63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good story, that would have been excellent if the leading female character was likable., February 7, 2007
This review is from: The Sword (The Sons of Destiny, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is Jean Johnson's first book. She tells a great story. She has also laid out a path for a terrific new series. There was a bit too much info in the beginning of the story, meant to set up the series. It basically surrounds 8 brothers who are known as "The Sons of Destiny", born in 4 sets of twins in a different universe where magic thrives.
The problem was trying not to get confused as she introduced 8 men, pointing out each of their names, each of their specific magical gifts, each of their personalities, each of their physical descriptions, and which brother is a twin to which other. Another important detail to note is that each brother has a prophesied destiny. Some have positive destinies, others are said to be cursed. About half way through the book, I was able to keep most of the details straight.
For those who would like a head-start, here is a quick reference to The Sons of Destiny. Otherwise, scroll down for a specific review of "The Sword."
1. Saber "The Sword": Oldest of the 8 brothers. A master magician ("Mage") in the field of swords. His prophesied curse: If he ever finds true love, disaster will fall upon his land. Heir to a Count title that would have made him ruler of his native land of Katan, if the brothers had not been exiled by citizens who were afraid of the curse.
His Twin-
2. Wolfer "The Wolf": Second oldest. A Mage in the field of hunting, he can turn himself into a wolf. Largest and most muscular of the brothers. His personality is that of a gentle giant. He wears a braided lock of hair around his wrist; a gift from the woman he loved in Katan before the exile.
3. Dominor "The Master": Third oldest. A Mage with multiple gifts, he is said to be the one who will control his own destiny. Fiercely competitive and a perfectionist in all things. It is prophesied that he will meet a woman who is his match.
His Twin-
4. Evanor "The Song": Fourth oldest. A Mage of sound. Anyone can contact him from anywhere in the universe by singing out his name. He can then respond and have a conversation with his caller. He sings with a pure and beautiful voice. His personality is gentle and mild.
5. Trevan "The Cat": Fifth in the line. A Mage of animals, he can turn himself into many different beasts and birds, but his favorite is the one that matches his own personality: the cat. Enjoys seducing and flirting with women. Skilled in building furniture and other things from wood.
His Twin-
6. Rydan "The Storm": Sixth in line. A Mage of night and weather. A mystery to his family, he chooses to only leave his room during the night hours. Always dressed in black, his hair and eyes are also midnight black. Rarely speaks or shows emotion. Can conjure storms at will. It is prophesied that if he falls in love, the woman will destroy him at dawn.
7. Koranen "The Flame": Second youngest. A Mage of fire. Can conjure flames from his hands. Can also magically heal burn wounds. Uses fire to create magic lamps that light the brothers' castle. Can battle dragon-like beasts with his flames. Easy tempered and friendly.
His Twin-
8. Morganen "The Mage": Youngest Son of Destiny. Known simply as "The Mage" because he is by far the most powerful and gifted magician in the family- possibly even the universe. Can transport people and objects through different galaxies. Is a bit feared by his brothers because of his power, yet loved because of his giving spirit and kind temperament. Has taken the burden of the prophesied curses upon his own shoulders, working endlessly to help each brother find true love and happiness despite their curses.
Now that you know the brothers, here is a specific review of Saber's story...
Being the oldest, Saber feels responsible for making sure that he and his 8 brothers avoid their prophesied destinies. His destiny is said to be one of a great curse. If he falls in love, his land will face disaster. The people of his land have banished the 8 brothers in order to avoid the tragedy he may cause them. As a result, he has been denied his right to rule as The Count of Katan.
Kelly Doyle is living a dismal life in modern day America. She has lost her job and is barely making ends meet by sewing and doing embroidery for pay. She nearly dies when hateful neighbors set her house on fire while she is sleeping in her bed.
Saber's youngest brother, Morganen, sees Kelly burning through his scrying mirror. To save her life, he brings her through the mirror into the world of magic. He then has his twin, Koranen, heal her burn wounds and save her life. Morganen has plans for Kelly. He believes she may be Saber's destiny. He is sure they can break the curse.
Over the next several weeks, Saber and Kelly are forced to spend time together. Little by little, love blossoms.
A ship has landed on the brothers' island. Staking a flag into the ground, the crew's leader claims the island in the name of his king. Now the brothers must find a way to keep the outsiders from bringing war to their home. Using magic, they create an illusional kingdom of great power. The outsiders are fooled and decide to leave, but not without causing the brothers to suffer an unbearable loss.
This book ends with a big opening for the next in the series to pick up on. I'm looking forward to seeing how they will handle the tragedy.
All of the brother characters are excellent. They all have their own way of being fun, sexy, and mysterious.
I wish I could have liked Kelly's character as well. I liked her less and less as the story unfolded. The 8 brothers brought her into their home and saved her life. They treat her with the utmost respect. In return, she complains that they are all slobs and announces that she is taking over the castle. When one of the brothers, Dominor, refuses to do her bidding in his own home, she uses karate to slam him to the floor and nearly dislocates his arm. She holds him there until he agrees to "obey her." She dictates house rules that basically say nobody is allowed to touch her or yell at her. This is extremely hypocritical, because she spends the whole book screaming at them, calling them disrespectful names, and threatening them. Somehow, this is supposed to be okay because she is female. She also makes a point of letting them all know that men are stupid and not worthy of respect in general. Any one of these men could have easily snapped her in two, but they never retaliate because they were raised to treat women gently. I was really wishing one of them would slap a "sit- down- and -shut- up" spell on her. I would have been able to enjoy the story more.
Another problem is the fact that she is written to somehow know everything about everything. With a degree in business, how exactly did she come to know all of the details about how cars are made, how to design elaborate mechanical pulley systems in various different forms, how guns are made, how buildings are constructed, etc...? It was too much.
I'm truly hoping the next book, Wolfer's story, will have a female character that I can like. If Kelly had been likable, this book would have been as easy 5 star read.
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like strong females and interesting guys..., February 10, 2007
This review is from: The Sword (The Sons of Destiny, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
If you don't like a strong female lead character, this may not be the book for you, as the first reviewer points out. But if you do like women who usually know what they want and how to get it in life...then this one is a keeper.
I mean, here's this woman, Kelly, an independent, well-educated, self-sufficient (or at least trying to be) soul living as best she can in our universe. She's got problems with her neighbors--to the point where they try to burn down her home with her still in it, in fact--but she's doing her best to deal with that. Then she gets kidnapped into a whole new universe--admittedly to save her life--where she's the only woman around for miles. Stranded in a houseful of men whom haven't had female companionship for years. Literally. Wouldn't you do your best as a single, sole female in a house filled with men to seize control of the situation before it gets any further out of hand?
And then there's this man, Saber. He's the head of his family by birth-order and a sense of responsibility drummed into him by his parents, but he's not the most powerful of his brothers. Worse, in his universe--where magic is real and Curses are real--if he's allowed to fall in love with a woman, it could bring a Disaster crashing down upon his people's empire! Being exiled to an island without any women for companionship is bad, but not as bad as a Disaster...so when his youngest brothers dumps not only a woman on the island, but a weird outworlder from some other universe, and then demands that he, Saber, watch over her...well, you'd be a little grumpy and stressed-out about it, too, wouldn't you? If the safety and fate of your homeland was literally threatened by the possibility of you having a happy love-life? That's a lot of responsibility for one man to be burdened with, if you ask me.
Finding out how these two reconcile their strong personalities and understandable personal fears was quite enjoyable. (And inventive!) The fact that there are more books on the way is something I very much look forward to seeing. In fact, this particular author has held a few contests, allowing people to get their hands on advanced copies of her novels, and I was lucky enough to get to read an advance version of "The Wolf", the next story in the Sons of Destiny series.
Not to give anything away in that one, but if Kelly and Saber still sound too vigorous in their attitudes for you, perhaps you will enjoy the tale of Wolfer and Alys? Each of the eight brothers is different; that much is apparent in the very first book. But what I find equally delightful is that the author has made each of the ladies in these novels different as well. Alys is shy where Kelly is bold, and quiet where Kelly is loud. She's capable of great bravery, as is Kelly, but these two heroines are as different as their twin heroes. Alys is her own unique self, a character who can appeal to anyone who has suffered in their home life the way she has...and that's all I can say without giving major plot details away.
These aren't cookie-cutter women! You know, the same type of heroine book after book after book. Ms. Johnson doesn't seem to believe in stereotypical heroines; in fact, they come across as real people. If the contrast between Kelly's and Alys' characters is this apparent, I can't wait to see the heroine of the third book, and the heroine of the fourth...
More than that, these books have serious PLOT in them. They're not just your typical romance novels; the blending of romance and fantasy is greater than most others in this sub-genre that I've read. The fantasy elements aren't just a plot-device to get heroes and heroines together; it's very much a part of the overall story. [Not to give anything away, but while this first book, "The Sword", can stand on its own, it sets up some of the plot for the second novel, "The Sword", and for the third book in the series (to be released at some point this coming September--I don't know if I can wait that long!!), and something tells me that there may even be plot for the fourth book in the series buried in these pages, too.]
So yes, Kelly comes across as a strong-willed character. I suspect that she'll need to be strong at some point in the future of these novels...because these plots are interwoven with possibilities for future plot-twists that make me breathless thinking about them. You don't get to see Kelly and Saber in just this first novel alone, either; I'm pretty sure you'll see these two reappearing time and again not only in "The Wolf", but in all subsequent books in this series. I don't know about other readers, but I LIKE that idea! I've always wondered "So what happened next?" when I came to the end of a good story. *grins* Looks like Ms. Johnson, here, is going to deliver the answer to that very question, and deliver it up to seven more times!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More like 4 1/2 stars....., April 27, 2007
This review is from: The Sword (The Sons of Destiny, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
In an alternate world where magic exists, eight brothers have been exiled due to a Curse. The four sets of twins have been cast out of their homeland and reside on Nightfall Isle. The youngest brother and the strongest mage, Morganen, defies all by rescuing Kelly Doyle from her burning bed... and sets into motion the guidelines of the Curse as dictated by the Seer Draganna. Saber is the oldest of the brothers and therefore reluctant to have any friendly contact with Kelly as he fears the unknown disaster foretold by the Seer. See what waits in store for the first Son of Destiny in THE SWORD.
THE SWORD is a splendid combination of romance and fantasy! The first part of the book is a bit too heavy on setting up the story and did drag a bit. However, once Kelly's character began to emerge as the very strong woman she is, the story took off. Kelly is forced to live in a world dominated by Alpha males but she doesn't cower despite her smaller size. Instead, she uses her wits and focuses on her strengths to make her own way in a world in which she is both the only female and the only non-magical person. THE SWORD has some of the best scenes of a male getting his comeuppance I have ever read!
Jean Johnson has crafted a number of very interesting creatures in this fascinating alternate reality. The mekhadadaks were wonderful although I did find myself comparing them to the replicators from the television show, SG-1, despite the obvious differences. However, it was the watersnakes that really creeped me out as Jean Johnson put such an interesting spin to these icky creatures.
THE SWORD is a superb addition to the ranks of the fantasy romances! Romance is a heavy element in this story but the fantasy is not overwhelmed by the sparks flying between Kelly and Saber. Jean Johnson has created a story that transports the reader into a world in which magic is a fact of life as THE SWORD is a definite keeper!
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
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