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The Sword of Senack
Three children embark on a journey to find their brother, and in the process may find themselves.
Aliya Fisher knows nothing about her true heritage until a vindictive sorceress kidnaps her brother and sister. The young adventurer must take up her birthright, battle strange creatures, and find the Sword of Senack if she hopes to best the witch. But even if Aliya finds the famed weapon and survives the perilous oceanic journey, the enchantress is far more than she appears. How does one defeat an immortal who lusts for revenge?
Aliya Fisher knows nothing about her true heritage until a vindictive sorceress kidnaps her brother and sister. The young adventurer must take up her birthright, battle strange creatures, and find the Sword of Senack if she hopes to best the witch. But even if Aliya finds the famed weapon and survives the perilous oceanic journey, the enchantress is far more than she appears. How does one defeat an immortal who lusts for revenge?
- GenresMiddle GradeFantasy
409 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2012
3 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Stilson
34 books183 followersEC Stilson has authored over ten novels, novellas, and children’s picture books. Two of her memoirs, THE GOLDEN SKY and HOMELESS IN HAWAII, have become No. 1 bestsellers on Amazon for women’s memoir.
Since 2011, through fundraisers, book donations, and national radio interviews, EC Stilson has helped raise thousands of dollars for organizations such as Angel Watch, Portneuf Medical Center, the Pregnancy Resource Center, the American Diabetes Association, and Primary Children's Hospital.
When she's not working as a copy editor, she's parenting, fiddling, writing, or speaking at events for infant-loss support groups or cancer awareness organizations.
Her most recent memoir, TWO MORE YEARS, came out in 2022 and details the author's battle with stage four melanoma.
Since 2011, through fundraisers, book donations, and national radio interviews, EC Stilson has helped raise thousands of dollars for organizations such as Angel Watch, Portneuf Medical Center, the Pregnancy Resource Center, the American Diabetes Association, and Primary Children's Hospital.
When she's not working as a copy editor, she's parenting, fiddling, writing, or speaking at events for infant-loss support groups or cancer awareness organizations.
Her most recent memoir, TWO MORE YEARS, came out in 2022 and details the author's battle with stage four melanoma.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 21, 2012
I have always, always loved the water. I feel at home within its cool embrace, so this book was right up my alley. It was about a family that had fled Earth because it had become polluted and over-populated to start over on a new alien planet. The family bought a castle overlooking the ocean. They had five children that were all forbidden to go near the water or talk to the natives. So as you could imagine, life was probably a bit dull. Until the youngest of the crew revealed a terrible secret. She had answered the door when someone had knocked and let in what she thought was a kind young woman. But the woman began to change towards her and Indy became afraid. So afraid that she tried to warn her older sister about her and what was going to happen. But Indy's secret came to late to save her. She was taken right in front of her sister and there was nothing she could do about it.
We jump five years after the disappearance of Indy. Her mother has withdrawn inside herself and her father is rarely at home. Aliya is tired of watching her family fall apart around her. Her father disappears inside of his study for days and no one was allowed in. Jack, her oldest brother, had made plans to leave with a girl and had sailed out of her life that very morning. Aliya watches er father enter the study and close the door behind him. Unable to take the stress anymore, she plans to confront her father and have a talk with him. But as she opens the door, she is shocked to find the room totally empty. And here begins an amazing journey for Aliya, Skye, and Vander.
This book was filled with many creative, lively, and unique characters. EC opens up a new world under the ocean. The children must follow a certain path to not only save their youngest sister, but their father, oldest brother, and their world as well. In this fantastical world nothing is as it seems and its hard to tell who is the bad guy and who isn't. It was hard to pick a favorite character but out of the pack I was most taken with the Rock King. All the children are delightful in their own way. This book is going to be a series, but how long of one, I know not. I will tell you this, it was an absolutely delightful read!!! I enjoyed the imagery and the array of characters thoroughly! My only regret is that the second book is not available, for I can't wait to read it! Excellent work EC!!
We jump five years after the disappearance of Indy. Her mother has withdrawn inside herself and her father is rarely at home. Aliya is tired of watching her family fall apart around her. Her father disappears inside of his study for days and no one was allowed in. Jack, her oldest brother, had made plans to leave with a girl and had sailed out of her life that very morning. Aliya watches er father enter the study and close the door behind him. Unable to take the stress anymore, she plans to confront her father and have a talk with him. But as she opens the door, she is shocked to find the room totally empty. And here begins an amazing journey for Aliya, Skye, and Vander.
This book was filled with many creative, lively, and unique characters. EC opens up a new world under the ocean. The children must follow a certain path to not only save their youngest sister, but their father, oldest brother, and their world as well. In this fantastical world nothing is as it seems and its hard to tell who is the bad guy and who isn't. It was hard to pick a favorite character but out of the pack I was most taken with the Rock King. All the children are delightful in their own way. This book is going to be a series, but how long of one, I know not. I will tell you this, it was an absolutely delightful read!!! I enjoyed the imagery and the array of characters thoroughly! My only regret is that the second book is not available, for I can't wait to read it! Excellent work EC!!
March 21, 2012
I decided to read EC Stilson's latest book, The Sword of Senack, because I absolutely loved her previous book, The Golden Sky.
The Sword of Senack doesn't disappoint. Told from a first person perspective, Stilson has created a rich fantasy world, with shades of sci-fi thrown in, and leads her characters on adventure after amazing adventure though both land and sea.
Some of more awesome aspects include:
The characters: Stilson has created several fun and memorable characters. My personal favorite being the perpetually upbeat and adventurous, Vander.
Location Descriptions: Though evil is afoot, this is not a dark and dreary land. Much like when Dorothy awakens in OZ, Stilson paints a vast technicolor landscape for her characters to make their journeys through. The colorful cover helps set the stage for this and Stilson's descriptions fill in the rest.
Illustrations: Sprinkled throughout the book are illustrations of various events and characters. The only negative thing I can say here is that I wish there were more.
The Action: This is not a boring book. The characters barely have time to sit down after one harrowing escape before being wisked off on their next adventure.
The Set-up: This is book one in a continuing series, and Stilson nicely sets the stage for more to come while at the same time providing closure for this chapter of the story.
That all being said, I do have a few minor critiques.
While there is appeal here for everyone, I feel that a younger audience will get the most out of this book. Not much of a surprise, as this is a YA fantasy, but it definitely skews towards the younger crowd, lacking some of the inside jokes and/or references that some other YA titles include to draw in an older audience. That being said, it's also one of those YA books that I don't think a parent need worry about before handing to a child.
The pacing at certain parts of the book felt a little off for me. Certain events felt rushed and I would have liked to have seen a bit more detail behind them.
All in all, though, the above are minor.
I definitely recommend The Sword of Senack. It's fun, fast-paced, and colorful. I look forward to seeing what Stilson has next up her sleeve.
The Sword of Senack doesn't disappoint. Told from a first person perspective, Stilson has created a rich fantasy world, with shades of sci-fi thrown in, and leads her characters on adventure after amazing adventure though both land and sea.
Some of more awesome aspects include:
The characters: Stilson has created several fun and memorable characters. My personal favorite being the perpetually upbeat and adventurous, Vander.
Location Descriptions: Though evil is afoot, this is not a dark and dreary land. Much like when Dorothy awakens in OZ, Stilson paints a vast technicolor landscape for her characters to make their journeys through. The colorful cover helps set the stage for this and Stilson's descriptions fill in the rest.
Illustrations: Sprinkled throughout the book are illustrations of various events and characters. The only negative thing I can say here is that I wish there were more.
The Action: This is not a boring book. The characters barely have time to sit down after one harrowing escape before being wisked off on their next adventure.
The Set-up: This is book one in a continuing series, and Stilson nicely sets the stage for more to come while at the same time providing closure for this chapter of the story.
That all being said, I do have a few minor critiques.
While there is appeal here for everyone, I feel that a younger audience will get the most out of this book. Not much of a surprise, as this is a YA fantasy, but it definitely skews towards the younger crowd, lacking some of the inside jokes and/or references that some other YA titles include to draw in an older audience. That being said, it's also one of those YA books that I don't think a parent need worry about before handing to a child.
The pacing at certain parts of the book felt a little off for me. Certain events felt rushed and I would have liked to have seen a bit more detail behind them.
All in all, though, the above are minor.
I definitely recommend The Sword of Senack. It's fun, fast-paced, and colorful. I look forward to seeing what Stilson has next up her sleeve.
March 28, 2021
I won this book as a giveaway. I thought it was a great book. They created a very detailed world full of good and evil.
October 9, 2013
I got this book free from Goodreads in return for an honest review.
My husband (Tony Lee) read this book and the following review is in his own words.
An imaginatively written book in which the heroine, an ordinary young girl from a seemingly ordinary family, trying to come to terms with a new home on a new planet and a family tragedy, takes us through the story of how she and her siblings discover an enchanting and enchanted undersea world! The mysterious and magical people and creatures they encounter in their vivid surroundings come alive from the page as the family brave the perils and dangers of the deep! The more characters they meet the more they discover thy are not an ordinary family after all! An exciting and wonderfully descriptive tale. Though some very young readers may find some scenes scary I thoroughly recommend this book for young and old alike! I found the glossary at the end essential in jogging the memory of this old brain! Top marks!
My husband (Tony Lee) read this book and the following review is in his own words.
An imaginatively written book in which the heroine, an ordinary young girl from a seemingly ordinary family, trying to come to terms with a new home on a new planet and a family tragedy, takes us through the story of how she and her siblings discover an enchanting and enchanted undersea world! The mysterious and magical people and creatures they encounter in their vivid surroundings come alive from the page as the family brave the perils and dangers of the deep! The more characters they meet the more they discover thy are not an ordinary family after all! An exciting and wonderfully descriptive tale. Though some very young readers may find some scenes scary I thoroughly recommend this book for young and old alike! I found the glossary at the end essential in jogging the memory of this old brain! Top marks!
September 29, 2015
My book review is on the Sword of Senack by EC Stilson. I rated this FIVE stars, this book was an awesome and inspiring book. I defiantly recommend this book to adults and kids that love adventure. The story starts out with 5 kids that live in a spooky castle, and there mom is traumatized because the 5th child went missing. All their mom will do, is nod her head and cook dinner. The child disappears into the water with a brunette with green eyes named Constance. My favorite character in the book is Aliya because what ever she draws comes to life off of the papers. I'm excited to read the next book, I think you should read this book because it comes to life after you read the first word.
December 23, 2014
Do your children love fairy tales? Then look no further, this is the perfect novel to introduce to your children. My son is 4 and we started reading this book together , we read a chapter every night before bed and we are quite a bit threw it now! Almost to the end. It is an interesting book, with lots of funny and heart-warming moments for your children. I won't spoil it for you, but E.C Stilson really went above and beyond with this book!
I plan on doing a seperate review on my blog when completely done reading the book, Thanks for giving me the chance to read it :)
10/10
I plan on doing a seperate review on my blog when completely done reading the book, Thanks for giving me the chance to read it :)
10/10
June 28, 2012
An amazing Y/A book! I would recommend it to anyone. Easily as good if not better than Percy Jackson and the Lightening thief.
July 24, 2012
so far interesting
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews