This is my very first book review so please, bear with me.

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(I am proud to say that the cover design on these was done by yours truly. Not the art of course, but the prettification.) 

Title: Shattered Sword

Author: Azaria M.J. Durant

Genre: Fantasy

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44591977-shattered-sword

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PVCTPQ8/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Blog Link: http://www.azariamjdurant.com

Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/Darkened-Destiny-Saga-Broken-Arrow-1505614816234166/

Broken Arrow Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F28XPY5/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Synopsis:

Murder and treachery abound in the glorious city of Twylaun.

Two years have passed since the death of King Leonel.  Whispers of dissension are stirring as the dark lord Zeldek gathers his forces in the north to wage war on Theara. Only the young king Hamish of Valamette stands in the way of him controlling all four kingdoms.

When Bellator is captured and tragedy strikes Valamette, Ealdred must come out of exile to their aid. But he’s hardly prepared for the dangers lurking in the world he enters. And when a prediction by a witch sets his only friends against him, Ealdred finds himself completely alone in a game of power as the King of Zandelba’s puppet.

Yet even within the walls of Twylaun, deceit roams freely, and Ealdred is forced to play a role he is hard put to win. Can he fool the King of Zandelba for long enough to ascend the throne and stop a war between the kingdoms? Or is there a deeper threat lying in wait that neither side expects?

Rating: ***** (Pretend those are stars and not asterisks…)

Review: 

I absolutely loved Shattered Sword, Azaria weaves everything together so well that it had me wondering what she was even doing at times (and I helped plan a lot of this book). 

While most books leave me bored at times or skipping through those long obnoxious page-long descriptions (come on, you all know you do it too) there wasn’t a single part in Shattered Sword that I didn’t devour. From entering Gaiztoak to that final moment when… -SPOILERS- (You thought I was gonna tell you the ending, didn’t you?)

Achem… 

Anyways, this book is intense all the way through and kept me hooked. As all the fancy review writers like to say “It was a real page turner”.

All of the characters in Shattered Sword are well developed and none of them are annoying to read, even the ones that I didn’t think were the greatest people. My favourite character is Uri, the dashing redhead pirate, even if he’s not in much (something that I’m still bitter about). He’s a self-preservationalist (and yes, I know that’s not a word, but that’s how he would say it) but he’s got a lot of past and a lot of goodness inside that we see him fighting every time he’s in the story.

For least favourite, with all the obvious baddies aside, I honestly don’t really like Bellator. Not because she’s a badly written character or isn’t easy to read, but just because she’s a horrible person. She’s selfish, greedy, self-absorbed, a liar, and really everything bad in a person. That being said, I would really love to see her turn around later on in this series and finally be the person that Ealdred believes she can be.

I’m going to write a bit about the main character, Ealdred, because although he’s not even my second favourite character in ranking, I still have a special place for him in my heart. He’s a sweetheart who would lay down his own life in an instant to save even the smallest, most unimportant character. You don’t see that a lot in heroes anymore and I really love and admire him for it. He’s the kind of person that we should all strive to be. It’s not about him, nothing is about him, it’s all about helping the people around him. 

And while I’m at it I might as well mention the other three main characters, since some of them don’t get enough love.

Marianna has a very special place in my heart, she’s the nerdy princess who just wants the freedom to do what she wants, love who she wants, and make her own way. Former versions of her, and even her now have been a great inspiration for some of my own characters.

Annalynn has really grown from the sweet soft child she was in the first book. Now she has spunk and fire, but also a deep sadness that can be hard to read in her some times after knowing her from the first book. Although she doesn’t have a lot of her own important plot she does play the roll of the catalyst for two other characters in this book.

Hamish was my second favourite character in the first book, but he’s become a very cold character in this book, dead to the world, nothing like the sweet child he was in the first book, so full of life. It makes me sad to read, knowing everything that he’s lost.

Shattered Sword is one of my favourite books, as is its sister (and first book in the series) Broken Arrow. I would recommend that you read Broken Arrow first just so that you can experience the true richness of the characters and fully appreciate everything that Azaria puts into these books and the characters. I’ve left the link for it up at the top of the post along with the one for Shattered Sword. If you don’t want to read it that’s alright too, Azaria makes it easy enough for you to be able to pick up on the main plot without it. 

I have high praise for the Darkened Destiny series and I am proud to say that I did a final proofread and plot edit on this book. But I’m sure you’re done reading my ramblings so I’ll leave you with this excerpt from Shattered Sword. 

Excerpt (starring Uri!!!):

At last, Uri comes to a stop, panting heavily.

“I need a breather,” he gasps, leaning against a tree.

I bend over, clutching my knees to keep from collapsing. My shirt feels stiflingly tight against my chest, and I lost my shoes a while back. A mosquito whines in my ear, and I try to swat it away. I end up just slapping myself upside the head, and it only grows more persistent. I just shake my head, trying to ignore it as I fight to regain my breath.

Uri breaks into a fit of coughs, and I straighten up, looking to see if he’s all right. I finally see his face in full view, and I stare. It isn’t hard to see that he’s not the same boy I’d known two years earlier. Not only is he almost a foot taller now and a much more gangly build, but he has gained a toughness to his appearance that is most apparent in the challenging way he sets his jaw. The freckles that speckle his skin have grown more pronounced. His chin is spouted with orange scruff, and it looks like he’s shaved the sides of his head, leaving only a patch of brilliantly orange curls on the top. His previously snubbed nose appears to have been broken some time ago and then put poorly back into place, but it has done nothing to dampen his gruff, good-looking features. However, the most noticeable difference about him is the deep X-shaped scar that has been cut into his left cheekbone.

“Ha!” he hoots after the coughing has subsided. His bare chest is exposed beneath a long, ratty leather coat, and a golden chain hangs around his neck. Holey trousers are tucked into tall, shiny leather boots. “That’s the way to show ‘em! Ain’t that right, half—”

His voice breaks off when he finally looks at me, and his mouth drops open. “What in heck happened to you? I thought you was a half-breed!”

“I am,” I remark with a bit of a grimace.

“What’s with all this, then? Why d’you get all this fancy getup? It ain’t fair!”

I shrug. I don’t trust him enough to want to explain it to him.

He hacks, spitting over his shoulder. “How do I get me one of those?”

I shake my head with a sigh. “We’d best get moving before the Alliance finds our trail.” Tugging my collar away from my neck, I add, “And I need to get some new clothing.”

Uri notices my attire, and throws back his head, barking with laughter. And he has every right to laugh. My pants stop halfway up my calves and are tearing at the seams. The sleeves of my shirt are almost to my elbows, and my belly is sticking out from under the hem. I tug it down, an embarrassed red gathering in my cheeks. “Let’s just get going…”

“Sure.” He wipes tears from his eyes. “Whatever you say.”

I know he isn’t going to let it go quickly, and sure enough, it’s a while before he can look in my direction without bursting out laughing. Keeping my cloak wrapped around me quiets him down a little, and after a few moments, I notice him eyeing my sword. I tuck the cloak around it protectively and he sneers, elbowing my arm.

“Where’d you get that sword from?”

“It isn’t your business.”

“You steal it?”

“It was given to me.”

“Sure.” He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t press the matter.

It isn’t long before we break out of the woods onto another road– this one thinner and more winding than the main road– which leads past a couple of farms.

“I’ll stop here and get some clothing,” I say.

“You got anythin’ to trade?” he asks.

I hesitate. “Well… no.”

“Hmm.” He pulls aside his coat, revealing a satchel at his side. Taking a handful of coins, he tosses them to me. “Get some clothin’.”

I eye his satchel, surprised by his generosity. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “Why not? We’re buddies now. You help me, I help you.”

“Right…” I turn toward the nearest farm house. Then I pause. “You want me to get something to eat while I’m at it?”

“Don’t bother. I know a better place up the road a ways.”

Fifteen minutes later, I return, dressed in a long, smelly farmer’s habit, boots that are too big, and a strange, pointed cap on my head. My cloak is the only part of my previous attire that I kept. But it’s much better than what I was wearing before. Uri snorts when he sees me, but turns, leading the way up the road. As he does, I catch a glimpse of his satchel again, my suspicions confirmed. On it, an insignia has been etched in golden thread; a shield with a bear silhouette on it, a crown hovering overhead, and two swords crossed behind it.

I’ve seen it before, during my time as a slave in rich Zandelban households. Usually on official letters from the palace, but messengers from the king sometimes carried satchels just like this one. Sure, Uri could have filched it off of a messenger. But since meeting him, none of what followed has felt right— him being so nice, our easy escape, and now this. Pieces of a puzzle that, put together, are an incomplete picture of what I guessed from the moment I heard his voice in the cellar.

This is a trap. And I’m planning to walk right into it.

If you’ve also read this book and want to make some comment on it or haven’t read it and want to ask questions about it anyways, feel free to do so below. And thank you for taking the time to read my first ever review, I hope I did the awesomeness of this book some justice.