THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT [THE MASQUERADE BOOK 1] | Seth Dickinson
The Masquerade had taught her all the names of sin. But her parents had taught her first.
And she knew in her heart, in the habits of her eyes and thoughts, what she was.
The problem with reading a book because someone told you there are lesbians in it is that sometimes you fixate on them telling you there are lesbians in it, and forget the part where they say, “oh, yeah, and it’ll totally destroy you.”
Reader: do not make the same mistake as me. This book will actually destroy you, and then it will burn what’s left, and you’ll be left sitting in a dark room wondering what on god’s green earth just happened.
Baru Cormorant, born to two fathers and a mother, is raised in the unrest of a republic conquering the world, and - more important to Baru - her small island nation. The Empire of Masks offers Taranoke health, safety, and prosperity with one hand, and with the other, brings pestilence, tears families apart, and begins systematically ridding society of what they consider ‘unsanitary mating practices’. I’m sure you catch my drift. Baru is sent to a Masquerade school, and when she is finished, is appointed to the enviable position of Imperial Accountant (I know) in Aurdwynn, a country rife with political tension and threats of revolt. It is there that Baru's board is set, and her most difficult and dangerous game is begun.
I’m not usually one for hard political intrigue and the wars that so often come with it in fantasy books, but my god, Seth Dickinson knows what he is doing. The world-building of The Traitor is brilliant, and he doesn’t skimp on his characters, either. Not only does this book have a breathtakingly elaborate plot (don't skip anything), ripe with twists and turns and betrayals and allegiances, but it also manages to outline centuries of political allies and enemies, and the history of a conquering empire, in a way that I found completely fascinating. I also really, really appreciate it when an author trusts their audience to just get it. I find it makes for a much richer reading experience, rather than being spoon-fed plot points and answers.
The Traitor is a hell of a book, and I'm itching to read the next ones in the series - it kills me to know the series isn't complete yet, so keep that in mind. It's nerve-wracking, unflinching, emotionally exhausting, and doesn't pull any punches (some of which will set your teeth to rattling). At its heart, though, it is an incredibly human story of a young woman prepared to do whatever it takes to free her home, and of the lengths she will go to and the sacrifices she will make to exact her revenge on those who want to conquer the world.
Oh yeah - and there are lesbians!
