Traitor of Redwinter: The Redwinter Chronicles Book Two

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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! Raine’s character development in this installment was truly remarkable. In contrast to her impulsive and impatient teenage self portrayed in Daughter of Redwinter, she exhibited a newfound maturity in Traitor of Redwinter. Taking the time to reflect and carefully consider the consequences of her actions, she became a more sensible and relatable character. However, her self-sabotaging tendencies, though present, added an additional layer of depth to her persona, making her all the more intriguing. Yes, she was overly cautious when it came to her romantic relationships but given her history of abusive and toxic past relationships, I actually sympathized with her in this regard. Understanding the challenges she had faced in the realm of relationships, it was natural for her to prioritize self-preservation and be hesitant to trust others easily.

Raine can see—and speak—to the dead, a gift that comes with a death sentence. All her life she has hidden, lied, and run to save her skin, and she’s made some spectacularly bad choices along the way. 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.

Speaking of Raine, she is the second piece that makes this book so good. Raine is the driving force of the narrative; sometimes it is her decisions and actions that pull it along, sometimes it is the actions of others. But even then things always revolve around Raine. She is the pawn being used but also sometimes the queen calling the shots and playing her own game of chess. And her journey is extremely emotional. I felt it constantly. I also like that she makes so many mistakes. As someone who also constantly makes mistakes, I can absolutely relate to her. Raine is so well-written, and that makes her story the highlight of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 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. 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. This book definitely has a more oppressive feel, even though Daughter of the Redwinter was already quite dark with emotions when it delivered that representation of depression, and did it well. Traitor has a different kind of gloominess to it. There is a representation of illness, of withering away that delivers emotion so well. The feeling of being caged up, of having no control... That's hard!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. Again, I don’t know if McDonald intended that or not. I could be reading way too deeply and putting my own thing on the text. I think that we will see great things coming in book 3 and from Ed McDonald in general in the future. A great fantasy read. Nevertheless, I felt like this expanded Raine’s understanding of herself and showed us her flaws as she struggles to be fair and good to others. A main character with flaws, yes!