The Traitor by Anthony Ryan

Elloise Hopkins

Alwyn Scribe remains at Evadine’s side, his feelings for her burning brightly even as he battles to hide from her the truth of her survival. Loyal and steadfast to her cause, he must now help her to become Ascendant Queen and ensure peace. Her followers are growing in number, but there are still those who oppose everything she stands for. The fight is far from over.

If Alwyn and the Lady Courlain are to succeed, then one thing is absolutely clear: they will need to increase their forces. Alwyn will have to reach out to his former allies and gather as many warriors as he can, but will Lorine, now Duchess of the Shavine Marches, be willing to lend her warriors to Evadine’s cause? And who can Alwyn really trust when all is said and done?

The Traitor is the concluding part of Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel seriesand rounds off the trilogy with the same strength of narrative voice and depth of detail that we have come to expect from this author. The description is unwaveringly rich and immersive, and with an influx of new characters, Alwyn’s continuing journey is full of tension and twists.

The standouts in this novel are these new characters who come with their own dubious intentions and morals, adding colour and more than a few obstacles to Alwyn’s path. Much page time is spent exploring the Caerith as their role in the story unfolds. The mysteries of the Sack Witch and her people add another new dynamic, which raises the stakes as the trilogy reaches its end.

From the very start of this series, Alwyn has been an endearing, intelligent, captivating, and at times immensely frustrating protagonist, and by the end of the trilogy, his character – perfections and flaws alike – have their hooks firmly into the reader. We feel his every hesitation, his every heart-wrenching dilemma along with him, and he will remain one of the most powerful narrative voices of modern, epic fantasy. A fitting end to what has been a truly brilliant trilogy.