The Betrayals
By Bridget Collins
Blurb
Léo was once a student at Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, where students learn an arcane and mysterious game. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning.
Claire is the first woman to serve as Montverre’s Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses a connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before.
As secrets whisper in the walls and the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, will Léo discover the truth about Claire – and will that truth destroy them both?
Our Review
I loved The Binding but I have to admit I struggled to get into The Betrayals initially but once I did all I can say is wow! The writing was beautiful, the plot was very clever and well thought out.
I spent the majority of the first half of the book trying to figure out what the Grand Jeu was and arguing with myself whether I should give up on it or not. I am pleased I persevered because what followed was an incredible book. Many nights I stayed up later than I should have because I wanted to know how it ended.
The Betrayals was one of those books where the central characters are completely abhorrent. They are not designed for the reader to like them. Somehow this didn’t matter though because dislike is better than indifference.
In some ways The Betrayals reminded me of 1984, in particular when ‘The Party’ was mentioned. The way you can’t be totally sure you trust any of the characters and also the shadowy motivations of all the characters. Who is willing to betray one another? Is any of the romance real?
I can’t explain how much I both loved and hated this book during the course of reading it. However, in the end I am firmly in the ‘loved it’ category.
The Betrayals was well constructed and immersive, and the quality of writing is superb.
“The empty benches wait. If ever the hall was ready for the first move of a grand jeu, it’s now: midnight, silence, this geometry of light. Someone else would know how to play, how to begin.”
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 79 Times.
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