Reviews

The Sword and Shield by Emma Khoury

notamy's review

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

ash_in_every_genre's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a great stand alone fantasy read. I quickly fell in love with the characters and thought the book was well paced. I found the world building very interesting and wished there were more books about these characters by the end of it!

margotreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

bibliophilicwitch's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A thoroughly enjoyable and easy read. The characters are straightforward and fun with the snarky assassin with a heart of gold being an absolute delight to read from. The plot wasn't especially strong and mostly just provided a backdrop for our characters. I would suggest that this could even be described as cozy fantasy, especially since the stakes never felt especially threatening.

The direction the epilogue took was an odd choice and felt like a shift in focus from the rest of the story. It followed a conclusion we could've been left without and instead could've featured a cozy wrap-up with any of the assassin's friends or even hint at a sequel.

urbanaudreye's review

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5.0

This was an excellent book. I truly enjoyed every bit of it. There was great character development and an amazing plot. I especially appreciated Ezra's love of cats.

*I received a copy of this book for free. The review is my own, honest and unsolicited.

mindgonemad's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved this book, great read, great story and very well written.

terriaminute's review against another edition

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4.0

CW: there is a chapter with on-page torture. It should be easy to avoid if needed. There's a fair amount of on-page killing and death, but I didn't find any of it gratuitous. Ezra is a mercenary. Killing is the job.

I liked Ezra a lot. I liked all the characters, but he is why I finished reading this, despite the "soggy middle" plot problem that, by chapter 23 prompted me to either skim or stop reading. Luckily, this is about when the plot picks up speed again.

I very much liked the end.

Ezra is a health-compromised (medically controlled) man who endured a rather horrid childhood. He has a strong work ethic and caring friendships, loves cats, and on-page is asexual and aromantic. Awesome. I don't regret reading this at all. Take that as you will. :)
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