Truesilver

The Swordspeaker Saga #1

by D.J. Edwardson

A young man stained with his father's sins. A sword of ancient power. A legend rises.

Kion Bray can't accept his father was a coward. Bullied for his dad's actions in the last war, the seventeen-year-old shepherd is determined to restore his family honor. And the only way to do it is to win the village's annual sword-fighting contest.

Lacking experience, Kion fears he might only bring more embarrassment upon those he loves. And with his biggest tormentor awaiting him in the competition and a dark army mobilizing to the north, his quest for redemption may come to a swift and painful end.

Can a simple shepherd learn to master his blade before his hopes and his people are crushed?

Read the first book in the epic Swordspeaker Saga fantasy series. If you like gargantuan quests, towering bravery, and coming-of-age tales, then you'll love DJ Edwardson's razor-sharp story.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published April 26, 2021

About the author

DJ Edwardson traveled a lot when he was younger. These days he’s busy crafting exotic destinations of his own. Although he has written both Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, he likes to say he writes in the “genre of imagination.”

He has a degree in English from Cornell College where his emphasis was on the works of Shakespeare. He’s tried his hand at both acting and directing in the theater, but these days is happiest with a pen in his hand. He lives in Tennessee with his family amidst an ever-growing library of wonderful books.

You can find out more about DJ, his books, and all the crazy things he's invented in his head at www.djedwardson.com.

Reviews

[deborah o'carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review originally posted on my blog: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)

Ranger’s Apprentice meets the Wingfeather Saga, with a dash of Prydain, in this delightful saga of a one-time shepherd boy who becomes bearer of a sentient sword.

In this masterfully woven tale, the bright threads of a lush and original world and generous doses of both whimsy and peril twine together to tell the story of a cast of colorful characters who stole my heart.

Seventeen-year-old Kion came from the lowliest roots and was pulled into a journey of action-y adventure, deadly danger, and a high calling awaiting him. With his trusty friend the smith Zinder — a loyal sidekick if ever there was one, who makes up with wit and quickness (and fabulous hats and lock-picking skills) what he lacks in size — at his side, Kion is a hero I’d follow through perils thick and thin.

And this book and its soon-to-release sequel, Rimewinter, abounds with just the sort of adventure that keeps you flipping pages, all while soaking in the rich tapestried detail of the writing and world.

Hint: the sword is my favorite! It’s worth reading the book just to meet the sword! Not even kidding. But I don’t want to give any more away. You’ll just have to discover it for yourself!

(Some action/violence/war. Otherwise clean. Teens of any age would love the book, methinks!) If you’re tired of endless romance in the YA section, this is a fun one to pick up. ;)

Truesilver is the first book in a Noblebright fantasy adventure series. I recommend this one to any reader looking for a rousing good tale full of heart!

[Jenelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for adventure, Beautiful Themes, and Masterful Wordsmithery?

Then this is the book you are looking for.

A YOUNG MAN STAINED WITH HIS FATHER'S SINS. A SWORD OF ANCIENT POWER. A LEGEND RISES.

I’ve read all of DJ’s full-length novels, and I’ve enjoyed them all, but this one is my FAVORITE of his so far! And I can’t wait for the sequel!

Things I Loved:
CHARACTERS
Kion Bray - The main character of this book is 10/10 adorable. Young Kion has been living in the shadow of contempt for years. Not only is he a shepherd—one of the lowest of the low in his society—but it is believed that his father died a coward in the recent war with the haukmarn (a race of creatures bent on conquering the human kingdoms), and that is a stain upon his entire family. Kion refuses to believe that his father was a coward or a traitor, and he dreams of redeeming his name, either by winning his town’s annual sword-fighting competition, or by getting Strom (a bladewarden) to blade-mark his father’s helm.

Kion follows a classic hero’s journey through this book, but don’t mistake “classic” for “cliche” because there are plenty of twists and turns and surprises along the way. Starting out a fairly normal young man, responsible for his family at a younger age than most, Kion dreams of simply restoring his family’s name and maybe not being reviled by his neighbors. Maybe, if he can win the tournament, he could be a hero.

But fate has other plans in store for him, and Kion must face far more than just the neighborhood bully to prove his worth. And more than his family’s honor will be at stake. And when those stakes change, Kion discovers what is truly important, and what is truly worth defending and fighting for. Possibly even dying for. In this book, Kion grows up a lot (and yet, there is still room for him to grow even more in the coming series). He is not an insta-star, good at everything he puts his hand to. We see him training and working and learning. We even get to see him fail a few times, too. But one of the things I love about Kion is his determination and his willingness to get back up over and over again.

I also love that Kion has a huge heart. Even though he is mistreated, over and over again he chooses to put others first, even if they don’t deserve it.

Strom Glyre - Strom is 10/10 my new favorite character of ever. And he’s barely in this particular book, but I fell in love with him when I beta’d this book and I love him even more reading it the second time (and I’ve gotten the privilege of beta-ing the prequel that is all about him and… WOW. When the author releases it, you’re in for a treat. Just sayin).

I totally expected Strom to be this aloof, kind of uppity, snobbish sort of general character, and I was 100% pleasantly surprised at being completely, 180-degrees wrong about him. He is a noble, heroic, extraordinary character who holds a deep love for his people and the country he defends. He is kind and compassionate and treats others with respect. He is bold and self-sacrificial and noble and strong. More people need to be like Strom.

Zinder - Zinder is Kion’s best friend, and the one who has taught him everything he knows about sword-fighting. A more loyal and cheerful companion you could never ask for. Zinder is a nyn—a race that is known for their quality craftsmanship. I’m intrigued to know more about the nyn. So far, what we know is that they are on the short side, have white hair, and don’t live as long as humans. Zinder is also a fount of wisdom for young Kion. One of my favorite parts of the book is where Zinder tells Kion a story about a young man who gets everything he ever wanted, but it is never enough:

‘That’s not the point at all. The point isn’t that he wasn’t satisfied.’ Zinder turned a serious eye on his young friend. ‘The point is that he did not know how to deny his own desires. Neither did his poor mother, for that matter. Satisfaction is a state that may or may not come. It certainly never did for Avrix. It’s the learning to be unsatisfied that matters: taking one dumpling when you really want two, maybe even need two. Not all desires are meant to be fulfilled. That’s what Avrix, and most of the rest of the world, for that matter, never figure out. And that’s why men do terrible things to each other. That’s what drives the haukmarn to raid and pillage, and forces men like Strom and your father to leave their homes and take up arms against them.’

Zinder’s tone had a sobering effect on Kion. ‘Hmm… to be unsatisfied and still go on as if you weren’t. I suppose that does make some sense.’

—Truesilver, DJ Edwardson

Tiryn - Kion’s little sister, Tiryn is a gifted musician and dancer. She misses her father as much as the rest of her family, but she deals with the loss differently than Kion. Her sweetness and kindness is given indiscriminately to all, even to her aunt later in the book who barely has a good word to say about anyone.

Kithian - I can’t say much about Kithian because MASSIVE SPOILERS. But suffice to say, Kithian is awesome.

There are several other characters in the story worth mentioning, but at some deep level I truly do believe that a review should be sliiiightly shorter than the book it’s about, so I’ll move on.

THEMES
Family - I loved the importance of family highlighted in this story. Even though Tiryn and Kion have their differences and their fairly normal sibling interactions (Kion often picks on his little sister and would rather die than let her know he loves her songs), you can still tell that they love each other and their mother deeply, and that she loves them.

There’s a fantastic line about the importance of fathers, which I wanted to quote here, but I apparently didn’t bookmark the location when I was reading, and scanning through the book I’m having trouble finding the quote again.

Coming-of-age - For Kion, this is definitely a coming-of-age story. He starts out the book in one place, and ends up somewhere he never would have expected, but he is better for it. Stronger. Wiser. More “centered.” He has learned what is truly important, and he has grown past his own desires and now is more likely to look out for the concerns of others. He has learned that there are things that are bigger than him, and that honor and nobility and courage do not need to be proven in order to be important or real. They just are. And often those traits go unrecognized, but that doesn’t detract from their worth.

Perseverance - More than once, Kion learns the hard way what it is like to get knocked flat on his face, to fail. But he also learns that his worth is not measured in his success, but in his willingness to get up again, to carry on, to keep fighting, to not let his failures defined him.

Honor - What is honor? Can honor be stolen? Can it be removed? Is honor only real if it is believed to be present, or is honor steadfast, whether or not it is recognized? These are questions that Kion wrestles with, and they are questions that the reader will wrestle with right alongside him. I appreciated the way that Edwardson takes the reader on this journey, rather than just telling us the answer.

FINAL NOTES
I loved how Edwardson created a lot of things from scratch in this world. The Haukmarn and the Nyn and the Bladewardens and the culture and society of this world are all reminiscent of things you might find in other fantasy worlds, but this well-thought-through world is very much its own unique place.

While this is the first in a series, the story actually wraps up quite nicely. There are definitely loose threads that need to be followed and eventually woven into the story, and I am currently very concerned about one of the characters, but it is not a cliff-hanger ending by any stretch of the imagination.

This epic, squeaky-clean, fantasy adventure, is definitely one of my new favorites. (The writing style is a little more mature, so I would recommend to ages 12+, though I think some younger readers might enjoy it if they are don't mind expanding their vocabulary to include some bigger words). Think Ranger's Apprentice, but with a more Tolkien-esque writing style, or maybe Terry Brooks’ Shannara but with a more singular focus.

Edwardson is a master craftsman of words, and this book does not disappoint. It is a veritable smorgasbord of beautiful imagery and description, balanced against entertaining dialogue and character development and filled with plenty of action. The pace is just the right blend of slowly easing you into this new fantasy land and fast-paced action as events transpire and whisk the characters off on an adventure bigger than any of them anticipated.

If you want a fast-paced, “Casino Royale” style adventure, then this might not be your cup of tea. But if your heart is longing themes of friendship and forgiveness and nobility, for heroic characters that grow gradually into your affections, that you want to root for and fight alongside and persevere with all set against a back-drop of a vast new fantasy land to explore that is uniquely its own new world and yet also might seem somehow achingly familiar to those of us who love an older-school style of fantasy story-telling, then I guarantee you will love Truesilver.

[Daniele Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A YA fantasy, this has many of the classic coming of age story tropes. There is a young man with a heroic destiny, a wise old man to be his mentor and a sword meant to be wielded by the brave hero. Some aspects of it reminded me of a YA version of The Sword Of Truth series. It’s fairly clean and well written for a younger audience.

This book had many good points as well as some challenges that detracted from the overall story.

Kion Bray is our MC and he is an outcast in his town. The people of Furrow seem to dislike him because of his father’s cowardly mistakes during a great battle which nearly led to defeat. Kion wants to redeem his family’s name and clear his father of wrongdoing by entering the annual sword fighting contest to prove his family is brave. It seemed as though his motives were more selfish than he claimed and he was more trying to prove that he was brave in spite of his father to stop the endless harassment from the townspeople.

The writing was descriptive and vivid occasionally to the point of a little over embellished but it really set the scene for each location and did draw me in as a reader. Unfortunately, the pacing was a sticky point. It was very slow to start and things didn’t pick up until halfway in. It made it very difficult to stay interested and connected, as well as feel invested into Kion. Kion also came off as very impulsive and immature at first. He seemed to care more about proving everyone wrong that it didn’t feel like it was out of love for his father but because he was trying to protect his own pride and ego. He is supposed to be independent and hard working, nearly a man at 17, but he comes off very childish. Some of his actions come off as cruel even, in the treatment of his sheep, and it makes the reader wonder how he is the “chosen one” in this sense. Things really pick up about 3/4 through the book and things start to come together, Kion seems to mature more to fit his role and the ending leaves us waiting for a sequel.

This book has the quintessential sidekick best friend who provides some lighthearted moments, the dark army that must be battled to save the country, and a sword with incredible powers. Despite it’s pitfalls for an advanced adult reader, it has all the hallmarks of a book that young readers will enjoy.

[Dorothy Drennen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is YA fantasy. I am pretty tired of teenage protagonists, and I flee from most books featuring them. I am really happy that I did not flee from this one. The storyline is fascinating, the characters are well-drawn. "Truesilver" is a sentient sword, giving advice and guidance to Kion who has been called as his swordbearer.

My favorite character - Zinder, the nyn. The nyn race is a little mysterious.. small, about the height of children, smart, and remarkable craftspeople. I found Zinder utterly charming.

Highly recommended. (And right now, $.99 for the Kindle version on Amazon!)

[Anne J. Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a 3 out of 5. I received a copy to ARC read. It was hard for me to really get into this book. But it was still enjoyable.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the very beggining, character development was AMAZING!
Deffinately one of my new top favorites, and I cant wait to read the next one! 1,000/10

[S.H. Dontell · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUN story, we love a good coming of age, especially in a fantasy world! The world felt both familiar and unique, and I loved Zinder a lot. Can't wait to read more in this series!

[Adah B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kion Bray is doubly despised by the townspeople of Furrow, once because he’s a shepherd and once because his father supposedly sounded the call for retreat at the Battle of Fane’s Falling, almost costing the battle. Kion refuses to believe that his dead father could be so cowardly and is determined to restore his father’s honor by winning Furrow’s annual tournament and showing the townspeople that the Brays are courageous. When the tournament doesn’t turn out as Kion hoped, he’s impulsively driven by despair into the path of an invading army and an unusual sword.

Truesilver is a clean coming-of-age story with good values: respect of authority, love of family, and, though this wasn’t explicitly mentioned until near the end, the importance of fathers.

There were some beautifully written sentences and good quotes:
“Let us hold fast to the days we had with them and not lament the days that are lost.”
“And seven times I cried the morning into breaking / Seven times I woke to find that you were gone / Seven times I lost all hope of your returning / But seven times the night was vanquished by the dawn”
“The sun died on a flaming, maroon pyre and twilight descended, trampling upon the ashes.”

But I just couldn’t get into the story. The pace was too slow—aside from the tournament nothing too exciting happened until over halfway through the book. I felt that there was a bit too much detail and that some scenes could’ve been shortened, especially at the beginning of the book.

I didn’t feel as though I could relate to any of the characters, either because I found them annoying, or they weren’t fleshed out very much.
The three biggest characters: The main character, Kion, loves his family and is determined to save their honor, but he is impulsive and rather whinny—almost annoyingly so. He doesn’t quite seem up to the maturity level I would expect from a young seventeen-year-old man. For example, having been the sole provider of his family for years, I’m not sure a boy would be immature enough to jump Roony (one of his sheep) out of a petty desire for revenge, causing the old sheep to die of fright.
Zinder is a consistent character, fastidious about certain matters and very cheery, unable to stay serious for long. Though I found his continual light-heartedness irritating at times (though it made sense with who he is), he is portrayed as a loyal friend, if also comic relief.
We don’t know very much about Tiryn, except that she’s supposed to be giggly and shy, but within the first 15% of the book she becomes sick, and then we see her as serious, though still quiet.

The dialogue felt a little stilted, e.g., at one point during a conversation Kion says the name of the person he’s talking to in almost every line, which isn’t how we talk in real life. In an actual conversation a person could go the whole conversation without ever saying the other person’s name even once.

I also wish the swordspeaker thing could’ve been elaborated on a little more, e.g., it wasn’t exactly clear how or when Kithian could see.

To summarize, Truesilver was clean with some very well-written quotes, but I found the characters’ personalities either irritating or vague, and the plot took too long to develop while not expanding on certain elements that I wanted to know more about.

*I was given an ARC in exchange for a review; all opinions expressed are my own.*

[Frank Bertino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Kion is a Shepard who exists at the very bottom of village society. On top of that, his father was considered a coward who ran away in the last war. People in the village apply this reputation to the whole family. Tournaments, magic swords, rescues, and war ensue. I like the action, humor, and intrigue. I look forward to the next book.

[Lori Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously the author is a master storyteller. This book reads like a fine wine and just gets better and better. I loved Kion and all of his adventures with his friend. After they find a sword that talks to Kion, I just couldn't get enough. I can only imagine how good book 2 is in this saga. I can't wait to read. So good!!!

[Tαɾα]

DNF
Im sorry but what the hell is going on in this book?... Im so confused

[Elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.5-4 stars. The slow first half makes way for more action in the second half.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story! I loved following along with Kion and Zinder!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised at how much I loved this book. I was expecting an 'okay' read, but finished in a book coma with a new favorite to shelve. I can't recommend this whole series enough, especially to teens.

[Nathan Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to a great series.
DJ Edwardson is one of the rare fantasy authors that I really appreciate. Characters that are both flawed and exemplary, humorous and tragic, along with a great plot and great simple wisdom exemplified as well as taught through the book. One of those gems that both I and my young children enjoy, and that I am eager for them to read. Rimewinter and Grimbriar are great sequels, and I'm eagerly awaiting Mountainfall, #4!
Thank you, Mr. Edwardson!

[Gretchen Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun story with relatable characters. I definitely want to read the next book in the series.
This story is clean, but there is quite a bit of violence.




This might be a spoiler!

My only complaint is that the sword is boring. It doesn't really have a personality. It almost feels like Microsoft Sam was downloaded into the sword and was giving the main character advice. Hopefully the sword is more interesting in the next book.

[6thbreed · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Age Range: Around 10 to 12 and up.
Romantic Content: None at all!
Swearing: Also, none.
Spiritual Content: There might be a loose allegory of the Mastersmith being the equivalent of God in that world.
Negative Content: There were some pretty scary descriptions of haukmarns. Kion, the main character, had to fight in battle, and there was a semi-detailed description of two people dying where it mentioned blood. Also, there is some emotional trauma since Kion’s father had died.
Personal Opinion: I liked Truesilver! I initially saw Truesilver during one of Chantel@anintentionallife’s videos. The author had sent her an old time parchment (sealed with wax!) with her free copy, and that really impressed me. Also, I liked the cover, and especially the title.
Anyways, I’m going to start with the pros of Truesilver. The little to no romantic content was so refreshing. It was just about Kion trying to make his way in the world, and there was no token love interest thrown in just to make it more “interesting”. It was super clean.
Along the same line, I appreciated how Kion wasn’t an only child. He actually had a sibling! I didn’t realize how sick I was of the orphan-who-is-an-only-child-trope until I read this book. Granted, half the book Kion and Tiryn weren’t even together, but that sibling bond was at least mentioned.
The emotions were very raw about the death of Kion and Tiryn’s father, and I thought the author did a good job of portraying this. I usually don’t like switching points of view in a book, but when I read Tiryn’s point of view I didn’t mind it very much at all which was a plus. At first, I kept expecting Zinder to betray Kion, but I was glad when he didn’t. Truesilver was also cool.
The first con I found with Truesilver was that it seemed that the prologue didn’t even need to be there. Maybe I missed something, but what did it have to do with anything? Perhaps it ties into the second book, I don’t know.
Secondly, sometimes I felt like there were a lot of new names or histories introduced, and I was just struggling to keep up and promptly forgot everything by the next chapter. My mind wandered throughout the story. Again, this might just be my reading comprehension.
Thirdly, the conversations seemed stilted occasionally. I noticed it more often with Zinder when he would say “lad” and “now” in excess.
Lastly, Kion was annoying at times. He’s complaining about his mother not caring and searching for his sword when his sister is literally dying from a fever.
Overall, I liked Truesilver and would recommend it to people looking for a clean, fantasy book.

[loveofafairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Score: 5/10
Reread: no
Continue the series: probably not

Kion Bray is a shepherd who lives with his mother and sister near the town of Furrow. The townspeople hate him for his occupation and for the alleged cowardice of his father in a very famous battle. Kion wished to restore his father's name by winning Furrow's annual tournament and showing the bravery of the Brays. When the outcome of the tournament is not the expected one, despair for his last chance at redemption throws Kion into the path of an invading army.

Reading this story was extremely exhausting. For most of the book, I was sure I would either give up or give it at most 2 stars. It was extremely slow-paced. During the first half of the book, the only interesting action was the tournament. I found the worldbuilding very hard to follow, with long passages of description and impossible word combinations.

The characters that were described enough to actually relate to were extremely annoying. Zinder was maybe the most acceptable character in the whole book. He was a very cheery side character that stayed by Kion's side throughout the whole book. The only other interesting character was Tiryn. At the beginning of the book she seemed to have great potential of a great main or side character but she unfortunately quickly became an episodic one.

Whenever I thought I might like Kion, he quickly disappointed me again. He goes into town for medicine and needs to hurry to get back and help his very sick sister and he forgets what he is doing. And this happens on 2 occasions. His sister is dying and he just stops by to talk about a sword. When the whole swordspeaker plot begins, he ignores the voice saying he is afraid to save his idol, but once he can no longer save him, he immediately jumps to action.

For me, this was a very hard-to-read book, with a very slow-paced story, bland dialogue, and annoying main character. However, there were quite a few nice quotes and pieces of writing hidden between many lines of repetitive description.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Gail Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author.

After a somewhat slow start, this story gathers pace to such an extent that nothing else around the reader matters.

Kion has two objectives in mind, one to win the tournament that he came second in last year. This is the last year that he will be eligible to compete. And two to avenge the name of his father, Dorn. Everyone thinks of Dorn as a traitor and coward but Kion believes otherwise and sets out to prove it.

As a humble shepherd he is despised by the villagers and spends as little time in the village of Furrow as he can until Tiryn, his sister, becomes ill and he has to fetch medicine for her.

Kion hears a strange voice but cannot fathom out its meaning until much later in the book.

This story follows Kion and his family along with his only friend, a nyn by the name of Zinder as they have adventures that land them in all sorts of situations.

This story will appeal to fans of George RR Martin as it has a hint of Game of Thrones about it.

[Ezara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a set up to a series. I feel like it fell flat in spots and others were spot on. If another book was released today I'd add it to my list to get around to at some point but I wouldn't rush out to buy it.

There wasn't anything completely wrong with it but there wasn't anything that grabbed me either. I feel like I have more questions and need more background BUT if the series continues that may be resolved.

I received this as a free ARC in exchange for a review. I'm late in doing so since it took a bit to get into this.

[A. Lorna Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was rather enjoyable! Good world building and detail. A little slow at the beginning, but the ending was good and I will be looking to see what comes next!

[Mik Wasiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story with interesting magic weapons similar to other medieval fantasy stories I got this book for free and honest review

[Sheila Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truesilver is a fun YA fantasy. Hero, hardship, magic sword, and fantastic friend; classic good vs evil. I really enjoyed the journey.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun and imaginative book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.