Traitor Born starts shortly after Secondborn ends. Roselle is now under the protection of the most powerful person in her world and the leader of Virtue, Fabian Bowie and seems like she is little more than a political pawn who can’t leave the elaborate palace where she resides indefinitely. She’s also dealing with a number of obstacles including her desire to protect her first born heir brother from her allies, avoiding the clutches of a tyrannical murderous mother, plots within plots, betrayals within betrayals, PTSD and multiple viable love interests (yay). Amy Bartol threw everything but the kitchen sink at us, it’s my favorite thing about her writing.

I really do like this series, there are certain reoccurring themes in Amy’s writing that I love and I loathe but Ms. Bartol is a great storyteller, what some of her stories lack in nuance they makes up for in the fervor of the narrative. This book is a 3 for me, at best 3.5 stars. It feels very transitional in a chaotic and almost unsatisfying way. I can tell Bartol is writing us toward book 3. I love multi-part series where each book could almost standalone within the larger narrative, but book 2’s are often hard when the writer and her publishers have sequels in queue. This would likely be less of an annoyance if book 3 was already available for immediate consumption.

Pros and Cons

Cons

-Making stupid decisions for the sake of "love", it happens to the best of us but in Traitor Born there are moments of dialogue or situations that create these minor plot inconsistencies for the sake of a romance.

-Book 2 feels a little rushed and transitional. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is an undertone of chaos to this book. There are a ton of moving parts and layers that could be better organized. More time is spent describing outfits or elaborate architecture than streamlining the intricacies of the story-line.

- I still feel that there is a foundational weakness in the way in which the Second Born series explains a society built on filial cruelty (cruelty toward one's own child) and prolicide (killing of one's offspring). There were some inconsistent commentary on this within Traitor Born.

-The dialogue was kitschy or roll your eyes sappy at times.

Pros

-Multiple love interests. I love a writer who is not afraid to give a protagonist options and allow her to explore them. Traitor Born gives Roselle the space to explore 3 enticing romantic relationships.

-Adding depth to the protagonist. Roselle is a strong lead. Her abilities and skills are hard earned. Book two exploits her strengths (combat, strategy, etc.), her weaknesses (familial ties, PTSD, etc.), and adds some much needed depth.

-Action packed with interesting subplots.

-Unexpected plot twists, the book is not predictable and I couldn’t put it down until I was done. (I finished by the next day)

I ended up liking the book, it’s good science fiction – escapist – new adult literature, however you probably won’t love it if you don’t like these types of books. You probably will enjoy if you liked Secondborn. Is there room for improvement… yes, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading Rebel Born (book 3).

Addendum:

I read a preview of book 3 Rebel Born... I'm excited! Looks like some of my cons will be thoroughly addressed.

I’m about have book withdrawals right now. I NEED to know what happens to Roselle, most importantly WHO does she choose?? This book continues right where the first left off and finished with another cliffhanger. It’s completely epic! Roselle is in such a political upheaval, which is the major plot. I’m all about her love interests: Hawthorne, Clifton, Reykin, and I think even the villain, Crow, seems really into Roselle as well.
I always automatically purchase Amy A. Bartol’s kindle books and Audible books, so this was simply an honor to be able to read Traitor Born in an advance copy from the publisher, 47North, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished Secondborn and immediately started this one, I loved the first book! And you never know how the second book in a series is going to be. Some series the first book rocks and the others suck. Other series how you feel about the second book depends on what happens in the third. Some are stand alone(ish), others can still be awesome.

Drum roll please....

This book is awesome as well!!

There is a love triangle introduced that I wasn't really sure about, but by the end of the book, I was rethinking everything. Lately some books that a turn at the end, normally when this happens, 75 to 90% through the book, you want to throw it all the wall and scream "Why?!?!?", this one makes you ponder and reanalyze the whole book. It is not a pleasant curve ball, but it is one that is possible and worthy of the book.
I can't wait for the next in the series, Rebel Born. I have already preordered it!!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow this was a fun sequel! This one picks up where we left off. And it was even better than the first book! Honestly, what I loved the most was the romance and there is a lot of action, violence, and plotting in this one.
I really wish book 3 was available...

Oh my gosh!!! Exciting, emotional and non-stop action. Seriously. I couldn’t put this down. I need to sit down and collect my brain after that ending. I mean, holy crap. Amy knows how to get my blood pumping.

Roselle is doing everything in her power to change the world around her. She’s surrounded by those who are supposed to be helping her but the more she’s involved, the more I realize that she’s utterly clueless. And then SHE doesn’t realize that until it’s too late.

No spoilers here, no worries. By the time I was at the ending, I had quite a few “Holy frak,” moments. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the rug was pulled out from under me. This girl can’t seem to catch a break. She wants to trust everyone but she really can’t. Everyone has an agenda. And if she’s not smart, she going to be taken out of the picture.

That being said, I have a few predictions and a few “I hope...” ideas, but I’ll just have to sit here and wait. Gah!!

Putting my thoughts about Traitor Born into a cohesive review has been difficult, but in a wonderful way. I read the book overnight the day I was granted access to it via Net Galley, and then again during a cross-country flight back to work a few days later. I’ll start by saying that Amy Bartol is an evil genius. This book has so many twists and turns that your head will spin into a different orbit. Traitor born is faced paced, covers a lot a ground, and really leaves me wishing Roselle could get at least a couple of days without trouble facing her just so she can relax and recover! I think I was harsh in my review for Secondborn, but I harbor none of those feelings for Traitor Born!

My basic summary of the book goes something like this popular meme:
Me, Reykin, Hawthorn, and Dune (probably): Roselle, no!
ROSELLE: Roselle, yes!

Traitor Born starts right where Secondborn left off. There’s a lot of machinations going on with this second installment. It comes as no surprise that everyone wants a piece of Roselle, all while she’s just trying to survive. We get to see the Fate of Virtues for most of the book. Grisholm and Balmora were fascinating characters, and neither turned out to be what I expected. My one gripe here is that I still want to know *more* about and see the other Fates. The main conflict of this novel is still between Swords, the Rose Garden Society, and The Gates of Dawn. Its’ highly political, and Roselle has very little say in what happens to her in light of those three factions continually at war.

Roselle is one heck of a heroine. She’s smart, skilled, and pretty much fearless when it counts. I appreciated her character development in this installment. Throughout Secondborn she felt too perfect and infallible. Here she’s still very much strong, but she’s not at all perfect. Her plans don’t go without a hitch. She gets into trouble… a lot.

I appreciate learning more about Dune and his brothers. The origin of The Gates of Dawn is justifiable and heart breaking. Beyond the interactions of Reykin, Dune, and Walther (albeit extremely briefly) there is only talk of my favorite vigilante army (GoD). I was hoping to get to know Daltrey more, because he was enigmatic and compelling as all hell. I hope to see him play a significant role in Rebel Born.

I loved getting to know Reykin Winterstrom. He was such a mysterious and striking presence the two times he was seen in Secondborn that I was sure he’d develop into a pivotal character at some point in the series. I didn’t expect to get so much of him so soon. He’s everything I wanted him to be and then some. Hawthorne Truegrave is around, but not nearly as much as I expected. I’m relieved that the relationship between Roselle and Reykin is not a romantic one. Roselle desperately needs friends she can trust. Reykin is protective, charming, and a friggen badass. <3 my Stars!

Now for the ending. Traitor Born ends with the “Secondborn Trials” event that was briefly mentioned in the first book. You could try to guess what will happen here, but I guarantee you will be wrong. Dead wrong. I *DID NOT* see the ending coming.

I knew Captain Creepy Face (aka Agent Crow) was up to something based on Roselle’s repeated observations throughout the novel, but in no way, shape, or form did I expect the events that unfolded. Thank goodness for the sneak peek of Rebel Born at the end (I mean… just make that chapter the final chapter of Traitor Born. It’s an equally jaw-dropping ending even though it’s full of mythology.)

I actually swooned a little for Clifton Salloway in the bits leading up to the Secondborn Trials (which is saying something because he’s never appeared particularly trustworthy to me.) My jaw dropped with the events at the Trials. Dune? OMG, Dune. Then Reykin on the platform… I can’t even. I think my heart stopped for a moment. Then Agent Crow. Then Hawthorne! OMG. I lost count of how many times I whispered WTF during the final chapter.

Traitor Born is an easy *****5 Gates of Dawn from me!*****

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2115237086?book_show_action=false

5 stars

”I believe dawn is the violent overthrow of night. But night is always still there – just on the periphery – waiting … and at the end of the day, it comes to claim us all.”

Be still, my beating heart.

This sequel was everything I had hoped for and more. Secondborn was a good start to this series, but Traitor Born has really blown it out of the water. If you were unsure of whether you wanted to start or continue this series, do it for this book alone.

The story picks up right were Secondborn left off, with our main character, Roselle St. Sismode finding herself in the Fate of Virtues, under the protection of Fabian Bowie. After the first installment, I was very curious about where the story would go, not sure who could be trusted and who was really the enemy. In the Fate of Virtues, Roselle is reunited with old friends and foes. Roselle discovers that she has been at the helm of other’s plans for much longer than she had anticipated and some will stop at nothing to see those plans fulfilled or fail – no matter her opinion.

Despite the protection afforded to her, both in plain sight and in secret, danger finds its way to Roselle’s doorstep. Othala St. Sismode is on a warpath and will stop and nothing to remove the threat she sees Roselle to be. Change is coming and it is more infinite than Roselle had foreseen. It’s up to Roselle to decide what kind of change she stands for. Change the leadership or change the world?

Some of my favorite parts of this book were: Rogue, Roselle and Dune’s relationship, Grisholm’s pettiness and essentially every interaction between Roselle and Reykin. Roselle and Reykin develop a friendship based on mutual trust and a deeper connection stemming from their encounters in Secondborn. Reykin is intense and fiercely protective of Roselle because of the role the Gates of Dawn want her to play in their rebellion. That said, one begins to wonder if his actions originate from somewhere more profound.

“If you hurt her, I’ll rip your heart out.” “It’s already gone.”

Our beloved Clifton and Hawthorne are back, though intermittently. Roselle and Clifton continue to collaborate on new weapons and technology to support the war effort, in addition to garnering more support for the Rose Garden Society. I’ve always loved Clifton’s character, his is charming, though his ongoing pursuit of Roselle can get tedious at times, one cannot deny the chemistry between them. Roselle and Hawthorne explore more of their relationship and its future, with the events of the last several months being at the forefront. Roselle discovers she is surrounded by supporters that do not necessarily have the same future envisioned. Part of Roselle’s journey is finding the future she envisions for herself and the world.

The character development in this installment was spot-on. I highly enjoyed seeing Roselle continue to grow into the woman she has become, hardened by war and her upbringing. But my heart also broke for her as she struggled with the pressure placed upon her and found the strength to seek the help of those around her. There are a handful of secondary characters we learn much more about, something I was highly anticipating. I probably most savored learning more about Reykin, his hard exterior, his place in the Republic and the secrets he holds.

The story itself moved quickly and I felt as though something was constantly happening. There is a lot of plotting and action happening. The romance aspect of this installment was much different than that in the first book and certainly for the better. I remember feeling as if it was seemingly forced in Secondborn, but that never came to my mind in this book. Instead, it moved along at a steady pace, with distinct ups-and-downs. It’s progression felt natural and never overbearing upon the story itself. I’m still reeling from the ending and the admission during the final moments. Let’s face it, we all knew it, it was obvious, but that was INTENSE! The desperation in those moments was almost too much to bear! My heart broke a little and I’m ready to further delve into those stars and darkness.

The final chapters of this book moved at lightning speed and I did NOT see what developed coming at all, despite the hints dropped here and there. It’s clear that something is coming, but what happens was so out of the ballpark – OMG. My review copy included an excerpt from Rebel Born and let me tell you – the next book will jump right into explaining some of the biggest questions Traitor Born will leave you with. Hold fast! There is a big storm coming and I need Roselle to burn the place to the ground! Needless to say, this may be Bartol’s best book yet. Bravo!

There is much more I want to say about Traitor Born, but I can’t without spoiling it for you! But I will say this: if you don’t have one distinct ship by the end of this book we can’t be friends anymore. You all know I love myself morally grey anti-heroes and this book certainly has a very Rhysand, Aaron Warner, Desmond Flynn-esque character.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 brilliant stars

Yesterday I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I had only 4 hours of sleep because of it. I just couldn’t put it down.

A few days ago I read the first installment /4 stars from me/, so I was truly excited to read the second book so soon. And it was even better than the first book! Honestly, what I loved the most was the romance. From the first book it was clear that the author will torture us with love triangle (or more, because there were actually 4 men that I saw as a potential love interest). But I say out loud that I am a Reykin fan. They had such a strong chemistry and I couldn’t help it, I kept highlighting scenes with them and I think I highlighted most of them :D.

“The sexual tension in here is savage. Find a way to be together so I don’t have to be subjected to your mating dance every day.”

Yes. I was hooked.

And no. I haven’t reread the favorite parts of the good 4-times. Not at all.

But besides of the romance, the story was very interesting and sometimes cute and sometimes sad and the ending was..... surprising. I didn’t expected it but thankfully there was excerpt from the third book. THANKS GOD

It’s one of the best books I’ve read lately, I added it to my favorite list.

I’d like, no love to thank Netgalley 47North, and Amy A. Bartol for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing this book I want to cry because I have to wait for 2019 for Rebel Born. This series has been amazing so far. I could not put this book down and as with all Amy Bartol books I am left in suspense.

This is not a book that you can just pick up and read. You must read Secondborn first to understand who the characters are and the plot and twists in this book. I’m not even sure what to say for a review but just that I am left wanting more. There were so many OH MY GOSH moments in this book. As always I am blown out of the water by Amy’s writing.

I won’t go into what the book is about because you can read the blurb for that but I have to say that I love Roselle. There are very few female characters that live up to what you want them to but Roselle does. Her only problem is not knowing who to trust. She is strong, independent and a leader among the Secondborns. There is a little bit of a love triangle and I am not even going to guess who she ends up with, if she ends up with anyone.

This book is exciting, full of action, emotional, full of twists, and worth the read.

I grabbed a copy off Netgalley and to be honest I have been stalking Netgalley for a copy of Traitor born and its realease, I love the way Amy A. Bartol writes her stories and this doesn't disappoint! Roselle is submerged into a world as a secondborn and fighting all the time for the same rights as a firstborn, by the end her network almost forget that she is secondborn and she has to endure some firstborn events and she is not impressed, Roselle is a strong heroine who doesn't fawn over men, in fact they are all competing for her although I don't think she either realises it or chooses not to see it. I cant wait for the 3rd installment...Rebel Born

Wow this was a fun sequel! This one picks up where we left off. Roselle has been taken away from her ally Clifton to the Virtue Bowie’s palace. She is in charge of training his spoiled heir Grisholm.

There a lot of action, violence, and plotting in this one. The world building is excellent as alway. I’ve read a lot of Amy Bartol’s books and her world building is alway incredible. The glossary at the end is also helpful.

It’s hard to give a lot of detail about the plot of a sequel without giving away spoilers, so I’ll focus on the characters.

Roselle is a strong lead. She’s a tough and capable female character who is able to make difficult decisions without hesitation. Her struggles with PTSD felt real and well researched. Her conflicting feelings lwith her family were great to read. Her transition from a soldier following orders to thinking independently and taking charge was excellent.

Hawthorne is Roselle’s love interest. He’s probably my least favorite good guy, mainly because he’s white bread. Kind of boring but essential to the plot. I am looking forward to seeing where his character goes in book 3, he’s set up for an interesting plot.

Reykin is the rebel soldier Roselle saved in Secondborn. He didn’t have much time in book one, so I was glad to see more of him. He’s a compelling character who gets some great character development along this book.

Clifton is Roselle’s superior officer. He’s s first born whose family was disgraced, so he has made his own way as a weapons manufacturer and arms dealer. He’s ruthless but has a soft spot for Roselle. I adored his character in Secondborn, but he gets far less time in this book.

Agent Crow is still delightfully evil and petty. He’s a great villain who is making things tough for Roselle.

Phoenix is the sewer robot turned personal assistant as a cruel prank. I loved Phoenix, I cackled every time Phoenix had a part.

There are very few complaints overall. I still feel that Roselle needs a female friend. She makes one with Balmora, but that’s the only one. Also there are too many love interests. Or rather men interested in Roselle. Grisholm is delightfully uninterested, but Hawthorne is Roselle’s forbidden love interest, Clifton wants Roselle, there is obvious chemistry with Roselle and Reykin, and the villain Crow has a creepy fixation with Roselle. It’s just a bit much. The cast of characters needs some balance with a female friend.

I am hooked on this series and can’t wait to see where the next book goes. This one ends on a cliffhanger so I’ll be eagerly awaiting book three.

Thanks Netgalley and 47North for this arc!

I received this book from net galley for an honest review. Thank you!!

This novel was an amazing sequel!! I could not put it down and it kept me in such suspense. The characters are all written well and Ms. Bartol includes some intriguing plot twists. You must read the first novel to understand the plot of the second book.
Roselle St. Sismode, aka Roselle Sword, is a Secondborn, meaning she serves the Firstborns. She has survived the many attempts on her life by her family, but she still cares for them. I love Roselle's character, even at times when she does not see the obvious. She is a strong, independent woman, and a good heart. Her life is spared so she can replace her mother as the leader of the army. Roselle knows that everyone has ulterior motives and she does not know who to trust, but she will do whatever is necessary to destroy the caste system and save lives of secondborns, and other children who are killed.
In this novel, we get to see more of Reykin, the life Roselle spared in the first novel. I loved his character: strong, deadly, but hides his feelings. He is a Firstborn, but his family was killed by the Republic and he wants them to pay. He keeps Roselle safe and truly cares for her, even though he claims he has no heart. Roselle does not understand all of Reykin's decisions or choices, but she feels safe with him. Roselle has a few men that care for her and are in love with her, which causes complications and she appears oblivious at times to it. The battles are being fought for control over the republic, but no ones what the end game is and what happens at the end of the novel will leave you craving for more!!

Excellent writing and character development. My only problem is the excessive level of violence. Particularly the last massacre. The main character is left with few options and most of her friends and support system are wiped out. I hope the next book will clear this out and not be quite as graphically violent. The story is great but once you are invested in a character it is painful to see her subjected to the constant barrage of treachery and violence that is visited upon Roselle.

I absolutely adore this series! Roselle is a beautifully written character with all the strengths and weaknesses we see in ourselves.
We begin this book with Roselle living in the Palace of Virtues, trying to navigate through the world of firstborns she was never privy to before.
The plot moves along at a great pace and we get to really know some of our favorite characters as well as an insight into a few new ones. The romance is a good slow burn, with some interesting developments as we near the end of the book.
Roselle's inner monologue is a good mix of humor, wit and devastation, and that ending! I can honestly say I didn't see that coming! I think the worst part about this book is knowing I have to wait a year to get the next one!
I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for my fair and honest review.