So, this is book three, so to give a quick recap would be to give spoilers for the previous books, so I won’t. However, I will say that this is less of a review and more of “oh my god” feels sort of wandering thought process. I don’t know why anyone would read it if they haven’t read the books, but I’ll still try to hide spoilers and not get to specific in my burblings.

First off, I loved this book. Loved it.

I mean, I really liked book 1, and enjoyed book 2 even more, but this one… yeah it just did he job. All of the job. Which isn’t to say that it is perfect, because nothing in life is, but I can’t come up with anything wrong with it at the moment.

Second of all the characters. There are so many of them, and they all have their own journeys and character arcs, and they are all so real. Even when I didn’t particularly like a character1 I still found myself utterly caught up in their story, and didn’t want to leave it, even when I really wanted to find out what was going on in another characters story.

And then there were the stories and characters that I loved and adored but that went in a way I so didn’t see coming and were so sad and heartbreaking… but I’m venturing into spoiler territory there, so I’ll leave it at that.

But yeah, lots of unexpected events and developments here. The title of the book, Traitors’ Gate, that’s all I’m saying, okay?

And then there is the world building. The main setting for the story is The Hundred, where there are no kings or queens and every town rules itself, with help, in theory, from the Reeves and the Guardians. But at the start of Spirit Gate the reader learns that the Guardians haven’t been seen in at least a generation and the power of the reeves has been slipping. The peace of The Hundred is not to last. In other, bordering, lands things are done differently. Most are ruled by one person, and that centralisation of authority can be useful in times of war. But not only are they organised in different manners, they also have different religions and customs. Even within The Hundred there are those who do not follow all the usual Hundred customs.

These different cultures allow Elliott to explore themes such as sexism, racism, slavery, power and privilege, and so much more. And boy does she! There is loads and loads to discuss in this book.

One issue I did have with the book was that at the start of some of the chapters names of characters and places weren’t capitalised, it is strange how much that interferes with the flow of reading, but I can’t lay the blame for that with the author :) now can I.

I think this book means that I will have to read everything by Elliott that I can, I was already working my way towards that idea, but this has cemented it. Good thing I have her Jaran series already on the kindle, and that her new short story collection The very best of Kate Elliott arrived last week. ( )

Best of the trilogy, worth reading the others just to get this far!

What happens when the war is over? How do you stop mercenaries on your side when they don't want paying and just take over so competently.

Asks lots of questions without answer. Peace and justice how to define them and win love honour and trust.

The intrusion of the wildlings is more prominent and still unexplained, but the book length means there's little room for more extraneous detail.

All the characters have their stories completed and only a few seem unduly contrived, there are some great surprises

Room for many more stories in the world but it's complete as it stands. ( )

Fine conclusion to the Crossroads trilogy, which showcases Kate Elliott's skill in misdirection. Who exactly should you be rooting for here? ( )

Wonderful book and conclusion to the Crossroads trilogy. There is a twist in the later part of the story that I really didn't see coming. I was just thinking it was getting a touch predictable and then it took my breath away. I definitely recommend this trilogy (and all the books by Kate Elliott that I have read so far).
I loved many of the characters in the book especially Shai, Jothinin, Marit, Joss and Scar (the eagle). ( )

(I actually give this 3.75 stars.) TRAITORS' GATE, by Kate Elliott, is the third installment of a fantasy trilogy called CROSSROADS. It was preceded by SHADOW GATE and SPIRIT GATE.
The world of The Hundred is inhabited by merchants and such, but also by people called Reeves who are chosen by enormous eagles to help patrol the roadways and keep peace in general. There are Guardians, who fly on winged horses and are initially dead, but have been risen by a cloak to act as what we would call a judge for villages that they pass through.
The Qin arrive from the south as conquerors/protectors. They are called Outlanders by the people of The Hundred. Some of the Guardians turn evil and start to invade the land with armies, so the Qin band together with the Reeves to fight them off. Without giving too much away, two main couples are the romantic conflict of the plot.
The language of the Qin is a bit stilted, but it helps to portray them as stoic. Descriptions of land, buildings, and people are done well. Passages skip between the viewpoints of many of the plentiful characters.
I was slightly disappointed that there was not a grand finale; after the final battle, there was more of a calm get-on-with-life attitude. Nevertheless, I look forward to the next book set in the world of The Hundred.
You must read the first two books before this one or else you will be extremely confused. Overall, I would recommend this trilogy to fantasy fans. ( )