Slight Spoiler Review: The Betrayed by Kiera Cass

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Synopsis:

    The Betrayed by Kiera Cass is a young adult romantic fantasy and the last book in The Betrothed Duology. The Betrayed picks up almost immediately after the end of The Betrothed. It follows a young woman named Hollis who has lost her home and her former life. With her newfound family, she must adjust to a new life and try and take down the tyrannical king. A king who threatens the peace in both Coroa and Isolte and poses a continual threat to Hollis and her family's safety.

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Warning:

This review will contain some spoilers for the previous book in this duology, The Betrothed. Do not continue on unless you wish to be spoiled!

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    Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. 

Content Warnings: Violence, Grief, Death, Toxic Relationships.

Note: This book contains some mature and sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers, please proceed with caution.

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Review:

    The story picks up with Hollis Brite leaving behind Coroa and the only home she has ever known and journeying to Isolte. At this point, I was still reeling from the deaths at the end of The Betrothed and all the events that happened at the climax. At the beginning of this book, we spend a bit of time in Hollis and her family's grief and we get to see some of the consequences of the actions that happened at the end of the last book. 

    Honestly, the book started off a bit slow which may not be to everyone's taste but I personally didn't mind the pacing at the beginning. I was concerned about the fact that the beginning started off so slow simply because of the length of the book. It just seemed like there would be pacing issues later in the story which I sadly found to be true. The plot struggled to move forward for the first 75-100 pages and things don't really begin to pick up until a rather plot-convenient event is thrown in spurring the characters into action. I liked some of the plotting that occurred in the middle part of the story, but the ending was very rushed. It just seemed like Kiera Cass was trying to pack too much plot progression into less than a hundred pages without really taking the time to pace it out properly. The Betrayed probably had a rushed release date which did not give Cass enough time to fully flesh out the story and the characters arcs'. 

    In terms of the character development in this book, I will say that I loved the relationship between Scarlet and Hollis and the slower-burn romance that happened in this book. The character development and relationship growth just felt more realistic and believable in this book than they did in the first book. I have fewer gripes and complaints with the characters in this book, but one thing that did bother me was how Hollis's very obvious ideas were championed as amazing and spectacular. This book worked overtime to show us just how amazing and unique the main character is and how she is "not like other girls," just another example of this trope that has been overplayed in young adult fantasy books. The thing Hollis was yet again the blandest character, the side characters are the ones who really carry the book. It frustrated me to no end to see all the praise she was getting especially because she is just an average, maybe even subpar, protagonist.

    

    Overall, I found this book to be somewhat enjoyable but it landed in the average range. The book was not as disastrous as the first book in the duology, but it also does not really add anything to a genre that is oversaturated with books that are far superior to this one. Both The Betrothed and The Betrayed are books that you can easily fly through and get sucked into if you are not a very picky reader. While it retains some of the guilty pleasure charms of The Selection series, this duology lacks a great propelling plot and intriguing characters. We barely got to scratch the surface with this world, its politics, and these characters and it seems like a missed opportunity. If you're looking for swoon-worthy characters and a story that will make you fall in love, then I would skip this series and just read The Selection. You'll thank me later for it!

Rating: 3/5 stars

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Collins