right choice is difficult in a society where being good is not easy, clear, or particularly rewarding (while being evil is easy, clear, and immediately rewarding). Still, characters do their best. They change and develop as the book unfolds.
At best a reader will be enthralled by these sympathetic characters and entertained by their attempts to achieve a higher goal in an evil world. At worst readers may become tired of the many characters and the plodding labyrinthine plot.
This book has a feminist subtext which will appeal to the modern reader who is concerned about human rights over patriarchal fidelity or financial gain.
Since the future is ruled by the skies in this world, trying to exercise power over other people is futile unless it is done for the immediate benefit of everyone concerned. Few characters share this outlook. They allow themselves to be guided only temporarily along the right path although that path is clear if heart and mind and skies are consulted. It is interesting how characters with reliable guidance fare no better than real people in our own world who pursue positive values rather than power, revenge, or financial gain.
Many times the events in this book surprised me. Other times they did not. I liked this book a lot.
Wyborn of the Guild Taufr in the north is the now the only mage king. The other mages serve as religious figures—stjarna—dedicated to the spiritual health of their regions. Each kingdom has a high stjarna in charge of the other mages. The stjarna are celibate and hear confessions like priests. They do not hold property or armies, and they are expected to use their magical powers only for the good of their kingdoms (primarily the nobility). The high stjarna are served by a few light keepers, mages who have no clearly defined role in their religion.
Light keeper Brandt Taufr (the book’s male protagonist) serves Jerrik, the high stjarna of Guild Aldrnari and is in love with (and betrothed to) Princess Frikka (the book’s female protagonist), also of Guild Aldrnari. But love means nothing to anyone but the lovers, so they are used as pawns because every character in the novel is involved in one of many secret plots.
In addition to the stjarna and light keepers is a group of wandering commoners known as travelers who seem ordinary but apparently have secret powers.
The high stjarna read the stars, which tell the future, not only what will be but what should be, yet together the high stjarna plot to shape a future of their own liking in harmony with the skies. They want to re-establish Guild Vindr and consolidate their power under the foretold future king who will unite the kingdoms. In support of this goal (and to a lesser extent in resistance to it) many foul deeds are committed, destroying the lives of the characters.
The novel is an interesting study in how the single-minded allegiance to a supposedly lofty goal can ruin everyone if legal, moral, and ethical considerations are ignored in pursuit of it. Since there are a lot of characters and schemes, BELOVED TRAITOR is a complicated work, but it is long, and the situations develop slowly so the reader can follow the twisting plots with interest until the climax when there is a battle with a body count worthy of HAMLET.
The characters are well developed, and their actions follow smoothly from their predilections and traits in response to the machinations of other characters according to the mores and traditions of their society. Making the right choice is difficult in a society where being good is not easy, clear, or particularly rewarding (while being evil is easy, clear, and immediately rewarding). Still, characters do their best. They change and develop as the book unfolds.
At best a reader will be enthralled by these sympathetic characters and entertained by their attempts to achieve a higher goal in an evil world. At worst readers may become tired of the many characters and the plodding labyrinthine plot.
This book has a feminist subtext which will appeal to the modern reader who is concerned about human rights over patriarchal fidelity or financial gain.
Since the future is ruled by the skies in this world, trying to exercise power over other people is futile unless it is done for the immediate benefit of everyone concerned. Few characters share this outlook. They allow themselves to be guided only temporarily along the right path although that path is clear if heart and mind and skies are consulted. It is interesting how characters with reliable guidance fare no better than real people in our own world who pursue positive values rather than power, revenge, or financial gain.
Many times the events in this book surprised me. Other times they did not. I liked this book a lot.
August 3, 2020
This is an emotionally heavy novel. A parade of tense dramatic moments, seasoned with nuggets of moving wisdom.
"All I want is someone to love me the way my momma did."
"It is what we all want."
And:
"We all have it in us to be monsters or to be kind. It comes down to the choices we make in the moments that count."
Magic is a significant part of the story. Though on the whole it's an amorphous force with undefined rules, there were some particularly interesting facets. I adored the concept of an illness that can only be recovered from by hearing the voice of someone you love.
There's a large host of characters, who are varied and move in surprising directions. Brandt, for example, ended up somewhere between a flawed hero and a highly nuanced villain. I never knew quite who to root for, but I was nonetheless fascinated by their interactions.
Sadly, the book is a tad underpolished in my opinion. In the craft of world building, there's a delicate balance between too much detail and not enough. This book was far to the light end of the scale. The text was almost total dialogue, with no exposition, and little attention paid to setting.
Rules and relationships are not well explained. The vital information is there, if you pay attention: who is related to who, which character belongs to which guild. But I recommend you make a chart if you plan to make sense of it. It's not reinforced well by the story. I often had to backtrack to alleviate confusion. The book's clarity was not aided by an overuse of pronouns. The author would often go five pages without naming the characters who were speaking.
That said, there was still a lot to love in this book. A lot of tender little moments, a lot of shocking ones, and a backdrop of political and social struggle. The ending clearly sets up for another installment, but it also gave adequate closure, which I appreciated, since it's tricky to do both well.
"All I want is someone to love me the way my momma did."
"It is what we all want."
And:
"We all have it in us to be monsters or to be kind. It comes down to the choices we make in the moments that count."
Magic is a significant part of the story. Though on the whole it's an amorphous force with undefined rules, there were some particularly interesting facets. I adored the concept of an illness that can only be recovered from by hearing the voice of someone you love.
There's a large host of characters, who are varied and move in surprising directions. Brandt, for example, ended up somewhere between a flawed hero and a highly nuanced villain. I never knew quite who to root for, but I was nonetheless fascinated by their interactions.
Sadly, the book is a tad underpolished in my opinion. In the craft of world building, there's a delicate balance between too much detail and not enough. This book was far to the light end of the scale. The text was almost total dialogue, with no exposition, and little attention paid to setting.
Rules and relationships are not well explained. The vital information is there, if you pay attention: who is related to who, which character belongs to which guild. But I recommend you make a chart if you plan to make sense of it. It's not reinforced well by the story. I often had to backtrack to alleviate confusion. The book's clarity was not aided by an overuse of pronouns. The author would often go five pages without naming the characters who were speaking.
That said, there was still a lot to love in this book. A lot of tender little moments, a lot of shocking ones, and a backdrop of political and social struggle. The ending clearly sets up for another installment, but it also gave adequate closure, which I appreciated, since it's tricky to do both well.
September 28, 2019
This was an excellent high fantasy book that I fell into easily. It reminded me a bit of GRR Martin with the world building and various side plots going on. It deals with a lot of issues you don't see a lot of in high fantasy, like women knowing they don't have a voice and plotting with other women to get it instead of tearing them down. Sure, there was some tearing down, but then they rose each other back up.
I was sad to see the book end and I'll be interested to see where the trilogy goes
I was sad to see the book end and I'll be interested to see where the trilogy goes
April 2, 2020
Fascinating clash of guilds and clans
Ruthless Brandt is the second son of the slain king Rolf of Guild Taufr, a northern region of true mages. His mother Sylvi is the sister of the prophet Jerrik, senior most StJarna. StJarna are the lords that advise, rule and counsel all the lands. Brandt was handed to the barbarian King Magnar of the south once his father was slain.
Under Jerrik's guidance, he kills King Magnar's second wife, who had treated him like his own mother. Her innocent daughter Frikka loves him
and would do anything for him but he plans to betray her. Its all for Guild Taufr. Jerrik's loyalties lie with his sister Sylvi.
No-one knows who killed the queen. Its deception at play. After Jerrik advises the king, King Magnar Aldrnari marries Alethea, Brandt's sister. His elder
brother Wyborn, has descended into the depths. In the south, Frikka has lost the only one who truly loved her. Alethea views
her as her enemy. Jerrik hands her a magical necklace with the heart of the mountain which chooses her as the Queen of Vindr.
However, there is danger everywhere. None of the other kings and queens will let her survive with that knowledge.
Who can she truly trust and turn to? In a land where shadow stalkers hunt in the dark and flame stones light the way, the answer
may lie in a distant mountain. On the other hand, Rania, Frikka's step-sister, daughter of King Magnar's first slain queen, has a gloomy fate herself.
Arranged by Jerrik to marry a Merchant King Vidar, she resents her walk of shame from King's cove. She would have Jerrik's blood on her hands
in an instant along with all the StJarna from Guild Taufr. The princesses have two paths ahead of them. One of vengeance and the other
of happiness. Which one will they choose? The story engulfs you within its tragic folds and leaves you yearning
for a turn of fortune for the female protagonists, Rania and Frikka. The book has flavours of Troy and 'Game of Thrones' and is quite a page turner.
Definitely read this one.
Ruthless Brandt is the second son of the slain king Rolf of Guild Taufr, a northern region of true mages. His mother Sylvi is the sister of the prophet Jerrik, senior most StJarna. StJarna are the lords that advise, rule and counsel all the lands. Brandt was handed to the barbarian King Magnar of the south once his father was slain.
Under Jerrik's guidance, he kills King Magnar's second wife, who had treated him like his own mother. Her innocent daughter Frikka loves him
and would do anything for him but he plans to betray her. Its all for Guild Taufr. Jerrik's loyalties lie with his sister Sylvi.
No-one knows who killed the queen. Its deception at play. After Jerrik advises the king, King Magnar Aldrnari marries Alethea, Brandt's sister. His elder
brother Wyborn, has descended into the depths. In the south, Frikka has lost the only one who truly loved her. Alethea views
her as her enemy. Jerrik hands her a magical necklace with the heart of the mountain which chooses her as the Queen of Vindr.
However, there is danger everywhere. None of the other kings and queens will let her survive with that knowledge.
Who can she truly trust and turn to? In a land where shadow stalkers hunt in the dark and flame stones light the way, the answer
may lie in a distant mountain. On the other hand, Rania, Frikka's step-sister, daughter of King Magnar's first slain queen, has a gloomy fate herself.
Arranged by Jerrik to marry a Merchant King Vidar, she resents her walk of shame from King's cove. She would have Jerrik's blood on her hands
in an instant along with all the StJarna from Guild Taufr. The princesses have two paths ahead of them. One of vengeance and the other
of happiness. Which one will they choose? The story engulfs you within its tragic folds and leaves you yearning
for a turn of fortune for the female protagonists, Rania and Frikka. The book has flavours of Troy and 'Game of Thrones' and is quite a page turner.
Definitely read this one.
June 6, 2020
A highly political fantasy where everyone is a pawn and nobody gets his or her way.
The high stjarna learns the future from the stars and what must be done to achieve his goal, and he will do anything and everything for that goal. People make wishes using wish beads that actually come true. They can walk through shadows. Loving someone can heal them. It's got some great worldbuilding and unique elements that I enjoyed.
Brandt and Frikka were a good couple that I was eager to get to each time, though Brandt was by no means a 'good' person, he was still understandable.
I didn't enjoy how the women were treated, especially in the opening, so it was hard for me to initially sink into the book, even though it was wonderfully crafted. There is a lot of backstabbing and brutality that left me anxious. But I think people who like books like Game of Thrones would really like the complexity and high stakes this book offers.
The high stjarna learns the future from the stars and what must be done to achieve his goal, and he will do anything and everything for that goal. People make wishes using wish beads that actually come true. They can walk through shadows. Loving someone can heal them. It's got some great worldbuilding and unique elements that I enjoyed.
Brandt and Frikka were a good couple that I was eager to get to each time, though Brandt was by no means a 'good' person, he was still understandable.
I didn't enjoy how the women were treated, especially in the opening, so it was hard for me to initially sink into the book, even though it was wonderfully crafted. There is a lot of backstabbing and brutality that left me anxious. But I think people who like books like Game of Thrones would really like the complexity and high stakes this book offers.
March 13, 2020
Ooh! I can’t wait for the second book in this series. I really enjoy stories with prophecy woven in and seeing how the author is able to bring it about. These characters meshed with the story perfectly and I am eager to see how events play out in the next book. I found this to be a powerful and exciting new series.
February 22, 2020
For the first quarter of this book, I shifted between intense hatred for most of the characters and love for those same people. That each chapter is told from a different character's POV helped to fuel the emotions I feel the author was going for. The growth of the characters throughout the book was fantastically depicted, with their individual motivations changing along with them. Heartbreak is around every corner with this one, the only promise that's given from the very start.
Prophecies are a little overplayed these days, so this one, so in depth and yet still vague enough to leave you guessing, is refreshing. No character is left out of it, and still the ending came as a bit of a surprise. Frikka was the only character I consistently loved, hoping for her safety and happiness above all else, until Rania managed to worm her way into my heart as well.
While I did love this book, it it not for the faint of heart. There are many parts that depict or allude to violence against women and children, reminiscent of monarchies of old. The world is very much a patriarchal place, with men much like Catholic priests claiming to uphold codes.
Prophecies are a little overplayed these days, so this one, so in depth and yet still vague enough to leave you guessing, is refreshing. No character is left out of it, and still the ending came as a bit of a surprise. Frikka was the only character I consistently loved, hoping for her safety and happiness above all else, until Rania managed to worm her way into my heart as well.
While I did love this book, it it not for the faint of heart. There are many parts that depict or allude to violence against women and children, reminiscent of monarchies of old. The world is very much a patriarchal place, with men much like Catholic priests claiming to uphold codes.
January 31, 2020
Schemes and betrayal a plenty
Beloved Traitor is for the Game of Thrones fan who wanted more magic but less battles. If this is you, rejoice! I have your next book. The court politics are stewed to perfection. There is some action, but far less than I would have preferred. The world has a genuine feel and MANY characters. The rest of my review will contain mild spoilers.
The Good.
Brandt and Frikka have a good dynamic. How he breaks her heart in chapter two was well played.
It was refreshing to see combat medics using magic, though this was also a bit annoying in later chapters.
I recently read a book and wanted to see magic addiction and withdrawal. This book gave me that!
Brandt and the other warrior mages! I always pick this class in RPG video games.
The deep politics and backstory can't be expressed enough.
Rania's reaction at the wedding fight was superb.
The author is very good with flow of consciousness. I felt like I was in a different head with each POV shift.
The final fight finally gave me the action I craved throughout the book.
I like how religion was developed. The nuances of wish beads stood out.
The Bad.
I needed more setup in the first chapter. It goes straight into an important mission. This book is dense. The casual reader will get lost straight away. You have to pay attention. This isn't your book if you want a cozy read.
Many characters have funky names. J is used so much I didn't know if it had a J sound, H sound, or I sound. Cattja became Cattia in my mind while Stjarna was always pronounced Stharna.
Passage of time threw me off. As I said, take notes and pay full attention to succeed with this story.
I'm not a fan of plot armor. I don't believe it exists in this book, but magic do overs do. Kill a person or give minor injuries. Don't imply death, take the shock value, then say "psyche" he's still alive. This happened with a few characters.
The Technical.
There is misogyny in this book.
There is violence.
Beloved Traitor is for the Game of Thrones fan who wanted more magic but less battles. If this is you, rejoice! I have your next book. The court politics are stewed to perfection. There is some action, but far less than I would have preferred. The world has a genuine feel and MANY characters. The rest of my review will contain mild spoilers.
The Good.
Brandt and Frikka have a good dynamic. How he breaks her heart in chapter two was well played.
It was refreshing to see combat medics using magic, though this was also a bit annoying in later chapters.
I recently read a book and wanted to see magic addiction and withdrawal. This book gave me that!
Brandt and the other warrior mages! I always pick this class in RPG video games.
The deep politics and backstory can't be expressed enough.
Rania's reaction at the wedding fight was superb.
The author is very good with flow of consciousness. I felt like I was in a different head with each POV shift.
The final fight finally gave me the action I craved throughout the book.
I like how religion was developed. The nuances of wish beads stood out.
The Bad.
I needed more setup in the first chapter. It goes straight into an important mission. This book is dense. The casual reader will get lost straight away. You have to pay attention. This isn't your book if you want a cozy read.
Many characters have funky names. J is used so much I didn't know if it had a J sound, H sound, or I sound. Cattja became Cattia in my mind while Stjarna was always pronounced Stharna.
Passage of time threw me off. As I said, take notes and pay full attention to succeed with this story.
I'm not a fan of plot armor. I don't believe it exists in this book, but magic do overs do. Kill a person or give minor injuries. Don't imply death, take the shock value, then say "psyche" he's still alive. This happened with a few characters.
The Technical.
There is misogyny in this book.
There is violence.
February 10, 2020
Actual rating 3.5
Beloved Traitor has solid prose, decent world-building, and some good character design, with Brandt's struggle to be 'better' being particularly enjoyable. It balances its darker tone with a few sparse elements of hope but is ultimately a book where not all the events can end happily.
It's very slow to start, having to balance multiple pov characters, character-motivations, plot-points, and world-building. All told, it took about fifty-percent of the book for the narrative to really begin in a way I could grasp. Yes, there was always a general objective, but it wasn't the main characters', who spent most of this time in want of a true objective. Yes, they all wanted something or other, but it didn't reflect any unifying or personal narrative. As a result, it took the book a while to really grasp my interest.
Beloved Traitor has solid prose, decent world-building, and some good character design, with Brandt's struggle to be 'better' being particularly enjoyable. It balances its darker tone with a few sparse elements of hope but is ultimately a book where not all the events can end happily.
It's very slow to start, having to balance multiple pov characters, character-motivations, plot-points, and world-building. All told, it took about fifty-percent of the book for the narrative to really begin in a way I could grasp. Yes, there was always a general objective, but it wasn't the main characters', who spent most of this time in want of a true objective. Yes, they all wanted something or other, but it didn't reflect any unifying or personal narrative. As a result, it took the book a while to really grasp my interest.
August 22, 2019
I was given a review copy of this fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This new story is set within lands of magic, where mages rule with an iron fist and women have no voice...the latter being one of the issues that are only just beginning to be addressed (though, as in reality, it will cause many battles, and maybe the war will never be won). It is a satisfyingly long and complex tale.
Themes such as power, corruption, sexism, chauvinism, elitism, love, hate, ignorance, fear and arrogance are just a few of the intriguing ingredients that make for a compelling read.
The cast of characters is vast and it takes a while to remember who is who and what they mean to the story - one with many levels of plot and meaning - excellent!
The writing style is fast-paced, although there is much to learn and enjoy...the details are very well done so that the sense of place feels amazingly real.
Yes, I loved it and want more.
Highly recommended.
This new story is set within lands of magic, where mages rule with an iron fist and women have no voice...the latter being one of the issues that are only just beginning to be addressed (though, as in reality, it will cause many battles, and maybe the war will never be won). It is a satisfyingly long and complex tale.
Themes such as power, corruption, sexism, chauvinism, elitism, love, hate, ignorance, fear and arrogance are just a few of the intriguing ingredients that make for a compelling read.
The cast of characters is vast and it takes a while to remember who is who and what they mean to the story - one with many levels of plot and meaning - excellent!
The writing style is fast-paced, although there is much to learn and enjoy...the details are very well done so that the sense of place feels amazingly real.
Yes, I loved it and want more.
Highly recommended.
September 10, 2019
In a realm where magic and mages are all powerful and submission is forced onto those assumed to be weak, an intriguingly complex array of characters spin out a tale that is wholly relatable to our present reality. With a Viking-Norse flair and a driven pace, I found myself reading longer than I planned to each time I picked up the book simply because I was so captivated. I couldn’t put it down. I kept saying ‘just one more chapter….’
This epic fantasy not only set the ground work for its sequel, which I’m eagerly anticipating, but took its time, delivering deliciously satisfying world-building and introducing a marvelous collection of fascinating characters I learned to both love and hate. I hope the author doesn’t keep us waiting too long for book 2!
This epic fantasy not only set the ground work for its sequel, which I’m eagerly anticipating, but took its time, delivering deliciously satisfying world-building and introducing a marvelous collection of fascinating characters I learned to both love and hate. I hope the author doesn’t keep us waiting too long for book 2!
August 13, 2019
This story starts with the introduction of intriguing characters who tried to convince me they were the heroes, only to find out the heroes could be villains and villains become heroes. The twists and turns along the way left me wanting more. Even at the end, it's not really the end. I want Brandt and Frikka to be together like I assumed they would be from the very beginning. I want Rania and Dalkr to find the purpose Dalkr promised, not the foreboding I was left with. I guess I'll have to read the next book! Please be quick!
August 14, 2019
A wonderful and original story
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it promises to be an exciting trilogy. There's plenty of characters and moving parts to this tale that will keep you engrossed and enthralled. It has all the elements of a high fantasy and so much more, and I dare to compare it to A Song of Ice and Fire in certain ways. There's plenty plotting and deception going on with each character, as well as action, drama and mystery that will keep you turning the pages and before you know it, it's time to greedily by the next installment. I highly recommend this one!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it promises to be an exciting trilogy. There's plenty of characters and moving parts to this tale that will keep you engrossed and enthralled. It has all the elements of a high fantasy and so much more, and I dare to compare it to A Song of Ice and Fire in certain ways. There's plenty plotting and deception going on with each character, as well as action, drama and mystery that will keep you turning the pages and before you know it, it's time to greedily by the next installment. I highly recommend this one!
August 19, 2019
This is a great start to a new epic fantasy - Kings, Queens, Warriors, and magic. What sets it apart from others is in how good vs evil is portrayed-- the lines blurred between which side is which. The magic is an interesting addition to the worldbuilding that kept me fully engaged as did the baby! I need the next book!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews