Traitor of Redwinter: The Redwinter Chronicles Book Two

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One of the reasons that I like this series is the world-building. It’s interesting, and I like how McDonald explores it through his story. In Traitor of Redwinter, we get more world-building and lore. The world and its history are fascinating. McDonald opens this book with a dream sequence in which Raine and the Raven Queen are watching the Riven Queen. I’m now fascinated with these historical Queens. Daughter of Redwinter was a huge surprise for me on every level – it wasn’t a book I expected to be for me, but I fell head over heels for it, not least because of how much I identified with Raine, the main character. But the magically-induced emotional numbing Raine experienced for most of Daughter was ‘healed’ – kinda-sorta-mostly – at the end of that book, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Traitor. Would I still care about Raine? Would I even like her? How would her ability to experience the full range of emotions again affect her relationships with her new family – to say nothing of her two love interests? Daughter ended with Raine and the mysterious Queen of Feathers being pretty pissed at each other – what ramifications was that going to have? The first thing I will say is a massive THANKYOU to the author who added a ‘previously on’ style recap that refreshed book one in my mind when it came to reading book 2. Such a great idea and I wish more authors did it. However, the final quarter of the book when everything comes together is just phenomenal and I couldn’t put the book down. I also love the fact that the story ended at a pause point rather than a cliff hanger.

It's so immersive and, because I'm literally inside their heads as the story unfolds, I'm privy to their most private thoughts and emotions as things progress. I might not agree with decisions they make, which could be foolish or even idiotic, but I understand and accept those choices, even support them because I understand how they came to those decisions. I've been interested to learn more about the magic and history with the main character. I also really appreciate the title of this book, it isn't clear for a long time who it refers to. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The thing about both of books in this series is that despite the fact they go dark places they feel like a comfy blanket I can wrap around myself because I genuinely get lost in this story and characters without feeling beaten to the ground. There is a nice balance between serious and grave scenes and scenes of just Raine and her friends being young and everything that comes with that: emotional, fun and stupid, moody, self-absorbed and sweet. Sanvaunt continued to shine as an exceptional supporting character, just as he did in the first book. The same can be said for Esher and Liara, who added depth and richness to the story. While I had reservations about Ovitus in Daughter of Redwinter, my dislike for him deepened exponentially in Traitor of Redwinter, leaving me with an intense loathing for his character. lol! I am itching to into details but alas spoilers…. The development of the relationship between Esher and Raine was both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, filled with tender moments that touched my soul. Similarly, the dynamic between Sanvaunt and Raine evoked bittersweet emotions, tugging at my heartstrings.Ed McDonald continues to cement himself as one of the best fantasy writers out there with every new book that he publishes. TRAITOR OF REDWINTER is yet another shining example of this as the second book in the Redwinter Chronicles expands on this amazing story and elevates it in so many astonishing ways. Seeing Robin Hobb's blurb on the front cover of this book is quite fitting and I can see why she would want to attach her name to this series. It has all of the hallmarks of her style of brilliant storytelling which is in itself very character-based and thoughtful with unforgettable moments of sheer magical brilliance. I don’t know that I’ve thought about being happy in a long while. Like it’s something that skipped away from me and got forgotten.' I can tell you this: a lot has changed between the two books. Daughter and Traitor are very different in a whole bunch of ways. For the first like 40% of the book, I feel like we've mainly been in the main character's head and while it was tiring and a bit anxiety inducing, I've realized that the reason I didn't love it might be because of the fact that I've been in a similar headspace a lot of times and it's always debilitating. I believe that art has the power to heal; that it can be a coping mechanism. It can also be a tool to work through our issues. I like to think that’s what is happening here. Sanvaunt and Liara are attempting to create, to put something into the world as a balance to the thing they took from it. Granted, addition and creation will never balance with loss. But creation allows that attempt.

Grandmaster Robilar was an interesting character in the first book. McDonald gave a good teaser about her, and in this book, readers get to know more about her. I loved it. She is, of course, powerful, knowledgeable, and cunning. When reading, I did the feeling that she was so much more capable than Raine. There is definitely a reason she’s the grandmaster. Her addition to the book was great. Amidst the multifaceted plot, McDonald introduces a compelling array of political machinations, fueling a sense of foreboding and treachery that permeates the story. Raine's struggles are compounded by the conflicting allegiances and the shadowy motives of those around her, culminating in a series of unexpected twists and revelations that heighten the intensity. Ovitus is the worst and I continue to despise him.And this is where I have to talk about Raine. She is a challenging, flawed character, one who goes the route of rash decisions and auto-destructive behavior as we follow her journey. And I understand not everyone enjoys reading that, but McDonald managed to make me invested in her story quite successfully. She's complicated, she's messy and all that fits her age without making it her singular characteristic. Her romance drama got in front of more serious things several times in the book and I caught myself shaking my head because she can't deal with it at all which is funny considering she is ready to do more dangerous things, like assassinating or using Sarathi magic. But her instincts are on point and you actually can believe what drives her to help Ulovar because author made an effort to show us that her Redwinter family are worth fighting for: her friends are great, Sanvaunt is just dreamy, Erish is lovely, Castus is the best and all I can say is that I get her. I totally get her. :)

There's no shortage of examples of "men writing women badly" (and women writing men badly) in fiction in general and, in speculative fiction in particular. So, I was amazed by how well Ed McDonald wrote Raine in Daughter of Redwinter. It was a book that I literally could not put down not only because of the great protagonist, Raine, but also because of her "found family" and the great action. I also loved learning about the magical world of the Draoihn (mages) and the terrifying power they can wield.I'm happy I've read it and I'll continue the series, hopefully the rest of it won't break my brain that much. 😅 Traitor of Redwinter is the second in Ed McDonald’s Redwinter Chronicles, 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 one thing I could do without is the will they/won’t they of the love interests and potential love triangle (if not more) that takes up a lot of the story. Raine is definitely a self saboteur when it comes to her relationships but I just found that Sanvaunt has been fleshed out a lot more than his love rival.