Traitor Witch

I’ll admit, I went into *Traitor Witch* skeptical—another ‘deadly assassin with a heart of gold’? But within the first hour, Mistry’s worldbuilding had me hooked. Nilsa isn’t just a witch; she’s a *lunar* witch, and the way her powers wax and wane with the moon isn’t just lore—it’s a constant, pulsing undercurrent in the narrative. The Bordeauxs’ narration is a masterclass in contrast: Bridget’s Nilsa is all clipped precision and dry humor, while Jake’s voice for the love interest (whose name I’m deliberately omitting to avoid spoilers) carries the weight of someone who’s spent centuries playing political chess. Their back-and-forth in the early chapters is electric, though I’ll say Jake’s delivery occasionally veers into *too* much gravel—like he’s auditioning for a noir detective role—when a lighter touch might’ve better suited the character’s cunning. The pacing is where this audiobook *excels* and *stumbles*. The first act is a slow, intoxicating burn—think less ‘action movie’ and more ‘high-stakes poker game with gods’. But around the 60% mark, the plot twists start stacking up so quickly that I found myself rewinding to untangle the web of betrayals. (A minor critique: the production could’ve used a *touch* more audio cues to distinguish between flashbacks and present-day scenes.) Still, the payoff is worth it. The romance, when it finally ignites, feels earned, and the final confrontation is one of the most visually striking set pieces I’ve heard in an audiobook this year. If you love your fantasy with bite, your heroines with edges, and your narrators who *commit* to the drama, this is your next listen—just be prepared to binge it in one sitting.