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Book Reviewed by:An epic, romantic dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor's Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.
Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.
She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.
But then she's summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don't know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.
In just one day, Elegy's old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.
Elegy intends to make sure it's her.
1
"Wait." The Sword stops her before she can descend the steps.
Elegy stares at the hand on her shoulder. The Sword removes it.
"This place has been neutral ground for hundreds of years," the Sword says. "I need your assurance that you will tread lightly."
"'Tread lightly'?" Elegy repeats. "I'm unarmed. What do you think I'm going to do, throw a boot at them?"
They're about to meet their enemies, the Talusar, under a temporary ceasefire. But even if the ceasefire didn't compel Elegy to restrain herself, she's seen enough battlegrounds to know how foolish it is to engage with Talusar soldiers on foot. Especially when outnumbered—and the Talusar always outnumber them.
The Sword presses her already thin mouth into an even thinner line. "Six years in the army have made you rough around the edges, at best. But this is a delicate situation. So I want your word."
The door at the bottom of the steps opens, and warmth rushes into the Sparrow. Elegy tastes dust and salt on the air. Wind kisses ...
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Seek the Traitor's Son is the worldbuilding, which is an intriguing blend of science fiction and fantasy—there are Knights on horseback and magic and sword fights, but also spaceships and holograms and interactions with an alien planet... Seeing the world through both Elegy's and Theren's eyes allows the reader to understand both cultures, and sides of the war, without necessarily siding with either...continued
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(Reviewed by Jordan Lynch).
John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain
With Seek the Traitor's Son, Veronica Roth reaches for epic, and grabs it beautifully. Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
I fall headfirst into every world Veronica Roth creates and Seek the Traitor's Son is no exception―it's her most compelling work to date. The pace is gripping, the scale of storytelling is sweeping, and the romance between the two leads is an agonizing crescendo, from charged restraint to exquisite surrender. Veronica Roth knows exactly how to break your heart―and I, for one, will gladly let her do it.
Veronica Roth's latest novel, Seek the Traitor's Son, is a dystopian fantasy featuring extensive character development, a mysterious prophecy, and deep explorations of grief and guilt. Roth is an old hand at writing dystopian novels: she began drafting the dystopian YA novel Divergent in the early 2000s when she was a senior at Northwestern University. The debut was published in 2011, in the middle of the Hunger Games era of popular dystopian novels, and immediately landed on one of the New York Times bestseller lists; the book remained on one bestseller list or another for 47 weeks. By 2013, the Divergent trilogy had sold a combined 6.7 million copies, and a film adaptation of Divergent was released in 2014.
But the criticism of her ...
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