Suffice to say the worldbuilding continues to be second to none here and TRAITOR OF REDWINTER dives even deeper into the history and tumultuous past events that have shaped the present. There's also a deeply hidden mystery that cannot be denied and I found myself wanting to know more with each enticing (although infrequent) revelation. Hey, we can't give everything away in the second book am I right? So as it happens that excellent worldbuilding and an interesting history are my two favorite elements in a fantasy book, I'd say yeah this one hit all of the right notes for me. Where the first book was a journey, this was about the politics of the world. I enjoyed this aspect greatly and as written the worldbuilding made sense and was nicely detailed. Instead of introducing new characters and making them the plot (aka 'monster of the week'), we have the side characters from the first book doing most of the work of the storyline. It made the book much more grounded and solid as a result. In writing TRAITOR OF REDWINTER it felt like author McDonald took DAUGHTER OF REDWINTER and exploded it. The storyline was absolutely thrilling. I am going to highlight two of my favorite aspects of the book.

The two brief sparks that brought a smile to my face were a certain character from the past and Castus. Unexpectedly. These two coming together (literally? tee-hee) was the light entertainment and joy that I didn't know I needed. And the love interest, love triangle thingy that's happening... again, subtle but quite solid and basically, hashtag Team Sanvaunt because he's the kind of steady, level headed calm that everyone could do with in their life! Ed McDonald has, once again, presented an excellent fantasy adventure in a world that parallels our own. With a Scotland-inspired protagonist who rivals Brave‘s princess Merida, Traitor of Redwinter is an incredibly solid second entry for this series. Greater depth is given to all of our returning characters, and the world is fleshed out considerably more. Political intrigue, romance, violence, and magic blend brilliantly. I love the time I’ve spent in this world, and I look forward to hearing the audio version of this one as well.

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Grandmaster Robilar was an interesting character in the first book. McDonald gave a good teaser about her, and in this book, readers get to know more about her. I loved it. She is, of course, powerful, knowledgeable, and cunning. When reading, I did the feeling that she was so much more capable than Raine. There is definitely a reason she’s the grandmaster. Her addition to the book was great. Again, I don’t know if McDonald intended that or not. I could be reading way too deeply and putting my own thing on the text. Ed’s prowess in world building has consistently impressed me, and Traitor of Redwinter only solidifies his talent in this regard. Returning to the world of Redwinter was an absolute delight, and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in its intricacies once again. The character development in Traitor of Redwinter was masterfully crafted, and my goodness, the unexpected plot twists and intricate turns were absolutely enthralling. While the initial half of the book may have unfolded at a more leisurely pace compared to the second half, my past experiences with Ed’s writing assured me that he needed the time to build up momentum and deliver something truly awe-inspiring. And indeed, my intuition was spot-on as Ed completely blew me away. The conversations and interactions amongst characters were beautifully done too. The writing was so stunning, by the time I finished the book, it looked like a coloring book, for I had highlighted so many paragraphs and conversations. lol!

Raine, Sanvaunt, Liara, and Castus all return from the failed diplomatic mission. All are traumatized by the loss of their fellow apprentice. Raine and Castus deal with the deaths they’ve caused by self-medicating. Raine likes her rose-thistle, and Castus prefers wine. On the other hand, Sanvaunt and Liara are rehearsing a play. And we know from the first book that Sanvaunt writes as well. I can’t help but see the contrast between the four returning characters as commentary. Sanvaunt and Liara’s art helps them cope as much as Raine and Castus’s self-medication. This was an engaging and often emotionally moving book 2. McDonald covered a lot of narrative ground here on both a sweeping plot front and character arc front and has me itching to continue the tale to see where things go from here in the finale. But the grandmaster has her own plans for Raine, and the deadly training she has been given has not been conducted carelessly. In Raine she seeks to craft a weapon to launch right into her enemy’s heart, as Redwinter seeks to hold onto power. I ignored Castus and laboured hard enough to roll one of them over. My suspicion was confirmed, and it didn’t sit easy. I don’t know that I’ve thought about being happy in a long while. Like it’s something that skipped away from me and got forgotten.'Raine is a orphan who was brought to Redwinter, the home of great defenders of the realm, trained in their ways of magic and war, and made her name for fighting above her level, and making friends and foes equally. This has come at quite a cost to Raine. The mentor that saved Raine, Ulovar, and brought Raine to Redwinter is weakening, dying slowly in some unknown way. The powerful matriarch and defender of Redwinter has had her power and immortality stripped away. Revolution is taking towns, bodies are starting to build up, and the clans are starting to get uncomfortable. Raine is having problems dealing with all these things, along with the fact that Raine is keeping a secret. Raine can see the dead, and this skill is not looked at as something favorable. Raine has found a book, a cursed book to help her control these powers, but nothing seems to be helping. Emotions are running high, danger seems around every turn and every look, and the power that Raine has to communicate with the dead might be very busy soon. Nevertheless, I felt like this expanded Raine’s understanding of herself and showed us her flaws as she struggles to be fair and good to others. A main character with flaws, yes! I was a bit nervous that I might not like Traitor of Redwinter as much, but I needn't have worried. I loved it. I literally could not put this book down. There were some great plot reveals that I never saw coming, and some of the magical and fantasy worldbuilding elements dazzled me and felt fresh even after reading hundreds of other modern fantasy books.