BOOK REVIEW | TRAITOR OF REDWINTER | ED McDONALD

Here we are with a new release. Today, it is the new release by Ed McDonald, Traitor of Redwinter, the second in the Redwinter Chronicles.

The second in Ed McDonald’s Chronicles of Redwinter, full of shady politics, militant monks, ancient powers... and a young woman navigating a world in which no one is quite what they seem.

The power of the Sixth Gate grows stronger within Raine each day—to control it, she needs lessons no living Draoihn can teach her. Her fledgling friendships are tested to breaking point as she tries to face what she has become, and her master Ulovar is struck by a mysterious sickness that slowly saps the vitality from his body, leaving Raine to face her growing darkness alone. There’s only one chance to turn the tide of power surging within her—to learn the secrets the Draoihn themselves purged from the world

The book can teach her. She doesn’t know where she found it, or when exactly, but its ever changing pages whisper power that has lain untouched for centuries.

As the king’s health fails and the north suffers in the grip of famine, rebellious lords hunger for the power of the Crown, backed by powers that would see the Crowns undone. Amidst this growing threat, Raine’s former friend Ovitus brings a powerful new alliance, raising his status and power of his own. He professes support for the heir to the throne even as others would see him take it for himself, and desperately craves Raine’s forgiveness—or her submission.

But the grandmaster has her own plans for Raine, and the deadly training she has been given has not been conducted carelessly. In Raine she seeks to craft a weapon to launch right into her enemy’s heart, as Redwinter seeks to hold onto power.

Amidst threats old and new, Raine must learn the secrets promised by the book, magic promised by a queen with a crown of feathers. A queen to whom Raine has promised more than she can afford to give…

Traitor of Redwinter by Ed McDonald is the second instalment in the Redwinter Chronicles. 

This time we follow more adventures with Raine, the Sarathi in training as she gets to grips with her powers, navigates the tricky relationship landscape and hopefully getting to be a fully paid up member of the Draoihn. In the midst of this there’s some dodgy dealings, a bid for the crown and an old enemy to face.

I think that the theme for this book is definitely falling into the SNAFU range of being for Raine. 

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me and I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Mainly due to the fact that I enjoyed the first book so much.

It’s not that it’s a bad book per se, it’s just that I didn’t get along with it at all, and for the first two thirds of the book it felt like I was wading through treacle trying to read it. I just lost all interest in it and there were more than quite a few times that I was contemplating not actually finishing the book. 

I found that I had absolutely no interest in the relationship difficulties that the main characters were going through, and to be honest I was getting a bit sick of all that stuff, constantly praying that it would just move on. Throughout that first two thirds of the book found myself fatigued by the constant to - ing and fro - ing between the two main love interests. It drove me nuts! In addition to that, the emotional wranglings of the main character and the musing about how she wasn’t worth the ministrations of the love interests made me want to throw the book at the wall, and when I finally got to the final third of the book I was glad that something actually happened. 

Now don’t get me wrong. This is not a bad book. Ed McDonald is a fantastic writer, and I have seen that others have loved this book, and there were aspects of the book that I enjoyed. His world building is great and the addition of more of the mythology surrounding the magic users of the world was enjoyable. I loved all the fantastical aspects of the book and how the final act played out, but I am not sure it was worth all the constant diversions of the first two acts.

I know that I am in the minority here and loads of people have lapped up this book, but it wasn’t for me, and this may be the point where I tap out of the series. Sorry! But there you go, not every book is for everyone!