REVIEW: The Traitor's Kingdom

The conclusion of Beaty's trilogy didn't blow me away the same as the previous two installments did, but it was still a great read. I won't give much of a summary, since that might spoil things in the earlier books, but I will say that the romantic tension between Alex and Sage is intense. Their constant separation makes their few interludes all the sweeter and more desperate.

The big conflict in this one surrounds a set of peace talks between Demora and Kimisara, in which an unknown traitor is trying to pull strings to their own ends. Political maneuvering takes center stage in this one, with the wide cast of characters coming together for a single final goal. Complete with a few red herrings, this one left me guessing until the end.

Though there are a few bursts of action throughout, I felt a little underwhelmed by this book. It didn't spiral up to as big of a finish as its predecessors. That being said, I don't honestly know how it could have been different. The final face-off between Sage and the traitor was well-done and satisfying. A number of smaller arcs were resolved neatly. I think a bit more time could have been invested in developing the secondary characters rather than reinforcing Sage's already-established internal conflicts. I would have liked to see more of Lani and Cass, in particular.

Despite these minor grumblings, Kingdom is still a strong finish to a fantastic trilogy, and I highly recommend these books to anyone who loves political intrigue and romance (PG-13) with a hearty splash of action.

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