Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan (Tor) for the opportunity of reading this ARC! All opinions are my own.

Firstly, I would like to say I’m a huge fan of the Divergent series, and I dived into this new book of Veronica Roth’s with both excitement and nervousness. I wondered if I would like something of hers as much as I loved Divergent, and I took a leap of faith — Roth didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, this book emphasises how much she grew as an author and I can’t but be filled with feelings of satisfaction. Witnessing a writer’s growth is indeed a gift.

“Seek the Traitor’s Son” is the first book of a scifi series which focuses on not only a prophecy’s fulfilment, but also on the deeper political intricacies of inter-planetary and inter-dimensional politics. The universe building and lore of this book has drawn clear inspiration from Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, Foundation and other famous space series, and Roth’s own twist to the basics of scifi literature definitely sets it apart from the others, giving it a recognisable complexity. This could very well be the next big space series. I genuinely feel that any Frank Herbert enthusiast would very much enjoy the universe of “Seek the Traitor’s Son”.

The book starts with a bang — showing us in what manner the universe itself exists. The exposition is done masterfully, at every point in the book the universe-building being perfectly blended with the lore, the plot, the character development and the little bits of mystery that are sprinkled here and there, of past, future and present. Great work to both Roth and her editor!

The prose is perfectly suited for the scifi genre, direct yet descriptive where needed — which is great, considering the fact that this first novel is a political action thriller, despite setting a proper basis for the universe building. The politics are both simple and complex — the division between the two societies is simple, yet their interactions complex and full of attacks and treasons.

Moving on to the true stars, the characters are easily liked or disliked, and throughout the novel they are all given several layers of depth. Even the characters whom I very much disliked (they were written so well, I couldn’t help myself) had elements and scenes which showed their complexity, the inner workings of their minds. The three main points of view, Elegy, Theren and Hela all grow more and more entertaining as each chapter passes by. Hela’s point of view felt disconnected from the others at the beginning, but it clicks very well soon enough, and her devotion and love as a sister to Elegy always filled my heart with warmth. Though not related by blood, it is one of the most (if not the most) endearing sisters relationships I’ve read this year.

Elegy and Theren both have traumatic events happening to them, so their psyche can be somewhat dark at times; however, the prose makes it bearable — as readers we feel their pain without getting lost in the tragedy of it all. Their character arcs are quite well done — for one it is acceptance of one’s fate, no matter how cruel and painful it may be, and for the other the realisation that one of life’s gifts is the responsibility of loving another. Which is genuinely a great feat considering Theren has gone through an excruciatingly horrible betrayal.

The love story is one of mutual healing. Like a soft flame at the start, burning more and more passionately, ending up in an affirmation of loyalty, of an intimacy so private and delicate, one can only hope it will be eternal.

Ultimately, all I can say without spoiling too much is that this is a great first novel of a hopefully longer series, and the cliffhanger at the end is more than enough to motivate me to pick up the next book the second I have the chance to. If you are a Dune fan and enjoy complex universe building with a touch of prophecies and politics, reading this is a must. If you like healing love stories like ACOTAR, this is a must.

Seek the Traitors Son was a book I had very high expectations for and it still somehow managed to entirely knock it out of the park. I’m typically not into books with a more Sci-Fi element to it but this was incredible from start to finish. I did not want to put this book down.

The plot was so unique and compelling, with so many twists and turns that kept me surprised throughout, the characters are complex and so fun to read about. The relationship between the FMC and the MMC developed so incredibly and it was a joy to read, it’s very easy to feel connected to the characters.

I could not find a single fault with this book and I am absolutely on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in the series!!!!

We are only on day 5 of 2026 and this one already takes the cake.
Its true Roth fashion where she blows you away!

The resurgence of my childhood in sci fi fantasy adult form.

Elegy is the second daughter, the spare to The Sword of Cedrae. She’s happy living her nondescript life, but receives a prophecy that can change the fate of the war between her people and the religious-fevered enemy.
She must assemble the right three people or her people will be infected with the Fever which kills everyone who contracts it. Only half come back to life, possessing special gifts.

Theren is the son of a Talusar exile, forced to swear an oath to Elegy to ensure his survival and loyalty to the Cedrae.

I’m not going to say anything more, but there’s so much packed into here. I would cal this sci fi fantasy. It is set in space, but the sci fi is light and mostly relies on mentions of technology, a gap in humanity’s history, and speculation about a secretive first contact.

We also get a time jump (which you may know I normally don’t like), however this was pulled off well even if it did take some time to reorientate myself.

<b>“Even your oath was a kind of confinement, wasn’t it?”
“I used to think so.” He shakes his head a little. “Now I think what I called ‘freedom’ then would just have been a lack of obligation to other people . . . and that’s not particularly appealing.”
</b>
At the heart of this is complicated relationships. There is such a range of internal interactions and the feelings that come with them. It is dark, so guilty emotions like shame and grief.

I love books that pack a punch, to readers and the characters, and a storyline that slowly unfurls the first - the one that was thrown and the on that was clasped.

I wish we got more political intrigue, slightly more stakes after the start, and a slower burn, but for the page-length? I am very happy.

This is set up to be a very exciting duology.

Physical arc gifted by Tor Publisher.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Like many of the authors other adult works (poster girl, chosen ones) I really enjoyed this one. The world building was very well done and the characters were also very well written. Both main characters are dealing with physical and emotional trauma, and was impressed at how the writing does not shy away from it at all, but rather uses it to create a very immersive and believable relationship between them. It is rare that I enjoy romance elements in books so the author did a great job here! Very much hoping the series is continued.