NWil’s Reviews > The Traitor Baru Cormorant > Status Update

The real political machinations are now underfoot. Baru must show wit and skill in managing and outsmarting these dukes, especially the Midlanders, who really cannot be persuaded by virtue. I’m so impressed by their calculating minds. Again. The brilliance of the traitor’s qualm.

Fuck. Nayauru. Abeg. 😭

You can feel the book barreling toward its climax as the tensions change and the stakes increase. I’m quite anxious but I want to take my time and manage what is clearly gonna be a bloody climax.

In the final third, I think I’m leaning toward a 5* read. Even with some issues with pacing and emotive connection, Dickinson is such a great storyteller and has told a great story.

I really love the theory of the Traitor’s Qualm.

Because we’re in Baru’s POV, it’s easy to forget that the Empire is still made up of expert military tacticians. If Baru and company need the midlands to take treatymont but their company is too hungry and sick to be merciful to Nayauru’s people, they’ll lose on both ends and arrive weakened when facing them. This is an expert plan.

Small battle dem don do friendly fire, kill one of their own guys. Na wa.

“You have been given a permit of brotherhood, Baru Fisher, and you have no say in when they will revoke it, or why.”

She’s running up against the problem of misogyny. I’d like to see how Dickinson handles this.

“Aurdwynn would never rise to match Falcrest until the feudal nobility could be torn down.
It would be a better land if only it could be ruled sensibly.”

She wants to be emperor.

The March was successful though. They showed strength across the duchies and hope to the commoners. And then they march to treatymont.

The death of Muire Lo is Baru’s first emotional moment. Seeing her racked with grief at her hand in bringing about his death by keeping him in the dark about the plot is great emotional connection with this character. But it does seem to have driven her to madness. To march in winter for aggrandizement to the peoples. Tain Hu, clearly shallow, joined her. Then sickness started killing the men in the march. Sigh.