Friday, January 15, 2021

Of Sword and Shadow by A. L. Sowards - ADVISABLE


Of Sword and Shadow
by A. L. Sowards
, 251 pages. Covenant Communications, 2021. $17.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

She doesn’t know what name her parents gave her or even how old she really is. What she does know is that those things don’t matter because she’s a slave; all she has to do is please her master, Thomas, by assisting him in the shady jobs he’s hired for. But then she encounters a man unlike any she has known because he is kind -- even to her -- and makes her feel that she has worth beyond her skills. Can it be true?

Sowards took a real historical event and wove her imagined characters through the known pieces to create an engaging story of subterfuge, sacrifice, and self-discovery. I loved following the main character as she did what she knew -- and was successful at -- while struggling internally, when she was free to decide for herself, if what she was good at was what she wanted. While not on the same scale, we all need to self-evaluate and make that choice for ourselves: do I stay as I am or can I work for something greater? Whether readers want an exciting book of action or some food for thought, this book will deliver. The mature content rating is for innuendo, nudity, and groping.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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