Seek the Traitor’s Son

Set in a dystopian society wracked by illness and war, the gripping first installment of an epic romantic sci-fi series from bestseller Roth (Poster Girl) explores questions of morality, destiny, and societal pressure. Anyone who contracts the Fever dies, but half come back to life with enhanced abilities. The Talusar Empire embraces this plague, coming to “worship the Fever as a god,” while the scrappy nation of Cedre “view the Fever as what it is: a virus whose fifty-fifty survival rate isn’t worth risking.” Elegy Ahn, second child of the Sword of Cedre, the country’s leader in its never-ending war against the Talusar, was born to be the spare in case anything happened to her mother’s heir. Then a prophecy reveals her far weightier fate: either she or Rava Vidar, a Talusar general with a reputation for brutality, will lead their respective people to victory; which of them succeeds will be determined by the love of one man. As the ensuing political intrigue plays out, Roth complicates the already intricate worldbuilding with the people of Cedre’s belief that they were once contacted by alien beings and their hope that these beings may return to save them. Roth’s careful character work impresses as Elegy comes to accept her destiny. With high stakes, plenty of betrayals, and just a hint of humor, this will have readers eager for more. (May)