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katemhamilton's review against another edition
1.0
Eh, I really struggled with this series and finally decided I didn’t need to finish it.
shawniebooks's review against another edition
4.0
The last 25% of the book was so worth the slow start. Excellent battle scene and heart-warming character progression.
gypsydawn's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up
This is fun, intense and exciting - a well crafted world that keeps it fresh, while building on the foundation created in previous installments.
This is fun, intense and exciting - a well crafted world that keeps it fresh, while building on the foundation created in previous installments.
angels_gp17's review
4.0
Secrets of the Sword I is book seven in the Death Before Dragons series by Lindsay Buroker
It’s another thrilling read in the series that takes us on a journey with Val to learn about her sword. I really enjoyed this new plot. It’s engaging and kept my attention.
Things are settled with the dragons, but Val has a new problem. Her sword is giving off a beacon to all who can feel it. The plot brings us new situations, powers and secrets on Val’s sword plus interactions with the Fae we haven’t seen in previous installments.
Val and Zav’s relationship is solid. They work together as a team and they have great banter. Zav shows his dedication to Val and helps her out with her problems.
The familiar side characters are present. We see Val spending more time with her daughter Amber and we get more of Nin and Dimitri who are friends of Val.
We’re treated too lots of laugh, action, adventure, fun characters, and more. I enjoy returning to this world and look forward to seeing what’s next.
Rated: 4 Stars
It’s another thrilling read in the series that takes us on a journey with Val to learn about her sword. I really enjoyed this new plot. It’s engaging and kept my attention.
Things are settled with the dragons, but Val has a new problem. Her sword is giving off a beacon to all who can feel it. The plot brings us new situations, powers and secrets on Val’s sword plus interactions with the Fae we haven’t seen in previous installments.
Val and Zav’s relationship is solid. They work together as a team and they have great banter. Zav shows his dedication to Val and helps her out with her problems.
The familiar side characters are present. We see Val spending more time with her daughter Amber and we get more of Nin and Dimitri who are friends of Val.
We’re treated too lots of laugh, action, adventure, fun characters, and more. I enjoy returning to this world and look forward to seeing what’s next.
Rated: 4 Stars
shai3d's review
emotional
funny
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
4.25
cmbohn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
saucyknits's review against another edition
Sigh…only 1 or 2 left…already looking forward to the reread in a couple of years
vagaybond's review
3.0
3.5 stars I guess.
This was really enjoyable and I felt like the problematic aspects were exchanged for different problematic aspects. For example, the talk about sex/virginity with Amber just seemed... like... there was not enough respecting of her consent. I feel like the way the fae interacted with her was really gross and while I understand it's seen as cultural discrepancies, it was wildly fucked up that someone who is supposed to be our sympathetic protagonist didn't make it abundantly clear in advance what exact flavour of danger was going to happen. I get that she seemed alright in the end but I wish writers would be better about that kind of thing. Especially when you *need to understand* that statistically speaking, there will be sexual assault survivors, including folks who dealt w that while underage, who are reading your content.
Another thing. I do kind of resent that the last book of the previous thing briefly mentioned that Zav may also feel like In Love with Val and that was never really elaborated upon. It felt really beautiful and like it had a lot of gravity then! But this one had Val mention in therapy that she was in love with him and they just... Didn't talk about it as much as I wanted them to.
I really liked this elven assassin character.
There was also a bit in this where Amber called Val "mom" once or twice (she reverted back after they were out of danger) and I still feel like they need to have a heart to heart about their relationship and care for each other. I know neither are the type for that but I think it really adds to things to see characters being awkward and emotionally vulnerable together - even if it's just an in-passing thing. Idk! Maybe I'm just a softie but I like to think that's a good thing.
This was really enjoyable and I felt like the problematic aspects were exchanged for different problematic aspects. For example, the talk about sex/virginity with Amber just seemed... like... there was not enough respecting of her consent. I feel like the way the fae interacted with her was really gross and while I understand it's seen as cultural discrepancies, it was wildly fucked up that someone who is supposed to be our sympathetic protagonist didn't make it abundantly clear in advance what exact flavour of danger was going to happen. I get that she seemed alright in the end but I wish writers would be better about that kind of thing. Especially when you *need to understand* that statistically speaking, there will be sexual assault survivors, including folks who dealt w that while underage, who are reading your content.
Another thing. I do kind of resent that the last book of the previous thing briefly mentioned that Zav may also feel like In Love with Val and that was never really elaborated upon. It felt really beautiful and like it had a lot of gravity then! But this one had Val mention in therapy that she was in love with him and they just... Didn't talk about it as much as I wanted them to.
I really liked this elven assassin character.
There was also a bit in this where Amber called Val "mom" once or twice (she reverted back after they were out of danger) and I still feel like they need to have a heart to heart about their relationship and care for each other. I know neither are the type for that but I think it really adds to things to see characters being awkward and emotionally vulnerable together - even if it's just an in-passing thing. Idk! Maybe I'm just a softie but I like to think that's a good thing.
lolasreviews's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this 7th book in the Death Before Dragons series. It's a solid installment in this series and I like how there's more of all the elements I've come to expect from this series as well as new plot arc that focuses on Val's sword.
I really enjoyed this book. The plot was engaging and kept my attention and I liked seeing how things played out. Things with the dragons are settled, but Val has a new problem after destroying an artifact her sword gives off a beacon. This book has several different plot points that neatly tie together as the plot progresses and I liked seeing how Val dealt with the situation. It was interesting how this book deals with the fae as they weren't in earlier books. And this new plot arc that's all about the powers and secrets of Val's sword is off to a great start. I look forward to seeing what more she'll learn in future books.
I like val and Zav's relationship now that they're together. They really work as a team and I liked their banter and the way they interact. I felt their romance deepened more in this book and I liked seeing this. Zav really shows his dedication to Val and helps her out with her problems. They really feel like a couple now and I like them together.
There's more of all the familiar side characters and I like how there are things going on with them. Val's ex is now dating Nin and we see how that goes. There's more of Val interacting with her daughter Amber and I liked seeing how their relationship progressed in this book. There's more of Nin and Dimitri, who are Val's friends. And ofcourse Sindari, the silver tiger who fights alongside Val.
I like listening to this series as the narrator is such a good match for the series and I like how she does all the different voices.
To summarize: I really liked this book. It kept my attention and I was interested in this new story arc surrounding Val's sword. This book starts this new story arc off well and I liked seeing how the plot progressed. It was interesting to see a bit about the fae, who weren't part of the previous books. There's more of Val and her friends and I liked how they all have things going on and things changing. There are plenty of fun scenes with them interacting together and some relationship development too. I liked how Val and Zav's relationship deepened in this book and how they work together as a team. The narrator is awesome and I like listening to this series.
I really enjoyed this book. The plot was engaging and kept my attention and I liked seeing how things played out. Things with the dragons are settled, but Val has a new problem after destroying an artifact her sword gives off a beacon. This book has several different plot points that neatly tie together as the plot progresses and I liked seeing how Val dealt with the situation. It was interesting how this book deals with the fae as they weren't in earlier books. And this new plot arc that's all about the powers and secrets of Val's sword is off to a great start. I look forward to seeing what more she'll learn in future books.
I like val and Zav's relationship now that they're together. They really work as a team and I liked their banter and the way they interact. I felt their romance deepened more in this book and I liked seeing this. Zav really shows his dedication to Val and helps her out with her problems. They really feel like a couple now and I like them together.
There's more of all the familiar side characters and I like how there are things going on with them. Val's ex is now dating Nin and we see how that goes. There's more of Val interacting with her daughter Amber and I liked seeing how their relationship progressed in this book. There's more of Nin and Dimitri, who are Val's friends. And ofcourse Sindari, the silver tiger who fights alongside Val.
I like listening to this series as the narrator is such a good match for the series and I like how she does all the different voices.
To summarize: I really liked this book. It kept my attention and I was interested in this new story arc surrounding Val's sword. This book starts this new story arc off well and I liked seeing how the plot progressed. It was interesting to see a bit about the fae, who weren't part of the previous books. There's more of Val and her friends and I liked how they all have things going on and things changing. There are plenty of fun scenes with them interacting together and some relationship development too. I liked how Val and Zav's relationship deepened in this book and how they work together as a team. The narrator is awesome and I like listening to this series.