Cate Pearce’s Traitors of the Black Crown promises a story brimming with betrayal, romance, and political intrigue, set against a medieval backdrop of courtly alliances and secret identities. And for the most part, it delivers. However, while there are moments of brilliance—well-crafted characters and a romance that had me rooting for its survival—there were also elements that left me wanting.

The plot centres on Raena Schinen, whose life has been shaped by tragedy. After witnessing the slaughter of her family at the hands of the Queen’s guard, she reinvents herself as Sir Rowan, a knight hiding her true identity while plotting vengeance. What sets this story apart from similar “secret identity” narratives is Raena’s complicated entanglement with Duchess Aven Colby, a common-born noble whose proximity to the Queen adds tension and nuance to their growing bond.

Where the story excels is in its character development. Raena is a compelling protagonist whose dual identity offers layers of complexity. Her moments with Aven, while sometimes bordering on predictable, were tender and heartfelt. The romance between the knight and the duchess is a welcome reprieve from the heavier themes of revenge and betrayal, though its sweetness doesn’t overshadow the darker threads running through the narrative.

That said, the novel’s pacing is uneven. There were scenes that felt like they dragged unnecessarily, while others—particularly moments of action or transition—were glossed over in favour of jumping ahead. Or instances where two characters go in different directions and dual perspectives would have been nice. A glaring example of this was after the tournament, which left me frustrated. These temporal leaps sacrificed opportunities to fully immerse the reader in the intricacies of the story, which could have elevated the stakes and heightened the tension. I also feel like the book would have been massively improved if it were in first-person perspective rather than limited third-person.

Another aspect that puzzled me was the marketing of the book as a fantasy, the story is more of a medieval adventure. There’s no magic, mythical creatures, or otherworldly aspects to speak of. While that’s not inherently a flaw, it created an initial disconnect between expectation and reality, leaving me slightly off-balance as I adjusted to the true nature of the book.

The atmosphere is where the book faltered most for me. With a plot centred on secret identities and high-stakes intrigue, I expected to feel a sense of tension—an ever-present anxiety over Raena’s secret being discovered. Instead, as more characters learned her truth, there seemed to be a notable lack of consequences. I kept waiting for that explosive moment when everything would unravel, but it never quite materialised.

That’s not to say the book doesn’t have its strengths. The intrigue surrounding the Queen’s motivations kept me turning pages, and the relationships—both romantic and platonic—were well-developed. But my enjoyment ebbed and flowed, and there were times when I found myself doom-scrolling on my phone instead of eagerly reaching for the book.

The biggest disappointment, however, came after finishing the book. While I was intrigued enough by the story to consider reading the second instalment, I discovered it’s not available on Kindle. Whether this is due to issues with Amazon or a decision by the author, I’m not sure, but it ultimately made my decision for me—the series is, unfortunately, a DNF.

If you’re in the mood for a medieval tale of political intrigue with a side of romance, Traitors of the Black Crown is worth a read. Just don’t go in expecting fantasy or heart-pounding tension. It’s a book with a lot of potential, and while it didn’t fully deliver for me, it might be just the thing for readers looking for a character-driven story with a strong focus on relationships.

cannot wait for the next book. I need to know what happens next. I love this book. I will be reading future books. I have so many thoughts about this book it's impossible to write them all out.
Thank you Netgalley and Hansen House for this arc. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Unfortunately this was a book I did not finish. Although the writing was not "bad", the plot fell extremely flat for me. The romance was rushed, and overall didn't give what it needed to when it comes to that being a main plot point. Raena overall was not my most favor FMCs. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this novel.

Could not finish this, maybe wrong place and time or maybe just not for me. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

I am finally posting a review for this book. I was quite excited based on the premise but I have tried to read this more than once and can't seem to get engaged by the story. I started and stopped multiple times. I made it about half way through the last time I tried and I felt it bogged down in the middle. DNF at around 50%.

Raena and Aven were interesting characters but the story couldn't hold my interest and I felt it kind of slowed down a lot in the middle. I put it down and never felt compelled to pick it back up, even though I made myself do that more than once.

This may be a me problem. This might not be the book for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my personal opinion.

I was so intrigued by both the cover and the summary for this book.

The characters of Raena and Aven were really the highlight of this book for me. They were both interesting characters showed strength in different ways, and their romance was very sweet, although I did feel it progressed really quickly. And I really liked Raena's frienship with Finnley and would have loved to see more of that. And the world building was interesting enough that I kept reading because I wanted to find out how everything would come together.

But the pacing was really off for me. It started really strong, but then the whole story came to a screeching halt for almost a third of the book. And then everything would feel rushed, and then everything would stop. I kept putting this book down, and not feeling particularly drawn to pick it back up. And the ending was so abrupt that I felt like I got half of a novel.

Thanks NetGalley and Hansen House.

This is a really intriguing premise, but I tried starting this several times and each time I just wasn’t clicking with it. Definitely a case of being the wrong reader for this book.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Something about it fell flat shortly after Raena was exiled.

Raena’s backstory is a little cliche but it’s the cornerstone of her character. I liked seeing her interactions with her adopted family; you could see their affection for her in the little things as they interacted. The characters are interesting and the main ones are fleshed out well.

I unfortunately did not get into this account until after it had been sent to me due to technical issues on my side. Thank you for sending, and I apologize for not having been able to read it when it was sent.

I'm sorry for the lack of review. I signed up for this site years ago, and then I had some things come up in my personal life, and book reviews kind of fell off my radar. Now that I'm back to it, I do not remember requesting this book, and I can't find my copy anywhere to read to give a proper review. I'm really sorry and I plan to do better in the future.

Enjoyed this book. Due to my own reading slump, it took a while to get into but I liked it. I am interested to see what happens next in the series!

Unfortunately, I could NOT get into this one. The pacing was tremendously slow and there were so many side characters introduced. If I pick it up again, I will adjust my review.

Sadly a DNF for me around 25% in because I couldn’t find myself caring about any one of their motives. It felt messy and confusing which is the last thing you need if you’re going to center the story around 3 separate characters. They need to feel distinct, unique, and yet also like you can imagine how they’ll come together and this just didn’t give me any of that.

Ultimately none of them felt like the crafty, clever antihero to root for or even the sweet character that you know will transform under pressure. They each felt very one dimensional and simplistic in their goals and drivers.

On 4/7/2023 the author regained rights to the book and is in the process of reworking the whole series. I felt bad being two years behind on getting the review posted. I even asked every library I have a card with to buy the book. No library has access. At this point, I don't think my review will help the author or the publishers.

"Traitors of the Black Crown" by Cate Pearce is a thrilling and engaging fantasy novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The story takes place in the kingdom of Candor which is ruled by the powerful yet dangerous Queen and her son Prince Zandar. The fate of the realm is at risk through their poor decisions and lust for power.

At the heart of the story is Raena (Sir Rowan) and Duchess Aven. They are thrown together and navigate some of the dangerous world in tandem.

What sets "Traitors of the Black Crown" apart from other fantasy novels is its richly detailed world-building and complex characters. The author has created a fully-realized world with its own history, culture, and mythology, and the characters are multi-dimensional and relatable.

The plot is well-paced, with plenty of action and suspense to keep readers engaged, but it is the emotional depth of the story that really sets it apart. The characters feel real, with their own strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears, and the relationships between them are complex and nuanced.

Overall, "Traitors of the Black Crown" is a fantastic read for fans of epic fantasy. It is a gripping story with a strong emotional core, and readers will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in this exciting series. Highly recommended.

I wanted to enjoy this book. The concept sounded like something I’d enjoy but when it came to actually reading it, I could not get into the story. It didn’t feel special to me, and the pacing was off.

I struggled with this. The pacing feels off, the characters just didn't hook me, and I found myself caring more about why this wasn't working for me rather than the book itself. I didn't finish this one.

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was hard for me to stick with I admit, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the plot and the love story between Aven and Raena. It reminded me a mix between Eon Dragoneye reborn by Allison Goodman and Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, particularly with Raena hiding her gender (Eon Dragoneye Reborn, has the main character hide their gender) and the attack of the Boens (Sky in the Deep, has a group of people that were once thiught to be eradicated come and attack). However it was slightly predictable with where the story was going, but it was a good book.

DNF @ 32%
The book sounded promising and intruiging, but i was left feeling bored. I did not care for any of the characters or anything that happend to them.

This one just didn't flow for me. I really loved the world building and the characters, but the pacing was off somehow.