Bridget Collins has such a beautiful and intriguing way of writing that you cannot help be drawn deeply into her stories.

The Betrayals is no different.

Set in mysterious academy called Montverre where people are trained to participate in the mysterious grand jeu. The grand jeu is never really explained in the story but more like it has been eluded to, from what I can understand about it, is that it seems to be a game with many subjects including history, philosophy, maths and music. It’s not for us to know, it only makes sense if you’re a competitor.

The story centres around Léo Martin, a failed politician who has been sent back to Montverre where he was trained to live out his life there in study of the grand jeu. More interesting though, the previously male only position of Magister Ludi is now held by a mysterious woman called Claire Dryden, the only female Magister. I really like Claire’s character but it is clear she is fearful of Léo’s presence and whether it means he has been sent by the government to spy on her and threaten her coveted position as Magister Ludi. Despite this though, the two are drawn to each other.

I loved the ‘are they friends or enemies’ trope with Carfax and Léo and how the events of their relationship had such an impact on Léo and his fear for returning to Montverre.

Another interesting character to mention is the ‘Rat’ who is the first character we meet. An unusual one but provides little tidbits of information and an interesting plot twist.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. it IS a slow burner and admittedly, I do prefer the Binding to the Betrayals but perhaps this book deserves a second read. Much like a film, the second watch you’ll often find things you may have missed out and maybe we’ll have a better chance of understanding the game.

A beautiful book, both inside and out.

The Binding is one of my favourite reads ever so as you can imagine I was very excited to receive The Betrayals. Collins style of writing takes you on a magical journey and you feel like you are in the story with her. This book is beautifully written and so very descriptive however I always felt something was missing story wise. A great mix of characters. Some you will like others you may not!

I enjoyed the read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Thank you to #Netgalley for an ARC of #TheBetrayals by #BridgetCollins for an honest review.
The Betrayals is set in an unnamed country but to me most likely France in a similar timeframe to the 1930s. The book is set in Montverre a school for the brightest and the best where the leaders of the future learn to play " le grand jeu". Montverre is an ancient school hidebound by traditions and struggling to stay relevant under the new political regime.
The story begins with the return of disgraced ex-Culture Minister Leo Martin, a former Gold Medal winner. 10 years previously Leo was the star of the school with Aime Carfax de Courcey. What happened at end of the summer term 10 years and why does the only female Magister in the school, Claire Dryden seem to hate him? How does the creature Rat who lives in the eaves
feature? All these questions have answers as the book progresses. The narrative flips back and forth to 10 years ago and the present. Leo's fall from grace is also included.
This is a novel which covers many topics and themes. At times gothic at others almost Orwellian.but also about friendship and how the toxic atmosphere of an institution can poison the most genuine of relationships.
The characters are well drawn Rat and her wanderings in the shadow, Leo and his apparent shallowness which turns out to be a mask to allow him to survive in a dangerous world and the guilt he carries for his friend Cardex. Claire and her ability to survive in a male dominated world and the mask she too must wear.
There are so many threads in #TheBetrayals but Bridget Collins could be a champion of "le grand jeu" given the dexterity she shows in bringing her book to a climax at The Midsummer Game where old and new ideologies clash and some characters arise like the Phoenix and others find themselves finished.
The Betrayals combines fantasy, magic, the arcane, gothic symbolism and so much more. I found it to be a novel that kept me reading and trying to figure out what patterns were being designed. The book itself seemed to me to be a template for "le grand jeu", with music, mathematics, physics and meditation all used. Perhaps "le grand jeu" is a metaphor for life? I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

I want to start off by saying thank you to Bridget Collins, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the chance to read this arc.

This is very hard for me to review as I have no clue what I just read.
There are lots of positive reviews from people who adored this book, I unfortunately just did not vibe with it at all.

Book includes: bisexuality, suicide.

I was very intrigued by the description of this book, but after finishing it, I honestly cannot tell you what it was about.
The story revolves around something called the grand jeu, a mysterious "game" of sorts. They sort of try to explain what it is, but I still don't really understand the point to it or how it is done.
I found myself engrossed in the story but also getting fed up of it.
One thing I love about Bridget's storytelling is her writing, and her first person chapters where some of my favourites.
I felt like there wasn't much of a plot other than 2 people reliving the past after meeting in a common place with lots of personal history. It was definitely character driven which I think is why I had a hard time getting through this 400 page book.
I was not expecting the "plot" twist near the end, but I felt like that was the only thing shocking and "wow" for me.
Some point of views seemed a little.. pointless?
I was really hoping to get more explanation about how the grand jeux are preformed and what their purpose is during the Midsummer Games, but atlas.

I honestly would of DNF this if it wasn't for the fact it was an arc I requested and as I loved Bridget's The Binding.

Thank you again for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I would like to give it another chance in the future so I can better recommend it to readers but it didn’t engage me enough to want to keep going for now.

The Betrayals is an intricately plotted book that confuses and amazes in equal quantities. It is extremely imaginative and could be described as a fantasy, mystery, political allegory with a touch of romance.

Leo Martin, a culture minister in an authoritarian government voices disapproval at fascist bills that are being proposed such as the Heritage Bill to tax books to the hilt and the Purity Bill to remove rights from undesirables such as Christians, communists and the homeless. For voicing decent loses his job as a minister and is sent to Montverre, where he was a former scholar, to feed back information to the government. Montverre a place where the ‘national game’ of Grand Jeu is studied; an elusive game that combines prayer, maths, music and ideas in an atmosphere of meditation, and is taught and overseen by a Magister. We first see Montverre through the eyes of ‘The Rat’ hiding in the shadows and possibly not a rat. Montverre is a male only establishment but by mistake they have appointed Claire Dryden as a Magister. Leo can’t help but notice that Claire looks like his old friend and rival when he was previously studying at Montverre. With the stage set we now settle in to two stories as we learn about Leo’s previous time spent at the college and the current events.

The novel keeps you guessing as what happened in the past and how they affect current events until near the end where there is a very satisfying final twist. Highly entertaining, highly recommended.

Thankyou Netgalley and Harpercollins for the chance to read this book. Not my usual genre but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it took me a while to adapt to reading a new genre once I got into it I sailed through and couldn't put this book down. I had to know how it ended and how certain aspects of the book were relevant as they were revealed. If you are a fan of her debut adult novel The Binding then The Betrayals will not disappoint.

I was unsure what to expect from ‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins as I had previously read her previous novel The Binding and found it hard to get into. Her new book though is very different and I loved it. I don’t think I will ever really understand what a ‘Grand Jeu’ is but regardless I loved the story and the unexpected twist.

Well written but ultimately unsatisfying read.

I’m definitely in the minority here but I just really didn’t enjoy reading this book. I loved the Binding, and this is equally as well written but the storyline and various elements within it just didn’t gel with me. It would have been better if the “grand jeu” was explained abit more at the outset of the Novel.

I’m sure others will love it and I expect it to be a great success, just not for me unfortunately.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K./The Borough for an eARC via NetGalley of the highly anticipated ‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins in exchange for an honest review. I have since ordered its exquisitely bound hardback edition.

‘The grand jeu is worship, isn’t it? One way for humans to approach the divine. Trying to embody truth and beauty. A testament to the grace of God in the minds of men.’ - Carfax de Courcy, ‘The Betrayals.

‘The Betrayals’ is set in the late 1930s primarily at Montverre, a remote university in an unnamed European country, that is dedicated to the study of the grand jeu, an arcane game that brings together elements of music and mathematics.

Léo Martin is a former scholar, who had gone on to be appointed Minister of Culture. However, in his opening chapter he is forced to resign from this position for voicing dissent at the Government’s policies. They ‘suggest’ he return to Montverre to continue to study the national game further.

So Léo is not a happy bunny. On arriving at Montverre he is further disturbed to find that despite it being an all-male institution that a woman, Claire Dryden, has been appointed to serve in the grand jeu’s highest office of Magister Ludi.
When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he’s sure they have never met before.

The narrative moves between a number of points of view: there is Léo and Claire, entries from Léo’s
diary from his original time at Montverre, and the occasional chapter by the enigmatic Rat. This last is an odd one though it eventually pays off.

Given that the novel’s Epigraph is a quote from the ‘Glass Bead Game’ by Hermann Hesse, the descriptions of the grand jeu, and the title of Magister Ludi it was obvious that Hesse’s novel had been an important inspiration for ‘The Betrayals’. For many years ‘The Glass Bead Game’ has been a novel that I have wanted to read but felt intimidated by.

Like its inspiration this is a novel rich in ideas and as with her debut adult novel, ‘The Binding’, Collins’ world building is excellent. Collins also confidently combines genres including elements of Gothic mystery, romance, campus novel, fantasy, political dystopia, and literary fiction.

Overall, given its intellectual focus on the elusive grand jeu, and musical and mathematical theory, I found this a somewhat more challenging reading experience than ‘The Binding’, though it was very rewarding and beautifully written. It is a novel that I likely will reread in order to appreciate its multiple layers and subtleties.

I'm so sorry but this one isn't for me. I've tried picking it up a few times but just can't connect with it. I can see the writing is as good as her previous story but something about it isn't grabbing me. I tried getting it as an audiobook as well as sometimes that helps but not in this case. Maybe I'll revisit in future but for now, sadly it will have to be a DNF.

Happy Publication Day 🍂

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC of The Betrayals, the second adult book by Bridget Collins.

This one is a slow burner, so strap yourself in for the long haul, but the ending is so worth it. Set in a mysterious, privileged school (Montverre) that studies the cryptic ‘grand jeu’ which is a game, but isn’t a game, but you play it and basically I’m still no further enlightened on what it is 🤔😂 there are lots of twists and turns to be had. I really liked the way this jumped to different narrators and from the present-day to Leo’s diaries, but a bit of a quicker pace and a greater understanding of the grand jeu earlier on would have made this an even better read for me ✨

Happy pub day to The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, the most aesthetically pleasing beb on the planet. While I unfortunately didn’t love this one, there have been so many smashing reviews so I’m definitely in the minority.

The long and short of it is that it was just too slow and too long for my personal taste. The air of mystery in the story left me confused for large parts of the book and I’m not entirely sure what I read. It was just a really difficult read for me and as such I found it hard to enjoy.

Thank you so much to netgalley, The Borough Press, Harper Collins and the author for both the advanced ecopy and the listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Really sorry for requesting it twice and then not liking it.

Having read and enjoyed The Binding, I was really keen to read and review The Betrayals, the new novel by Bridget Collins. It is very different, but still fabulous.
Mysterious and other worldly, this book is an atmospheric, captivating and beautiful read. I thought the story had elements of Nazi Germany, but it could also be set in the future. As with The Binding, you have to suspend your sense of reality and go with the stunning prose, plot and characterisations. This is pure escapism. a grown-up Harry Potter. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to @NetGalley, the author and to and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review #TheBetrayal. Historical fantasy is now one of my new favourite genres, .

This has been a book I have been looking forward to reading - Bridget Collins' previous novel The Binding is one of my favourite reads of recent years, so I've anticipated this in an 'I want to get on and read it' way, but also a 'don't let me down! way and I can fully declare it doesn't.

Full of the raw energy and emotion that Bridget Collins is so good at portraying, The Betrayals is a captivating read.

Montverre is a school, remote, forbidding and exclusive, where students come to play the Grand Jeu - a mysterious, mathematical, musical something. With themes of the forbidden, the hidden, persecution, life and death, the whole novel is mysterious as are its characters.

The characters grabbed a hold of me from the beginning - Leo, a once gold medal student now returning in a different capacity; the Magister Ludi, the first woman in that office; The Rat - a secretive and covert figure; the politicians, the other students and Magisters - each one a distinct personality, each one intriguing.

The story is equally captivating - as the characters develop themselves and their interactions and relationships evolve, as the game progresses and events bring change.

Interesting to read at the end where Bridget Collins had taken the basis for her story from, I like to learn how stories come to their authors.

Highly recommended.

Very immersive, captivating read from Collins. I liked it more than The Binding actually. It was mysterious and hard to put down.
Thanks a lot to the publisher and NG for this copy.

When I was younger, my late mum had a strange habit, one I couldn't get my head around. She'd ring and tell me about some wonderful book she was reading or a TV programme she was enthralled by. That doesn't sound very strange of course, but the odd bit was that she'd tell me she couldn't bear to read or watch anymore. Her reason, because once she did, it would be done and the joy of it would be over. I'd constantly encourage her to keep going not really understanding her perspective. However, a few days ago, I finally got it.

I've been reading The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, her second adult novel and I didn't want it to end. I was desperate to reach a conclusion, but part of me wanted to hold back because once it was done, that would be it and the world the author had created would no longer be available for me to escape to. I did finish the book, but it has left me feeling somewhat bereft (I think some describe it as a book hangover).

This book is hard to describe, so I'm not going to try. I'm sure there are plenty of other reviews that will provide details should you want to find out more. All I can say is that the writing enchanted me. The story and the world the reader finds themselves in is mysterious, compelling and thought-provoking.

It's out today (12th November), and the hardback version looks as beautiful on the outside as the words are inside.

Thanks to Bridget Collins, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an honest review.

DNF @ 25% - Simply, The Betrayals just wasn't shaping up to be a book for me. Whilst the characters were intriguing and I wanted to know more about their past, many of the plot points felt too vague and by this point in the novel I wanted to know/understand more. It felt very slow and as though it wasn't really going anywhere. However, I do understand that for some readers, this would be an amazing book, but it just wasn't for me.

Bridget Collins returns with an enchanting, original and multilayered story, which is even more enticing and alluring than The Binding. At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society's best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu--the great game--an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Monteverre, but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead, and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now, he has been exiled back to Monteverre, his fate uncertain. But this rarified world of learning he once loved is not the same place Léo remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre is now run by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as Magister Ludi, the head of the grand game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the Magister--a mysterious, eerily familiar connection--though he's sure they've never met before. As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches--the climax of the academy's year--long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned.

Collins is one hell of a writer. Her prose is beautiful and captivating. She paints this wonderfully stark world of an alter I’ve 1930s so well. The characters are interesting, and the way the story meanders back and forth through the years is brilliantly done. The worldbuilding is nothing short of exquisite and this is a book full of wonderful magic and deadly politics. A special hybrid of fantasy and historical fiction, it is a sumptuous and darkly atmospheric; a story substantial in its sincerity and stunning in its writing. Collins's world is lush, richly-imagined and one I really didn't want to leave. This is a breathtakingly spectacular novel and rates as one of my favourites of 2020. The plot is a slow burn for the first half, which I enjoyed, and from then on it gathered pace a little. The perfect pacing is matched by the equally perfect storytelling ability of the author; it's rare you come across a more exceptional portrayal of time and place. An utterly charming and nuanced story with all the makings of a bestseller that captivated me from first page to last. This is a book you experience rather than merely read. Unforgettable. Highly recommended. Many thanks to The Borough Press for an ARC.

The world renowned Montverre academy has for centuries been a place where promising youngsters are trained in the discipline known simply as the 'grand jeu', a mix of music and mystical moves, but behind its prestige and fame lie secrets and tragedies. Léo Martin was once a student there, a winner of awards, but he gave it up and turned to politics. Now, after a rash comment in the wrong place, he's back at Montverre, in exile, with his promising career in tatters. His old college has changed though; one of their highest teaching posts is held by a woman, Claire Dryden, towards whom Léo is drawn, despite her seeming disdain for him.


As with Collins' previous novel The Binding, this is a multi-layered, multi-faceted story, of love, deception, and betrayals of several kinds, set against a backdrop of a world that isn't quite ours. Montverre in its mountainous setting sounds French but feels like it belongs further east. The government that Léo offends has many of the hallmarks of the early stages of the Nazis rise to power - a leader demanding absolute loyalty, persecution of a religious minority, the shutting down of educational and artistic academies who aren't prepared to support the Party fully. Against this menacing backdrop, the stories of Léo, Claire and others within Montverre play out, moving between 'present day' and Léo's student days which ended in tragedy.

It's captivating and escapist, while at the same time warning of the dangers of allowing arts and education to become twisted for political ends. Since reading The Betrayals, I've watched The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and I think if you've been gripped by that then this is a book for you.
4.5 stars