A Traitor at the Stone Court by Jordan Rivet
Fantasy. 330 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
As war rages with the dreaded Obsidian King, Mica Graydier and the disgraced Lord Caleb chase the bearer of a deadly secret across the Windfast Empire. When their quarry slips out of their grasp, they travel to the heart of enemy territory, where Mica must pull off the ultimate impersonation. But there’s more going on in the austere foreign kingdom than they realize—and anyone could be a traitor.
Can Mica complete her mission before the Obsidian King conquers her homeland? Or will the tyrant use the missing secret to destroy everyone she loves?
My Review:
Before I begin, let me just mention something I’ve forgotten to for my previous two reviews: Aren’t these covers gorgeous?! I love them! Not only are they beautiful, but they represent the story inside so very well! So, props to the cover artist for this trilogy! Love it!
We got to see the Obsidian land! Whoot! Okay, for setting, we yet again expanded. I think this author has a very strong grasp of setting. In each book, she’s not only expanded the readers’ sense of her world, but she’s done so very well. I enjoyed every new city and port and castle we encountered and each felt genuine and as real as the last. There was no sense of emptiness about her world, if that makes sense. It felt real and full, buoyant and round. Each place felt distinct and individual, even within the separate countries, they held a common enough thread to make it believable and distinguishable from the previous places we’d seen. She touched on cultural nuances a little–enough to make the lands feel like two separate lands–but we didn’t really get into a ton of cultural background, history, and traditions. I’m not necessarily upset about that, though. The primary focus felt in the now and in the future for these two countries. Setting was phenomenally written.
We saw both returning characters and a few new ones. I liked how some of the older ones tied in, one in specific whom I won’t name, pleased me, resurfacing in an unexpected and somewhat crucial role. To that end, there was also one character who resurfaced that almost felt forced. Like the character needed to tie in again to bring things full circle, but it didn’t really feel…authentic since the character has been absent almost since day one. Oh, there was one older character I did expect to see and I’m pleased to say his role definitely felt natural and enhanced the story. The returning characters, mainly our MCs, walked through a whole bout of trouble this go ’round. I need to address Jessamyn briefly, since she left me on such a disappointed note in the second book. This was the first time we were actually able to see things from her perspective and get an actual insight into her thoughts–due to the split nature of the plot and setting. I did actually enjoy glimpsing the situation from her perspective, and I thought her portrayal was very convincing throughout the book. It made her choices feel even more understandable than when we first began to unravel her. That said, she took a roller coaster of a ride (the whole book did, truly. It totally messed with my emotions!) and, though I am content with the way things turned out–happy even–I still felt her final turn was just…slightly abrupt. It’s not that it didn’t feel right or true to Jessamyn; it’s just that the…moment, for lack of a better word, was so sudden. Mica’s development felt more natural and consistent, though she did have a brief and rather sudden phase that was somewhat out of character. I mean, I see why it occurred and I’m not saying it wasn’t plausible, but again, the pacing was just a little off, which made it feel less genuine–though still more genuine that Jessamyn’s developments. All the buildup beforehand felt natural; it’s the resolution I felt was jipped. All that said, I still enjoyed the characters and they were mostly well-done. I actually really really liked Owen and wish we could have dived even deeper into his character. I feel like we only scratched the surface with him. Of course, shout out to my very favorite, Caleb. He steals the show for me!
Speaking of plot, this one held even less mystery, I think, than the second, but that doesn’t mean it was any less intriguing. This one employed higher stakes than the previous two and that tension, both among relationships (character and country alike) and in the face of the consequences of failure, kept the plot very enticing. I think I read through this one faster than the previous two because the plot had me hooked. I wanted to know how everything resolved. As for resolutions, there could have been just a little more resolution between some of the characters! I mean, some things were implied, others were even less implied, but either way, I did want just a little more solidity in that ending. With relationships, I mean; the actual plot ending, I was fine with. It turned out interesting, that’s for sure. I didn’t see the resolution before they presented it and I thought it was a creative way to bring things to a head.
The book is fairly well-written. I only caught one boo-boo and there was only one bit that was annoyingly repeated (or perhaps that was the last book?), but other than that, it’s of sound quality. As I’ve mentioned, I did have some pacing issues. The plot was mostly well paced, with a few minor threads ill-concluded. I think the author was just trying to make sure she tied everything together in a neat bow, and in the process forgot that not every thread was consistently developed and brought through all three books. The characters had some pacing issues in development, but they were mostly minor.
Content. Kay, this one was the most violent of the three, some of it mildly graphic, though not as bad as it could have been by far. The book does take place in a war, so there are casualties of that war. The romance wasn’t any more explicit than a kiss. There were two foul words, though one was relatively minor and the other one (used twice, I think–maybe three times) was used in such a way that it fit the context and setting, which is the only way I don’t take issue with such words personally. Still would recommend for about sixteen and up.
Look, it’s not the best trilogy in my reading history, but neither is it the worst. Truthfully, I very much enjoyed the book. There were a few drawbacks for me, and I don’t intend to reread the book a thousand times proclaiming it one of my very favorites. However, I’m glad I read it and would consider recommending it to friends I think would enjoy the story.
More:
The Empire of Talents Book 1 is The Spy in the Silver Palace (4 Stars)
Book 2 is An Impostor with a Crown (4 Stars)
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links and scroll down to learn more and see more reviews; mine is among them.
This trilogy must be read in order!
On GraceBought
If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the previous books below!