1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy debut, April 16, 2011
Synopsis:
"A brave prince, a ferocious dragon, and a magic sword are all familiar elements of the classic adventure story. But for thirteen-year-old Prince Aster of Caledon, the quest for the Empress Sword-the only magic strong enough to defeat the dragon menacing his kingdom-is just the beginning.
Aster has always been told that wielding great magic requires a sacrifice, but what the Empress Sword demands from him is the last thing he ever expected to lose: his own identity as crown prince and the king's only son." - GoodReads.com
Author:
Paulette Jaxton is a personal friend that comes from a heavy computer programming background. She counts NASA as one of her earliest job sources and has taken that forward thinking view into her writing. Currently, The Empress Sword [TES] is her only published novel. However, she is working on the second book in the series.
She also is working on podcasting the novel.
Review:
TES is one of the shorter Young Adult novels that I've read, however it packs a lot of twists and turns into that short span. Many of the characters in a YA tend to be abbreviated, shadows of what they could be. Jaxton manages to make the protagonist, Prince Aster, seem more rounded through all the trials and tribulations he must survive. Though, I suppose the term `protagonist' may be slightly out of place as the book opens up with the awakening of the terrible Dragon.
Mandrake, the reptile in question, is the herald for the return of his winged people who have slept for the past hundreds of years. Unfortunately for Caledon, Mandrake can't get past the notion that the mountain blocking his way to where his people sleep is the kingdom's fault. He decides it is his duty to burn the vermin from his homeland in preparation for the return of the Dragonkin.
And the only one standing in his way? Prince Aster and his search for the legendary Empress Sword, said once to hold all dragons in its sway.
This fantasy novel is a quick read at only 300 pages, but manages to keep even an adult reader's attention. There is no swearing, and the blood letting that occurs is extremely minimal.
There are quite a few smaller characters that make the subplots a fun read, and the world building is very thorough for a YA novel.
Summary:
The Empress Sword is a fine debut novel for Paulette Jaxton's series, and I look forward to what the next installment has to offer. While it is not as polished a piece as you might get from a more experienced fiction author, the book has a good plot, wit, and charming characters that will keep the reader looking for more.
Cost and Purchase:
At $19.99 (Marked down to $14.96 by Amazon) for the paperback, it seems a bit costly. If this were the hard-cover cost, I would think it a fair price. However, the electronic version of the novel is easily worth the $2.99 on Kindle.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Light fantasy with a very nice twist or two..., March 23, 2011
This review is from: The Empress Sword (Kindle Edition)
The Empress Sword was an amusing read - a great way to end a busy day and a book that doesn't demand you think a whole lot. That's not a criticism - there are plenty of days when that's exactly the kind of book I want to read, and I'm very grateful to the authors that write them.
It has dragons and princes, and the necessary valiant--but immature--men. It has the girls we all love to hate and then one or two who redeem our gender.
The first third of the book was fairly slow, and some readers looking for instant gratification might never get to the good stuff. Their loss.
Then it picks up, and has a couple of very nice plot twists, and a couple of turns that have you going "huh - why'd you do that?" Then you realize the protagonist is a thirteen-year-old boy, and that explains pretty much everything :).
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What an adventure!, March 20, 2011
This review is from: The Empress Sword (Kindle Edition)
The Empress Sword is masterfully written by Paulette Jaxton podcaster extraordinaire. An adventure like no other with characters you'll grow to love. I highly recommend you also check out her podcast Form Letter Rejection Theatre [...] for other unique and fantastic tales that have yet to be published.
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