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classiestcass's review against another edition
1.0
This is the first book I've EVER had to DNF. Usually I try to push through it and get it done, but I just couldn't pull it off with this one.
I received an ARC of this book from a friend, and at first it sounded really great! Just from reading the synopsis, I could see there was potential for two of the tropes that I'm actually trash for: love triangle and enemies to lovers relationships. Like those tropes belong in the garbage bin, but I also belong there for enjoying them, so...sorry not sorry?
Anyway, the book started off fairly interesting, but I only made it roughly 25% of the way through before I just couldn't take it anymore. My main issue with the book was that the POV shifts were actually unbearable. There didn't seem to be any distinction between the shifts - no chapter switches, or even separations within the chapter to signify it. It was toooooo much for me.
Also it didn't help that all three main characters felt very flat and just straight up boring. There was the potential for depth - their backstories were all very interesting - but it wasn't consistent enough for me to actually enjoy it.
I honestly gave up on this book much sooner than I would've liked, but every time I looked at it sitting on my shelf, I just couldn't do it. I have no idea how this book even made it this far, you'd think some sort of editor - or honestly even the author - would have realized that this book was actually unreadable for anyone who can understand basic English. Like I understand this guy wrote for a bunch of TV shows, but that doesn't necessarily translate as easily with books, as clearly evidenced by the dust gathering on this book in my room...
Maybe I'll try again in a while, once I completely forget about this book and can go about it with a fresh new mindset. We'll see though.
I received an ARC of this book from a friend, and at first it sounded really great! Just from reading the synopsis, I could see there was potential for two of the tropes that I'm actually trash for: love triangle and enemies to lovers relationships. Like those tropes belong in the garbage bin, but I also belong there for enjoying them, so...sorry not sorry?
Anyway, the book started off fairly interesting, but I only made it roughly 25% of the way through before I just couldn't take it anymore. My main issue with the book was that the POV shifts were actually unbearable. There didn't seem to be any distinction between the shifts - no chapter switches, or even separations within the chapter to signify it. It was toooooo much for me.
Also it didn't help that all three main characters felt very flat and just straight up boring. There was the potential for depth - their backstories were all very interesting - but it wasn't consistent enough for me to actually enjoy it.
I honestly gave up on this book much sooner than I would've liked, but every time I looked at it sitting on my shelf, I just couldn't do it. I have no idea how this book even made it this far, you'd think some sort of editor - or honestly even the author - would have realized that this book was actually unreadable for anyone who can understand basic English. Like I understand this guy wrote for a bunch of TV shows, but that doesn't necessarily translate as easily with books, as clearly evidenced by the dust gathering on this book in my room...
Maybe I'll try again in a while, once I completely forget about this book and can go about it with a fresh new mindset. We'll see though.
narteest's review against another edition
3.0
Many thanks to ntgalley and publisher for the arc!
(I feel awful for not completing this earlier).
On the other hand, a brief review.
The Sword and the Dagger is a lovely little introduction to the fascinating worlds of Genghis Khan, Persian empires, and the assassins of the Eagle's nest. Although I wish I loved it more, I do eventually like the characters. I find Conrad to be the most fascinating character within the book, and Rashid my second favourite. These two grew on me very much over the course of the story. Conrad begins as an arrogant fool, but he grows to be the Prince of Antioch he was always born to be through his experiences travelling with both Rashid and Elaine. Rashid is the would-be assassin who begins as someone who believes only in his god and of the orders given to him, but grows to find the ways to be loyal yet true to the reality he discovers in his travels with Conrad and Elaine. Elaine, however, felt the least developed to me and as much as I admire her for pro-feminism approach, she reads exactly as a character written for the purpose of being pro-feminist without really seeming very logical. Elaine is smart and she doesn't like being constrained by silly bonds, however, and what irks me the most, but doesn't quite entirely offend my sensibilities, is that she does every silly thing that she knows is not appropriate for her sex and only frets over it after. Such as leaving her safe spot during the battle between the persians and mongols, and then getting caught later--understandably she didn't want to be there, but couldn't she wait? Or go into hiding?
Didn't she think what would happen to a single woman in the middle of battle? But in saying that, she's not boring. Still, Conrad and Rashid definitely develop more on a character level. And I love them both!
I took much longer to read this than I expected and this was perhaps the fault of the pacing in the beginning. There were some interesting moments, but perhaps the arrogance of all characters made them unrelated for the beginning half. But once the characters began the severe moments of their journey, things started to get very interesting.
In short, this was a nice little fiction in which we follow three individual of different backgrounds and personalities in a journey to recover a letter that will save the life of the betrothed Elaine and Conrad. Both of whom are royals of the respective kingdoms of Tripoli and Antioch. Elaine of course is unhappy with the possibility of marriage, however she is more than willing to do whatever possibly to save her life and for her kingdom. Along the way they encounter the greats: the Old Man, the Shah of the Khwarazmid Empire, and Genghis Khan.
(I feel awful for not completing this earlier).
On the other hand, a brief review.
The Sword and the Dagger is a lovely little introduction to the fascinating worlds of Genghis Khan, Persian empires, and the assassins of the Eagle's nest. Although I wish I loved it more, I do eventually like the characters. I find Conrad to be the most fascinating character within the book, and Rashid my second favourite. These two grew on me very much over the course of the story. Conrad begins as an arrogant fool, but he grows to be the Prince of Antioch he was always born to be through his experiences travelling with both Rashid and Elaine. Rashid is the would-be assassin who begins as someone who believes only in his god and of the orders given to him, but grows to find the ways to be loyal yet true to the reality he discovers in his travels with Conrad and Elaine. Elaine, however, felt the least developed to me and as much as I admire her for pro-feminism approach, she reads exactly as a character written for the purpose of being pro-feminist without really seeming very logical. Elaine is smart and she doesn't like being constrained by silly bonds, however, and what irks me the most, but doesn't quite entirely offend my sensibilities, is that she does every silly thing that she knows is not appropriate for her sex and only frets over it after. Such as leaving her safe spot during the battle between the persians and mongols, and then getting caught later--understandably she didn't want to be there, but couldn't she wait? Or go into hiding?
Didn't she think what would happen to a single woman in the middle of battle? But in saying that, she's not boring. Still, Conrad and Rashid definitely develop more on a character level. And I love them both!
I took much longer to read this than I expected and this was perhaps the fault of the pacing in the beginning. There were some interesting moments, but perhaps the arrogance of all characters made them unrelated for the beginning half. But once the characters began the severe moments of their journey, things started to get very interesting.
In short, this was a nice little fiction in which we follow three individual of different backgrounds and personalities in a journey to recover a letter that will save the life of the betrothed Elaine and Conrad. Both of whom are royals of the respective kingdoms of Tripoli and Antioch. Elaine of course is unhappy with the possibility of marriage, however she is more than willing to do whatever possibly to save her life and for her kingdom. Along the way they encounter the greats: the Old Man, the Shah of the Khwarazmid Empire, and Genghis Khan.
brittanya's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bookishtiff's review against another edition
4.0
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I usually don't enjoy historical fiction but this book was so good. The main characters are so different from each other and over the course of the book they have some pretty good character arcs. The book is told from three person if I remember correctly and is full of adventure.
The Princess is not your ordinary damsel, she's a total risk taker and wants to be right up front in the action. She's a very generous and understanding character which is needed during this time of religious turmoil.
The Prince and the assassin are both not what they seem at first and their characters always keep you on your toes.
Overall without spoiling anything this book is a fantastic debut novel and its almost perfection. Its packed full of adventure and has plenty of action if you like those fight scenes in your book. There's some romance but nothing over powering if your not a fan of romance. I believe everyone who likes historical fiction will love this book.
bookloversofi's review against another edition
3.0
I want to thank Tor Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review
I enjoyed this book, to be honest, isn't everything I expected it to be, but even so I think the idea of the book is very solid, and the author expresses with this story in a very informative way a historical moment of which personally I didn't know a lot about, so I appreciate saying that I ending this book being a little wiser, and although I'd heard it was slow I must say that for me it was very easy and quick to read
3/5 Stars
You can find this one and more of my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
The Sword and the Dagger, is about these young boys, a Christian princess, a prince, and a Muslim assassin, who embark on a quest, in the time of the Crusades, to the court of one of the most feared warriors. It's a book of adventure and fantasy but at the same time, it's realistic in terms of culture and history. Touch topics such as faith, friendship, and loyalty
When I started reading this book, I was so pleased to see that it was really easy to move through it. The fact that this book is based on a real historical fact makes it really interesting to read it, as I said before it was highly informative for me, I didn't know anything about this time period and now I can say that I certainly do a little more, which is great. I also want to highlight the fact that while the story takes place we can get to know more about races and cultures, but spite of that, I didn't find anything that really stands out above other fantasy books.
As I said before, it was easy to read and it was something that I needed in a fantasy, since I came from a book with a very slow pace, on the other hand, I feel that maybe there are scenes that deserve a more moderate paced, I would have liked to stay a little bit in certain places where the characters spent time during the journey to know more about them, or just admire the landscapes, and although I don't complain about the paced, I think that sometimes too fast isn't a good thing either and I wanted to mention that. The fact that the journey of the characters is fast can be something that you don't like much at the time of reading, in my case, it was good because I don't usually enjoy seeing people on very long journeys.
About the characters, I really liked Elaine, who's our main female character and princess. For the time in which this is based on, I think she's a really great character, feminist, strong and capable, a girl who doesn't want to live to get married and serve her man, but she's also willing to do sacrifices for her country. I like very much how she confronts very powerful men and defends her position, which was very rare for the time, and I appreciate the point of view of a strong and independent woman in a story like this one. On the other hand, we have Rashid, the murderer, and Conrad, the prince. The character of Rashid is good, especially for his growth during the book but also for his faith and loyalty, but on the other hand, I would have liked a better development and depth in the personalities, both in Rashid's and in Conrad's, who turned out to be my least favorite character and honestly, I don't feel much towards him, I think his presence is required as the strong and stubborn guy, but that's just it. There are other characters in the story that could have gone much further and become more important characters for the plot, but the author hasn't given them a deep personality as such so they have ended up being just there
This writing style I think isn't really for me, even though I didn't have any problems with it as such, I had some comprehension problems. I think this is because the book is told from a historical perspective and there's a lot of language of the time, then it was weird for me but it's something super personal that I don't think is a problem for you
Are many dialogues in the book, which I loved, but on the other hand, I feel that at times the characters share too much information through dialogues, perhaps things that no one would say, something like "Well, as you know, you lost your father recently and your mother pass away when you were younger", you know what I mean?
What was perhaps my biggest problem with the book was the POVs change, which isn't signaled and which sometimes happens within the same chapter, which is rare. We are under the point of view of a character and suddenly changes and there's nothing that tells you that will change, you know?. I'm used to seeing that each chapter is about a character or is under the POV of just one character, but here you're reading in the middle of a paragraph and you realize that you have already changed to another POV and that can be confusing when you're trying to follow the plot. Maybe this isn't like that in the final copy of the book, but it's how it is built in the ARC
There's a chapter at the end of the book called "Historical Note", where the author explains, very thoroughly and in-depth, the historical moment in which the story unfolds and I think it's WONDERFUL. I love that and it shows how considerate the author is and how much he has informed himself before writing the book. I appreciate that he had taken his time so that everyone knows what the Crusade was really about and how politics and culture were at that time.
I really liked the end of the book, I think the last chapters are really good, even so, I think the whole outcome is quite predictable, so don't expect anything surprising to happen, because you'll be disappointed, on the other hand, it's a good ending and I enjoyed the process of reading it.
In short, this isn't a bad book, I still recommend it especially if you want to know more about the time of the Crusades and how the political and cultural theme worked at the time, also if you usually enjoy fantasy and historical fiction, I think that this is a very good mash-up of both genders. It's a book that shows you the reality of many races and religions so I also think it's very informative and that's why I recommend it a lot. If what you're looking for is complexity in terms of characters and plot, maybe this isn't for you
booksandladders's review against another edition
2.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
DNF @ 29%
I was sorta enjoying this one but I'm just not 100% feeling it and I have so many other books I could be reading instead. This is purely historical, not historical fantasy like I was hoping, so I would caution those who are looking for more fantasy aspects in their novels to shy away from this one. As well, it was almost 30% into the book and I was just kinda bored. I think this will appeal to a specific type of person, but it's definitely not me.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
DNF @ 29%
I was sorta enjoying this one but I'm just not 100% feeling it and I have so many other books I could be reading instead. This is purely historical, not historical fantasy like I was hoping, so I would caution those who are looking for more fantasy aspects in their novels to shy away from this one. As well, it was almost 30% into the book and I was just kinda bored. I think this will appeal to a specific type of person, but it's definitely not me.
ernis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An enjoyable read, although I definitely underestimated the mentions of torture, rape, and gore that the novel had (while not grotesque, more than I was expecting for a YA novel). I thought the clashing and different charcters' perspectives and opinions were compelling. I haven't read many novels in this time era and so that caught my attention as well. An intriguing adventure story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, and War
bookwife's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book so much! This book is about a Christian prince(Conrad), the princess he was suppose to marry(Elaine) and the Muslim assassin(Rashid) sent to kill her. These three end up traveling to find out why Rashid was suppose to kill her. Of course nothing is ever that easy. They are sent on a separate quest to retrieve a letter.
I am obsessed with the characters and the friendship they formed. They all disliked each other at first. But they slowly grew to depend on each other. To trust that they would fight to save one another.
The history aspect of the story was very entertaining. The author, I think.. although I am no history buff, did a great job. Of course some things were changed but I think he did a great job at keeping the heart of the history true.
If you enjoy history and strong friendships then I highly recommend this book.
I am obsessed with the characters and the friendship they formed. They all disliked each other at first. But they slowly grew to depend on each other. To trust that they would fight to save one another.
The history aspect of the story was very entertaining. The author, I think.. although I am no history buff, did a great job. Of course some things were changed but I think he did a great job at keeping the heart of the history true.
If you enjoy history and strong friendships then I highly recommend this book.
alyram4's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars
This was such a fun read! The first line was hilarious and seriously just made me love Elaine!
Also, don't listen to the synopsis you see on the sites. They are seriously just not that great and don't give you a feel for what this book is about.
So speaking of loving Elaine, her strength and just wanting to be independent is goals. She strives to be her own person with her own rules, not "doing her duty" to obey a husband or men, even though she is the princess. The blend of Middle Easten and French themes and characters is so well done, and you do see a battle of Christian vs Muslim beliefs in here as well. I think it was well done, and the characers grow very well throughout. Elaine is a strong female character who doesn't let a man dictate how she behaves or speaks. Conrad is the betrothed of Elaine, and really he's an ass at the start. His character grows so much that, by the end, I actually really enjoyed his scenes and POV. Rashid has to be my fave though. I liked him from the start, and he plays such a huge role between the two different cultures.
The pacing is a bit slow at first, for about maybe a quarter of the way through, but then it picks up once Elain makes a decision to visit a certain someone. It goes uphill from there and was really fun to read! The reasoning for my rating is just that it does drag quite a bit at times, and we start to see POVs by characters I personally had no interest in. Usually side characters that you hardly know much about, and so their POV just doesn't do anything except to say "hey look! This is what I think of XYZ".
Also, why do the chapters not say what POV we're starting with? Like I get that this is all 3rd person, but seriously... Give me SOMETHING so I'm not having to reread the starting page for each chapter over again to make sure I know which character I'm following. This is DEFINITELY my biggest problem with this book.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was such a fun read! The first line was hilarious and seriously just made me love Elaine!
Also, don't listen to the synopsis you see on the sites. They are seriously just not that great and don't give you a feel for what this book is about.
So speaking of loving Elaine, her strength and just wanting to be independent is goals. She strives to be her own person with her own rules, not "doing her duty" to obey a husband or men, even though she is the princess. The blend of Middle Easten and French themes and characters is so well done, and you do see a battle of Christian vs Muslim beliefs in here as well. I think it was well done, and the characers grow very well throughout. Elaine is a strong female character who doesn't let a man dictate how she behaves or speaks. Conrad is the betrothed of Elaine, and really he's an ass at the start. His character grows so much that, by the end, I actually really enjoyed his scenes and POV. Rashid has to be my fave though. I liked him from the start, and he plays such a huge role between the two different cultures.
The pacing is a bit slow at first, for about maybe a quarter of the way through, but then it picks up once Elain makes a decision to visit a certain someone. It goes uphill from there and was really fun to read! The reasoning for my rating is just that it does drag quite a bit at times, and we start to see POVs by characters I personally had no interest in. Usually side characters that you hardly know much about, and so their POV just doesn't do anything except to say "hey look! This is what I think of XYZ".
Also, why do the chapters not say what POV we're starting with? Like I get that this is all 3rd person, but seriously... Give me SOMETHING so I'm not having to reread the starting page for each chapter over again to make sure I know which character I'm following. This is DEFINITELY my biggest problem with this book.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.