Witch-blooded robber Bridget has made a reputation for herself in the capital city, but she’s not interested in the attention of the Thieves’ Guild–and she’s not bothered by the rumors of urchin kidnappings, either. With winter coming, she’s looking out for herself and no one else in The Traitors Tunnel.

Until she picks the wrong pocket, and recognizes her estranged brother Teddy.

Young craftsman Theodor arrives in the capital ready to take the final step toward his dream career as Lord Engineer of Arido. His apprenticeship with a renowned city engineer comes with new rules and challenges, but it’s worth it for the exposure to the Imperial Council.

While spying on her brother, Bridget overhears a secret meeting that reveals a cruel plot. After more than a decade apart, Theodor and Bridget must reunite to stop a traitor whose plan threatens not only their city, but the whole empire.

Set seven years before the events of From Under the Mountain, The Traitor’s Tunnel is the story of two young people presented with a choice–to protect themselves, or to protect others–the consequences of which will change their lives forever. (via Goodreads)

I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review!

I am happy to have followed Cal’s twitter for a while now, and I’ve been meaning to read his books, so when he asked about interested reviewers for The Traitor’s Tunnel novella, I knew I needed to read it. Now that I’ve read it, I can’t wait to read the other novels in the series!

The first book in the series, From Under the Mountain, is already out, but this novella stands on its own. Without having read the novel, I didn’t feel I was missing anything while I was reading.

Bridget lives in a much harsher world than her brother, Teddy, despite that they were now living in the same city. I loved that her first thought after she realized Teddy was her brother was “I need to spy on him for several weeks.”

Suspicious as hell, with no regrets, and it turned out well in the end!

I loved that, despite knowing that they were called to each other by their magic, they were both skeptical of the other person. I also really loved that they used a gender-neutral ‘ze’ pronoun until someone claimed their gender, and that this book was sex positive and asexual-positive.

I was intrigued by their mother and how the magic works in this universe, since neither of them are properly trained in its use. I hope I’ll get to see some in the other novels in this series, which I’ll be reading as soon as I get my hands on them!

Honestly, I loved almost everything about this novella.The Traitors Tunnel left me pleasantly satisfied with the story, while still being intrigued and looking forward to the rest of the series. This was a five star read for me! You can pick up the novella on Amazon, and you can pick up the first novel on Amazon as well!