Title: The Sword Unsheathed
Author: Judith Sterling
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Ashling Donoghue is no closer to finding her parents than she was the night they disappeared. But hope returns as her brother Kian channels the Sword of Light, revealing past-life secrets and truths long suppressed.
The more she learns, the greater she fears the darkness that drowns the Netherworld also drives her. Is Aengus her true love, or is it Lorcan? Does her future wait in shadow or the light?
One point is clear: the threads of her past-self are woven inextricably into the tapestry of her soul. An impossible choice looms before her, and all the while, evil is poised to strike.
My Review:
As Ashling struggles to come to grips with the fact that she has no idea how to locate her parents, her brother, Kian, is coming into his powers as the Sword of Light. His gift: the ability to show people their past lives. She witnesses her siblings' past lives but is deathly afraid of what she'll see in her own past lives. When circumstances make it necessary, what she sees breaks her heart. Lorcan continues to stalk her every thought. When Aengus and Lorcan both profess to love her, she must make a choice. Will she choose Lorcan or Aengus?
I love this series and I was anxious to read the next installment. I have to admit, while this is a great book with plenty of intrigue and dramatic tension, I was a little disappointed. With the previous two books, the focus has been on each sibling (first Ashling then Deirdre). But in The Sword Unsheathed, Kian becomes a secondary character. We don't get a chance to delve into his character or his power. It all takes a backseat to Ashling and her love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I was captivated by Ashling and her struggle to choose but it really took over Kian's story.
What I did love about The Sword Unsheathed was the past lives subplot. It filled in a lot of backstory on the characters I've grown to love while reading the series. Judith Sterling does a masterful job of whisking away the reader to eras of history not discussed. She casts a spell on the reader and this book will transport the reader to another time and another place. Her ability to grab the reader with emotional narration and characters who burrow their way into your heart is superb. Escape to Ireland with The Sword Unsheathed today!
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy it Now:
Amazon https://amzn.com/B086SFXLQY
Author Biography:
Judith Sterling is an award-winning author whose love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Whether penning medieval romance (The Novels of Ravenwood) or young adult paranormal fantasy (the Guardians of Erin series), her favorite themes include true love, destiny, time travel, healing, redemption, and finding the hidden magic which exists all around us. She loves to share that magic with readers and whisk them far away from their troubles, particularly to locations in the British Isles.
Her nonfiction books, written under Judith Marshall, have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.
Social Media Links:
Website – https://judithmarshallauthor.com/
The Wild Rose Press – https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/judith-sterling
The Captivating Quill – https://www.thecaptivatingquill.com/Author/Judith-Sterling
Reviewed by: Mrs. N