New Release Review: Arabella and the Traitor of Mars

Title: Arabella and the Traitor of Mars
Author: David Levine
Series: Book 3
Genre: Science Fiction, Adult Fiction
Publisher: Tom Doherty/Tor
Page Count: 400
Type of Book: Hardback, New Release
Received: Library Loan
Rated: 5/5 stars
Review Word Count: 500
Notes: Read for the OWLs prompt “Transfiguration-Sprayed Edges or Red Cover” and since I don’t have any sprayed edges on my books, I went with the red cover. I had so many more options there, but finally settled on a favorite series.

This was a delightful read, just as much as the first two books in the series were. While I love Arabella and her adventures, I felt as though this might be the end of the series what with that happy ending that the author had. If that’s so, then that makes me sad for I’m most definitely not ready for the trilogy/series to end!

This third book of Arabella promises a war of sorts to occur between the Prince of England and Mars. There’s spies, aliens, subterfuge, disagreements of epic proportions, true lovers quarrels that are happily resolved by the end of the book, sarcastic wit, and heroism scattered throughout the book. It’s as much as you would expect from a political yet adventurous set of battles both in space and on two different planets.

Lady Corey is also a favorite, as is Fox, Captain Singh, and many others. All played their parts in the story, and many had larger roles than before. Captain Singh had an enormous role to the point that it made the story vastly more interesting, though I disapproved of his first choice towards the question the Prince posed him he did make the right call in the end after all and his love for Arabella triumphed.

I feel that there can be more information on the Martians, for example, explained in book four. And that Arabella could truly begin learning the depths of the Martians and what all they could truly be capable of. While we caught some hints of that in this book, it was more focused on stopping a war between planets than it was on the Martians history and people.

Yet despite the amount of politics riddled within the pages of this fast-paced adventure story set in space, the story itself never dragged, the characters proved as true in this book as they’d been in the first two, and I remain an ever present fan of this series. 5/5 stars for a splendid read, and the sad news that I have finished a trilogy of great fun and realistic characters that lead adventurous lives.

Until next time,
-Pass Me That Book