I have to say after having finshed reading this book, I am finding it hard to summarise what it is about. It focuses around three main characters all of whom are connected together in a complex and surprisiung way.

The book is part political, focussing on the moral compasses of a society in a place that could be anywhere at a time of change and part allegorical, staged around a code, game or idea called the Grand Jeu, you are never told what it is exactly, just glimpses of what it could be in terms of shadow and light, color and shade and decision and indecision - however you interpret it, will depend on your view of some of the themes in the book like rules, gender, laws and morality. This is also the beauty of this book, you’re not spoon-fed a linear comprehensible plot but are given the time and depth to explore the narrative across its length, depth and breadth and make of it what you will. And it is a slow burn, deliberate measured pace and comprehensive descriptions (arguably to the detriments in some parts) Really builds this world where you can’t just be a spectator but a player in the Grand Jeu - this is definitely not a book to rush through.

The plot follows Léo a disgraced politician who finds himself sent to Montverre to take a back seat and stay out of the limelight. Montverre is an academic establishement where the Grand Jeu is studied and entrants are enlisted to learn, practice and deliver the interpretation of this.

There are reflective periods from Leo’s point of view of when he was a student and his personal journey of self discovery through sexuality, platonic and non-platonic relationships and core theme of finding your truth and the reflection of unexpected betrayal.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book somewhat, but it was frustratingly slow and superfluous in parts and perhaps a bit muddled. The littering of chapters about ‘The Rat’ is one such example. It’s definitely not your standard fare and one of those books, I feel that may appeal to a niche of readers who enjoy the alternative take on characters, places or stories or those who may have read the authors other titles.

I really enjoyed this book. This book has everything I dislike - jumping time periods, unconnected characters, confusing plot and little action. I only started reading it because of the rave reviews of The Binding but once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I don't know why I enjoyed it so much but it is obviously down to the skill of the author. A rare treat.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

My first book by this author, I found her writing atmospheric and interesting. I found the book a little frustrating in that I did not really understand the Grand Jeu but then perhaps that is the point. This 'game' was played by an elite group. The elite school is up in the mountains - and Leo returns there as an adult having been sent there after losing his job as Minister for Culture for speaking out. As Leo settles in and meets Claire (the Magister Ludi) he thinks back to his time there as a pupil vying with Aime to be the best - a rivalry intensified when they are made to work on a Grand Jeu together. Much of this book portrays what people will do to succeed, how they will lie and exploit others to achieve their ambitions.
Apart from the two time frames of Leo and the experiences of the Magister Ludi there is the story of The Rat who survives in the school by stealing food and clothes who no-one knows about.
This is a complicated tale which does become clearer by the end of the book - well portrayed characters and disturbing government control.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Bridget Collins/Harper Collins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this book.

I found this book utterly engrossing. The world-building is fabulous. We enter the enclosed community of Montverre with Leo, a politican heading into exile (as he's told, things could be much worse). Montverre is an elite school dedicated to studying and perfoming Le Grande Jeu. Le Grande Jeu is never spelled out explicity - we learn about it through the book - it involves studying music, mathematics, literature.

Montverre is a closed community. The Magisters are appointed for life, take vows of celibacy, rarely leave the confines of the school. The pupils are there on merit - but they are mostly from elite families. Outsiders can find it hard. Leo was a student there, and we shift through time, meeting him on his first day at Montverre, following his time there, and his developing relationship with Carfax, a student from a family long steeped in Le Grande Jeu.

In the "present day" section we find out more about the politics outside Montverre, and how even a closed institution can't cut itself off entirely from the outside world. A place of pure study is becoming infiltrated by the tightening political agenda of The Party. All small steps, but these add up.

We also follow Leo's developing relationship with Claire, the Magister Ludi - the only woman in Montverre.

There are other people here. The Rat lives in the shadows, stealing food and clothing. She has a different relationship with Montverre, the only home she has ever known. What happens when someone else seeks sanctury in her hidden world?

We hear the different voices of these people - Leo now, and through his boyhood diary. His dilemmas, his striving. Claire - full of mystery, isolated, struggling with the past. The Rat - just trying to survive, denying her humanity to stay alive.

There are betrayals here, but they are complex and realistic. Many of them are well-intentioned. Many of them are so small as to seem irrelevant. Collins shows us the consequences, but never forgets the humanity of the protagonists.

There are faint echoes of Gormenghast and of the Glass Bead Game, but Collins has made this book entirely her own. It's atmospheric, it's mesmerising, it's spell-binding. I would thoroughly recommend.

I really struggled to get into this book. It was slow, but just as I was thinking of giving up, it really started to gain momentum!. The two main characters Leo and Carfax are very complex ones. They are drawn together . It is a real love/hate relationship.
This story is set in a boys school that is in a old isolated monastery. so the boys only really have each other to lean on. They also encourage competitiveness in their pupils to design a game that will beat everyone else and the winner gets a gold medal. So you can imagine how hard the boys will work to win!!. Leo and Carfax as enemies are placed together to work on a game and that's when it all gets more interesting!!!.
Although I found the book slow to begin with, I would definitely say to give it a go. It's worth persevering with.!
#boroughpress, #bridgetcollinsauthor.

hank you to #Net Galley for sending me an advance copy of #TheBetrayals by #BridgetCollins
I’ve only read 10% but I just can’t read anymore. This book is boring.

This book uses beautiful language and is very descriptive. However, it is also book that you either love or hate. On reading other reviews, it appears that the camp is quite evenly split.

Set across two time zones and from the perspective of three different characters, there is much tooing and froing. I found the early years and the Rat narratives the most interesting, but overall most of the characters left a lot to be desired, none of them particularly likeable.

I did finish the book, but have to say that at least the first third was a struggle, not sure why as it is normally a genre that I admire, but I could not engage.

Thank you NetGalley.

I found The Betrayls frustrating. Frustrating because I still don't understand the concept of a Grand Jeu. BUT I really loved the twist in the end. I persevered with the novel and I liked certain elements - like the chapters from The Rat's perspective. However, the novel has left me feeling more confused.
Quite simply it boils down to a love story between two characters, how rivalry alters their life trajectory and how the Grand Jeu and religion are interwoven within the novel.

I read the book and enjoyed parts of it. It was confusing to read at times although well written. It just wasn't my usual genre and at times didn't connect with it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

Where to start with a review! For me from chapter 1 it was a confusing read, as to who was who, the way it’s written, but get past that and delve into the storyline it’s utterly compelling. It made me want to keep reading and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Montverre is a exclusive academy like none other; there the students are trained for the grand jeau a mysterious and ancient contest. Leo Martin was once a student there are has returned and feels a familiar connection with Claire Dryden a teacher there. However, as the competition draws closer secrets will be revealed and

Having read and loved The Binding I went into The Betrayals with high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. The characters and descriptions of Montverre were spellbinding and I was gripped as the story unfolded. Bridget Collins hasn't disappointed and I eagerly await anything that she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

I didn’t connect with the story, it’s not that it’s badly written, quite the opposite which is why I wanted to finish it, it’s just not my type of genre.

I read a couple of reviews before reading The Betrayals and realised this was a book that readers either really really fell for, or a book they just didn't quite get. I, it turns out, am definitely in the former camp. I adored this absorbing, inventive book.

The Betrayals is sent in an alternative 20s/30s in a place which may be France as a facist party tighten their grip on the country. Persecutions are starting, and anyone who is perceived as different or dangerous are at risk, and in this reality that includes Christians. The book is set in Montverre, a school, more of a university really, where young men aged between 18-21 study the grand jeu. What exactly the grand jeu is never specified leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. It's a game but not an adverserial one. It's a performance piece but requires maths and history as well as music and movement. In my mind it's like playing solitary chess on a giant chess board where the player is also the piece and uses dance and song and art. It is also the national game and therefore the government are increadingly demanding control of how it's taught and who teaches and learns it, breaking centuries of almost monastic tradition.

We hear from four different perspectives: The Rat, a nameless voiceless child who lives in the hidden places in the school, Claire, the first and only female teacher of the grand jeu at Montverre who, as Magister Ludi, holds a position of power and Leo, both in the present time as a disgraced Minister exiled back to Monverre and through his diary in the past as a talented student.

It's hard to say more without revealing the secrets and twists and turns which make this book such a delight. The Betrayals is one of the most original books I have read for a long long time and cements Bridget Collins as an inventive must-read writer. Highly recommended.

The betrayals

Thanks to net galley I was given the opportunity to read this superb book. I was smitten. The writing is sumptuous and enthralling and just keeps on giving. From first line to last Bridget Collins, the author, draws you on and deeper into the intertwined story lines. The world the story evolves within is thick and inviting. The characters become your friends and foes. I urge you to get this book, find a quiet corner and lose yourself in a wonderful story.

I did enjoy it. I definitely liked the story, namely the writing and worldbuilding, The four different points of view were interesting. Some were harder to read than others, but I got through it, and it was worth it.

Firstly this front cover is stunning from the deisgn to the colours I loved everything. I enjoyed reading this book and it was just as good as Bridget Collins previous book. The writing was great, the charcaters and the storylibe were great and I loved the dual timeline throughout the book. I really enjoyed reading it,

I was intrigued by the cover of this book, but sadly I found what was inside to be a disappointment. I found it hard to follow what was going on, and none of the characters appealed to me. I forced myself to struggle through it, but I found the whole thing very hard going.

I'd previously read the author's other book, The Binding, but unfortunately I enjoyed this one a little less. The book is set in 2 time periods centred around 3 characters - Leo ("now" and as a student via his diaries), Claire The Magister Ludi and the Rat. Leo is a disgraced politician who has been sent to Montverre as punishment and to observe Claire, the Magister Ludi. Montverre is some kind of college where students study the grand jeu. The Rat is a character that lives in the walls of Montverre.
On a good note the book was well written and maintained a mysterious atmosphere throughout. However there was a level of ambiguity throughout the book which doesn't sit well with me, as I'm the type of reader who likes to understand the premise of what I am reading - for example the time period was vague, and I'm still not sure what the grand jeu actually is. Overall it was a slow read, with largely unlikeable characters.

I think for a lot of readers this book will be marmite - for me I didn't really enjoy it so it's a 2 star rating. Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book from the description but it really didn't flow for me.
Set in an exclusive academy in the mountains, and only the best can gain access.
It follows Lèo and Claire and the ultimate game to win the midsummer's games.
It felt a bit like hungergames but without the passion behind it.

I’m really sorry. I tried hard with this book but I didn’t get anywhere at all. I couldn’t understand it and was confused after just the first few pages. The Rat? Even after I’d read the first chapter twice it made no sense to me. I carried on reading for a while but knew I was going to get nowhere. Everything went straight over my head, and it wasn’t long before I knew there was no point in me continuing to read it. I hate to give negative reviews but, sadly, this book was just not for me. It is a beautiful cover though!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.