Kestra, the Infidante, kills malevolent ruler Lord Endrick halfway through this final volume in the Traitor's Game series, but this doesn't end her troubles. She struggles to resist the corruption that comes with Endrean magic, but as she is forced to use magic countless times, she comes to believe that only through embracing this evil can she save the Antoran kingdom. Simon, meanwhile, is the new Halderian king. He seeks to unite their contentious political allies while protecting Kestra, yet the only thing everyone agrees on is that she must be killed. The two are brought together when a new antagonist, Joth, seizes the throne. Side plots and secondary characters conspire to keep Kestra and Simon apart until the melodramatic finale, when love triumphs over evil. Kestra's dark inner turmoil is compelling, though she vacillates between good and evil enough times to induce whiplash, but the battle over the throne between her, Joth, Simon, and many armies of varied allegiances is repetitive rather than tense. Fans of the series will still appreciate the happy, neatly tied-off ending.