Blurb:

After people from across the sea take control the Midlands, the Reach launches a war to retake their home. Treachery and intrigue lead to questioned honor and loyalty, as leaders sell out friends and brothers in a personal bid for power.

Praise for The Traitors We Are:

“Wow. What a great study it well-laid intrigue.” —Andrew D Meredith, author of the Kallattian Saga and Needle and Leaf series

“Especially with an epic story like this, debuts often don’t manage to pull off all the politics and plots satisfyingly, but Traitors We Are decidedly managed to hit those nails right on the head!”

—Julia Sarene, SPFBO Judge

“Traitors starts after an epic battle, and it keeps going without taking a breath. It pulls you into a dark world filled with turmoil, plots, and exciting action scenes. It keeps the reader guessing, constantly wondering what will come next in the turmoil of the world that the author has beautifully created.”

—Jord Reads, Middle of Nowhere

“Traitors will most certainly be in that conversation I have with myself every December about what my favorite book of the year was.”

—David’s Best Reads

“Take notes, y’all. This is how you do court intrigue and political scheming in a fresh new light.”

—Joseph John Lee, author of the Spellbinders and Gunslingers series

“Mr. Roberti’s action sequences are page-turning and well done, with detail and emotion…”

—Matthew Zorich, author of The Bastards of Liberty

“The Traitors We Are is a phenomenally well crafted adventure in a unique setting…”

—Reed Logan Westgate, author of the Baku Trilogy and Soulstealer Trilogy

Review:

Vague Spoilers: There are traitors, and we are them. A few layers of magic in this one, the most notable is the fact that on death, written words leave with the deceased, a really interesting concept especially when you start to think about legacy and what it means for the world as a whole.

From chapter one, I decided that Michael Roberti could write. At times, his prose is simple, but it always felt intentional, allowing for more beautiful sentences and wordplay to shine through. Where The Traitors We Are shined brightest for me was the characters.

Each POV of the main cast felt unique in the way they thought, acted, and saw the world. The plot seemed straightforward and while I expected most of the book to be about the war, when it took a left turn, I was happy with the direction it went.

If I had a single complaint, it would be that some of our characters felt like they had very little agency, but that was by intention and by the book’s resolution, I was left satisfied with how they all reacted to that revelation.

The epilogue segment was a highlight that hinted at larger things to come. Overall, The Traitors We Are was an enjoyable read, with great character work, interesting world-building, and magic that posed more questions than answers. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the First Law Trilogy for the political machinations in it and the brutal combat within.

4.5 traitors out of 5.