The Living Sword

by Pemry Janes

Eurik was found adrift by the san, and raised by them. While he read much about the outside world, he never considered leaving home. Not until his teacher revealed what he had inherited from his parents. A Living Sword, a sentient blade of rare power, and with it the names of his father and mother.

Reluctant, yet curious, Eurik sets out to discover who they were. And what happened to them. But is he ready for all the attention his heritage will earn him? Can he survive in a world he has only read about?

Genres: Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published August 15, 2013

About the author

I've had a love for history for as long as I can remember, I even studied it at university.

Fantasy I discovered later and now I try to combine the two in my writing.

Reviews

[Leonard Tillerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does it really mean to be "comfortable" in life?  Some people would describe it as a position of relative happiness and well-being.  Satisfied and content with what you have.  When such a state is reached, it can be difficult to imagine doing anything else which may compromise it.  Why mess up a good thing?  Be that as it may, there are many people out there who will risk their comfort and security in favor of setting off for thrilling adventures or quests.  The need to discover something overcoming the cozy and pleasant existence they have become accustomed to.  This scenario is just such the case in the fantasy novella The Living Sword  by author Pemry Janes.  A great pick for readers who enjoy their fantasy packed with action and self-discovery.

Essentially, the book follows the travels of young Eurik who is the main protagonist in the novella.  He is an orphaned boy who was found and raised by the non-human society called the San.  Eurik grows up quite happy and content in this peace loving culture.  During his stay he learns their peculiar customs as well as the tremendous powers that they possess.  Powers he adopts as his own. All is good.  However, when his San teacher ultimately reveals to Eurik that he was found adrift in a boat with his parents many years  ago- things are about to drastically change!  Not only is the nature of Eurik's background and discovery revealed, but he is also presented with his inheritance... a living sword of great power.  Inspired to explore his own heritage and discover what actually became of his parents, Eurik heads out on his quest with sword in hand.  Will he ever unearth the secrets of his background?  Or is Eurik's once comfortable life about to be blown up in a very hair-raising manner?

Undoubtedly, coming of age is the major theme in The Living Sword.  Eurik's brave travels are designed to inspire his growth in a very exciting fashion.  His quest is fraught with pitched battles and the process of self-discovery with each passing page.   Eurik virtually grows right before the reader's eyes as we begin to get a much better idea of where he comes from and what he is made of.  Make no mistake however, while the growth of Eurik is the overriding theme in the novella, it is aptly supported by a number of secondary motifs.  For instance, friendship and loyalty virtually saturate the tale.  This is cleverly revealed during the many battles and skirmishes which take place.  Relationships form and loyalty and alliances develop.  Far from seeming contrived, the many action scenes are critical story events which support the themes and development of the characters.

In regards to the various characters in the tale, as a reader I have mixed feelings.  For example, I find Broken Fang to be a very dynamic player with her own unique strengths and flaws.  She is absolutely a very strong female lead who is entirely believable.  Eurik on the other hand comes across as rather bland.  Even while we witness his growth and development, it comes across as devoid of emotion and he lacks the spark needed for a protagonist to be truly memorable.  However, I do realize this is most likely done by the author intentionally to support the San background and overall plot development.  I do feel that if the story had been longer , Eurik would begin to pop out of this flat cocoon into a more energetic player.

Author Pemry Janes does a wonderful job in creating a believable story-world.  It can be easily visualized and aptly supports the many story events.  I particularly liked how the the San world was juxtaposed with that of the humans.  Creative and thought provoking!

Overall I would recommend this novella to fantasy readers.  It has an exciting plot which flows from start to finish.  I also understand it was recently revised and professionally edited.  That certainly shows in the final product.

4 out of 5 Living Stars for this one!  ****

[Pauline Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is rather a short book, closer to a novella than a full-length novel, but it packs a hefty punch for its size. Eurik is a human who was found as a baby in a boat with his dead parents, and raised by a non-human island-based society called the San. Ah, the orphan of unknown heritage story, that's always a good one, if a little over-used. The opening chapters, where we see Eurik living amongst the very alien San, are terrific. I'm a big fan of non-human societies, and this one has been very well thought out. But then, sadly, Eurik is given the living sword of the title, the only possession found on the boat, and told he has to leave the island to find out what happened to his parents, and where they came from. This means living amongst humans for the first time, a race (or species, maybe?) he's previously only read about in books.

The humans, frankly, are less interesting, because their way of life is very similar to that of millions of other fantasy human societies. It’s the differences, the idiosyncrasies of this world that make it interesting. Fortunately, the author doesn't belabour the idea that the human world is very new to Eurik. He's well read, so he manages to recognise many ordinary items (bread, for instance) from book descriptions. It would be tedious if every common item he saw was described through his eyes as something novel and strange. Still, he does seem to accept things very quickly, without too many ‘whoa! whatever’s that’ outbreaks.

There’s some nice world-building going on here, with various different races and languages and customs which have clearly been well developed. The author doesn’t infodump all this background, it’s simply there, and the reader just has to keep up with the various references to the unknown. Sometimes, there’s an explanation later or the meaning becomes clear, but there were a few times when just a little extra detail would have made it easier to follow and increased the richness of the world. For instance, there are throwaway lines about the San being ‘tree-people’ and ‘genderless’. Hold it right there, that sounds interesting, tell me more. But no, the story moves swiftly on.

I very much liked the two forms of magic being used, or rather one form of magic and one which is merely a different philosophy (I liked Eurik’s insistance that the amazing things he can do, purely through his mind, is not magic). The San method of steering a boat is particularly clever, and it’s amazing just how much can be achieved by shifting earth about. It’s clear the author has worked things out very carefully, and there are rules and limits and costs involved. And for those who like wizardy-type battles, there are some absolute crackers in here.

The characters fell a little flat, for me. Eurik, in particular, is a very unemotional bloke, and considering all that happens to him and the fact that he’s tossed out of the world he’s known from babyhood and into a very different world, he seems almost implausibly stoical. Some of his actions, too, are just too relaxed, such as when he decides to talk to the fighting San by signing up for the contest and walking out into the arena. I can’t believe this was the only way he could get to see the San. Admittedly, it led to a great scene, but it seemed to me that Eurik was far too calm about it. I would have liked to see a little more reaction from him at times. He gets involved in some truly terrifying incidents along the way, so a little bit of fear at the time and angst afterwards would make him more human. Or maybe that’s the point, that he’s been so well taught by the San that he has lost some of his humanity. In which case, that was a bit too subtly done, since it’s only just occurred to me. Doh.

Of the other characters, the only one that most stands out in my mind is Broken-Fang. Gotta love a captured female who doesn’t wait around to be rescued. There are some interesting side characters along the way too, and I have to give an honourable mention to one of the most important characters, the living sword himself. He (can a sword have a gender? I certainly thought of it as male) has a very distinct and entertaining personality all his own, although his inexplicable lack of knowledge until the plot requires it veers dangerously close to deus ex machina. There are some villains, but they simply appear out of nowhere and their motives seem a bit suspect.

The plot is rather episodic, with spells of furious magic-fuelled battles interspersed with ambling through the scenery or finding inns and such like. The book has a somewhat unfinished air, and seems quite disjointed. For instance, a section starts off: “They entered Campan together, passing the watchtower they'd seen from afar.” There’s virtually no description of Campan itself (it’s a town, as we find out a few lines later, but when I first saw the name, it could be almost anything - a country, a swamp, a fort, a castle...), and no warning beforehand that they were heading that way. This is very jarring (I actually searched to find out if I’d missed an earlier reference). A line or two linking the previous section to the arrival at Campan would help the book flow better. There are a number of places where a few extra lines of description would help to bridge these gaps. The writing is fairly untidy, with numerous punctuation errors, misplaced words and a couple of wrongly used words (shoulders instead of soldiers, feint instead of faint). This didn’t bother me unduly (I’m more of a grammar pedant), but some might find it distracting.

This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, I enjoyed it a great deal, especially everything to do with the San and their ‘philosophical’ form of magic. The world-building was good, and the plot was full of drama. On the other hand, the choppiness of the writing, the sloppy editing and the lack of background information in places, often jarred me out of immersion. Still, I was never tempted to stop reading and the action moments were very good, even if sometimes events seemed a bit contrived. Three stars.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Living Sword intrigued me, because I absolutely love the idea of sentient weapons (partly because of the D&D player in me) and it’s something you don’t see that often, and can be difficult to get right. I actually really enjoyed how Janes depicted the sword here, and Misthell had so much personality – and a couple of its lines had me snorting. My only complaint – and it is a fairly minor one – is that there are so many questions about the Living Sword and we don’t get the answers in this book, which is understandable considering the length and the fact that this is the first book, but I feel like it might have helped to have at least a hint of something more about Misthell than we got.

Beyond the Living Sword itself, this book is a blend of coming of age, self-discovery and the more classic quest and sword & sorcery fantasy. I did like how it follows a main character who was content in their life and had no intention or interest in leaving to go on adventures and having to choose whether it’s worth setting that aside, and potentially sacrificing the effort he’d put into getting where he was, to find answers.

The worldbuilding was well-done especially given the length of the book, and I liked the juxtaposition between the world of the San on their island and that of the humans. One aspect that I really liked was the ‘magic system’, which again differentiated between the San and the humans, with the former treating it almost as a philosophy, and I enjoyed how that attitude was shown, and also how Eurik and the San used their ‘magic’ – and there was a fantastic fight scene, where this elemental magic was really put to the test,

I do have to say that I found myself a lot more invested in the character of Broken Fang, than our main protagonist Eurik, although I do think that has the potential to change in future books. He was harder to warm to because even as he reacted to what was happening to him, and learnt more about the world beyond the island of the San his reactions and emotions felt very muted. Some of this can be attributed to his upbringing amongst the San whose emotions are a lot harder to read because of their non-human nature, and it will be interesting to see if he loses that masking of emotions as he continues to experience more of the world beyond the san. Broken Fang, on the other hand, felt far more dynamic and emotional, although there are still many questions I have about her. The secondary characters were interesting, although I do wish there had been more time and space to invest in the villains, particularly as the way the conflict ending felt a little flat, and I think if we’d known a bit more about the other side we could have understood the reasoning behind the almost ‘reconciliation’ and it would have had more impact.

This was a fun read that I devoured in an afternoon, and it’s left me intrigued enough to pick up the rest of the series. There weren’t a lot of answers within this book itself, so if you want everything wrapped up neatly in a single volume, this might not be the one for you, but between the intriguing lore and the fact that it really was an entertaining read, I would say it’s worth jumping into this series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was an interesting book. I like how there was a nice mix of current events (think Critical Role, or Dungeons and Dragons) and past. This was a quick read but enough to get me interested in this world. A live sword, that's so cool. I've read some fantasy before and only remember once or twice there being a live sword or one that talks. I'm hoping this series continues.

[Julia Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another surprisingly good free borrow from Hoopla. The sword in this book was just Rubilax from Wakfu. I don't know if it was because Wakfu was already on the brain, but the whole island we start on gave me huge Wakfu vibes--and honestly, I loved that. I wish I got that vibe from books more often. Once the main character got to the mainland, it briefly gave "earthbending avatar trying to master them all" before switching to more of a typical D&D-based story. I actually really liked the main character, and the story was interesting. I didn't love the girl, but I can see her growing on me. I feel like that's also why I liked the latter end of the book less (also not a fan of having vampires), but I will eventually continue this story. The narrator gave a 110% performance, and it shows. I loved the way he voiced everyone--except maybe the vampire. Even then, it was still a good performance.

[C. Borden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Janes introduces a new world with interesting new races, new magical concepts, and new ideas to the fantasy genre that makes this short story entertaining. My understanding is this book has been published for some time, but Mr. Janes has had it edited and revised per his readers' suggestions, and I think these edits and revisions paid off!

Eurik, an orphaned human boy, is raised by the San, a race of humanoids that are capable of manipulating the elements in a fashion similar to magic, and yet their mastery of the elements is something much more base, primitive in a way, but elegant in another. During his life among the San, Eurik comes to be raised as one of them, learning their ways, their ideologies, and even begins learning to master the elements.

However, as he reaches his own adulthood, the truth of his arrival among the San is revealed to him fully causing him to leave a life of contentment and relative peace in search of answers to questions he had not known to ask before. His journey away from the San proves to be exciting and unexpectedly dangerous, throwing him into events that test his skills and his resolve, but even a he discovers enemies out to thwart him, he also discovers unlikely allies.

This is a very easy, short read, and I found it captivating and fun. The Living Sword is fast paced, and Eurik is likable and even believable despite the lingering questions regarding the extent of his training among the San. I do wish a bit more was included regarding the struggle Eurik must have endured internally reconciling fighting and violence even though the race that raised him seemed opposed to violence. ::SPOILER:: Plus, the sudden reconciliation of the "bad guy" in order to save face at the end of the book fell flat in the face of the fact that he had some hold over the vampire creature, Rik, which suggests that he was a dangerous person in his own right despite hiring mercs to do his dirty work.

Overall, The Living Sword is an great read for you. I recommend this book especially for YA readers, and for fantasy fans who enjoy quick reads. For me, because it was an easy read with no glaring plot holes, was well-edited, and I like the characters, this book earns an easy five stars.

[michael becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Innovative magic system

The 'magic' system is interesting and the main character doesn't go through any of those annoying phases were main characters cry about how terrible they are for defending themselves that seem to be so popular nowadays.

I also like how the author was able to convey a slight difference between him and a normal human, after all he wasn't raised by humans so there should be something different with the way he thinks.

The only negative to me is how short the book is and the fact there isn't a second one to carry on the story.

[Benjamin X. Wretlind · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think of Fantasy books, I often think of the following: unique names, complex plots and characters, fantastical locations, magic or magic-like capabilities, and really, really thick spines. The Living Sword by Pemry Janes has most of these things, but what it lacks are the things that would have allowed it to earn a better rating from me: the plot was not complex, the characters lacked the depth I like to see, and the really, really thick spine did not exist. It is a short book that falls more into the novella category than anything else.

With regard to the length, there is a reason Fantasy and Science Fiction books are typically very long: the worlds they build require it. A reader cannot be thrown into a world with the expectation that they are already familiar with everything. To create a fantastical location where the story takes place and imbue it with specific sets of rules means taking the time to write it all out and allowing the reader to feel comfortable by the end. Can that be done with fewer words? Yes, but it takes a really skilled writer to do that. The Living Sword started off on an island with a great example of world-building, however by the time we ended up off the island in which is starts, there was too little for me to picture that world in my mind. I would have liked to stay on the island longer.

With that world-building comes complex plots, and with those complex plots comes dynamic characters. One character on a quest may start a novel off with an inciting incident, but along the way, that quest will typically set off multiple side stories, the things that really show the reader who the characters are and why they do the things they do. The quest will in turn change at least the main character in ways that are relatable.

I did not feel that way while reading this book. Perhaps because it is only the first in a series, and therefore I feel like I am reviewing only 1/3rd of the story. Pemry Janes is a good writer with a rich imagination, and as a debut this book is very good. There is action and wit weaved throughout a true, if not overdone, coming-of-age story. The main character, Eurik, is a human raised by non-humans, learning magical ways. Almost immediately, he is pushed to find out who is parents were, given a "living sword" (hence the title), and set upon a quest to a place he's never been. Along the way, we do meet other characters, one of whom is more dynamic and likeable than Eurik. That's great...but the story is not about her.

The action scenes are well-written, and I really enjoyed the way the author showed us differing points of view. As a coming-of-age story, there are definitely elements of wonder mixed with confusion and an understated theme of racial divide. However, I would have liked to learn more about the side characters and the world in which Eurik finds himself. Pemry does attempt to show us everything through the eyes of an outsider--which is good--but it seemed incomplete. Again, I felt like I had only read 1/3rd of the novel.

That is the hardest part about writing this review. Just like The Living Sword, this review feels incomplete. I have been intrigued enough with this first book, however, to read the second in the series and perhaps the third. I am sure my rating will change, but for now I am stuck with 3 stars only. It is a good and entertaining read, but it is also only a fraction of the whole.

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.5 STARS

The Living Sword by Pemry Janes is a short and entertaining novella-length start to a “new to me” fantasy series (though it’s been out for a couple of years). I would recommend it to upper YA to adult fantasy readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories with great worldbuilding and innovative magic systems. However, if compelling characters are what makes a fantasy book entertaining for you, then this might not be your cup of tea.

The magic system was great. I absolutely had to keep reading to learn more once it was introduced, and I ended up finishing the book in an afternoon. The worldbuilding was fantastic. Some novellas can struggle to get the balance of worldbuilding correct with length constraints (providing enough detail while also ensuring it doesn’t feel like an info dump), but I think The Living Sword had just the right amount. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the humans and the San, their respective approaches to “magic”, and how that played into the world as a whole.

Sentient weapons add an element of intrigue to most fantasy stories, and The Living Sword is no exception. Some recent books I’ve enjoyed with sentient weapons include Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard and Sarwat Chadda’s City of the Plague God. The titular “living sword” (Misthell) of the book definitely lived up to the level of awesomeness that is Sumarbrander (otherwise known as Jack) and Kasusu.

The characters were where the book fell flat for me. In the downtime between finishing a book and picking up the sequel, a great fantasy novel will leave me pondering hypothetical situations the characters might find themselves in. It would also leave me wondering about how certain aspects of the world-building and magic system work. I, unfortunately, didn’t connect with the characters in The Living Sword. To sum up my thoughts about the characters, I was more engaged and interested in what was being done rather than who was doing it, if that makes sense.

Overall, a solid start to a new fantasy series. I think the author did a great job in setting up the worldbuilding, the magic system, and leaving threads open for future books in the series.

As a side note (unrelated to my rating of the book), there are a lot of great innovative names in this book. Unfortunately, I have no clue how to pronounce the majority of said names. In addition to making use of the audiobook which was just released, I would love to see a pronunciation guide or something similar provided in an appendix or available as a resource online.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed The Living Sword. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

NOTE: My initial version of this review stated that there was no audiobook available. The author let me know that the audiobook has just recently been released, and I have updated my review to reflect that.

[The Book Suite · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start with, I absolutely adored the world-building in this book. That was without a doubt my favorite part. Not only did I find the fictional world extremely interesting, but I also liked how Janes handled describing it. Everything felt incredibly realistic, and I felt immersed in the setting. He gave us a lot of detail about this fictional universe, though there’s definitely more he could have explained. But there are more books in the series, so I suppose they will be fleshed out.

Moving on from the world-building, though, I also really liked the characters. Eurik’s perspective was so interesting; his characterization was definitely my favorite, and I enjoyed seeing how his upbringing influenced the way he saw the world. Of course, I also loved Leraine, and she definitely has a lot of potential. This was a short book, so there wasn’t too much room for in-depth character arcs, but I definitely enjoyed the parts of her story and her character that were shown.

As for the plot, it wasn’t quite as complex as some other books in this genre. But, like I said, The Living Sword wasn’t extremely length, and I still enjoyed this story. It was fast-paced and kept me interested, so I don’t really have any complaints.

In the end, I think that’s the crux of the matter when it comes to this book. All the little “flaws” were just due to the shorter length of the book. Obviously, when you have fewer pages, that means you have less room to explore and expand upon things. So, I don’t even really think “flaws” is the best word, but I’ll use it for simplicity’s sake.

All things considered, I enjoyed reading this book. The story kept me hooked the entire time, the characters were interesting, and I loved the setting. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you choose to read this. And personally, I’m looking forward to hopefully buying and reading the other books in the series in the future!

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5

It feels like there are good ideas in this story but not so great execution of them. There is far too much world building thrown in too short of a time, and new locations and peoples names mentioned offhandedly as if the reader was already familiar with them. There were oddly paced sections where long distances would be traversed within a single sentence which made little sense as the character was completely unfamiliar with them.
Which brings be to the characters who do not feel very well developed. Their interactions are a bit stilted and awkward and the decisions made by then make little sense sometimes. The pieces that I did enjoy were the magic and fight scenes which flowed much better than the rest of the story. Overall this book felt like it was underbaked and needed more time to develop as well as be better edited.

[John Tales from Absurdia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review published at: https://talesfromabsurdia.com/book-reviews/the-living-sword-review/

______________



The Living Sword is a curious book.

It has a well-realised world with a good supporting cast, but the quality of writing is very inconsistent.

It's a mostly an enjoyable tale and whilst Janes's novella tends to be a bit tropey (chosen one / absent parents / Eurik doing lots of things ‘grimly’), it's very much the book equivalent of a popcorn ‘flick.

The Living Sword is fun, a little wacky at times, and worth the price of admission.

However, it needs much better editing – the writing is clumsy throughout.

It's also quite jarring thematically. It's a fantasy world, but immersion is broken every now and then with contemporary references.

Other times, characters will 'charge up' their attacks as if it's a videogame or anime. It's clear where the author's influences come from, but they don't translate well to prose.

In fantasy fiction, immersion is so important, and little things like this can fracture a reader’s belief in the fictional world.

And that’s a shame, because there is some semi-decent world-building here.

Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable read and an earnest effort for a debut piece of writing.

[Heather Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Living Sword” is a story of self discovery set in a fictional world. It follows the journey of Eurik, a human raised in another culture by The San. Eurik is content to live with the San until he is provided two things: the names of his deceased parents and a living sword that once belonged to them. He sets out to learn what he can about his parents and his past with the help of his trusty sword, Misthell.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I thought the ancillary characters were fun and interesting. The elemental manipulation was fascinating and I loved all the different ways that the author thought to incorporate it. Besides, who doesn’t love a little mystery right? The problem with this story, though, was that there was absolutely no resolution to the main mystery - who were Eurik’s parents, how did he end up with the San, and how did Misthell come to be? If you have read my other reviews, then you know that I am not a fan of a cliff hanger - and this story leaves you with just that. Fortunately for the reader “The Living Sword” sequel is already in print and while I have not yet read it, this story intrigued me enough to look it up in the future.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[E.L. Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the little inconsistencies, I really enjoyed watching Eurik learn and practice his abilities. I’m sure future books in this series will develop these powers even further.

The main characters were relatable and interesting. They had motivations and personality. The primary antagonist was perhaps a little unconvincing, but his appearance is brief at the end.

The action scenes were engrossing and intense. I’m looking forward to more of the same in sequels to this book.

And so far, the world of The Living Sword is relatively unexplored and unexplained. There’s a lot more to discover, and I hope the author, Pemry Janes, continues to deliver.

[Mordie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book felt like a first novel in a series. Everything was left unanswered and it was clearly just a young boy's start of a journey. It felt more of a YA than a adult book.

Unfortunately it showed the book is a first from the author. It was more refined than some others I've read, but it seemed a bit disconnected at some points.

Nice read, but not a jewel.

[Noel Cober · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Living Sword is about growing up, leaving home, discovering the world, trying to find oneself, and fighting vampires.

This is a book that puts a lot of unique spins on some classic fantasy tropes. You’ve got the human outsider raised by magical species, but they’re strange, elementally-attuned people who refuse to be fit into any traditional fantasy archetypes. You’ve got the mysterious inherited relic from long-dead parents, but it’s a snarky talking sword that’s just as in the dark about what it is as its user. You’ve got the badass foreign warrior woman whose fate ends up entwined with the main character’s, but she’s really more of a begrudging friend than a cliched love interest. You’ve got the elaborate fantasy world with years of storied history, but it and our protagonist seem mutually disinterested in each other.

That’s one of the things I liked best about The Living Sword. It’s not fair to say Eurik isn’t interested in the world around him because it’s all new to him and he wants to learn about it, but he has a goal, which he keeps in his sight at all times, and his only real interest in engaging with the world outside of his home island is in how it can help him find out who his parents were. I did often find myself wishing he was a little bit more engaged, because as the plot gets more serious it starts to feel a bit like he’s agreeing to fight the undead mostly because he knows it’s his job as the main character. I think if the book were a bit longer to give his growing interest in and attachment to his new world and the people in it, we’d get a really good picture of his motivations.

I think being a bit longer would have helped The Living Sword a lot in general. The first half of the book is laid out like it’s going to be Eurik going to the mainland to find out about his parents, maybe find the people with whom he shares blood. Then, about halfway through the book, he’s attacked by a vampire who wants his sword and ends up going on a journey that starts out feeling self-sacrificing and then turns into a revenge quest. The second half of the novella is really exciting and fast-paced and interesting, but it kind of left me wondering what the point of the first half was when all of its characters and locations disappeared entirely after Eurik left them behind.

My biggest issue with this book is that it felt like there were a lot of places where something could happen, but then didn’t. The first four chapters of the book introduce a lot of potential hooks and characters who seem to have a lot of potential to have a big impact on Eurik, including an orc pirate ship, a helpful scholar, a streetwise urchin boy, an exiled member of Eurik’s adopted San people who has very strong feelings about Eurik’s adoption, but then ultimately don’t have any real impact on him or his story. I said earlier that I like Eurik for his focus and his refusal to engage with parts of the world that he doesn’t see as helpful to his goals, and I do, but as a reader I also felt like I was being introduced to a lot of potentially interesting things and then having to watch as the protagonist didn't pay them any attention.

All of that said, I liked The Living Sword. I think it has an interesting world and interesting characters. Broken Fang especially is a really cool character and I appreciated her as the deuteragonist a lot. Eurik and Misthell have interesting and fun banter together and I enjoyed reading them together. I mostly wish the book had been longer, especially in its second half, in order to highlight the strengths it does have.

The Living Sword is also the first book in a series, so I have faith that some of my problems with it are likely to be resolved in future books, all of which seem to be much longer. Pemry James is a strong writer with awesome ideas, and I feel those are two things that will only get better with time.

[Morgwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 but since I have to pick it's more a 4 than a 3. I really enjoyed this book, it's an excellent light and short read if you enjoy fantasy worlds, Avatar, and a light tone.

The dialogue, the tone, and the interactions between characters are definitely the strong points of this book. I liked how every character sounded different, how they interacted, and the general tone of the book.

The worldbuilding and lore has a lot of potential and could be another really strong point of the book, if we got more information about it. I feel in some parts the book leaves a lot of stuff out or feels rushed. I understand this is a first part, but I'd have liked to have more information about the Ways, the magic system, or just general cultural stuff. There are some generic mentions to culture, but it's not really exploited.

The plot was interesting although I'm more curious about Eurik's past. This was a nice introduction that felt like reading the first arc of the story, but I'd have liked that we got at least some hints about Eurik's parents, some new information at the end that felt like that part of the plot was advancing.

I'll be definitely reading the rest of the books, sometimes I just need a light read like this.

P.S.: two silly complaints I have, but I don't want to be taken as part of the review because it's a more personal thing.
1. Add a map, please, make the map people like me happy.
2. The cover looks way more serious than the tone of the book actually is, that can make it a bit confusing for readers.

[Nellie Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being found adrift and raised by the san, Eurik leaves the only home he’s ever known after finding a living sword crafted by his parents. Eurik begins an unexpected journey into a world he thought he knew but is surprised to find he has much to yet to learn.

This book is an interesting adventure story detailing a fantastic adventure for the main character. Eurik is a bit naïve, but overall likable. There is plenty of action as he explores a world he thought he’d known from his extensive reading. The author does a nice job at building a fantasy world with plenty of unique elements. The prose is easy to digest, making reading a breeze.

All in all, the story is good fun and I would recommend it if you’re in the market for a fantasy read!

[VexenReplica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Book was short, plot was snappy, characters were fine. Worldbuilding/magic was OK and appropriate for this novelette/novella. Would have been more interested in learning more about the MC's past/parents rather than chasing after Quite Possibly Maybe Future Love Interest, but that will probably come in a later book.

Book Bingo: Self pubbed, possibly underground (MC does some tunneling) and orcs/goblins (not a lot of screen time tho, might pop up in later books.)

[Beckiezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t remember anything about this, but I’m sure I did finish it and just forgot to mark it completed and write a review half a month ago. Reading the summary I do vaguely remember he had a talking sword and went on some kind of adventure to find his origins and there was some Avatar earth bending magic type stuff going on, but I don’t recall what happened overall or how things concluded. This is why I need to make updates as I read and promptly write reviews…

[Lex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

[Honey Coco Rose]

56%

[M.i. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s entertaining. The living sword itself has some spunk, making for an interesting character.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it was longer and edited a little better but I liked it overall.

[Chris Byron · Rating 2 out of 5]

YA fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender will love this.