Review: Daindreth's Traitor by Elisabeth Wheatley

Title: Daindreth's Traitor
Author: Elisabeth Wheatley
Series: Daindreth’s Assassin #3
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Avowed Publishing and Media, LLC
Publication Date: December 13, 2022
Edition: Kindle
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Author's store

 

 

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Amira and Daindreth found the Istovari sorceresses deep within the perilous Cursewood. But that turns out to be only the beginning.
They find the sorceresses greatly weakened and lacking the power they once had. The Istovari claim to be unable to free Daindreth from the curse they placed on him. Worse, most of them want to kill Daindreth to avenge his father's banishment of their people.
Meanwhile, Thadred finds himself miraculously alive. Not only that but bonded to a creature of myth. As he discovers new power as a sorcerer, he begins to wonder if perhaps there is more to his heritage than he was told and more to his potential than he ever dreamed.
They are one step ahead of the empress's plans, but the imperial agents are closing in. They are all running out of time before Daindreth is captured by the empress's men and the Istovari are wiped out completely. If Amira, Daindreth, and Thadred cannot persuade the sorceresses soon, the whole of the empire will pay the price.

To free the man she loves, she must face those who enslaved them both.
The much-anticipated third installment in the five-book Daindreth's Assassin series.

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While I remain invested in the plot of this series, there's something that holds me back from fully loving the story as a whole. I do like the characters, and I understand their motivations. But I still don't buy the romance. Which is a problem because that is the main driving force for the plot. 

Amira and Daindreth have an insta-love romance starting in book one. It wasn't even a marriage of convenience or arranged marriage. He was arranged to marry her half-sister, but asked for her hand instead because he was so smitten almost instantly. A sister I might add is said to be the only person Amira loved the most in the world. Before meeting Daindreth any way. She hasn't mentioned her once since the end of the first book. 

The romance is the reason they're trying so hard to get rid of the demon, but I do understand wanting to defeat it. I just don't see their love. They both say they love each other, and I know in real life it's hard to put into words what it is that makes people fall in love, but I don't see what it was. It's my consistent complaint about this series. 

The other thing that I feel is a little, for lack of a better word, under-developed is Amira's anger. Not her reasons for being angry, but the anger itself. Her anger isn't very complex,  there's no conflicting feelings attached to the anger. And Daindreth isn't angry at all, when I feel like he should be. I know the author is going for grumpy/sunshine, or morally grey FMC/wholesome MMC. But he's allowed to have morals, and be angry at the same time. It does read like it's written from the perspective of never being betrayed or hurt by close family.

 

A lot happened in this book, but it wasn't until the last third of the book for anything interesting to happen. Thadred's story line was the most interesting part of this book for me, Amira and Daindreth were mostly just sitting there, Daindreth in a dungeon, and Amira sitting there yelling at people.

 

 

I am curious were this is headed, and how they solve the other problems opened up at the end. I'm going to finish reading it because the rest of the plot interests me, I'm still not sold on the romance.