Customer Reviews

Sword of Waters (Shield, Sword & Crown)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second book in Hilari Bell's Shield, Sword and Crown trilogy turns the focus from reformed pickpocket Weasel (who was featured in Shield of Stars) to Arisa Benison, his friend and fellow adventurer. As the daughter of the infamous former bandit and rebel the Falcon, Arisa finds her life has changed dramatically in recent months. Since the Falcon was made Lord Commander of the Army and Navy, Arisa has moved into the palace and struggles every day against those who would teach her to be a proper lady. Her mother would like her to befriend Prince Edoran, as Weasel seems to have done so easily, but Arisa has little use for the spoiled, self-centered young royal. She longs for something real to do, a task that is truly meaningful. Even so, when the Falcon asks Arisa to find the Sword of Waters, one of the legendary symbols of Deorthas's power and the King's right to rule, Arisa isn't sure how to respond. It's not clear that anyone can locate the Sword, which vanished from history several hundred years ago. Then again, Weasel stumbled upon the Shield of Stars quite by accident, so it is entirely possible that the Sword still exists.

Once Arisa agrees to undertake the search, she realizes she'll need help from both Weasel and Prince Edoran. As she gets to know the Prince a little better, Arisa admits that, every once in a while at least, he isn't that bad. But the trio have barely begun their research when politics and jealousies threaten to overtake them. When Arisa uncovers a pair of secret plots and a deadly threat to the Kingdom's peace, a conspiracy that could shake Deorthas to its very foundations, she learns that not all dangers come from outside the palace walls.

As she did with Weasel's story in Shield of Stars, Hilari Bell has delivered a top notch fantasy novel in Sword of Waters. Fast-paced and dynamic, the wonderful plot compels readers to keep the pages turning. While the action is exciting and the intrigues suitably tense, it is Ms. Bell's characters that make this middle story of the trilogy shine. No one personality in this book is purely good or purely evil, they are all composed of multi-faceted shades of gray and their actions are shaped by their individual pasts, as well as the larger events of the present. The heroes and heroines can be petulant and jealous from time to time and the villains have moments of kindness and self-sacrifice. The depth of the characters is matched by Ms. Bell's brilliant world-building. Deorthas is so real you can see it your mind's eye. All of this combines to bring the story of the Sword of Waters wonderfully to life.

A well written and fast paced mystery, the plots kept me guessing. The characters are amazingly well developed and though I haven't read the shield of stars or crown of earth, I wasn't confused and didn't feel left behind. Plus, I'm looking forwards to reading the first and third book. All in all, I love the characters and admire the writing of this book. The only thing I didn't like was the arcanara cards. Just my opinion but like Edoran, I'm not really into those things. But over all, it's a good book!

Edit: And now that I think about it, the plot really IS amazing, the circumstances genius, and the enemy intense! So five stars from me!

I loved Shield of Stars, the antics and action. I was completely enthralled by Arisa in that book. I knew I had to continue reading the series. I was pleasantly surprised this book is from her perspective. I got to see how she coped with her new station in life, a court lady! Her thoughts and dialogue are witty and funny. This girl has a mind of her own for sure. In short, this book doesn't disappoint. There is action and we get to see more of Prince Edoran. I love that every chapter begins with an Arcanara card, where can I get my own?

Sword of Waters is written for young adults, but it's also a good read for adults. It's more fast paced than the first book in this series. The characters are full bodied. Young adults will definitely identify with the main characters' needing to make critical decission and feeling conflicted as to which choice to make. What I like is that the logic remains true to the characters' ages and are relistic, even though an adult reader can see flaws in the logic, but as an adult, this add to the hook. Only complaint is that Ms. Bell didn't state the ages of her characters until well into the book, and although it was stated in the first book, a reminder would have been welcomed, though it was obvious they were teenagers. Otherwise, an excellent job.