Books › A Betrayal in Winter (Long Price Quartet, #2)
A Betrayal in Winter (Long Price Quartet, #2)
320 pages
A wintry, slow-burn political tragedy where family loyalty and imperial ambition collide in devastating slow motion.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like watching a masterfully orchestrated game of chess where every piece is a deeply flawed, grieving human being. The atmosphere is steeped in the bitter cold of winter and the oppressive weight of inevitable tragedy, echoing the dark, intimate betrayals of a Shakespearean drama. The prose is elegant and measured, prioritizing quiet conversations, subtle political maneuvering, and profound character introspection over flashy magical battles. It is a steady, melancholic journey that rewards patience, pulling you into a web of fratricide and reluctant duty. This will deeply satisfy readers who crave mature, character-driven fantasy where the sharpest weapons are words, secrets, and the crushing burden of legacy.
- Mood
- wintry
- oppressive
- dread-soaked
- intimate
- Tone
- melancholic
- thoughtful
- pragmatic
- tense
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- burden of legacy · familial betrayal · cost of power · inevitability of tragedy · exile and return
- The writing
- Elegant, measured, and deeply introspective, focusing on subtle emotional shifts and atmospheric details.
- The arc
- Moves from reluctant homecoming and simmering tension to a devastating, inevitable tragedy of familial destruction.
- Who it's for
- Readers who prefer slow-burn, character-driven political fantasy with complex moral dilemmas and minimal action.
Content notes
- murder
- fratricide
- grief
- political violence
About the book
Daniel Abraham delighted fantasy readers with his brilliant, original, and engaging first novel, A Shadow in Summer. Now he has produced an even more powerful sequel, a tragedy as darkly personal and violent as Shakespeare's Macbeth.
As a boy, Otah Machi was exiled from his family, Machi's ruling house. Decades later, he has witnessed and been part of world-changing events. Yet he has never returned to Machi. Now his father--the Khai, or ruler, of Machi--is dying and his eldest brother Biitrah has been assassinated, Otah realizes that he must return to Machi, for reasons not even he understands.
Tradition dictates that the sons of a dying Khai fall upon each other until only one remains to succeed his father. But something even worse is occurring in Machi. The Galts, an expansive empire, has allied with someone in Machi to bring down the ruling house. Otah is accused, the long-missing brother with an all-too-obvious motive for murder.
With the subtlety and wonderful storytelling skill of his first novel, Abraham has created a masterful drama filled with a unique magic, a suspenseful thriller of sexual betrayal, and Machiavellian politics.
Description from Open Library.
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