Small disclaimer: For those who haven’t read part 1 yet: this review contains some spoilers about that book. As for part 2, I try to keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Can you follow your heart when it’s already broken?

After fleeing Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved Silas behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life in Isolte. The Eastoffe family’s affection is a balm on her weary spirit, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distaste for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace she’s found.

While tensions at home ratchet up, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching a fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat a tyrannical king’but only with Hollis’s help.

Can a girl who’s lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?

Hope

Ever since we met Etan in part 1, I’ve had high hopes for Hollis. I never fully understood the spontaneous love between Hollis and Silas. It felt more like a subterfuge from court and responsibilities to me. (Didn’t stop me from shedding a tear at the end though.) So that this book focused more on Etan and Hollis’ relationship made me very happy!

Unfortunately, that was also the main thing that made me want to continue reading. I just have a weakness for the enemies-to-lover trope. I can’t do anything about it either. Of course, the rest of the characters were also endearing and nice to see again. Like Mother, and the sister bond between Hollis and Scarlet was adorable.

Is anything going to happen?

But the plot… It could have been exciting, but it got off to a very slow start. I was really looking forward to delving further into the story, right down to the conflict! But every time I thought… now it comes, this is going to be exciting. The ‘conflict’ was resolved somewhat blandly and simply, so that the tension was nowhere to be found.

The ending: what a joke

In particular, the confrontation that Hollis enters at the end (also something I saw coming from miles away, but was none the less looking forward to), felt strange and rushed. And once I got to the climax… Well, that ruined the whole book for me. I honestly have never read anything so stupid, and that up to three times, because I simply couldn’t believe what exactly was happening. This scene definitely belongs in my top 10 most ridiculous endings. That’s why I can’t rate the book higher than 2 stars.

The following chapters were cute in their own right, which made the ending okay for me. But certainly not something I would brag about as an author.

Conclusion

All in all, I did enjoy the Betrayed somewhat. As in, some scenes. But the main part was slow and cliche with a cast of flat characters and an absurd ending that made no sense. So yeah, I really liked part 1 better. Although that wasn’t the best book either. Perhaps if both books had been mixed into one, and the editing had been stricter, it would still have been a great story. Who knows. For now, I’ll conclude with one: the Betrayed one was kind… absurd.

Titel: The Betrayed
Auteur: Kiera Cass
Verschenen: June 2021
Pagina’s: 304
Uitgever: HarperTeen
Rating: 2/5