Name: Isabelle's review of The Betrayals by Bridget Collins
Item: The Betrayals
Rating: 2.5
Author: Isabelle

Bridget Collins

"Dizzyingly wonderful . . . a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists . . . Collins plays her own game here with perfect skill." -- The Times (UK) An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding. If your life was based on a lie, would you risk it all to tell the truth? At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society's best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu--the great game--an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Montverre but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now he has been exiled back to Montverre, his fate uncertain. But this rarified world of learning Léo once loved is not the same place he remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre's most prestigious post is now held by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as the Magister Ludi, the head of the great game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the magister--a mysterious, eerily familiar connection--though he's sure they've never met before. As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches--the climax of the academy's year--long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned. A highly imaginative and intricately crafted literary epic, The Betrayals confirms Bridget Collins as one of the most inventive and exquisite new voices in speculative fiction.

The Betrayals

“Dizzyingly wonderful . . . a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists . . . Collins plays her own game here with perfect skill.” — The Times (UK) An intricate and utterly spellbinding literary epic brimming with enchantment, mystery, and dark secrets from the highly acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding. If your life was based on a lie, would you risk it all to tell the truth? At Montverre, an ancient and elite academy hidden high in the mountains, society’s best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu—the great game—an arcane and mysterious competition that combines music, art, math, poetry, and philosophy. Léo Martin once excelled at Montverre but lost his passion for scholarly pursuits after a violent tragedy. He turned to politics instead and became a rising star in the ruling party, until a small act of conscience cost him his career. Now he has been exiled back to Montverre, his fate uncertain. But this rarified world of learning Léo once loved is not the same place he remembers. Once the exclusive bastion of men, Montverre’s most prestigious post is now held by a woman: Claire Dryden, also known as the Magister Ludi, the head of the great game. At first, Léo feels an odd attraction to the magister—a mysterious, eerily familiar connection—though he’s sure they’ve never met before. As the legendary Midsummer Game approaches—the climax of the academy’s year—long-buried secrets rise to the surface and centuries-old traditions are shockingly overturned. A highly imaginative and intricately crafted literary epic, The Betrayals confirms Bridget Collins as one of the most inventive and exquisite new voices in speculative fiction.

A Novel

Isabelle

The grand jeu is worship. One way for humans to approach the Devine. Trying to embody truth and beauty. A testament to the grace of God in the minds of men. 

Bridget Buckley 

You know those books that you just can't put down because you're so invested in the story? Well, this book was the opposite for me. 

I started 'the betrayals' because I loved Bridget Collins' writing style in 'the binding' but I didn't find this book as enjoyable. 

The first half of the story took so long. The plot was vague, the characters were not very loveable and the pov's of 'the rat' were unnecessary. 

The second half was a lot better. The story got some more background and more action which made it a lot easier to read, but still I couldn't really get into it. 

Overall, 'the betrayals' really isn't a bad book, just not very enjoyable for me. The idea for the plot is a very good one, but I don't think it was executed in the best way possible. 

You know those books that you just can't put down because you're so invested in the story? Well, this book was the opposite for me. 

I started 'the betrayals' because I loved Bridget Collins' writing style in 'the binding' but I didn't find this book as enjoyable. 

The first half of the story took so long. The plot was vague, the characters were not very loveable and the pov's of 'the rat' were unnecessary. 

The second half was a lot better. The story got some more background and more action which made it a lot easier to read, but still I couldn't really get into it. 

Overall, 'the betrayals' really isn't a bad book, just not very enjoyable for me. The idea for the plot is a very good one, but I don't think it was executed in the best way possible. 

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 jeus highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though hes 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.

Don’t get me wrong the plot it self was great. Kinda hated how it ended but what I really hated was the ‘grand jeu’ because it made no sense. I feel like the author was trying to make it really mysterious and fun but it came off as pretentious. I feel like the author didn’t even know what it was she just put so words together and called it a day not giving it much thought. The ‘grand jeu’ irked me when I was reading it to the point where it’s almost unreadable 

Oliwia Prokorym 

This book was so odd. It took me too long to read but the thing is I WANTED to finish it because I was interested. But the first half dragged for SO long. It was the longest 200 pages I've read in my life.

I hated how insistent it was. Mostly when talking about the Magister Ludi and her being a woman. It was so irritating. The book NEVER showed, it always told, and it did the book no good. "I can't feel/act/talk like this because I'm no longer a woman, I'm a Magister" would basically sum up all of the Magister's chapters. And Léo insisting "I hate her, but I can't because she is a woman, but she isn't because she's a Magister"... COME ON, WE GET IT. SHOW ME IT, FFS.

As of the POVs, the Rat's was SO unnecessary. It didn't bring anything to the plot, at all. Even though we end up finding out what her relation to the story/the rest of the characters is, it was still so out of place. And again, THE INSISTENCE: if you asked me to tell you what happened during her chapters, I'd simply reply with "I'm not a human, I'm a Rat. This isn't rat-like. I can't feel, I'm a Rat. I should hide, I'm a Rat... Oh wait *cue to the event that triggers her*, am I not a Rat?". The only thing I liked about her chapters was the fact that they were considerably shorter than the rest. That was it. Every time I read "Chapter X: the Rat", I sighed.

The Magister's chapters were MEH. I loved Léo's, in both their forms. I kept reading because, you know, I sensed something was a lil 💅🏽 and I wanted to read it. I really enjoyed witnessing his dynamics with both Carfax and Claire. But again, only the second half of his and Claire's interactions.

The second half of the book was SO. MUCH. BETTER. It didn't feel like a drag and I actually read it so much faster. It picked up the pace and I was so grateful. I guessed the plot twist, but I still think it was executioned well, to the point where I didn't mind it wasn't as surprising as I had hoped. I liked the "why" behind everything. And the ending I really enjoyed, too. I think it brought a new sense to its title, "The Betrayals".

All in all, it was a strange read. I'm glad I didn't DNF it, but it's definitely not a book that could be liked by everyone. I ended up liking it, though.

I absolutely adored this. Hands down my favourite book. I’ve been reading the reviews and a lot of people found it mediocre but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought that the writing style and the building of the plot was beautiful, intricate and eloquent 

Faith Cash

Chloe C

Alice Myles

I did like a lot of things about this but it took me literally a month to get through the audiobook so...

Well written but a little slow in the build up. huge twist at the end that will recapture your interest. A bit confusing if you listen to it rather than read the actual book but will read more by this author 

Macy M

Alice Belle

From the Number 1 bestselling author of THE BINDING 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...

i have a lot of thoughts on what works about this book and what not (though i cannot guarantee i currently have the brainpower to discuss them all at length) but regardless, i feel pretty confident in the 4-star rating. it is a very competently written book and it did all the things i was afraid it wouldn't do - it kept me thoroughly engaged and it kept me reading. however, i cannot help but feel that there was something missing, something stopping it from being a truly great book.

due to the not entirely linear structure of the novel, i find it hard to discuss the book without sneaking in spoilers. i will try to limit them where possible but in general - beware of mild spoilers.

firstly, i am not sure the split pov was necessarily the best approach. in my mind, there is no doubt that leo was the main character - he also had the most fleshed out personality and storyline. however, we spend a fair amount of the book in the rat's and claire's pov's. the issue here is that the rat, at the end, turns out to be more of a plot device than a character, while claire is never fully fleshed out by virtue of the misdirection and mystery within her own chapters. this, sadly, renders a good chunk of the book weaker.

a secondary issue is that the strongest chapters are undeniably the flashbacks from leo's diary. yes, the storyline there is much more traditional but there is also certain vivacity to it, perhaps because it truly - for the first time - centres the lives of the characters around the grand jeu and it utilises it as a plot device to its full potential.

meanwhile, in the current timeline, where the return to monteverre is meant to serve as both a reflection (ha-ha) for leo and a chance for him to develop as a person (narratively), it feels like it never quite achieves that. it is, simply, not as transformative and impactful as one could wish (which then makes his final choice feel unearned).

another issue, for me, is the romantic plotline between leo and claire. i have seen this book described as "romance" but i would argue that it would have landed itself much better to a meditation on arts / conceptual ideas / ideas grander than ourselves and their role in our lives and relationships. this would have worked very clearly within the framework of the flashback plotline where the search for creating an ever cleverer and ever more perfect game binds leo and carfax.

in present day - and in spite of the twist - it is clear that leo's relationship with claire is meant to mirror that with aime; their story is meant to develop in a similar manner. however, this never quite lands convincingly and i believe part of this is that their interactions are much more vague. in the flashback's from leo's diary we can see him and carfax work through very specific issues and problems of their games; in the current timeline, there are vague references to claire giving problems and previous student work to leo but we never see them labour over them together the same way. the feeling that this romance is not quite earned can, therefore, not be escaped even after finding out who claire truly is.

the last aspect where i think the novel falls short that i would like to bring forward is the worldbuilding. the novel is set in a generic european country (my money is on switzerland) with a totalitarian government, the oppressiveness of which is ever increasing. (i have seen the novel defined as both "magical realism" and "dystopian" by the way; while they are not mutually exclusive, the second is closer, in my opinion, but ultimately i thought of it as "alternative history".) a promotional quote further defines it as "an acute political novel about the fate of spiritual values in a totalitarian system".

however, i never felt this come through particularly strongly. the overall novel felt too far removed from the plot that dealt with arts and the spiritual (that which transcends our differences and teaches us to speak to each other) while the political dimension of it was sprinkled here and there, the urgency of oppression nearly forgotten for long stretches of the novel. the elements simply did not feel strongly enough intertwined to justify such a descriptor - or even the totalitarian government at all.

looking at everything i have mentioned so far, it truly seems like the novel could have benefitted by focusing on the relationship of the characters with the grand jeu as a chance to explore spirituality and intellectualism and the big questions of what matters beyond us. and it, at many moments, felt like it was on the brink of tipping into it - but unfortunately, it never truly did.

regardless, don't let this deter you from reading this book. as i previously mentioned, it is a good book; unlike other where this level of critique and nit-pickiness would be coming from an angry place, this is actually a pleasant and smooth read.

it was quite a confusing book, i’m not really sure how to explain it. nothing really happened in it that is like unforgettable and it’s not one of my faves at all! but i did like it, i got a bit bored, but other than that i enjoyed it! i like the writing style, it’s quite beautiful! i will be reading the binding by bridget collins<3 ( i really liked the end!)

(edit: i still think abt this book all the time so i changed the rating from 3 to 4 stars)

kyahluka

it was quite a confusing book, i’m not really sure how to explain it. nothing really happened in it that is like unforgettable and it’s not one of my faves at all! but i did like it, i got a bit bored, but other than that i enjoyed it! i like the writing style, it’s quite beautiful! i will be reading the binding by bridget collins<3 ( i really liked the end!)

(edit: i still think abt this book all the time so i changed the rating from 3 to 4 stars)

Lauren 

This is written so fluttery and nice but its left me feel sad and unresolved. i think I would have gone five stars but theres are still some bits that weren’t fleshed out enough for me

It begins with a game. It ends with betrayal. From the Number 1 bestselling author of THE BINDING ‘Another triumph’ ERIN KELLY ‘Totally addictive’ JOANNA GLEN ‘A rich delight’ SANDRA NEWMAN ‘Just beautiful’ JOANNA CANNON ‘Dizzyingly wonderful’ THE TIMES

Jennifer

To summarise the vibes of this book in one sentence: Dark academia meets Hesse's The Glass Bead Game. Bridget Collins' The Betrayals is a haunting tale about living in a narrative in a living lie for years. With its relatively dense prose and slow pacing, Collins' layered approach revealed the sinister elements & the characters' darkest desires as the truth slowly unfolds. 

I got to say, it took me quite some time to properly orient with the multi-perspective chapters. I felt like I was playing the grand jeu against this book, as a lot of things were intentionally left vague or suggested implicitly, but then the more I've read the more stuff I slowly pieced together. So personally the beginning of the novel required a bit of pushing through as they're quite slow and I didn't have the opportunity to know know the characters just yet.

I was a tad worried that I would be left confused for any longer but luckily things really started to converge in the latter half. I don't think it's fair to give away too much about the plot, but I quite enjoyed the twists and turns. It really surprised me after enough information from Leo's old journals are pieced together. It's clearly one of those books where my mind is working hard in the background even though I was still trying to consciously process the many things that are going on in the writing.

I think my main concern is definitely related to the multi-perspective nature of the novel. I personally think the perspectives managed to do a pretty goob job painting a dark and haunting vignette of the worldbuilding (it seems vague at first but eventually came into focus). For example it implicitly shows the dystopian politics and the dark lies that's buried beneath the glamour of academic excellence, which I think with more straightforward writing would had been much less surprising to read about. However, I felt that the chapters narrated from The Rat felt pretty out of place comparing to everything else. These chapters did a good job painting the atmosphere of Montverre, but I never know how The Rat really fits in with the other characters in the novel.

I also felt a bit ambivalent about Leo as a character. I do enjoy reading about Leo's emotional headspace as it's relatively well fleshed out from his old journals. By comparing with the 3rd person narrative chapters from his perspectives, it demonstrates his moral ambiguity and hard to read intentions - one of the elements that created those twists and turns in the latter half. But in terms of the actual character arc happening in the present timeline, I felt his development to be a bit lacking.

To sum it up, I think Bridget Collins did an excellent job in terms of the artistic intentions of The Betrayals: in painting a dark atmosphere and using a layered approach to reveal surprising yet sinister lies that's hidden beneath. It really did a great job in painting the dark academia aesthetics. On the flipside, I have a far more mixed reception with the characters & their perspectives: barring the journal entries & dark intentions, I felt like I was a distant observer throughout.

Nevertheless, I would recommend with reservation that if you enjoy atmospheric reads and dark academia The Betrayals is worth checking out. But if you want books with emotionally intimate narratives, this is probably not the one to look out for.

N.B. This book contains following content warnings: emotional blackmails, violence. death, alcohol, and vomiting

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Somya

I tried. I really did. This book was a struggle to get through. There were times when I was too frustrated with the air of mystery around grand jeau, which was not being explained no matter how many pages I turned. There were times when I wanted to give up early on because the story was dragging. There were very few times when I wanted to keep on reading because the plot line wasn’t getting any clearer and there was still so much to know. I gave up around 60% completion.

Alli King

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC! 

This is an odd book that I still managed to really enjoy. The Betrayals revolves around the mysterious game of the ‘Grand Jeu’. This aspect of the book is inspired by the Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse, which I’ve never read. Maybe if I had, then there would be less confusion? 
Léo Martin is a politician in a increasingly fascist party, who is facing exile after speaking out against new “culture” laws. He is forced to return to the Grand Jeu academy of Montverre- where he has to face both his past and his future. 

Bridget Collins is incredible at writing her characters and their emotions. It took a while to get into, but then I was just hooked- while still quite confused about the central theme of the Grand Jeu. I’m still giving the book four stars because it was beautifully written and I loved the character development. 

The narrators (which include the author!) were lovely. The voice for Léo managed to ever so slightly differentiate between the present day his past diary self.

Imzy

A captivating story that will transport you into a different place.

Bridget Collins writing is absolutely sublime. The only other author that made me feel this way after reading their books is Erin Morgenstern, and although Bridget's story doesn't even come close in comparison to Erin's, the writing definitely does.

It literally felt like my brain was snatched out of my head and scrambled for the first half of the book. I was so confused but somehow loved every second of it. The book focuses more on atmosphere and emotions rather than telling a detailed story which is why I loved it even more because it was done so perfectly.

In the next half of the book, the story started falling into place and it was so satisfying. The pace of the book and the suspense, and the way everything was revealed was so well done. I was scared that there were going to be a few questioned left unanswered because of how uncertain the beginning is, but I got everything I wanted in the end and more.

I can understand why a lot of people didn't like the book because there's not much of a story and I don't think we're supposed to like the characters, but it's just not that kind of book. If you want an atmospheric story that will literally take your mind on a journey, then I recommend this to you. I would say that this book kind of gave a mixture of the vibes I got from A Lesson in Vengeance and The Starless Sea.

erin s

Going to be honest here, this one was a struggle to get through. The Betrayals is the second novel I’ve read by Bridget Collins, and it was more disappointing than The Binding. 

For starters, I found the world-building incredibly lacking. The entire novel centers around something called a 'grand jeu,' though it never once explains what that means or entails. It seems like a sort of musical/interpretive dance/scholarly (?) composition/production/output, but I genuinely could not tell you. Students at an all-male academy study this grand jeu and compete against each other to create the best...grand jeu.

There is also an extremely clunky political atmosphere in the novel, which seems to take place in a sort of alternate 1930s Europe. The 'Party,' led by 'The Old Man,' rules over the region, and the main character Léo is a disgraced former head of cultural affairs whom the Party banishes to the grand jeu academy, his former school. The Party discriminates against Christians (no explanation here as to why) and is obsessed with nationalism and cultural unity. I cannot see how this was not a loose reimagining of the late Weimar era and the rise of the Nazi Party -- it so blatantly replaced Jewish people with Christians and the 'Old Man' was so obviously a Hitler-esque demagogue. 

As a student, Léo fell in love with his former rival, another talented student, who died at the end of their term. Upon returning to the school, he sees that his former crush's sister is now the head of the school, and they begin to kindle a connection. I won't spoil anything more, but I will say I was expecting canon queer content and was disappointed at the route it took.

Also there was a girl who lived in the walls of the school and called herself The Rat and I have no more to say about that.

0.5/5: If this were not an ARC, this would have been a DNF for me. It is not well-written, the world and plot is inscrutable, the changing POV chapters provide nothing of note, the characters are not fleshed out nor likeable, the grand jeu is completely incomprehensible, and the weird parallels to Nazi Germany are super uncomfortable and just weird. I really wanted to give this a chance, but it was not good at all. It seems that some fans of dark academia are enjoying this, but for me it failed on all levels. It read like a draft rather than a completed book. The most frustrating part was that some plot points showed slivers of promise, but it failed on every front for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Walsh

It sounds like a lot of the things that bothered me while reading this were not an issue with others, so I think it will just vary person to person! My issues with the book below the cut...
(view spoiler)[Too many unanswered questions... When is this set? Where is this set? What is the grand jeu? WHY is the bloody grand jeu? How is a game performed exactly? I never found answers to these questions unfortunately. Didn't like the bait-and-switch with the potential M/M romance to a F/M one, felt a little cheap. Also Leo was sort of a horrible misogynist a lot of the time? The concepts were very intriguing but there was not much to back the concepts up - see above questions! I really wanted to love this one, as I enjoyed The Binding. Alas... (hide spoiler)]

Manon van Heumen

After much debating, I decided to rate it 5 stars, as I really enjoyed it, despite the first part being a little too slow and confusing for me.

Joanna Rosenwink 

This book!!! I loved it so much. I was so wrapped up in it that finishing it it felt like walking from the shadowed cloisters of Montverre (the mysterious school from the story) eyes blinking, out into the sun. 

The story centres around a mysterious game, the Grand Jeu, and the scholars who study it. The relationships formed between the students set against the politics of an imaginary European country in the 1930s builds an exquisite tension throughout the book. 

If you enjoyed the Binding, I thoroughly recommend The Betrayals. Bridget Collins has written another stunning story filled with mystery and longing.

Thanks again to Borough Press for the most gorgeous proof

Lesley McNeil

Op Montverre, een exclusieve school in de bergen, worden de intelligentste studenten voorbereid op het Grand Jeu, een mysterieuze filosofische wedstrijd. Léo nam ooit deel, maar hij verloor zijn passie voor het spel na een tragische gebeurtenis. Nu keert hij, in ongenade gevallen na een mislukte carrière, terug naar Montverre. De school is veranderd, een vrouw vervult nu de rang van Magister Ludi bij het Grand Jeu. Hij voelt een vreemde connectie met haar: Léo en Claire hebben hun leven allebei op leugens gebouwd. Terwijl het hoogtepunt van het jaar dichterbij komt, beginnen de muren geheimen te fluisteren...

Bridget Buckley &
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

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