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The Sword and Shield
Ezra Toth is your typical sword for hire. A dark past, a few secrets, a talent for killing, with a sharp sword and sharper wit. Perhaps his several dozen cats are a bit unique but other than that… He returns from an ordinary, arduous job to find representatives of the crown waiting for him at his home – not so typical. They bring him to the Crown Prince who has a problem only Ezra can solve. Crown Prince Christophe’s brother, and possibly even the King himself, are part of a plot to assassinate him. With no idea who in the palace is truly loyal to who, Ezra must navigate a myriad of potential suspects whilst protecting the heir.
241 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2020
102 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
May 9, 2020
Well, this one is hard to rate. The story was good, but the typos were plentiful and distracting. I don't know how a book could get past an editor with so many mistakes! The story kept me interested, but it didn't really develop over time... Ezra had to save the prince... and there were times of wonderful storytelling where the characters were enjoying different activities, but then it would skim over important story development. Like the Prince and his girl... suddenly they were an item, but we never saw that happen, just heard about it from Ezra. The King was a bad guy, but we never really saw that either... he was just a sick old man. And Ezra has a disease that makes it hard for him to heal, but he bounces back from arrow wounds, stabbings and broken bones pretty quickly.
I know I'm ranting here. The reason is, it was almost great and the things that made it not great were things that a reputable editor should have caught. Emma needs to fire her editor and hire another!
I know I'm ranting here. The reason is, it was almost great and the things that made it not great were things that a reputable editor should have caught. Emma needs to fire her editor and hire another!
May 13, 2020
What to say, what to say. The book has some really great characters, especially the quirky protagonist. There are also some wonderful, evocative passages scattered throughout. Plot? Meh. It's a one-trick pony (hero has to protect crown prince from assassination) that takes half the book to set up and another quarter to get to an actual attempt. Foiled by hero of course.
In the blurb, the author thanks her agent. I wouldn't. Apparently neither of them saw fit to engage a copy editor (at least) , let alone a line editor. The grammatical errors and typos are legion, and almost matched by the anachronisms. I'm only amazed that the human interest part kept me reading to the end. That says a lot about the writer's basic abilities, but a lot of polish and attention is needed before we get the fantastic book I am sure she is capable of delivering.
In the blurb, the author thanks her agent. I wouldn't. Apparently neither of them saw fit to engage a copy editor (at least) , let alone a line editor. The grammatical errors and typos are legion, and almost matched by the anachronisms. I'm only amazed that the human interest part kept me reading to the end. That says a lot about the writer's basic abilities, but a lot of polish and attention is needed before we get the fantastic book I am sure she is capable of delivering.
April 1, 2020
Witty, darkly humorous, and riotously fun!
Ezra is the picture of rough, rugged blade-for-hire--but his love of kitties and adorable relationship with a little old granny and her spunky granddaughter? Not as typical. Khoury has crafted wonderfully quirky, flawed, and lovable characters that will steal your heart while you read on the edge of your seat to see if Ezra can indeed protect Prince Christophe from assassination.
Ezra is the picture of rough, rugged blade-for-hire--but his love of kitties and adorable relationship with a little old granny and her spunky granddaughter? Not as typical. Khoury has crafted wonderfully quirky, flawed, and lovable characters that will steal your heart while you read on the edge of your seat to see if Ezra can indeed protect Prince Christophe from assassination.
June 20, 2021
Good fun read :)
May 12, 2021
Not your typical sword for hire.
Ezra Toth is a highly trained member of the Sword&Shield. The best assassin in a time of assassins. When some people have a bad day, their friends buy them a beer... When Ezra Toth has a bad day, streets clear as people suddenly remember somewhere else they need to be right away.
This book is fantastically written. The main character is charismatic, relatable and engaging. The plot is clear and well though out. The supporting characters are consistent in their actions and logical with their motivations. There are strong characters of every type. There's a little old lady that runs a dress shop... she's Awesome!
This book isn't pushing any agendas. It's just a fantastic book about brilliantly written people.
The humor and interactions between characters bring to mind the writing of Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett. Get this book. You will not regret it.
Ezra Toth is a highly trained member of the Sword&Shield. The best assassin in a time of assassins. When some people have a bad day, their friends buy them a beer... When Ezra Toth has a bad day, streets clear as people suddenly remember somewhere else they need to be right away.
This book is fantastically written. The main character is charismatic, relatable and engaging. The plot is clear and well though out. The supporting characters are consistent in their actions and logical with their motivations. There are strong characters of every type. There's a little old lady that runs a dress shop... she's Awesome!
This book isn't pushing any agendas. It's just a fantastic book about brilliantly written people.
The humor and interactions between characters bring to mind the writing of Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett. Get this book. You will not regret it.
October 2, 2021
I really enjoyed this first book by a new author. It's not every talent that creates such likeable and empathic. When someone can make a hired assassin likeable is rare. In fact, with one exception all the characters were likeable. By the end even one of the supposed villains has your sympathy. I won't say I couldn't put it down but even though I was ill I finished it with a real sense of lightness. The protagonist sounds rather grim so I left it in my to be read list for a while but I really liked him, after all he was a cat person. lol
October 31, 2023
A really good read if you have some time to kill. It had me hooked in the very first chapter and from then all. The way she writes her main character makes you really feel for that character. It's a book I wouldn't pass up. I just can't wait to see what she writes next.
August 30, 2025
I love this story! It was a super fast paced book that had me engaged. I love that Ezra is both the tough guy assassin killer but still snuggles his cats. He is super versatile and funny. I found myself smiling at how he interacted with his friend while cheering him on for taking down the bad guys.
There were some parts that felt rushed, and I would have loved deeper world building and character development, because the idea beside the story was really good. I hope we learn more about Ezra and Christophe in the next book!
There were some parts that felt rushed, and I would have loved deeper world building and character development, because the idea beside the story was really good. I hope we learn more about Ezra and Christophe in the next book!
January 30, 2022
Great characters with just the right amount of snarkiness and tenderness.
I loved the characters and their relationships. I hope there are more Ezra adventures to come. Highly recommend this book.
I loved the characters and their relationships. I hope there are more Ezra adventures to come. Highly recommend this book.
April 28, 2021
Might be a series, but not written as such
A solid character with a problem to solve. Banter, mayhem, fratricide - and the good guys win. A quick read.
A solid character with a problem to solve. Banter, mayhem, fratricide - and the good guys win. A quick read.
June 14, 2021
This book got me out of a giant reading slump. I absolutely LOVED it. The world building was great and the characters were absolutely amazing. This is definitely my new comfort book.
May 14, 2020
This is a tough one to rate. It’s a good debut novel with a pleasant writing style that definitely kept me interested. The characters were quite flat and generally undeveloped but very likeable. Ezra alone made this a 4-star book. The main problems were pacing (pretty slow and uneven) and a lack of any actual events or developments until the very end. Basically Ezra is hired to guard the prince, he follows the prince around making wise cracks, and at the end there is a showdown without much build up at all. Given all the talk at the start of the book about court intrigues and how Ezra would manage them, there were absolutely none in this book. A huge missed opportunity to use the court setting to develop a complex, intricate plot with plenty of mounting action and suspense. This was absolutely not the case here. That said, the writing style is so lovely that it makes this novel an enjoyable read even in absence of action or excitement.
June 4, 2020
CW: there is a chapter with on-page torture. It should be easy to avoid if needed. There's a fair amount of on-page killing and death, but I didn't find any of it gratuitous. Ezra is a mercenary. Killing is the job.
I liked Ezra a lot. I liked all the characters, but he is why I finished reading this, despite the "soggy middle" plot problem that, by chapter 23 prompted me to either skim or stop reading. Luckily, this is about when the plot picks up speed again.
I very much liked the end.
Ezra is a health-compromised (medically controlled) man who endured a rather horrid childhood. He has a strong work ethic and caring friendships, loves cats, and on-page is asexual and aromantic. Awesome. I don't regret reading this at all. Take that as you will. :)
I liked Ezra a lot. I liked all the characters, but he is why I finished reading this, despite the "soggy middle" plot problem that, by chapter 23 prompted me to either skim or stop reading. Luckily, this is about when the plot picks up speed again.
I very much liked the end.
Ezra is a health-compromised (medically controlled) man who endured a rather horrid childhood. He has a strong work ethic and caring friendships, loves cats, and on-page is asexual and aromantic. Awesome. I don't regret reading this at all. Take that as you will. :)
June 29, 2020
Couldn't put it down! If you are a fan of the fantasy genre, but with a twist of humor and memorable characters (think similar to the work of David Eddings, one of my favs), this is the book for you! I am a long-time reader of the fantasy genre, and this book hits all the emotional highs and lows without without getting too bogged down in its own lore (which is easy to do in this genre). It is an easy and thoroughly enjoyable read, and it's a one-and-done for those of you who maybe don't want to commit to an epic fantasy saga spanning many novels. Having said that, I look forward to many works to come from this new and talented author!
January 3, 2025
I read this as a pick for a book club I am in. While I usually like fantasy, it's not a genre I generally go to first. The person that picked the book said, "Don't worry, it's not the beginning of some long series." Well, I wish it was the beginning of a series. I loved Ezra, the main character, and the people in the family he built. I'd be quite happy to read more about them. The author has a way of making me feel like I know him. I hope to see more from this world!
May 12, 2020
Amazing! Just absolutely amazing. I want more. Ezra is the perfect protagonist - full of mystery, yet such a good person who doesn't quite realize just how decent he is. I could go on and on, but I don't want to ruin the fabulous story for others by revealing too much. Just READ IT!!!! I promise you will love it.
May 23, 2020
A captivating read
A well written, action packed story. I couldn't put this down until I finished it. I loved the diverse characters especially the lead and the story flowed at a fast pace. Highly recommend.
A well written, action packed story. I couldn't put this down until I finished it. I loved the diverse characters especially the lead and the story flowed at a fast pace. Highly recommend.
March 14, 2021
This book surprised me!
I was not expecting to like Assassin but I did. I like all of the characters and felt that they developed as personalities as the book continues I surprised myself by laughing crying a bit and enjoying this book a lot. Give it a try
I was not expecting to like Assassin but I did. I like all of the characters and felt that they developed as personalities as the book continues I surprised myself by laughing crying a bit and enjoying this book a lot. Give it a try
June 7, 2023
So I found this author because of Tiktok, that being said, I must say this author weaves a wonderful story and keeps you going as you read. She definitely makes you feel as if you were observing a scene unfolding in front of you. Definitely can't wait for more
May 22, 2020
Good story telling
Delivery is tight, the action flows, and the characters feel real. I enjoyed seeing an assassin from a compassionate viewpoint
Delivery is tight, the action flows, and the characters feel real. I enjoyed seeing an assassin from a compassionate viewpoint
October 7, 2020
A welcome voice
Finally, a true adventure without any needless romance! A fabulous hero who does the hard things and a gripping plot line. I hope there are more!
Finally, a true adventure without any needless romance! A fabulous hero who does the hard things and a gripping plot line. I hope there are more!
March 13, 2021
Excellent and intriguing story
An assassin who grows morals and build families of choice - with cool twists and good relationships- well paced and written
An assassin who grows morals and build families of choice - with cool twists and good relationships- well paced and written
May 9, 2024
I’m halfway through the audiobook version of this, and feeling very ambivalent.
The narrator is doing a perfectly decent job. I do find his accent a bit distracting - he seems to be an American putting on some kind of Generic Vaguely English Ye Olden Days accent, but it’s only occasionally jarring, with erratic vaguely Northern vowels popping up at random, and almost Kiwi vowels at others - overall I find his delivery fine, especially given that the book is presently free to listen to in the Audible Plus catalogue.
It’s the worldbuilding that’s making me headdesk.
Look, to be clear - this is (at close to the half-way point) an affable enough generic fantasy set in Ye Olde Vaguely Europeanish Fantasy World, with kings and queens and knights and peasants. It is ostensibly about palace intrigues, with the protagonist being a professional assassin hired to protect the Crown Prince from political assassination. It’s fine. You may really enjoy it - thus far it’s all pretty cosy and affable, and if you like Mercedes Lackey and T Kingfisher this might be your jam.
It is not my jam, but I don’t hate it, and I’ve not yet decided to DNF.
(T Kingfisher IS my jam; Mercedes Lackey has always been a sort of guilty pleasure akin to, idk, pop tarts or some other highly processed & palatable junk food with no nutritional value.)
So, I don’t mind the fact that we’re half way through the book and nothing very much has happened - I’m perfectly sanguine about hanging out with characters and vibing. Not every book has to be action-packed.
But, gosh, the worldbuilding and characterisation is terrible. It’s terrible in a way that many people ENJOY, so it might be exactly what you’re after: the way that soap operas are terrible, or Hallmark movies: twee escapism with wobbly sets and a writing team who don’t actually have any idea how the place/people/industry/whatever that they’re writing actually WORKS.
For THE LIFE of me idk why so many American adults want to write about kings & queens & aristocrats in ersatz Medieval settings but DON’T want to engage with the baked-in reality of the class system they’ve lazily dropped their characters into, and instead just write all the characters like they’re middle class Americans in an office or a college dorm.
The entire system of Aristocracy HINGES upon an ideology of blood supremacy. It isn’t cutesy or romantic. It’s a rigid system of power and privilege built around the idea that the nobility are fundamentally superior, and peasants disposable chattel: a caste system.
…I feel like a lot of these fantasy writers probably haven’t actually read many books or plays WRITTEN in previous centuries? Because outwith the surface trappings, the world building is just so painfully 20th century middle class (white) America.
Khoury cheerily sends her peasant assassin protagonist waltzing off into the palace to interact with knights and princes like he’s Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, bestowing nicknames on knights and sassing monarchs, and OH MY GOD that is not how *any* of this works outside of Disney cartoons. And, yes, it’s fantasy - but I want my fantasy worldbuilding to make sense and hang together, and none of this does. (Every time the narrator refers to “Joe”, I wince. That is not the man’s name. That was not the name by which he introduced himself. It is not the name by which his Prince or his friends know him. It is a purposefully, obnoxiously familiar diminutive, a rude refusal to treat the man with the courtesy appropriate to his station & the speaker’s - but for some reason we’re supposed to just roll with it?)
A bodyguard does not get to treat kings and princes like intransigent clients, or like drinking buddies down the pub. A seamstress does not nonchalantly treat a crown prince like he’s a scullery boy. A Queen does not treat a temporary bodyguard like he’s a cousin. (And come to that I side-eye the idea of an assassin biting off his own tongue to avoid being questioned - what kind of stupid career choice is that? What was professional about trying to commit a public assassination, then BITING OFF ONE’S TONGUE so as not to betray a temporary employer? And why hasn’t Khoury genuinely engaged with the decision to make her Leon-esque cuddly assassin torture someone? Up until that point there was the possibility that we could see him more as a samurai of sorts, but the torture scene underlines the fact that our cuddly protagonist is a man who murders strangers for money and feels no pang of renorse.)
Position is POWER, and lack of power, and the book would simply be far more interesting and satisfying if Khoury had made any effort to grapple with the realities of the layers of power and privilege separating characters from wildly different social circles, instead of glibly writing them all as basically peers.
Urgh. Idk - I’m still ploughing through it, but I may yet DNF.
The narrator is doing a perfectly decent job. I do find his accent a bit distracting - he seems to be an American putting on some kind of Generic Vaguely English Ye Olden Days accent, but it’s only occasionally jarring, with erratic vaguely Northern vowels popping up at random, and almost Kiwi vowels at others - overall I find his delivery fine, especially given that the book is presently free to listen to in the Audible Plus catalogue.
It’s the worldbuilding that’s making me headdesk.
Look, to be clear - this is (at close to the half-way point) an affable enough generic fantasy set in Ye Olde Vaguely Europeanish Fantasy World, with kings and queens and knights and peasants. It is ostensibly about palace intrigues, with the protagonist being a professional assassin hired to protect the Crown Prince from political assassination. It’s fine. You may really enjoy it - thus far it’s all pretty cosy and affable, and if you like Mercedes Lackey and T Kingfisher this might be your jam.
It is not my jam, but I don’t hate it, and I’ve not yet decided to DNF.
(T Kingfisher IS my jam; Mercedes Lackey has always been a sort of guilty pleasure akin to, idk, pop tarts or some other highly processed & palatable junk food with no nutritional value.)
So, I don’t mind the fact that we’re half way through the book and nothing very much has happened - I’m perfectly sanguine about hanging out with characters and vibing. Not every book has to be action-packed.
But, gosh, the worldbuilding and characterisation is terrible. It’s terrible in a way that many people ENJOY, so it might be exactly what you’re after: the way that soap operas are terrible, or Hallmark movies: twee escapism with wobbly sets and a writing team who don’t actually have any idea how the place/people/industry/whatever that they’re writing actually WORKS.
For THE LIFE of me idk why so many American adults want to write about kings & queens & aristocrats in ersatz Medieval settings but DON’T want to engage with the baked-in reality of the class system they’ve lazily dropped their characters into, and instead just write all the characters like they’re middle class Americans in an office or a college dorm.
The entire system of Aristocracy HINGES upon an ideology of blood supremacy. It isn’t cutesy or romantic. It’s a rigid system of power and privilege built around the idea that the nobility are fundamentally superior, and peasants disposable chattel: a caste system.
…I feel like a lot of these fantasy writers probably haven’t actually read many books or plays WRITTEN in previous centuries? Because outwith the surface trappings, the world building is just so painfully 20th century middle class (white) America.
Khoury cheerily sends her peasant assassin protagonist waltzing off into the palace to interact with knights and princes like he’s Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, bestowing nicknames on knights and sassing monarchs, and OH MY GOD that is not how *any* of this works outside of Disney cartoons. And, yes, it’s fantasy - but I want my fantasy worldbuilding to make sense and hang together, and none of this does. (Every time the narrator refers to “Joe”, I wince. That is not the man’s name. That was not the name by which he introduced himself. It is not the name by which his Prince or his friends know him. It is a purposefully, obnoxiously familiar diminutive, a rude refusal to treat the man with the courtesy appropriate to his station & the speaker’s - but for some reason we’re supposed to just roll with it?)
A bodyguard does not get to treat kings and princes like intransigent clients, or like drinking buddies down the pub. A seamstress does not nonchalantly treat a crown prince like he’s a scullery boy. A Queen does not treat a temporary bodyguard like he’s a cousin. (And come to that I side-eye the idea of an assassin biting off his own tongue to avoid being questioned - what kind of stupid career choice is that? What was professional about trying to commit a public assassination, then BITING OFF ONE’S TONGUE so as not to betray a temporary employer? And why hasn’t Khoury genuinely engaged with the decision to make her Leon-esque cuddly assassin torture someone? Up until that point there was the possibility that we could see him more as a samurai of sorts, but the torture scene underlines the fact that our cuddly protagonist is a man who murders strangers for money and feels no pang of renorse.)
Position is POWER, and lack of power, and the book would simply be far more interesting and satisfying if Khoury had made any effort to grapple with the realities of the layers of power and privilege separating characters from wildly different social circles, instead of glibly writing them all as basically peers.
Urgh. Idk - I’m still ploughing through it, but I may yet DNF.
December 27, 2021
I had to "stop and consider" before I went the entire 5 stars on this book. At first I thought, "well another fantasy". I even thought it was going to be a little slow (after the initial intro). However...that changed.
The characters here drew me into this somewhat "different" take on a fantasy world. Our "hero" (semi-antihero) lives in the obligatory rundown slum section of our semi-European style fantasy city. However he's okay with it. He keeps his place up and doesn't sneer at nor look down on his neighbors. As a matter of fact he sees them as his friends and as under his protection (from other denizens of the area or outsiders). He loves animals. Before the book begins he'd adopted a female kitten. Now a cat she rules the house (as any cat person will know the dominate female can) plus he's "adopted" many more cats that need a home.
He notes that he also likes dogs but cats are more self-sufficient when he needs to be gone for extended times.
Ezra (Toth) is an assassin without par. I get the idea that most targets if they know he's coming for them simply give up. However in a twist he's also a bodyguard par excellence. (Thus the title Sword AND Shield). As the book opens this is a bit of a bother for him as he's just getting back from a arduous job and he's called to protect...well a VIP also " par excellence".
With just enough action (never flags but doesn't ever seem forced) and satisfying plot and characters I can recommend this one and hope to see more from the writer.
Recommended, enjoy.
The characters here drew me into this somewhat "different" take on a fantasy world. Our "hero" (semi-antihero) lives in the obligatory rundown slum section of our semi-European style fantasy city. However he's okay with it. He keeps his place up and doesn't sneer at nor look down on his neighbors. As a matter of fact he sees them as his friends and as under his protection (from other denizens of the area or outsiders). He loves animals. Before the book begins he'd adopted a female kitten. Now a cat she rules the house (as any cat person will know the dominate female can) plus he's "adopted" many more cats that need a home.
He notes that he also likes dogs but cats are more self-sufficient when he needs to be gone for extended times.
Ezra (Toth) is an assassin without par. I get the idea that most targets if they know he's coming for them simply give up. However in a twist he's also a bodyguard par excellence. (Thus the title Sword AND Shield). As the book opens this is a bit of a bother for him as he's just getting back from a arduous job and he's called to protect...well a VIP also " par excellence".
With just enough action (never flags but doesn't ever seem forced) and satisfying plot and characters I can recommend this one and hope to see more from the writer.
Recommended, enjoy.
July 11, 2020
This book is full of intriguing characters, from beginning to end. The protagonist is a sarcastic but highly competent killer who this time is clearly on the right side. The crown prince is someone worth defending from... well, you'll find out; he hires Ezra because he knows that his brother is up to something but he doesn't know what else is at stake.
The plot in this book is ok; the characters are what really make it interesting. Every one of the minor characters has interesting quirks. Joseph the bodyguard knight is absolutely loyal to a fault, and has other issues as well; but he manages, eventually, to deal with his natural jealousy and suspicion and to be come friends with the superbly competent Ezra, who is there to do what Joseph can't quite manage himself. Ezra's friends (mostly women) are the kind of people you'd want to know. (BTW, they are *friends*, not lovers--something else refreshing about this novel.)
Ezra himself is full of surprises, not just because he is amazingly competent (though the author does a good job of portraying that). He's also got cats and cats... and a few other oddities that are pretty darn unusual for this kind of story. I found it highly refreshing.
Why only 4 stars? Because I prefer the original goodreads scale where not every book is a 1 or a 5. This isn't the greatest book ever, but I really did like it. You probably won't be disappointed if you read it.
The plot in this book is ok; the characters are what really make it interesting. Every one of the minor characters has interesting quirks. Joseph the bodyguard knight is absolutely loyal to a fault, and has other issues as well; but he manages, eventually, to deal with his natural jealousy and suspicion and to be come friends with the superbly competent Ezra, who is there to do what Joseph can't quite manage himself. Ezra's friends (mostly women) are the kind of people you'd want to know. (BTW, they are *friends*, not lovers--something else refreshing about this novel.)
Ezra himself is full of surprises, not just because he is amazingly competent (though the author does a good job of portraying that). He's also got cats and cats... and a few other oddities that are pretty darn unusual for this kind of story. I found it highly refreshing.
Why only 4 stars? Because I prefer the original goodreads scale where not every book is a 1 or a 5. This isn't the greatest book ever, but I really did like it. You probably won't be disappointed if you read it.
December 2, 2020
Really torn on this one. I enjoyed it. I’d read a sequel. I’d read another book by Khoury. And for a first novel from an indie publisher, it was fantastic.
But I’m torn. 2 stars? 3?
The characters are really strong, and Khoury lays out a delightful world of assassins, bodyguards, and nobles. Some of the humor is biting and witty, and it’s a fun balance between modern humor and a fantasy story set in a vaguely medieval time period. Overall, the story is good and engaging.
That said, some of the development was rushed. Characters change without (adequate) reason. All of a sudden they have a new outlook on a situation, or on life in general. Why? What happened? The final climax was also wanting a few more pages. I acknowledge that this is not an “action” book, but more description could have been spared in a few scenes.
In all, the book was maybe 30-50 pages too short. A little more time spent on character and plot development would have been well spent.
But the biggest thing this book was lacking was a strong editor. Typos, from fragments to comma errors, were distracting - to the point that I set the book aside for a few days. There were even some (albeit minor) inconsistencies in the story.
Any one of these issues alone wouldn’t have disrupted my enjoyment of the book, but combined, they did.
Overall, I would recommend the book. But maybe wait for a second edition, so the typos can be fixed.
But I’m torn. 2 stars? 3?
The characters are really strong, and Khoury lays out a delightful world of assassins, bodyguards, and nobles. Some of the humor is biting and witty, and it’s a fun balance between modern humor and a fantasy story set in a vaguely medieval time period. Overall, the story is good and engaging.
That said, some of the development was rushed. Characters change without (adequate) reason. All of a sudden they have a new outlook on a situation, or on life in general. Why? What happened? The final climax was also wanting a few more pages. I acknowledge that this is not an “action” book, but more description could have been spared in a few scenes.
In all, the book was maybe 30-50 pages too short. A little more time spent on character and plot development would have been well spent.
But the biggest thing this book was lacking was a strong editor. Typos, from fragments to comma errors, were distracting - to the point that I set the book aside for a few days. There were even some (albeit minor) inconsistencies in the story.
Any one of these issues alone wouldn’t have disrupted my enjoyment of the book, but combined, they did.
Overall, I would recommend the book. But maybe wait for a second edition, so the typos can be fixed.
March 13, 2022
So, I would definitely recommend this book. It was an enjoyable read and got me back into the medieval style fantasy (although without the magic in this case).
So, why the four stars? As some have noted, there are some typos (although for a first time author, I didn't feel like they were too bad – not enough to be distracting). The greatest weakness of this book was the pacing. It started off quickly. Then, bogged down at about the 15%-40% mark – following the protagonist essentially going on his errands. While there ended up being a reason why each of these were important, they could have been compressed. At points in the story, a single day spanned several chapters. Then several weeks would be summarized in one sentence. Toward the end, I felt like there had to be 40-50% left of the book based on the slower pace and then looked down to find that I only had 10% left to read. The final conclusion went quickly. While I felt like the payoff was pretty satisfying (and I did enjoy the ending), it's this uneven pacing that caused me to take off one star.
That being said, I would recommend this book and I did really enjoy it. I've bookmarked this author as I'm looking forward to stories from her in the future.
So, why the four stars? As some have noted, there are some typos (although for a first time author, I didn't feel like they were too bad – not enough to be distracting). The greatest weakness of this book was the pacing. It started off quickly. Then, bogged down at about the 15%-40% mark – following the protagonist essentially going on his errands. While there ended up being a reason why each of these were important, they could have been compressed. At points in the story, a single day spanned several chapters. Then several weeks would be summarized in one sentence. Toward the end, I felt like there had to be 40-50% left of the book based on the slower pace and then looked down to find that I only had 10% left to read. The final conclusion went quickly. While I felt like the payoff was pretty satisfying (and I did enjoy the ending), it's this uneven pacing that caused me to take off one star.
That being said, I would recommend this book and I did really enjoy it. I've bookmarked this author as I'm looking forward to stories from her in the future.
February 18, 2023
From the blurb on Amazon: Ezra Toth is your typical sword for hire. A dark past, a few secrets, a talent for killing, with a sharp sword and sharper wit. Perhaps his several dozen cats are a bit unique but other than that… He returns from an ordinary, arduous job to find representatives of the crown waiting for him at his home – not so typical. They bring him to the Crown Prince who has a problem only Ezra can solve. Crown Prince Christophe’s brother, and possibly even the King himself, are part of a plot to assassinate him. With no idea who in the palace is truly loyal to who, Ezra must navigate a myriad of potential suspects whilst protecting the heir.
The blurb pretty much tells you everything you need to know. It's a fairly normal fantasy. The only 'magical' thing about it is that Ezra has this weird inability to heal without taking a tonic every day. Back blurb hinted at LGBTQA but except for noting that 'an interest in other men' wouldn't be frowned upon and Ezra stating that he has no interest in either men or women except as friends, there's nothing LGBTQA in it either. Definitely one I'm donating to the library as reading it once was enough for me. I *did* like his cats, though, and if they'd had a bigger part, I might be keeping it.
The blurb pretty much tells you everything you need to know. It's a fairly normal fantasy. The only 'magical' thing about it is that Ezra has this weird inability to heal without taking a tonic every day. Back blurb hinted at LGBTQA but except for noting that 'an interest in other men' wouldn't be frowned upon and Ezra stating that he has no interest in either men or women except as friends, there's nothing LGBTQA in it either. Definitely one I'm donating to the library as reading it once was enough for me. I *did* like his cats, though, and if they'd had a bigger part, I might be keeping it.
June 17, 2023
Never have I met a more endearing sellsword than Ezra Toth, begrudging hero and reluctant friend. Loved this grounded fantasy, with realistic portrayals of palace intrigue, village life, and political machinations, all from the perspective of the one man dragged into the center of it all to protect what may actually be--gasp!--an honest, respectable royal? So of course he's marked for death, with only Ezra (and a very small circle of confidantes) set to keep his head on his shoulders. (Literally.) Add in holidays, excellent ACE rep, and a healthy dose of kittens, and you have an engaging, delightful read that will sweep you away to a fantasy kingdom that might just have existed--if you squint. Highly recommend, including for the audiobook, which was brought to life by an excellent narrator.
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