Reviews

Sword & Thistle by S.L. Rowland

Only show reviews with written explanations

brittmariasbooks's review

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

A cosy fantasy with more adventures than cafes with guest appearances from Cursed Cocktails. When Dobbin appeared in Cursed Cocktails I already had a feeling we'd be seeing more of him. I found it to be a very cute story. Snort is an amazing animal companion and Myrtle's own quest was nice as well.

dreamer68's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-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

4.25

megang519's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

sarahsupastar's review

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adventurous hopeful relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

raynbowbright's review against another edition

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5.0

A wonderfully written adventure tale that I thoroughly enjoyed! I can’t wait to read more of the world of Aedrea I’m very happy to have found it reading this and cursed cocktails!

katnortonwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Listen, I know that the first book in this series was basically L&L, but I love it. Sword and Thistle is much more original, and I love all the little side quests Dobbin goes on along the way.

This second installment is less cozy, with a bit of a LitRPG flavor at the end involving some magical combat. There's some cool worldbuilding in here, and I love a jaded adventurer. Dobbin is essentially level 20 doing a bunch of level one quests in a new zone until about halfway through the book. I enjoyed the characters, and that this final quest forces him to see the world with more nuance and kindness, while also allowing him to make peace with his past.

As long as S.L. Rowland keeps writing this series, I'll keep reading it. In the meantime, I'll check out his other work, because I do enjoy these so much.