Starred review from July 1, 2024
This action-packed, blood-soaked fantasy tells the story of Briar, commander of the Shields of the Sunweald Palace, who, after months recovering from a poisoned arrow to her leg, decides to resign her command. But her days as a commander are not finished yet. The same Wildwood Reivers and their allies who tried to kill the king are back to take the castle and whatever ancient artifacts lie beneath in the Wyrm Vault. The Shields are ordered away from the castle on an erroneous mission by an evil sorceress and one of their own who is helping the Reivers. With the castle basically defenseless, the Reivers kill their way through, eventually capturing the king, his nephew and heir to the throne, and a priestess who has some magical powers. Briar, who was napping in the vault, hears the commotion and sets off to reclaim the castle and rescue the king. With exceptional plot and character development (the nephew, in particular, starts off as a brat but redeems himself in the end) and some of the most cinematic action scenes in recent memory, this will definitely be of interest to fans of Sebastien de Castell and Anthony Ryan.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
August 9, 2024
While Johnston's (The Maleficent Seven) new fantasy novel doesn't offer a lot of surprises, it's still a gripping story of a woman warrior struggling to save a kingdom from betrayal and doom. Shield Briar is a sworn protector and trusted confidant of Lord Regent Alaric Summerson. The Lord and his Shield live in a time of druids and magic, in a land reminiscent of Dark Age Britain. Alaric and Briar are considering how to keep the other grasping power centers in the castle at bay while preparing for an important ritualistic observance. Things do not go as expected, with Briar realizing too late that the druids are not what they seem, and blood is drawn. Briar's wound never heals properly, making her ineffective as a shield and causing her to leave the castle and her love behind for the unknown, but circumstances pull her back to the castle, where Die Hard-style, she needs to defeat the villains who have taken over her home. VERDICT The novel's worldbuilding is top-notch, with fantastic descriptions of dangerous druid rites and malevolent forces deep in the castle crypts, making it an enjoyable, if predictable, addition to the fantasy world. Its rather violent take on the genre will appeal to fans of Joe Abercrombie.--Jeremiah Rood
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.