The Silent Blade | Book Review, Blog Tour

You may remember a few weeks ago, when I shared a cover design for The Silent Blade. I started out as a beta reader, designed the cover, and am now helping Jesseca as she releases this fun book!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dromiskin, Ireland. 925 A.D.

Eira has no greater desire than to see her life returned to what it once was—before her older brother Kevin's sudden disappearance four years earlier. But the simple life she hoped for seems unattainable; on the contrary, her life is about to get all the more complicated.

When she suddenly finds herself and Willem, her twin brother, taken captive by someone who claims to be Kevin’s enemy, things go from bad to worse. It soon becomes clear that she and Willem are to become bait in a trap set for Kevin, and Eira knows she must try to warn him. But how, when she herself is a captive?

As mysteries of the past are unveiled, and loyalties are revealed, Eira realizes how precious her friends truly are. And when mortal danger threatens those nearest to her, will she be able to trust God with the lives of her friends and family?

MY REVIEW

When a trade ship docks at Dromiskin, Eira can't help but notice that the men on board act nothing like normal tradesmen. Willem, her twin, shares her suspicions, but not soon enough. Captured together to be used against Eira and Willem's older brother, the twins are thrown into the middle of a heated battle. An exciting tale of danger, vengeance, deception, sword-fights, trust and forgiveness. The story flow was smooth and never weighed down. The plot line kept my mind wandering back to it, wondering what happened in the next scene. There were a lot of questions that arose as the story unfolded, and these questions were satisfactorily answered. And I just have to throw in a comment about the names! Eira, Willem, Casimer, Rowen, Merek, Aeden, Cian, Diarmuid ... ah! I loved them all! Not too weird and balanced out by names such as Henry and Anna. I was a little disappointed that there is practically no parental involvement in this story. And, at the beginning, what was mentioned of the parents was not completely honoring (like "Father makes me do classes" type of thing). Some parts of this book didn't quite "feel" the era and there was some amateur writing, but overall, considering the author's age it was good. There was some romance in this book, but it was sweet. No kisses. *I beta-read this book for the author and volunteered to give my review* GIVEAWAY Jesseca is giving away a copy of The Silent Blade and a $5 Amazon gift card! Enter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway INTERVIEW How long did The Silent Blade take from idea to finish? I got the idea in April of 2015, so that would make it about a year and three months! Sounds about like my timeline for writing just a novella. Can't imagine what it'd take for a full-length novel. ;) What is it about The Silent Blade that you feel is different from other medieval stories? What makes it unique? Most medieval stories I’ve read focus around a group of people as the enemy. (the Vikings, the English, etc.) But in The Silent Blade it’s one man who is the enemy. Yes, he has followers, but the conflict is pretty much something just between two people. Which is different than anything I’ve read in the medieval genre. :) Very true. That was a neat difference. What future plans do you have for writing? (if you're at the point of sharing) Currently I’m working a historical-fiction novel set in WWII during the Battle of Britain. It’s currently in the 2nd re-writing/editing stage. It's my "special" novel, and I've learned a lot through writing it, both in a historical context and through my writing it, it's brought me closer to the Lord. At times I feel like the book and characters have become a part of me...sometimes I'm not sure how good that is. ;) Ooh...WWII! I might have to keep my eye out for that. ;) How long have you been writing? Well, I’ve been writing for school for years, but I’ve been writing my own stories apart from school for about three years. What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned while writing? The first draft is going to be horrible. But that’s okay, because you can go back and fix it later. Also, writing is hard. It’s nice when you get inspired, but if you want to see an idea through to the end, then you will need to discipline yourself to write even when you don’t feel like writing. Oh, and let others read your work! You will never be able to grow if you don’t learn what areas you need to work on. Those have probably been the biggest things I’ve learned! And great lessons to have learned! I think most of us come to a point in learning all of that (or we should). What message(s) do you hope to share with your readers? It isn’t easy to forgive. And without God, it is so, so easy to want to take vengeance on those who have wronged us. But that’s not our place; it’s God’s. Amen to that! Who are some of the top authors who inspired you? For The Silent Blade,  Nicole Sager, C.S. Lewis, and Lois Walfrid Johnson. The way they all used a medieval (or medieval-like fantasy) setting made me fall in love with the time period, and the characters, the epic battles, the sword-fighting… *grins* So yes, those three would be the top authors who inspired me. Lois Walfrid Johnson! She was one of my favorite authors as a child. I've never read her Viking series, though. Thanks so much for "visiting" my blog, Jesseca! And best wishes on your new release! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jesseca is an 18-year old daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano.  And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.