The moment the ARC for Blood of Truth and Traitors arrived in my inbox, everything else was abandoned. I had literally just cracked open a fresh thriller book ( 2 chapters in and not really feeling the new characters) but the second I saw we had the next Hirathean Path installment my social Out of Office went on, and I swapped out the thriller for this
What i’ll say is whilst Im sure not reading the previous books in the series shouldnt stop you from reading this one, I really really really would reccomend you do. And, if you havent please dont keep reading as it will spoil those first few books for you
So, picking up straight from that cliffhanger where Rose discovers she is a long lost ice princess, this installment never lets you take a breath. Rose’s journey steps into an entirely new stratosphere here, especially the arc of her meeting her family. Watching her step into something so much bigger, carrying the immense weight of knowing she has the power to both unite and divide those around her, was phenomenal. She conducts herself with such grace and grit, handling impossible burdens while keeping critical secrets guarded close to her chest. And of course, as always, I am completely obsessed with Fen. Can I please just have my own dire wolf already?
What completely gripped me throughout the entire journey was the haunting recurring mystery: the child of four, three, two, and one. My theory-crafting brain went into absolute overdrive trying to decode it (along with the utilisation of my new kindle scribe so i could make notes and doodle theories). Note below was my thoughts in a moment, not all the way into the book:
* Four: Representing the four distinct bloodlines across the 4 ‘types’ of people
* Three: shes one of three kids in her family
* Two: Perhaps born of the two gods,
* One: The only child of her parents with this distinct power (that we know of), pointing to the fact that her magic manifests completely differently from her siblings, leaving so much left to unravel. Are her siblings her actual siblings? is Kay her fathers and William her mothers?
At chapter 50, and my scribbled margins took over. The dynamic between Mila and Korvane had my radar blaring. Mila holds entirely too much sway and control, not to mention possessing one of the three blades. With the legend of the three knives (one to bind, one to kill, one to free) we’ve now seen both Rose’s and Mila’s blades in motion, but which purpose belongs to which weapon remains a mystery. Seeing Mila pull the strings made me seriously question if Korvane is being manipulated from the shadows. Is a redemption arc brewing, or is that just my Throne of Glass brain running wild? I might be completely off the mark, but the clues are great to keep your brain in the book long after you put it down. .
Add to that the tension surrounding Kyor’s blood vow, Benny being a rebel and Ruben. Kyor being gagged from speaking truths that could shift the entire narrative raises the stakes so high. It drives home the themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the sheer lengths people will go to either protect one another or bury the truth.
Personally, Ive already got a countdown on til book 4 is released but for the rest of you: Blood of truth and traitors is due out on 22nd of September, so get your preorder in now!
One More Chapter 