Lauren
If someone told me that I would pick up a Veronica Roth novella in 2024 and love it, I wouldn’t have believed it. I most certainly would not have believed it if someone told me I was going to excitedly fall into a new duology written by her. This is no shade to Roth, but even at its height, I didn’t love Divergent (though I was still a fan). Roth is evidence that it is important to give author’s second chances.
Focusing now on Seek the Traitor’s Son, I was admit it was not perfect. However, I had fun with it (as much fun as you can have with this sort of story). It felt nostalgic (and boy am I glad it is a true dystopia with a subplot of romance…well, more than a subplot but it certainly is not the main plot). I had not expected to have more POVs outside of the MFC and MMC, but I’m so glad for it because the added POV did bring something to the story.
The most notable strength of this story are the characters. Even the unlikable ones and the ones that made choices I did not agree with, they felt real and I could clearly see their motivations. I know I praised Roth’s growth, but if you like some of her typical plot points, they will be found here (I.e. a tormented man dealing with trauma & a strong FMC overcoming personal and societal hurtles)
Although this book certainly can be classified as sci-fi, don’t let that intimidate you if you’re not typically a sci-fi reader. It is low sci-fi. Yes, there are ships and such, but you don’t need to follow any hard science.
**I was also pleasantly surprised with the bi representation**
All that to be said, it isn’t a five star because I was waiting for more from the world. This is a duology, so I’m fully expecting to get what I was looking for in book two. We were given bits and pieces of world building and some hints as to what is to come, so I am hopeful book 2 will be that five star. The other reason I have not rated it higher is because of the romance. I actually really loved both the MMC and FMC, but the romance seemed to develop very quickly. I understand there are oaths and prophecies at play, but it doesn’t seem like those things would force feelings to catch particularly quickly, so I would have liked a few more scenes to really see them falling for each other.
If someone told me that I would pick up a Veronica Roth novella in 2024 and love it, I wouldn’t have believed it. I most certainly would not have believed it if someone told me I was going to excitedly fall into a new duology written by her. This is no shade to Roth, but even at its height, I didn’t love Divergent (though I was still a fan). Roth is evidence that it is important to give author’s second chances.
Focusing now on Seek the Traitor’s Son, I was admit it was not perfect. However, I had fun with it (as much fun as you can have with this sort of story). It felt nostalgic (and boy am I glad it is a true dystopia with a subplot of romance…well, more than a subplot but it certainly is not the main plot). I had not expected to have more POVs outside of the MFC and MMC, but I’m so glad for it because the added POV did bring something to the story.
The most notable strength of this story are the characters. Even the unlikable ones and the ones that made choices I did not agree with, they felt real and I could clearly see their motivations. I know I praised Roth’s growth, but if you like some of her typical plot points, they will be found here (I.e. a tormented man dealing with trauma & a strong FMC overcoming personal and societal hurtles)
Although this book certainly can be classified as sci-fi, don’t let that intimidate you if you’re not typically a sci-fi reader. It is low sci-fi. Yes, there are ships and such, but you don’t need to follow any hard science.
**I was also pleasantly surprised with the bi representation**
All that to be said, it isn’t a five star because I was waiting for more from the world. This is a duology, so I’m fully expecting to get what I was looking for in book two. We were given bits and pieces of world building and some hints as to what is to come, so I am hopeful book 2 will be that five star. The other reason I have not rated it higher is because of the romance. I actually really loved both the MMC and FMC, but the romance seemed to develop very quickly. I understand there are oaths and prophecies at play, but it doesn’t seem like those things would force feelings to catch particularly quickly, so I would have liked a few more scenes to really see them falling for each other.