Book Review: Traitor’s Moon by Lynn Flewelling

Master spies Seregil and Alec are no strangers to peril. Their assignments, nightrunning for wizards and nobles, have led them into many deadly situations. But sometimes the greatest danger can lurk beneath a Traitor’s Moon. Wounded heroes of a cataclysmic battle, Seregil and Alec have spent the past two years in selfimposed exile, far from their adopted homeland, Skala, and the bitter memories there. But as the war rages on, their time of peace is shattered by a desperate summons from Queen Idrilain, asking them to aid her daughter on a mission to Aurenen, the very land from which Seregil was exiled in his youth. Here, in this fabled realm of magic and honour, he must at last confront the demons of his dark past, even as Alec discovers an unimagined heritage. And caught between Skala’s desperate need and the ancient intrigues of the Aurenfaie, they soon find themselves snared in a growing web of treachery and betrayal.

The first time I read this book I was sorely disappointed; I don’t even actually know why, cause I barely remember reading it. Reading it again almost 7 years later, I was surprised to discover that most scenes felt new, as if I didn’t absorb the book the first time. And on this second read though I really enjoyed it. However, it does feel noticeably different than it’s predecessors (Luck In The Shadows and Stalking Darkness), and I think there’s slightly less action in it, which might have caused younger me not to like it that much.

In this book, Seregil and Alec travel to Aurenen to help the diplomats of the Skalan queen. Aurenen and the Aurenfaie are the main focus of this book, and it’s great to finally see more of Seregil’s past and people. The first time around I was I think disappointed by how the Aurenfaie are portrayed; I was expecting them to be more advanced and “polished”. The Aurenfaie are highly spiritual, and their beliefs and politics are so different than what we’ve seen from the Skalans, that it forms an interesting base to the story.

Being back in Aurenen provides Seregil a lot of inner conflict, especially after the loss of Nysander in the previous book. It’s interesting to finally find out how he exactly ended up in Rhiminee doing what he does. For Alec being in Aurenen means learning about a heritage he never knew he had, and I love how this will be carried on in the next book.

Traitor’s Moon is the third book in The Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling – £5.99 on Amazon.co.uk, $7.50 on Amazon.com