Review by Booklist Review
Monteverre is an academy that teaches the grand jeu--a strange, ancient, and mysterious art. But it is in a tenuous position in this world where the ruling Party is cracking down on religion, particularly Christianity, and enforcing a society of fear, surveillance, and threat. After challenging the decisions of the Party, Minister of Culture Léo is exiled in disgrace to his alma mater and forced to relive haunted memories of his teenage years--and the passionate rivalry he had with fellow student Carfax. To make things worse, Claire Dryden, the first woman to teach at the school and holder of its highest office, grates at his arrival, and a mysterious sobbing ghost of a girl is haunting the school's halls. While at first Collins' novel may feel scattered across perspectives and story lines, the reader is in for a treat: all these mysteries converge in shocking, suspenseful ways. By the time the novel draws to a close, the weave of the story and the tight net of a powerful rivals-to-lovers romance will have captured the reader in their web.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Collins (The Binding) delivers a vague, disappointing historical fantasy about an elite academy in the mountains of an unnamed European nation. The all-boys academy of Montverre teaches the grand jeu, the country's national game, a complex mix of music, math, philosophy, and art that remains hazily defined throughout the novel. Thirty-two-year-old Léo Martin is a Montverre alum who returns to the academy to teach after his political career ends in disgrace when he criticizes the Party for their totalitarian views. Upon his return, Léo learns that the prestigious position of Magister Ludi is held by a woman, Claire Dryden, much to the chagrin of the other Magisters. Claire neither likes nor trusts Léo, believing him to be a government spy--but Léo feels an unnerving connection to Claire, as though they've met before. As the academy's yearly Midsummer Game draws near, the long-standing lies Léo and Claire have both built their lives around unravel and their intertwined backstories come to light, sparking a slow-burning romance. The atmospheric descriptions and a few unexpected twists do little to offset the murky worldbuilding and slow-moving plot. This is an easy one to skip. Agent: Eleanor Jackson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary. (May.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The follow-up to Collins's LJ-starred, nationally best-selling The Binding is set in remote and mountainous Montverre, a training academy where a mysterious great game has been played out for centuries. Léo Martin once studied there, but tragedy sent him far away to the world of politics, and now an act of conscience has sent him back in exile. Léo feels mysteriously connected to the Magister Ludi now in charge, a woman, and the approaching Midsummer Games will challenge long-held traditions. With a 50,000-copy first printing.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
