Of Daggers and Deception by A. L. Sowards - OPTIONAL

Of Daggers and Deception by A. L. Sowards, 238 pages. Covenant Communications, 2021. $17.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Sixteen years ago, Rasheed was disowned by his family for kissing a girl promised to someone else. Since then, Rasheed has found a new family, fought and won impossible battles, and bought a bathhouse. When an attractive woman (promised to someone else) and his brother show up in the same day, Rasheed’s life makes another permanent turn -- for better or for ill, only God knows.

Sowards tears at her readers’ hearts as we, alongside the characters, struggle to understand who is friend and who is foe -- and who has been killed in the meantime. I admire how Sowards is able to place her characters naturally into little-known historical settings, but I admit that I skimmed over some of the more political-heavy details. Don’t get bogged down in the details and let yourself feel the hope and betrayal, the desperation and faith of these characters. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mention of brothels, and the implied threat of rape; the violence rating is for murder and battle gore.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen