Book Review: A Traitor's War

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even better than book 1!

A Traitor's War picks up half an hour after the events of A Subtle Agency.
After the desperate battle on the Boston docks, Anton Slayne finds refuge amongst the vampire hunters of the Order of Thoth.

Why did I love it more than the first? Because of the addition of the extra secondary characters, the deepening of the plot, the fluency of the writing and of the story! Everything is better! It kept me glued to the seat from the beginning to the very end and left me wanting to dive straight into the sequel!

If you were to ask whether this book is character or plot oriented, I'd say both! And Graeme does a brilliant job with both!
Let me take them on turn.

The characters rock! Main or secondary, it doesn't really matter. Graeme writes them all real and strong, and practically leaping off the page.
What I love the most is the deep insight into their feelings and emotions, presented in clear images and little sentences that one may miss if not paying attention. They make these characters completely identifiable with. And particularly because of that, they will make the reader react!

They will either piss you off because you want them to behave in a certain way but they just won't do it or they'll have you glued to the seat wanting to see what they'll decide and how they'll manage to get out of a certain pickle. Only the best of books (or movies) make you rave and react! You wouldn't bother for anything less than that.

Personally, I had the very strong urge to punch one of them straight in the face several times over, and bring out the big sharp mama bird claws and wrap them protectively around another, hissing: "lay off my man, dude!!"

Anton and Li mature. They train and learn and try to find a place among strangers who don't trust them, and perhaps even fear them. Especially Anton that is, who somehow manages to get shot, thrown off a cliff and even get buried alive, because of it.

James Haley and Louise Wesson also make an appearance here, though Louise just breezes through with a promise of more to come, because now she has a new mission she believes in!

James Haley is a tough nut to crack. He is so complex as character and Graeme touches a wonderful depth while writing him.

'The light in his soul was fading and in its place, a creeping darkness had begun to take hold.'
'"James", Chloe said warmly. "You are on a new path now, embrace it, and all will be well."'
'"Yes Ma'am," James said, his heart surging with new life. Here was a real purpose that he could sink his teeth into.'

His path is one to follow. Will he completely embrace the darkness, or choose to return to the light? I love the way Graeme deals with honor in his case, with purpose and determination. Because a life deprived of these is not one worth living and James' choices are the kind any of us might make.

And then we get the addition of a handful of secondary characters that somehow managed to get under my skin. Don't get me wrong, I still love Anton and Li; and Chloe is still a brilliant mastermind and manipulator that one cannot help but root for, despite the dark path she threads on; but the new cast is also awesome and wonderfully complements our trio.

Francis Mirovar, senior force leader of the Order of Thoth - seems like a grumpy old trust no-one and protect your own kind. I didn't warm up to him in this book.

His wife on the other hand, Juliette Mirovar - loremaster of the Order - is another story. A crack combat surgeon, she takes both Anton and Li under her wing the very first moment need arises and is the gentlest and kindest in the team. I just love her! A strong woman behind a strong man. Who do you think is really in charge? :)

Jay Creeley the best, baddest, most dangerous fighter in the Mirovar team - Jay, Jay, Jay - even at a re-read, I still wanted to punch him in the face!

The lovely Chiara Romano badass warrior and sex kitten! She made my hackles rise a bit because I had a feeling there she was trying to take Li's place!! But Li has her own agenda, and it's all guns and blades!

There are a lot more of them but I'll stop here with my new favorite: Peter Lamb! A very apt name for someone build like the proverbial brick wall. Stronger than the strongest ramp-masters, to me he looks like this:

Dreamstime.com - A man holds axe over dark grey background. Artistic portrait of huge shirtless muscular Viking

Despite his bulky size, Peter is sweet and funny. He lightens up the mood and brings fun and cocky banter into play. Now don't get me wrong, he is a badass fighter and a whiz with his axes!

Peter’s left axe caught an assassin’s right sword. His right axe trapped the man’s left sword. He pushed outward, spread-eagling his opponent. Stepping in close, his head jerked forward, his forehead crashing into the assassin’s face.

The assassin went limp on his feet. Blood fountaining from his smashed nose, he started to fall.

Peter’s axes flashed in and across each other. The man’s head sailed away. His body, jetting blood from the severed vessels in his neck crumpled to the floor.

The little excerpt above is only a small taste of what Graeme delivers here in terms of action, fight, blood and gore. Horror enthusiasts will not be left wanting:

'Cornelius whipped the knife from his belt. He passed it through the young man's neck with such violent speed that it splashed blood across the faces of the three shocked men a dozen feet away. G..'s body took another step forward on its own before crumpling to the ground. His head rolled forward end over end, coming to a halt in front of D..'s boots.' - and this is just a taste of it.

There's lots in store for the thrill-hounds too, as they will get chapters full of hot action, peppered with cinematic scenes like this:
The muzzle flashed. The bullet ripped through his left lung before punching a hole out of his back. Anton jerked backward with the momentum of the hit. A second bullet followed the first smashing through his ribs a couple of inches to the left of the first wound....'

We do not get as many fight scenes in this book, to equal those in A Subtle Agency, but the attention to detail and awesome descriptions of moves and spilled blood more than make up for it. The cinematic effect of is hands-down
A-ma-zing!

And then we have the plot. The layers expand and so do the plot within the plot and plan within the plan up to the point you expect all hell to break loose any moment. There are traitors at every corner and double games are played within each faction! You'll need to sort through all of it to find out the culprit. Not an easy task as Graeme's clues are misleading at times and so obvious at others that you wonder if you're being led by the nose! Especially with the Raven lurking around.

Who the heck is the Raven?! The mystery kept me guessing till the very end and I was left with the question unanswered despite all the guesswork thrown in. If you like a good challenge, try finding out who The Raven is! :)

Awesome characters, great action, a solid plot and a challenging mystery, this book has something for everyone!
It is truly a high-octane, dark fantasy, superhero action adventure thriller, that would be at home in a summer movie blockbuster.