Sword of Queens

by Joan Marie Verba

The kingdom of Somerlie has been in the grip of the evil overlord Tashtalon for over 500 years. No one has ever seen Tashtalon, but he puts the kingdom to sleep every night, and during the night, people disappear, never to be seen again. Gill has spent her life thinking these things could not possibly be changed, until strange events point her to the only thing that can defeat Tashtalon…a magical weapon called the Sword of Queens. To prevent its use, Tashtalon made a law saying that any woman wielding a sword will be put to death…and he enforces that law savagely. Can Gill summon the courage to find the sword and use it before Tashtalon kills her?

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2012

About the author

Joan Marie Verba earned a bachelor of physics degree from the University of Minnesota and attended the graduate school of astronomy at Indiana University, where she was an associate instructor of astronomy for one year. She has worked as a computer programmer, editor, publisher, health/weight loss coach, social media manager, and web developer. An experienced writer, she is the author of the nonfiction books Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets and Boldly Writing, as well as the novels Countdown to Action, Action Alert, Deadly Danger, Situation: Critical, Extreme Hazard, Danger Zone, Defying the Ghosts, and Sword of Queens, plus numerous short stories and articles. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

Reviews

[J. Else · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with this book. It was a unique story about female oppression through religion and community. The plot was well-paced and kept my interest. The characters were unique enough to be easily distinguishable from one another. The fight of good against evil took both strength and intelligence with intriguing surprises along the way. I appreciated that not all men were mean or discriminatory to women, and that nothing was black and white. The author created depth in motivations and relationships. An engaging epic fantasy story. I'd happily read more stories set in this world.

[Carmen F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great page turner!

I enjoyed this story of how a girl challenged an in ground belief . It was an adventure to read, I really recommend-this book , I could hardly put it down! Enjoy!

[Jen Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just ok. I’ve read worse, but I definitely read better also. I’m not sure that it was anything necessarily bad, it just was not the type of story i typically enjoy. The plot idea was decent enough, but I was bored throughout and not as entertained as I could’ve been. Just not for me.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, but wasn't always sure why. It felt like an amateur effort -- someone's NaNoWriMo novel that didn't get edited enough to draw it to its potential.

[Kara Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gill is a young woman living in a place where everyone is put into a sleep at night - and some people disappear during that night. Women are forbidden to carry swords, because it was women's fault that any problems ever happened to her kingdom. The sleep is brought on by Tashtalon, the god who has "protected" her community for over 500 years. He's also the one who steals people in the night - maybe to devour them, but who knows.

Well, we all know that there's something wrong with this set up. Gill has a friend who is positive that there is a way to over throw Tashtalon, but unfortunately, it appears that Tashtalon knows about this plot, and Gill's friend is ruthlessly killed. At that point, Gill discovers that her family holds a key (a real key) that will aid in the destruction of Tashtalon, and she sets off on a journey to overthrow the "god".

A solid cast of supporting characters, a story line that flows nicely. Worth the read.

[J.C. Harker · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recently reading quite a few mediocre books this was a real pleasure to read. The world was really interesting and there were some really novel ideas - the sleep of Tashtalon was the thing that got me hooked on the book.

The story involves torture and cruelty, but the way the book is written gives it a bit of a legend or fairy tale feel to it. Due to this the violence maybe didn't seem as real as it could have been. For the same reason at points the characters felt a bit flat (and a bit black & white), and I would have liked a few more surprising twists and turns, especially towards the end.

Despite that, the book was an exciting page turner and the setting was definitely the thing that kept my attention the most. One thing worth mentioning is that although this is mainly a fantasy story, a bit of sci-fi seemed to be creeping in here and there.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read. Interesting premise of a God who hates women and a society who is isolated and conditioned by their religion, The characters aren't fully developed and the world of the fantasy could use more detail but that being said, it was still an enjoyable read. I read this on the kindle and it was a good format that fit the read.

[Doreen Dalesandro]

Kindle freebie, 1/30/13

[JB · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story. love the main character. great imagination