Fantasy

The Betrayals

The Betrayals

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  • Create Date：2021-09-11 09:54:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bridget Collins
  • ISBN：0008272166
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Summary

If everything in your life was based on a lie
Would you risk it all to tell the truth？

At Montverre， an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains， the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious contest。 Léo Martin was once a student there， but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy。 Now he returns in disgrace， exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters。

Montverre has changed since he studied there， even allowing a woman， Claire Dryden， 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。

Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies。 And as the legendary Midsummer Game， the climax of the year， draws closer， secrets are whispering in the walls…

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Reviews

Sandy Sheen ，

Sorry Bridget not my favourite！ I found this book long， slow and laborious。 It finished with no real ending and was 100 pages too long。 For me， this story never really went anywhere。 Books are subjective so I get that some people will love it but I was so looking forward to reading this because I couldn’t put The Bindings down！ I loved it。 Looking forward to what your next book holds。

Lindsey ，

De eerste 100-150 pagina’s was ik er van overtuigd dat ik Het verraad van Monteverre niets zou vinden。 De personages raakten me niet echt， de wereld voelde vreemd en onbegrijpelijk aan en de term Grand Jeu kreeg maar geen echte invulling。 Nu is dat laatste zelfs na het boek uit te lezen nog steeds niet helemaal duidelijk， maar dat maakt ook niet （meer） uit。 Op een bepaalde moment realiseerde ik me dat ik het boek niet meer kon wegleggen。 Dat ik zowel het verleden als de toekomst van de personage De eerste 100-150 pagina’s was ik er van overtuigd dat ik Het verraad van Monteverre niets zou vinden。 De personages raakten me niet echt， de wereld voelde vreemd en onbegrijpelijk aan en de term Grand Jeu kreeg maar geen echte invulling。 Nu is dat laatste zelfs na het boek uit te lezen nog steeds niet helemaal duidelijk， maar dat maakt ook niet （meer） uit。 Op een bepaalde moment realiseerde ik me dat ik het boek niet meer kon wegleggen。 Dat ik zowel het verleden als de toekomst van de personages wilde weten。 Ik weet niet wat het exacte keerpunt was， maar wel dat Collins een prachtboek heeft weten neer te pennen。 Mysterieus， subtiel en groots。Bridget Collins schrijft met een vleugje melancholie en mysterie。 De gelaagdheid in haar zinnen en beschrijvingen zorgen er voor dat je als lezer vaak enkele zinnen later pas doorhebt wat de auteur voorheen probeerde te zeggen。 Dit past bij de sfeer van het boek， maar zorgt ook voor een traagheid in het lezen。 En toch is het tegelijk een boek dat je moeilijk kan wegleggen。 Eens je in het verhaal zit en je de personages beter leert kennen， voel je medelijden met ze en ook angst。 Want de wereld die Collins heeft gecreëerd zit vol duisternis die iedereen op elk moment kan opslokken。 Niemand is veilig， zo lijkt。 Niemand zijn toekomst is zeker， het pad dat ze volgen slechts maar een paar stappen verlicht。In Het verraad van Monteverre staat vooral de vrijheid van het individu centraal。 Vrouwen zijn niet toegelaten op de prestigieuze filosofische school， Leo wordt verbannen en De Partij stelt wetten op om Christenen te achtervolgen。 En dan zijn deze politieke beslissingen nog maar de eerste laag。 Daaronder zijn er onder andere ook het recht om te bestaan en het recht om je eigen pad te kiezen， vrij van alle （voor）oordelen die mensen al hebben over je familie。 Door de gelaagdheid van het verhaal is het moeilijk om het boek in maar één genre te plaatsen。 Het is een verhaal dat zich niet snel of in ieder geval toch niet eenvoudig laat definiëren。 En dat is net de sterkte van Bridget Collins， iets wat ook al aanwezig was bij De Boekbinder。 Beiden zijn verhalen die je even moet laten bezinken， die je doen nadenken en waarvan bepaalde scenes nog dagenlang door je hoofd spoken。 Onverwacht， alsof je pas na het lezen de echte waarde van ze weet in te schatten。Het idee van het Grand Jeu， een manier om in de buurt van het goddelijke te komen door een combinatie van onder andere wiskunde， filosofie en muziek， is interessant。 Zeker wanneer het gespeeld wordt， want het is en blijft een spel， door jonge twintigers。 Allemaal mannen。 Allemaal afgesloten van de buitenwereld terwijl ze op hun prestigieuze school zitten。 De maatschappijkritiek die tussen de lijnen door te lezen valt is subtiel en had eigenlijk duidelijker， luider mogen zijn。 Exclusieve scholen waar vooral de kinderen （lees: jongens） van de rijkste families toegang tot hebben en waarvan de meesten later in de regering zetelen of andere belangrijke （politieke） functies uitoefenen。 Klinkt bekend， niet？En toch blijft de wereld die Collins gecreëerd heeft vaag。 Buiten de school van Monteverre is de wereld wazig， bevindt het zich in een soort van vacuüm。 Realisme met een vleugje fantasy en geen duidelijke tijdsaanduiding。 Maar dat stoort het verhaal niet want het zijn de personages die centraal staan。 Leo， Claire en de Rat。 Elk vol geheimen， verdriet en imperfecties。 Snakkend naar erkenning en liefde。 De sterkte van de personages ligt in hun zwaktes en gedachten， veel meer dan in hun uiteindelijke handelingen。 Collins heeft échte personages weten te schrijven， die ondanks hun fouten vooral doen wat ze denken dat juist is。Door de interessante personages en wereld die wat naar de achtergrond verdwijnt， is Collins’ schrijfstijl te vergelijken met die van Donna Tartt。 Een trage schrijfstijl， die langzaam je ziel binnendringt en je uiteindelijke bijna onbewust doet houden van de personages。 Met het verschil dat Collins er in slaagt dit in een heel aantal pagina’s minder te doen en daardoor het tempo nét snel genoeg houdt。 En daarbij ook nog eens pracht van zinnen schrijft als: “hij kwam hier om aardig te zijn， om haar te bedanken en weer te vertrekken， en met haar stekels en doornen heeft ze al zijn satijnen bedoelingen tot een hopeloze knoop vastgehaakt”。 。。。more

Holly ，

At the start of The Betrayals I wasn’t convinced I would entirely enjoy it - the entire narrative hinges on this elusive grand jeux （a game and form of worship involving poetry， maths， science， movement， ancient language etc。）。 However， the rules， and even how the game actually works， and how it connects to the Divine is never fully realised by Collins。 Maybe that’s the point？ Nevertheless， initially I found it hard to be interested in all this jargon that the meaning of was never explained。 Aft At the start of The Betrayals I wasn’t convinced I would entirely enjoy it - the entire narrative hinges on this elusive grand jeux （a game and form of worship involving poetry， maths， science， movement， ancient language etc。）。 However， the rules， and even how the game actually works， and how it connects to the Divine is never fully realised by Collins。 Maybe that’s the point？ Nevertheless， initially I found it hard to be interested in all this jargon that the meaning of was never explained。 After reading the afterword that it was inspired By Hesse’s Glass Bead Game i guess it would’ve been easier to navigate if I had read this novel， but overall it was too shrouded in mystery to be entirely fulfilling。 Bridget Collins writes in such a specific and lucid way that reading her work always feels somewhat enchanting， despite the male protagonist Leo being an absolute （somewhat misogynistic） spineless ass。 I found it interesting how Bridget Collins made me want to root for this cruel man and empathise with him in the way that both Carfax siblings did。 The book was a real melting pot of ideas; unmet desire， corrupt political systems， and the ostracisation of religious citizens reminiscent of the start of nazi Germany， ego and selfishness， forgiveness， gender roles， being truly seen， Love， and much much more。 You wouldn’t think you could fit that much into one narrative but it made the world far more nuanced and jam packed with texture。 I would’ve liked to see how some of these issues were resolved but the tone of the ending might mean that Collins preferred to leave them open ended。The plot twist at the end had me on the edge of my seat and the final half of the book raced like a train skidding along off its tracks。Overall， I think this was a really interesting premise and a very enjoyable reading experience。 。。。more

Jane ，

I liked the premise but have no idea what the rat girl had to do with the story and we didn't get an explanation for it either。 I liked the twist， I didn't expect it and I can usually guess three things。 I may read another of hers。 So many talking points， almost too many， but you get the gist of the white， Christian supremacy alluded to。 I liked the premise but have no idea what the rat girl had to do with the story and we didn't get an explanation for it either。 I liked the twist， I didn't expect it and I can usually guess three things。 I may read another of hers。 So many talking points， almost too many， but you get the gist of the white， Christian supremacy alluded to。 。。。more

Ashley ，

The entire time I was reading this， it felt like I was reading the sequel to a book I hadn't read。 And this is a standalone book。 The entire time I was reading this， it felt like I was reading the sequel to a book I hadn't read。 And this is a standalone book。 。。。more

Meghan ，

At first I thought this would be a three-star book。 It’s not the kind of book I normally would pick up but I’m so glad I did！ I was very confused and a little frustrated at not being able to understand the grand jeu， the religious academic game that is the focal point of the universe here， but then I realized I didn’t need to understand it。 All you need to know is that’s it’s important and it’s difficult to play。 That’s why I don’t read a lot of fantasy。 I don’t like being in an unfamiliar world At first I thought this would be a three-star book。 It’s not the kind of book I normally would pick up but I’m so glad I did！ I was very confused and a little frustrated at not being able to understand the grand jeu， the religious academic game that is the focal point of the universe here， but then I realized I didn’t need to understand it。 All you need to know is that’s it’s important and it’s difficult to play。 That’s why I don’t read a lot of fantasy。 I don’t like being in an unfamiliar world （Harry Potter is okay because Rowling explains every little detail of the wizarding world to you） that I can’t picture in my head。 So at first I wasn’t that impressed， but Collins’ writing is so beautiful and it didn’t take long for me to be fully immersed and enjoying the story。 THE STORY。 Oh wow this story will hold a special place in my heart forever。 The love story was perfection and the mystery of the Rat was confusing but in a good way。 Everything makes sense in the end。 I loved these characters so much。 I was feeling a lot of things。 Take it from someone who isn’t that into fantasy and give this book a shot。 I had to stick with it at first， not because of bad writing， but because it’s out of my comfort zone。 This world is one worth exploring and the characters are so special。 Glad I picked this up randomly at the library。 。。。more

Grace ，

This is an incredibly difficult book to summarize because there is no easy way to explain the Grand Jea--Bridget Collins （author） herself noted that she was somewhat inspired by the The Glass Bead Game -- and so much of the book revolves around the Grand Jea。 Scholars in a patriarchal society study the Grand Jea--and two of those scholars build an unlikely bond that is only to be severed。 Ten years later， one of those scholars， Leo， is banished back to the school （which feels very monastic）。 Tol This is an incredibly difficult book to summarize because there is no easy way to explain the Grand Jea--Bridget Collins （author） herself noted that she was somewhat inspired by the The Glass Bead Game -- and so much of the book revolves around the Grand Jea。 Scholars in a patriarchal society study the Grand Jea--and two of those scholars build an unlikely bond that is only to be severed。 Ten years later， one of those scholars， Leo， is banished back to the school （which feels very monastic）。 Told from 3 perspectives， "The Betrayals" will surprise you when you least expect it。 。。。more

Dina ，

DNF。 I got to 150 pages， and I still had no idea what the f*** was going on。It is really beautifully written， in the same way that a philosophy book is written where there is a ton of allegory and lots of metaphors， combined with reflections on the pointlessness of human existence and how we're all trash inside。 The author is heavily influenced by Hermann Hesse， and I never want to read Hermann as a result （in between， you know。。。my Ice Planet Barbarians books。。。）。 DNF。 I got to 150 pages， and I still had no idea what the f*** was going on。It is really beautifully written， in the same way that a philosophy book is written where there is a ton of allegory and lots of metaphors， combined with reflections on the pointlessness of human existence and how we're all trash inside。 The author is heavily influenced by Hermann Hesse， and I never want to read Hermann as a result （in between， you know。。。my Ice Planet Barbarians books。。。）。 。。。more

Emma Clancey ，

3。5 STARSThis book is the reason I don't DNF。Before we dive in， let me tell you a bit about what this book is about。 It takes place at Montverre， an isolated academy where students train in the grand jeu， a mysterious and incredibly complex game。 We follow， Leo， an ex-student and failed politician， who returns to Montverre and is forced to come to terms with a violent tragedy that unfolded during his training at the academy。 Try to imagine a 19030's French-inspired world on the cusp of becoming 3。5 STARSThis book is the reason I don't DNF。Before we dive in， let me tell you a bit about what this book is about。 It takes place at Montverre， an isolated academy where students train in the grand jeu， a mysterious and incredibly complex game。 We follow， Leo， an ex-student and failed politician， who returns to Montverre and is forced to come to terms with a violent tragedy that unfolded during his training at the academy。 Try to imagine a 19030's French-inspired world on the cusp of becoming a 1984-esque dystopia。。。 but make it a dark academia lit fic。 Yeah， that's about right。 Now。 I said that this is book is the reason that I don't DNF。 And genuinely， I spent the first half of The Betrayals bored， disappointed， and frustrated at the entire publishing industry for producing a book with such a gorgeous cover and yet apparently nothing of interest in its pages。 This book is written in four POVs - one which felt unnecessary， one which I straight up didn't like， one which I tolerated， and one。。。 ONE。。。 which was faintly interesting （do note， this was the single POV taking place in the past。 Meaning I didn't give a damn about anything happening in the present， which is not a great sign）。 Furthermore， Leo came across as a pretentious （and frankly misogynistic） arsehole， and I grew steadily more and more frustrated with the vague descriptions of the grand jeu。 Sure， I get that it's meant to be mysterious and arcane and complex。。。。 but honestly， after being told for the twelfth time that "grand jeu is faaaarrr too complex to explain， to even fathom" （no， that's not an actual quote from the book） it began to feel like the author was just avoiding having to come up with any sort of description of said game。 And finally， I wasn't connecting with the author's writing style。 I know lots of people love it， but it's hard for me to get excited about pages and pages of introspection and flowery description when I'm not connecting to any of the characters or the world （but I will note again that I liked the past POV - which is written in a completely different， and less indulgent， style）。 Now， you're probably wondering how on earth I ended up giving this book 3。5 stars。 Well， let me tell you。 First up， I'm still reeling from the plot twist。 Around page 250-300， the pieces start to slot together and then。。。 BAM。 It's messed up。 It's awful。 But it's so brilliantly foreshadowed （as I would've noticed if I hadn't been busy wishing I hadn't read this book）。 It's so well-written， and so frustrating that it will make you want to throw your gorgeous copy of this book across the room。 There's a certain scene involving ink （I'll say no more， because spoilers） that hit me unbelievably hard。 Because， in a book where I DON'T LIKE the characters， I shouldn't be that emotionally torn apart。。。 but damn， I was。 And I have to give the author credit for pulling that off。Once that fell into place， I began to actually enjoy the book。 To really appreciate it。 Sure， the characters are insufferable。 The world-building is not particularly impressive （though others disagree）。 Some aspects of the romance are。。 uh， kinda concerning。 But above all， this book is a portrait of ego and ambition and yearning and fear and all of the terrible lengths that our flawed human emotions can drive us to。 There's something captivating in that， something that is very hard to look away from。 To end this review， I've got a few final words for any of you thinking about picking this book up。 Don't expect to fall in love with the characters， or the romance， or the world。 Don't expect to be swept away by the plot。 Instead， expect to be frustrated， expect to hurt， but also expect to be thinking about this book long after you finish it。 。。。more

Angelina ，

Beautifully written， world building that is complex but easy to get the hang of while keeping the reader guessing。 I'd rate this book higher， but it so clearly wants people of faith， specifically Christians， to be victimised - not throughout history， but in its fictional world。 The claim doesn't go away anywhere within 400 pages and it's quite ridiculous。 I do not understand the Christian desire to be persecuted， but if you can stand that， I'd recommend this book。 Beautifully written， world building that is complex but easy to get the hang of while keeping the reader guessing。 I'd rate this book higher， but it so clearly wants people of faith， specifically Christians， to be victimised - not throughout history， but in its fictional world。 The claim doesn't go away anywhere within 400 pages and it's quite ridiculous。 I do not understand the Christian desire to be persecuted， but if you can stand that， I'd recommend this book。 。。。more

Victoria Harris ，

This is up there with my favourite books of the year。 Everything was working well together; it was character driven and deep， with beautiful prose。

Lindsey ，

This was a story that， once finished， I just sat there contemplating what I just read。 I honestly still have no idea what the grand jeu really is-some kind of composing musical composition？？ And the school was for musical/math prodigies？？？ As to the actual setting， not sure there either。 The Party and it's dictatorial practices felt reminiscent of Nazi Germany but there was a modern dystopian feel to it all。 Despite the ambiguity as to what was really going on， I felt compelled to keep reading b This was a story that， once finished， I just sat there contemplating what I just read。 I honestly still have no idea what the grand jeu really is-some kind of composing musical composition？？ And the school was for musical/math prodigies？？？ As to the actual setting， not sure there either。 The Party and it's dictatorial practices felt reminiscent of Nazi Germany but there was a modern dystopian feel to it all。 Despite the ambiguity as to what was really going on， I felt compelled to keep reading because the characters of Leo and Claire were so intriguing。 It was like watching a train wreck slowly happen and being unable to avert your eyes。 。。。more

Clothilde ，

The Binding was a tough act to follow， granted， but to me this book made no sense whatsoever。。。 I read it all to understand what a grand jeu was exactly but only got more confused with time， I'm still not sure what I read exactlyThere were a few interesting plot twists but the ending didn't leave me satisfied unfortunately 😔 The Binding was a tough act to follow， granted， but to me this book made no sense whatsoever。。。 I read it all to understand what a grand jeu was exactly but only got more confused with time， I'm still not sure what I read exactlyThere were a few interesting plot twists but the ending didn't leave me satisfied unfortunately 😔 。。。more

Currer ，

I saw this recommended as a "fantasy of manners，" but it's not really that。 The only fantastical element of it is that it's a kind of alternate history of a country like Germany in 1936--no magic involved。 It's more an immersive romance that takes place at an elite school in a country slipping into fascism。 A lot of it is unapologetically about the conflict between ambition and friendship。 I really enjoyed it。 I saw this recommended as a "fantasy of manners，" but it's not really that。 The only fantastical element of it is that it's a kind of alternate history of a country like Germany in 1936--no magic involved。 It's more an immersive romance that takes place at an elite school in a country slipping into fascism。 A lot of it is unapologetically about the conflict between ambition and friendship。 I really enjoyed it。 。。。more

Hannah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was slightly disappointed with the ending but it was an awesome book！

bronte ，

lol what。 this was so bad I can’t even put it into words like。。？？ im left with way more questions than answers， and tbh the whole thing felt so off and it’s only after reading other reviews that it makes sense （aka the author is a TERF）。 （btw this is less a review more a rant， also major spoilers）there is so much that’s left poorly explained or just unsaid like i know some people probably loved it but what was the point behind the rat POV？ also just what happened with simons whole character and lol what。 this was so bad I can’t even put it into words like。。？？ im left with way more questions than answers， and tbh the whole thing felt so off and it’s only after reading other reviews that it makes sense （aka the author is a TERF）。 （btw this is less a review more a rant， also major spoilers）there is so much that’s left poorly explained or just unsaid like i know some people probably loved it but what was the point behind the rat POV？ also just what happened with simons whole character and plot？ （the treatment of christianity felt so iffy as well like the whole point was that christians were oppressed）。 also there are so many plot holes within the Claire/Aime switch I cant even begin to list them-， and it felt so deeply problematic， i wouldn’t’ve ever guessed it was written by a woman if I didn’t know just due to the blatant sexism throughout the whole thing， like the woman-dressing-up-as-a-man-to-get-into-a-sexist-institution plot is so overdone but this took that trope and just forgot the whole ‘the woman actually fights the misogyny’ point。 also the mental illness rep of carfax was so bad just using the families long history of illness as a minuscule plot point and barely acknowledging him committing suicide？ also the way Leo described falling in love with claire was so iffy， the entire time he was comparing and blending his expectations of the two people and merging them into one ideal partner （there is literally a scene where he envisions a future with claire/aime where it’s ‘aimes’ personality and looks， but Claire’s curves and mind？？）。 also there was a quote in there （don’t ask me to find it im never looking at that book again） like ‘why would a man pretend to be a women？’ which although it was appropriate for the context just felt off。not even gonna get started on the terrible writing and planning I have so many questions from why don’t we get any more information on the political side of this situation which is so massive but only addressed in the last like 50 pages？ also ‘the old man’， please I would actually like to know more about him seeing as he’s the main force behind so much of this。 and Chryseis， who even was she， what impact did she make， what actually was her relationship with Leo， why does he care so much， why is she only brought up when Leo needs to be moody and reflect， just why？？ omg I almost forgot THESE CHARACTERS TAKE UNRELIABLE NARRATORS AND TWIST IT SO MUCH NOTHING MAKES SENSE IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE。 like yes， there are plot twists which if the characters spoke about earlier would be ruined， but please both Leo and Claire’s entire worldview changed when both their twists were revealed - Claire never brought up her being carfax in her internal monologue and questioned events which she caused （for one， the removing the papers from the archives， and how she knew abt Leo’s past）， and Leo omfg when he suddenly decided ‘I’ve been lying to myself the entire time I never actually wanted Carfax to get ahead I always hated him’， like please your entire diary entry perspective says otherwise you can’t change it all in one sentence。 this also felt homophobic but I can’t put my finger on it。 the pacing was terrible， the writing style just wasn’t it， there are so many plot holes， there is no worldbuilding which I think was very much needed in this， alsoWHAT EVEN IS GRAND JEU？？？？？？overall: problematic， generally trash， not worth your time。 thank you 。。。more

Louise Gibbs ，

I loved reading Bridget Collins other book ‘the binding’ so was excited to read this one。 I really enjoyed reading this book as well and Collins had become one of my favourite authors。 I’d be hesitant to recommend this book to anyone though， the plot is very intricate and it took me a while to properly get into this book。

Lux ，

I waffled between a 3 and a 4 on this。

Kosh Koshover ，

Not really sure what to think of this one。 several things were quite enjoyable， there was always a sense of unraveling secrets， but not sure most things paid off。 also it was too long， way too long。

Martina ，

It's not been easy for me to rate this book because Bridget Collins is an author that stole my heart with her previous work， The Binding。 However， this time I didn't fall in love with this book。I think that the premise of The Betrayals is extremely interesting and quite original， but that in the end， it didn't live up to its potential。 This is quite sad because I really think this writer has so much talent。 I couldn't really feel a connection to the characters， and I couldn't stand one of them i It's not been easy for me to rate this book because Bridget Collins is an author that stole my heart with her previous work， The Binding。 However， this time I didn't fall in love with this book。I think that the premise of The Betrayals is extremely interesting and quite original， but that in the end， it didn't live up to its potential。 This is quite sad because I really think this writer has so much talent。 I couldn't really feel a connection to the characters， and I couldn't stand one of them in particular， Leo。 In the book， we get mostly his point of view， so maybe it's one of the reasons why I couldn't enjoy this read fully。 Moreover， I have to say that the big twist in the novel was quite predictable from the start。 Maybe one could be unsure about some details， but the rest was quite obvious， at least in my opinion。 Also， the romance part left me with a sour taste。 I couldn't really root for them。 In the end， I guess this story didn't quite work for me， even though I think that it has some good things。 Anyway， I'll for sure read this author's next works。 。。。more

Ma8pie ，

Interesting and well developed characters。 The setting never varied throughout which felt pretty dreary while reading in the midst of a pandemic。 The premise was based upon another book: The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse， which I hadn’t read， but which held my attention。

Amber ，

I was so disappointed in this book。 I had high hopes after reading the binding。 I was so close to DNF with this book but I kept dragging it out so I could say I read it。 I skimmed the last 100 or so pages and didn’t miss out on anything。 I still have no idea what the grand jeu is and what the meaning behind the book was。。

Aishwarya Viswanath ，

3。5 stars+ points: A strong beginning and middle， with an interesting fantasy AU in the middle of the real world。 I liked Leo and Claire and the political intrigue was fun to follow， if a little vague。- points: more world-building would've have been good as the heirachies and the idea of the grand jeu is still a little confusing 3。5 stars+ points: A strong beginning and middle， with an interesting fantasy AU in the middle of the real world。 I liked Leo and Claire and the political intrigue was fun to follow， if a little vague。- points: more world-building would've have been good as the heirachies and the idea of the grand jeu is still a little confusing 。。。more

Kelly Spoer ，

Not bad， but not my favorite。 Super interesting world though。

Samuele ，

4。5 starsI really enjoyed reading （and listening to） this book。 I think Collins has a great writing style that keeps your nose glued to the pages and that’s something I will always appreciate。Despite that， I think that sometimes it was a bit too much。 A couple of things could have been easily left out。I liked the characters， she created them perfectly， with their pros and cons and I felt them to be very real。 Also I really liked the grand jeu。 I appreciated the fact that it was always left unexp 4。5 starsI really enjoyed reading （and listening to） this book。 I think Collins has a great writing style that keeps your nose glued to the pages and that’s something I will always appreciate。Despite that， I think that sometimes it was a bit too much。 A couple of things could have been easily left out。I liked the characters， she created them perfectly， with their pros and cons and I felt them to be very real。 Also I really liked the grand jeu。 I appreciated the fact that it was always left unexplainable， like something mysterious that every read could imagine the way they want。There is a great plot twist that I guessed unwillingly before the end of the first part and， despite that， I appreciated it neverthless！If you liked reading her other fiction， The Binding， I suggest you try this one！ 。。。more

Mirai ，

This book is just stunning。 It has all of the dark academia vibes but it’s also an adult fiction piece。 We follow the story of 3 different main characters: the Rat， Léo and Magister Ludi。 The story takes place at a boarding school called Montverre where student train in this thing they call grand jeu。 Martin Léo is banished by the Party to the school he used to go to 10 years prior where Magister Ludi teaches and where the Rat is hiding。 With time we get to know what happened when Léo used to go This book is just stunning。 It has all of the dark academia vibes but it’s also an adult fiction piece。 We follow the story of 3 different main characters: the Rat， Léo and Magister Ludi。 The story takes place at a boarding school called Montverre where student train in this thing they call grand jeu。 Martin Léo is banished by the Party to the school he used to go to 10 years prior where Magister Ludi teaches and where the Rat is hiding。 With time we get to know what happened when Léo used to go to school and why Magister Ludi hates him so much。 Léo made many mistakes in his life and he’s not… very likeable to me。 He’s low key misogynistic – he believes that women are inferior to men， that their place is at home， not at school。 We learn that the Party he is a part of is introducing those “Purity Laws” that are highly nationalistic and especially anti-Christian and anti-Communistic and everyone that defines them。。 disappears。 Léo is lucky， because even tho he went against what Party wanted of him “Old Man” （head of the Party， he’s only mentioned a few times） likes him， so he was banished。 Magister Ludi， fist female Magister at Montverre as we learn later is also aware of what happened at school when Léo attended it and she knows more than anyone would expect。（view spoiler）[When Léo finds out that Claire is Carfrax’s sister he does project Carfrax on her。 In their school days Léo and Carfrax they went from rivals。。 to friends。。 to kissing。 OMG and here I thought we’ve got tragic LGBTQ+ romance！ I was so annoyed at the fact that Léo doesn’t really look at Claire but at Carfrax he saw in her。 We have so many instances when Léo is just describing how much she reminds him of Carfrax。 And I get it， he loved him， lost him and never was able to fully get over it buttttt Claire is Claire you meanie！！（hide spoiler）]And this book has the biggest plot twist at the end that I’d never have expected。 Now that I think about it， it was hinted here and there but I never expected THAT！ （view spoiler）[ I did not expect Claire （Magister Ludi） to not only be Carfrax’s sister but also the fact that it wasn’t the real Carfrax， who Léo fell in love in when they were at school but it was Claire。 And while the real Carfrax did indeed commit suicide – the Carfrax that Léo knew， his love， Claire was alive。 （hide spoiler）]I would love to give it 5 starts but to be honest。。 I’ve missed something in it。 Not sure why， it’s just the feeling I got。 。。。more

Rose ，

Bailed on it about 1/3 of the way through。 The writing just didn't grip me it was all too vague / didn't describe the game at all so I felt like I was missing something the whole time Bailed on it about 1/3 of the way through。 The writing just didn't grip me it was all too vague / didn't describe the game at all so I felt like I was missing something the whole time 。。。more

Erica ，

Had to walk away from this one after several chapters， couldn’t get into it。

Silvia ，

Review for our book club "Books Real When Shared" book of the month - August 2021CW: （view spoiler）[suicide， depression， blood， violence， murder， abuse， suicide of a person carrying a child， misogyny。 （hide spoiler）]This is my second Bridget Collins book and definitely not my favourite， The Binding still remains my favourite nover of this author， it was so good。 But this book I have to say that left me haunted。 There's just something in Collins' writing that leaves me with so much food for thoug Review for our book club "Books Real When Shared" book of the month - August 2021CW: （view spoiler）[suicide， depression， blood， violence， murder， abuse， suicide of a person carrying a child， misogyny。 （hide spoiler）]This is my second Bridget Collins book and definitely not my favourite， The Binding still remains my favourite nover of this author， it was so good。 But this book I have to say that left me haunted。 There's just something in Collins' writing that leaves me with so much food for thought。My main problem with this novel was the pacing and the lack of informations regarding the game。 I know that it was somewhat voluntary， but I would have liked to know more。 The main frustration I have with this novel is that I could have everything and I feel like I was left with crumbles of what could have been。 Collins has an amazing writing style and I would read her shopping list， but I feel like something was missing from this novel。Also， something happens that I quite guessed， but at the same time it was not what I guessed 100% and that left me a little bit disappointed。I liked the main metaphor and I think there's more to this book that meets the eye。 I won't spoil anything， but I liked the ending， or at least what I gathered from that。 I was always trying to search for deeper meanings in this novel， but I don't know if that was the case。I think I'm so glad I read this though。 This is a 3-stars-read for me， but it's not that it left me with nothing， and I quite appreciated the main idea， its execution not so much。 。。。more

Gen ，

kind of confusing。 still don't know what a grand jeu is despite the whole book being。。。 about them。 i enjoyed the twist but the ending left me disappointed and confused。 i was hoping for a more satisfying conclusion。 more answers to questions that were never answered。 some kind of conclusion to the relationship。 kind of confusing。 still don't know what a grand jeu is despite the whole book being。。。 about them。 i enjoyed the twist but the ending left me disappointed and confused。 i was hoping for a more satisfying conclusion。 more answers to questions that were never answered。 some kind of conclusion to the relationship。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Betrayals

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Betrayals&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Betrayals&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0