ARC Review: League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis

Title: League of American Traitors Written by: Matthew Landus Published: August 8, 2017 by Sky Pony (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: National Treasure meets Hamilton in a breathless history-based thriller from an outstanding new voice. Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . . When seventeen year-old Jasper is approached at the funeral of his deadbeat father by a man claiming to be an associate of his deceased parents, he’s thrust into a world of secrets tied to America’s history—and he’s right at the heart of it. First, Jasper finds out he is the sole surviving descendant of Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history. Then he learns that his father’s death was no accident. Jasper is at the center of a war that has been going on for centuries, in which the descendants of the heroes and traitors of the American Revolution still duel to the death for the sake of their honor. His only hope to escape his dangerous fate on his eighteenth birthday? Take up the research his father was pursuing at the time of his death, to clear Arnold’s name. Whisked off to a boarding school populated by other descendants of notorious American traitors, it’s a race to discover the truth. But if Jasper doesn’t find a way to uncover the evidence his father was hunting for, he may end up paying for the sins of his forefathers with his own life. Like a mash-up of National Treasure and Hamilton, Matthew Landis’s debut spins the what-ifs of American history into a heart-pounding thriller steeped in conspiracy, clue hunting, and danger.

This book combined so many things that I absolutely love and I couldn't help but be excited about reading it. I am such a fan of historical mysteries and one involving traitors and the American Revolution is so completely up my alley. And this was definitely a good read but it didn't totally blow me away.

One thing I really liked about League of American Traitors is that it is an extremely plot-driven book. It's a much more thrilling and action-packed book than I expected. There is a lot of tension and drama throughout the book with plenty of narrow escapes, thrilling heroics, and twists and turns along the way. In this way it definitely lives up to the National Treasure comparison. At times it read way more like an action movie than anything else. And honestly, I'm totally cool with that. I am a plot-driven reader. I like my books to slowly build to a thrilling conclusion and that's what this one did.

However, the extreme plot-driven nature of this book was at the detriment of the character development. There was definitely the opportunity here for some coming-of-age heroes journey type plot points but it didn't really quite hit those notes. Or if they did, it was much later in the book than I would have liked it. I think for the most part the characters just didn't jump off the page. I liked the main character of Jasper well enough. I think he was interesting and I definitely connected with him and his sarcastic demeanor. I just felt like his development could have been more pronounced. As for the rest of the characters, they honestly all blended together. I will say, Nora was super interesting. I wanted to know more about her. But all the other characters I kept getting confused by. I couldn't tell who was who and if they should matter. They all just sort of blended together. I did like the references to their historical ancestors though.

Because that was another thing that was really great about this book, the historical references. You can tell this book is written by someone who loves American History, particularly someone who loves the American Revolution. There were all kinds of great and somewhat obscure references to historical figures and even more information about people who we think we know so well. You can tell that the author did his research into the period and the figures he was using. But he also took that and made it into an interesting piece of historical fiction. That is what I love about historical fiction and that is one of the things I really enjoyed here.

I will say however that I think this book is a little bit on the simpler side. That's not a bad thing, it's just not a very complex read. I read it over the course of two days on a family camping trip where I couldn't devote more than a few hours a day to reading. I think if you wanted to, you could easily finish this 240 page read in a day. I would probably say that it's more on the younger side of YA. Middle Grade readers would probably enjoy it a lot as well. But if you are looking for a really complex and intricate YA historical mystery this may not do it for you.

On the whole, League of American Traitors was a good read. It was an action-packed plot driven read with great historical fiction elements. It was a little on the simpler side for YA and I didn't love the characterizations but it was a totally engaging read.

I give League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis 8 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you are a fan of historical mysteries, historical fiction, the American Revolution, and/or plot-driven reads you can breeze trough check this book out. I think that for the most part this book will appeal to a very specific audience. I am that audience.

Have you read League of American Traitors? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

League of American Traitors Blog Tour: Guest Post with Author Matthew Landis

ABOUT THE BOOK:

League of American Traitors

by Matthew Landis

Publisher: Sky Pony

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Historical

Links:

Goodreads - Amazon - B&N - Book Depository 

Synopsis:

Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . . 

 When seventeen year-old Jasper is approached at the funeral of his deadbeat father by a man claiming to be an associate of his deceased parents, he’s thrust into a world of secrets tied to America’s history—and he’s right at the heart of it.

First, Jasper finds out he is the sole surviving descendant of Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history. Then he learns that his father’s death was no accident. Jasper is at the center of a war that has been going on for centuries, in which the descendants of the heroes and traitors of the American Revolution still duel to the death for the sake of their honor.

His only hope to escape his dangerous fate on his eighteenth birthday? Take up the research his father was pursuing at the time of his death, to clear Arnold’s name.

Whisked off to a boarding school populated by other descendants of notorious American traitors, it’s a race to discover the truth. But if Jasper doesn’t find a way to uncover the evidence his father was hunting for, he may end up paying for the sins of his forefathers with his own life.

Like a mash-up of National Treasure and Hamilton, Matthew Landis’s debut spins the what-ifs of American history into a heart-pounding thriller steeped in conspiracy, clue hunting, and danger.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

     

I love history, but not in the old, awful, kill-me-now-please kind of way. My passion is convincing my students that the past is actually hilarious, shocking, tragic, disturbing, and altogether UN-boring. While getting my graduate degree in History at Villanova, I realized that there was yet one more way to do this: write contemporary young adult books laced with history to convince my students that past isn't as awful as they think. That’s a huge reason why I wrote The Judas Society.

Some other stuff: I love poetry but don’t understand it; I want Gordon Ramsay to give me a fatherly hug at some point; I tend toward the unapologetically dramatic; and (to my great shame) I didn’t read the Harry Potter series until last year. I’m also really good at covering up patent insecurities with self-deprecating humor (like this joke).

Links:

Website- http://www.matthew-landis.com

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7576140.Matthew_Landis

Twitter- https://twitter.com/AuthorLandis

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/matthewlandisauthor/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/matthew_landis/

I asked Matthew Landis to do a post about Benedict Arnold. I wanted to give him the Hamilton treatment where we learn more about him and who he was beyond the fact that he was a traitor. His post is truly amazing and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

We Should All Be More Like Teenage Benedict Arnold 

The English poet Christina Rossetti once said, “Life is not sweet.” A teenage Benedict Arnold would agree.

Born into a legit, New England elite family with strong Puritan traditions, Arnold was expected to be awesome—a leader in business, community, and church. For the first decade of his life, things were looking pretty good: He was at a solid school, his dad was making money, and the Arnold name meant something in Norwich, Connecticut.

But his world started falling apart.

Between the ages of ten and twenty, Arnold experienced catastrophe: His father lost the family business, became an alcoholic, and got excommunicated from the church—all giant, horrible embarrassments in a New England society of rigid class structure. And then Arnold’s mom died. Then his dad. Actually all of his immediate family passed away, except for one sister.

Told you so, Christina Rossetti would write eighty years later.

But Colonial-era-guts and good old Puritan dogma don’t allow a person to collapse under the weight of life not being a joy ride. Instead of pouting, Arnold moved to another New England town—New Haven, Connecticut—and started a new mission to regain all his father lost. Within three years, he was running a crazy-successful bookstore and spending tons of time on the trading ships of his business partner and local merchant, Adam Babcock. Arnold’s most baller move during Mission: Bring Back the Arnold Name was rebuying his family’s foreclosed home in Norwich—and then reselling it for a profit. That could have been a purely financial move, but historian Jim Murphy hints that this was of an in-your-face, old-community-that treated-us-like-crap move. I tend to agree.

So the question is: Does knowing Arnold’s hardships as a teen help us understand his decision to betray America as an adult? That’s a dangerous query that opens historians to arm-chairing this whole thing; human motivations are complex and hard to nail down. But if you asked me directly, and my grad school professors weren’t around, I’d say “yes, most definitely” because the two key markers of whether a person is prone to commit treason (according to the CIA) are psychology and circumstance. As the Revolution unfolded, and Arnold saw his reputation and personal finances crumble due to perceived and actual sleights, it could be argued that he again felt his family’s honor slipping away. When push came to shove, he was going to side with whomever would grant him what he had fought so hard to get: the mad respect he was due.

Teenage Benedict had true grit. While sources are scant on how exactly he felt during those tumultuous years, it’s easy to imagine the sorrow and helplessness. But what’s harder to consider is someone today being able to summon the effort to get up when the perils of a not-sweet-life kept running them over. I’d like to be more like teenage Benedict Arnold, but pray I’m spared the circumstances that forge such endurance.

So here’s to reclaiming familial honor by forging your own way—just be careful that way doesn’t inadvertently lead you to infamous treachery. RIP, teenage Benedict.

Sources:
Details of Arnold’s life can be found in a million places, but I rely on Jim Murphy’s super-readable The Real Benedict Arnold (New York: Clarion Books, 2007). The CIA’s recently declassified study in treason I referenced can be found here - https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/0006183135, and the Rossetti work I quote is called “Life and Death.”

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

•    2 copies of LEAGUE OF AMERICAN TRAITORS by Matthew Landis

•    US & Canada Only

•    No Giveaway accounts

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86254/?

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE

Thanks to the ladies of Fantastic Flying Book Tours for having me on the tour for this book. I am so excited to read it as it sounds totally up my alley. Check back this month I will have a review of the book up.

And thank you so much Matthew Landis for being on the blog today. And for that awesome info about Benedict Arnold. I really want to do some more research about him and learn more. You have piqued my interest for sure. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: The League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: The League of American Traitors Author: Matthew Landis Published: August 8, 2017 by Sky Pony Press (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: National Treasure meets Hamilton in a breathless history-based thriller from an outstanding new voice.  Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . .  When seventeen year-old Jasper is approached at the funeral of his deadbeat father by a man claiming to be an associate of his deceased parents, he’s thrust into a world of secrets tied to America’s history—and he’s right at the heart of it. First, Jasper finds out he is the sole surviving descendant of Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history. Then he learns that his father’s death was no accident. Jasper is at the center of a war that has been going on for centuries, in which the descendants of the heroes and traitors of the American Revolution still duel to the death for the sake of their honor. His only hope to escape his dangerous fate on his eighteenth birthday? Take up the research his father was pursuing at the time of his death, to clear Arnold’s name. Whisked off to a boarding school populated by other descendants of notorious American traitors, it’s a race to discover the truth. But if Jasper doesn’t find a way to uncover the evidence his father was hunting for, he may end up paying for the sins of his forefathers with his own life. Like a mash-up of National Treasure and Hamilton, Matthew Landis’s debut spins the what-ifs of American history into a heart-pounding thriller steeped in conspiracy, clue hunting, and danger.

Why I'm Waiting:

I mean seriously, how amazing does that sound? I love the fact that there is a book that is like National Treasure, but with a Hamilton flair. As many of you probably know I am a huge fan of historical mysteries. I love thrillers that have a historical twist. Anything that has a historical secret or mystery that plays our in present day is my favorite thing so obviously I need to read this book.

The other great thing about this book is that it involves villains. Historical villains no less. I love villain stories so the fact that this involves a descendant of Benedict Arnold and what that means for him. Plus this book is about a family connection and research which totally reminds me of The Historian which is one of my all-time favorite books. This has legit The Historian vibes.

Now I have been burned by these kinds of books before but this seriously seems like a fantastic one and I really want to get my hands on a copy so I can read it. It seems like a total me book.

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on The League of American Traitors along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!