A new epic romantic, dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor’s Son, from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Veronica Roth
Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.
She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.
But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.
In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.
Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.
Rating: 4.5/5, rounded to 5 for the incredible character work and world building
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (some on page descriptions but not explicit)
Read: May 4, 2026 – May 10, 2026
I really loved this book way more than I expected. And it didn’t unfold the way that I thought it would (complimentary). I was surprised at most turns and I found myself flipping back and forth between the prophecy, information about the world, and the characters’ actions to piece everything together. The book starts slowly (not bad, just a lot of world building), and I did have to pause multiple times to take notes and make sure that I was building the world of Cedre, Talusar, and the Fever correctly. The middle did drag a little more than I would have like but by the ~83% mark or so, things picked up so quickly and answered questions and created more and just generally set the stage for the next book which I’m super excited about!
Can I just say that I think Elegy is one of my favorite female characters of this year? I admire her bravery and courage, strong will, ability to fight, and the fact that she’s fiercely protective of those she loves. Without giving too much away, I loved reading her growth into being the Hope of Cedre and eventually reclaiming the prophecy as her own to save her people. And she’s mad funny too, I found myself laughing at her dry wit, humor, and sarcasm.
And Theren… Theren. I really felt for Theren. He grew up thinking he needed to absorb all pain and place blame for everything upon his shoulders, especially after what happened. I love how as readers, we come along with his pain, his memories, his hurt… and see how even though he’s traumatized (obviously, who wouldn’t be), there’s points of growth and I would say healing. I found myself identifying with him and his struggles, and I like how he’s given the space to grow and change and that we get to see the journey.
Their romantic tension was very well done, especially because… you know. I will say that though I could see when their feelings for each other started to change, it did go to 100 real quick and I wish that in the slowness of the middle part, we got to see more of their relationship develop beyond training together. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story, I just love reading all the parts of a slow burn.
I also enjoyed the world building a lot, learning more about the Fever, about Cedre and Talusar, about their war, and about this dystopian world. I enjoyed the mix of telling us on the page vs having us see things through flashbacks and memories, and it’s clear that this was very well thought out. I love losing myself into a fantasy world. I will say that it was a lot of information all at once and I had to highlight and take notes to make sure I was following. If you’re not a fan of dense world building, this might not be for you. Also, the side characters were fleshed out very well. From Hela to Isre, Parekh, Larke, Arias, honestly everyone felt like an important part of the story and not just random plot devices to move things along and act as sidekicks to the main characters.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this book. It touches on very heavy topics but imo treats them with grace and a tender hand (though one of the tragedies I wasn’t happy about and wasn’t sure how I felt about it even needing to happen in the first place). I’m super excited for the next book in the series!
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for a complimentary ARC!
Pingback: My May 2026 in books – Dzifa's Bookshelf