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joelteon's review
5.0
The Sword in the Street by CM (Connor) Caplan is a wonderful treat. I recently spoke to Connor and found out that they wrote this debut novel when they were just 23! That’s ludicrous. This book is just as good, if not better, than a veteran of the industry’s work. It’s certainly a shining example of how good an indie can be.
Featuring the relationship between John Chronicle and Edwin Gaunt, this gay romp was swishy swashy fun. I didn’t know that I needed a gay romance about two men struggling to change the world, but I did. Edwin kept on battling to change the rules for his indentured boyfriend, John, and the people like him. While John continued to do what he did best: fight and never back down. Both characters are so real and vivid that they practically leap off of the page. Their relationship was hard work and so real that it just… wow. Even Aubrey was perfect, I loved her almost as much as I loved Edwin and that’s saying something.
I loved every moment of this dual POV book. The social class conflict, the voice, the characterizations and especially the plot. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, burning through the pages like I was on fire. Nothing more needs to be said because I want you to experience this book for yourself.
‘“I’m going to tell you something. And I think it’s the most powerful thing we can tell each other in times like this.”
“And what’s that?”
“I understand how you feel.”’
I would fail in my review by not talking about the most important aspect of the world. The duels, my God, the duels. They took centre stage and even having zero sword fighting knowledge I ate them up. Ripostes, counters, lunges, but never twirls. It was so much fun to read about John finding his way to win. Or lose. Whether it was to first blood, to pain, or to the death. John was a competent duelist and witnessing him try to outclass and outmanoeuvre his opponents was exhilarating.
‘“Your feelings exist, sitting inside you, whether you want them to be there or not. All you can do is choose how you react to them.”’
This was no simple debut, this was a young talent finding their stride and not being afraid to go at it all guns blazing. I had a riotous time with The Sword in the Street and look forward to reading whatever comes next. That’s likely to be either a Jewish gangster science-fantasy or the sequel to Connor’s fantastic, The Fall is All There Is. Sign me up right now.
Rating: 4.5/5
Featuring the relationship between John Chronicle and Edwin Gaunt, this gay romp was swishy swashy fun. I didn’t know that I needed a gay romance about two men struggling to change the world, but I did. Edwin kept on battling to change the rules for his indentured boyfriend, John, and the people like him. While John continued to do what he did best: fight and never back down. Both characters are so real and vivid that they practically leap off of the page. Their relationship was hard work and so real that it just… wow. Even Aubrey was perfect, I loved her almost as much as I loved Edwin and that’s saying something.
I loved every moment of this dual POV book. The social class conflict, the voice, the characterizations and especially the plot. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, burning through the pages like I was on fire. Nothing more needs to be said because I want you to experience this book for yourself.
‘“I’m going to tell you something. And I think it’s the most powerful thing we can tell each other in times like this.”
“And what’s that?”
“I understand how you feel.”’
I would fail in my review by not talking about the most important aspect of the world. The duels, my God, the duels. They took centre stage and even having zero sword fighting knowledge I ate them up. Ripostes, counters, lunges, but never twirls. It was so much fun to read about John finding his way to win. Or lose. Whether it was to first blood, to pain, or to the death. John was a competent duelist and witnessing him try to outclass and outmanoeuvre his opponents was exhilarating.
‘“Your feelings exist, sitting inside you, whether you want them to be there or not. All you can do is choose how you react to them.”’
This was no simple debut, this was a young talent finding their stride and not being afraid to go at it all guns blazing. I had a riotous time with The Sword in the Street and look forward to reading whatever comes next. That’s likely to be either a Jewish gangster science-fantasy or the sequel to Connor’s fantastic, The Fall is All There Is. Sign me up right now.
Rating: 4.5/5
wildfaeriecaps's review
5.0
Holy wow, folks.
This book was amazing. The setting had a Captain Alatriste/Gutterprayer hybrid vibe that checked all my boxes. The characters were deeply real and flawed and strove and failed and flailed and.. I have *never* connected with a character in any book ever as much as I did in this one. Ever. And I've read a lot of books, folks.
I love that this story didn't shy from the dark and gritty realities but somehow managed to keep a thread of light and hope that pulled me along. I smiled, I chuckled, I got teary eyed, I wanted to shake John Chronicle by the throat on more than several occasions.
You get everything in this book: politics/class struggle, slice-of-life, magic, relationships, mental health, growth on personal and society levels. I am blown away by how much I truly love this book.
This book was amazing. The setting had a Captain Alatriste/Gutterprayer hybrid vibe that checked all my boxes. The characters were deeply real and flawed and strove and failed and flailed and.. I have *never* connected with a character in any book ever as much as I did in this one. Ever. And I've read a lot of books, folks.
I love that this story didn't shy from the dark and gritty realities but somehow managed to keep a thread of light and hope that pulled me along. I smiled, I chuckled, I got teary eyed, I wanted to shake John Chronicle by the throat on more than several occasions.
You get everything in this book: politics/class struggle, slice-of-life, magic, relationships, mental health, growth on personal and society levels. I am blown away by how much I truly love this book.
plot_head's review
4.0
The Sword in the Street is the debut novel from indie author C.M. Caplan. Before we get into the review, I do want to mention that Connor is a reviewer here on FanFiAddict and a personal friend of mine. However, I don’t think that either of those things influenced my review in any way. The Sword in the Street has been one of the hardest books for me to review. I’ve been putting it off for a while now, fiddling with the draft over and over. Not because I don’t have anything to say about it or that it was bad in any way. If anything, maybe it’s because I am too close to it. It was a very emotional read for me. Not only have I been going through a lot in my personal life, but I also just related to the characters so damn much. I’ve been putting off this review because I have too much to say, I feel too much about it. Hopefully, by the time this review is published, I will have collected my thoughts into something resembling a coherent review.
The Sword in the Street is a self published, low fantasy, Dickensian novel set in a pre-industrial European-esque world. It’s not a very plot-centric tale, instead focusing on the characters themselves and how they navigate this world that is determined and designed to keep them down. In fact, I might even label this as a slice of life story. Disputes between the nobles are settled by way of duel, a semi-religious affair where a pair of sponsored swordsmen fight to various states of injury. This sponsorship, as well as his lowborn status and a strange sense of loyalty, has led John Chronicle to being nothing more than an indentured servant, scrabbling to make ends meet. His patron, Lordess Triumph, like all of the nobles, views everything based on the profit it can bring her—and John’s profit margins are growing slimmer by the day. Patronage doesn’t only apply to the swordsmen employed by the noble houses, but extends out to every worker in the city. This ensures that those in Hillside stay in power and those in the Dregs stay in their place of servitude. It’s a grim world and one in which John is desperately trying to escape. His boyfriend Edwin, however was born into wealth and wants for nothing while his parents pay for his education and provide a monthly stipend for him to live on. Caplan gives a thorough examination of the hardships that come from this disparity in wealth and it feels almost a step away from reality.
“Some legends are just twisted truth; the things you get when you smudge the ink that writes the histories.”
There are many things that I can talk about in this review, but the thing that Caplan excels at is his character work. I can definitively say that I have never read a more realistic portrayal of mental health in a work of fiction. Edwin is autistic and has John is probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Caplan takes his readers inside the mind of both of these characters and we see firsthand the inner turmoil that these conditions cause. I, myself, am autistic and I see so much of myself reflected in Edwin and I know that Caplan is writing from experience because the representation is so authentic. To see myself so accurately portrayed on the page was so immensely validating to me that I can’t stop thinking about Edwin.
Speaking of representation, John and Edwin are gay and, like their mental health, it’s not a plot device or contrivance, but it just is. Their relationship is front and center and is, arguably, the main focus of the story, however it’s not fetishized or used in a way that belittles it. John and Edwin love each other and the world sees them as just another couple. It’s refreshing and I wish more authors would take this stance. After all, it’s fantasy; it’s all literally made up, so why can’t we make more worlds where non-heterosexual relationships are normalized? John and Edwin’s relationship is not an easy one for either to navigate. Between John’s obsession with escaping poverty and Edwin’s disability, their relationship is fraught with disagreement and misunderstanding. Neither are good with communication, John being somewhat self-centered and Edwin having a difficult time understand the subtleties, and they each try to give the other what they they think they need, often to disastrous results.
“The (sic) only way to make it right is to try and be better. Then you fail and try again. But you can’t do that if you’re caught up worrying over what’s already done, and what’s already done is not evil.”
There are only a few small gripes that I have with The Sword in the Street and they all have to do with the worldbuilding. The city felt real, with the rich literally living above the poor, but Caplan’s over reliance on using directions when navigating the city (i.e. X turned down Broad Street, then took a right at Main) just left me confused instead of grounding it further. This is a situation where a map might have helped, or maybe just more descriptive writing. Additionally, the magic system ended up a little nebulous in my mind. I understand the basics of how it was explained, but I wish there was a closer look at how it works, its uses, etc. In the end, these are small complaints that don’t affect the book because they’re not things that are central to this story.
Caplan wears his influences on his sleeves and very early on I determined that one of those is undoubtedly Robin Hobb. His skill with writing believable, nuanced characters reminded me so much of Hobb that I had to message him halfway through reading The Sword in the Street just to let him know. While the worldbuilding is a bit on the slim side, the novel really shines when Caplan dives deep into the emotions and internal thoughts of the characters. John and Edwin’s relationship is equal parts beautiful and tragic and their persistence to become who the other needs was wonderful to witness, even when they were making the wrong choices for the right reasons. Even though there were a few things that felt a little underdeveloped, I really loved The Sword in the Street and I hope that this review conveys that in some small way.
The Sword in the Street is a self published, low fantasy, Dickensian novel set in a pre-industrial European-esque world. It’s not a very plot-centric tale, instead focusing on the characters themselves and how they navigate this world that is determined and designed to keep them down. In fact, I might even label this as a slice of life story. Disputes between the nobles are settled by way of duel, a semi-religious affair where a pair of sponsored swordsmen fight to various states of injury. This sponsorship, as well as his lowborn status and a strange sense of loyalty, has led John Chronicle to being nothing more than an indentured servant, scrabbling to make ends meet. His patron, Lordess Triumph, like all of the nobles, views everything based on the profit it can bring her—and John’s profit margins are growing slimmer by the day. Patronage doesn’t only apply to the swordsmen employed by the noble houses, but extends out to every worker in the city. This ensures that those in Hillside stay in power and those in the Dregs stay in their place of servitude. It’s a grim world and one in which John is desperately trying to escape. His boyfriend Edwin, however was born into wealth and wants for nothing while his parents pay for his education and provide a monthly stipend for him to live on. Caplan gives a thorough examination of the hardships that come from this disparity in wealth and it feels almost a step away from reality.
“Some legends are just twisted truth; the things you get when you smudge the ink that writes the histories.”
There are many things that I can talk about in this review, but the thing that Caplan excels at is his character work. I can definitively say that I have never read a more realistic portrayal of mental health in a work of fiction. Edwin is autistic and has John is probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Caplan takes his readers inside the mind of both of these characters and we see firsthand the inner turmoil that these conditions cause. I, myself, am autistic and I see so much of myself reflected in Edwin and I know that Caplan is writing from experience because the representation is so authentic. To see myself so accurately portrayed on the page was so immensely validating to me that I can’t stop thinking about Edwin.
Speaking of representation, John and Edwin are gay and, like their mental health, it’s not a plot device or contrivance, but it just is. Their relationship is front and center and is, arguably, the main focus of the story, however it’s not fetishized or used in a way that belittles it. John and Edwin love each other and the world sees them as just another couple. It’s refreshing and I wish more authors would take this stance. After all, it’s fantasy; it’s all literally made up, so why can’t we make more worlds where non-heterosexual relationships are normalized? John and Edwin’s relationship is not an easy one for either to navigate. Between John’s obsession with escaping poverty and Edwin’s disability, their relationship is fraught with disagreement and misunderstanding. Neither are good with communication, John being somewhat self-centered and Edwin having a difficult time understand the subtleties, and they each try to give the other what they they think they need, often to disastrous results.
“The (sic) only way to make it right is to try and be better. Then you fail and try again. But you can’t do that if you’re caught up worrying over what’s already done, and what’s already done is not evil.”
There are only a few small gripes that I have with The Sword in the Street and they all have to do with the worldbuilding. The city felt real, with the rich literally living above the poor, but Caplan’s over reliance on using directions when navigating the city (i.e. X turned down Broad Street, then took a right at Main) just left me confused instead of grounding it further. This is a situation where a map might have helped, or maybe just more descriptive writing. Additionally, the magic system ended up a little nebulous in my mind. I understand the basics of how it was explained, but I wish there was a closer look at how it works, its uses, etc. In the end, these are small complaints that don’t affect the book because they’re not things that are central to this story.
Caplan wears his influences on his sleeves and very early on I determined that one of those is undoubtedly Robin Hobb. His skill with writing believable, nuanced characters reminded me so much of Hobb that I had to message him halfway through reading The Sword in the Street just to let him know. While the worldbuilding is a bit on the slim side, the novel really shines when Caplan dives deep into the emotions and internal thoughts of the characters. John and Edwin’s relationship is equal parts beautiful and tragic and their persistence to become who the other needs was wonderful to witness, even when they were making the wrong choices for the right reasons. Even though there were a few things that felt a little underdeveloped, I really loved The Sword in the Street and I hope that this review conveys that in some small way.
dustjacket_fullofmonsters's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahwriteaway's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is an unusual mixture of the quick-moving, high tension, action of sword fights with complex social and relationship issues that might seem more at home in literary fiction.
Our two protagonists are John, a swordsman who fights to settle the petty squabbles of the nobility, and Edwin, a neurodivergent student, who relies on a drug known as ‘Ash’ to calm his severe anxiety.
This is a second world fantasy, but with only a sprinkling of magic. The swordplay and system of Lords and Lordesses with names like Proud and Triumph feels medieval, but other aspects had more of a 17th or 18th century vibe for me: the monarchy have been overthrown, belief in magic has withered, and while belief in the ‘nailed god’ techically drives all legal decisions, it feels more like resignation than true faith. The world is also queer normative - the only thing people seem to find odd about John and Edwin’s relationship is their differing social status.
John and Edwin live completely separate lives during the day and come together at night, but not for scenes of smouldering passion for the most part - John is too tired (relatable). The relationship is sometimes loving, sometimes toxic. There were times when I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to root for them to be together or not. They just don’t talk, and when their plot lines do converge the reader can spot it way before they do.
Ultimately, the book was an interesting journey with both characters, but I found John’s storyline had more pace and direction than Edwin’s. The social change Edwin and his friend Audrey manage to enact seems to fade into the background of John’s struggles and I would have enjoyed seeing that foregrounded more in Edwin’s sections, creating more forward motion alongside the introspection. Still, it was an enjoyable rude and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for fantasy that’s a little different from the norm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
fantasybooknerd01's review
4.0
Sword In The Street is the debut by C.M.Caplan and tells the story of John Chronicle, a young man that fights for the aristocracy as a duellist, and his student lover Edwin.
Now, I am going to be quite honest (and am probably going to stand out a bit with this next statement) but I nearly didn’t finish the book as initially it didn’t quite click. I am not sure of the reason why, and to be honest, sometimes I don’t analyse the reason why and just go with it.
However, I decided to give it my full attention and stick with it, and I am glad that I did because I ended up enjoying it thoroughly.
The story, as I have said, revolves around the Duellist (and I use this term because it put me in mind of Ridley Scott’s film of the same name) John Chronicle who makes his living by duelling for the aristocracy when they bring a writ..against anything really, whether it be a legal argument, a point of honour, whatever they deem needs this. His life revolves around his occupation and his partner, Edwin, who is on the Autism Spectrum, and manages this by smoking a substance called Ash, which reduces his inner anxieties and gives him a calm to function without his anxieties overwhelming him.
There is a lot going on in this book, and it wasn’t till I thought about it that some of these themes came to the fore in my head. The book primarily focusses on the relationship between the John & Edwin. In Sword In The Street, C.M. Caplan focusses the microscopic lens onto the interactions between John & Edwin and we almost get a fly on the wall perspective of their everyday life.
I think, one of the reasons that I almost DNF’d this book was primarily this particular reason, and in all honesty it took me out of my comfort zone to have such a close relationships with the two protagonists. However, when I decided to dedicate my attention to the everyday interactions of the two protagonists, I started to warm to them and ended up admiring how honest CM Caplan is with his characters. He does not portray them as in any way heroic, but decides to give them a warts and all perspective, which put me in mind of an almost reality TV perspective.
Initially, I had a problem with the word building as it is quite sparse and you only get a vague, fuzzy outline of the world that the characters inhabit. However, this gives you an opportunity to paint whichever background that you want to put on. I have seen the terms gaslamp to describe the book, and also that it is in a Venetian style. However for me, I kind of put a 1800’s Parisian French slant on it, about the time of the Communards, especially with the descriptions of decrepit buildings and the disparity between the poor and the rich. Then I realised that this was a brilliant piece of writing as it gives the reader the ability to put their own interpretation onto what is being read. I don’t know if this was a conscious decision on the part of the writer, but if it is, it certainly works well.
Similarly with the magic system, it is not clearly defined and in all honesty, I am not sure if it is actually truly there, but it is intriguing and I would like to see how (or if) it develops.
As I said, the story follows the two main characters and the points of view alternate between the two perspectives, and throughout the reviews that you will have read, Edwin stands out as the most distinctive character. However, I want to talk about John first! John’s arc is quite a sublime one. He is obsessive about his art and goes through quite a rich character development. From a person who is vaguely aware of the underlying social injustices that the system that he is so ingrained in has, through a stage where he has it taken away from him, to a point where he is almost revered, and he takes advantage of this and finally to a semblance of redemption. He has quite a lot of issues, including being scarred from a traumatic childhood, which included physical abuse. However, not only that, he is trapped in the cycle of poverty, where the only thoughts that he indulges in is how is he going to manage today, and has as many problems with central coherence that Edwin does in his world view., and I have to admit that I got quite cross with John on a number of occasions, which when you think about it highlights that I got invested in the story.
Whilst I have mentioned that the main crux of the story revolves around John & Edwin, the other main character is Aubrey. Now I loved it when Aubrey came on the page. For me she was the one that is able to manage Edwin and give him critical learning points throughout the story, makes Edwin figure things out. However, she does not do this by rote, she carefully nudges him to make realisations and the big decisions.
The prose is quite clipped and CM Caplan does not use over descriptive narrative which works well. In addition to this, there are some intricately woven action scenes in there, particularly when he is describing the fencing scenes with John and whichever adversary that he is pitted against.
All in all, I enjoyed The Sword In The Street, especially when I got used to the writing style. It pushed me to read out of my comfort zone with its focusing on relationships, but this story of redemption and revolution did get under my skin, and it wasn’t until after I finished it that I realised how good it was.
If you liked this review and want to see more, visit my blog at www.fantasybooknerd.com
Now, I am going to be quite honest (and am probably going to stand out a bit with this next statement) but I nearly didn’t finish the book as initially it didn’t quite click. I am not sure of the reason why, and to be honest, sometimes I don’t analyse the reason why and just go with it.
However, I decided to give it my full attention and stick with it, and I am glad that I did because I ended up enjoying it thoroughly.
The story, as I have said, revolves around the Duellist (and I use this term because it put me in mind of Ridley Scott’s film of the same name) John Chronicle who makes his living by duelling for the aristocracy when they bring a writ..against anything really, whether it be a legal argument, a point of honour, whatever they deem needs this. His life revolves around his occupation and his partner, Edwin, who is on the Autism Spectrum, and manages this by smoking a substance called Ash, which reduces his inner anxieties and gives him a calm to function without his anxieties overwhelming him.
There is a lot going on in this book, and it wasn’t till I thought about it that some of these themes came to the fore in my head. The book primarily focusses on the relationship between the John & Edwin. In Sword In The Street, C.M. Caplan focusses the microscopic lens onto the interactions between John & Edwin and we almost get a fly on the wall perspective of their everyday life.
I think, one of the reasons that I almost DNF’d this book was primarily this particular reason, and in all honesty it took me out of my comfort zone to have such a close relationships with the two protagonists. However, when I decided to dedicate my attention to the everyday interactions of the two protagonists, I started to warm to them and ended up admiring how honest CM Caplan is with his characters. He does not portray them as in any way heroic, but decides to give them a warts and all perspective, which put me in mind of an almost reality TV perspective.
Initially, I had a problem with the word building as it is quite sparse and you only get a vague, fuzzy outline of the world that the characters inhabit. However, this gives you an opportunity to paint whichever background that you want to put on. I have seen the terms gaslamp to describe the book, and also that it is in a Venetian style. However for me, I kind of put a 1800’s Parisian French slant on it, about the time of the Communards, especially with the descriptions of decrepit buildings and the disparity between the poor and the rich. Then I realised that this was a brilliant piece of writing as it gives the reader the ability to put their own interpretation onto what is being read. I don’t know if this was a conscious decision on the part of the writer, but if it is, it certainly works well.
Similarly with the magic system, it is not clearly defined and in all honesty, I am not sure if it is actually truly there, but it is intriguing and I would like to see how (or if) it develops.
As I said, the story follows the two main characters and the points of view alternate between the two perspectives, and throughout the reviews that you will have read, Edwin stands out as the most distinctive character. However, I want to talk about John first! John’s arc is quite a sublime one. He is obsessive about his art and goes through quite a rich character development. From a person who is vaguely aware of the underlying social injustices that the system that he is so ingrained in has, through a stage where he has it taken away from him, to a point where he is almost revered, and he takes advantage of this and finally to a semblance of redemption. He has quite a lot of issues, including being scarred from a traumatic childhood, which included physical abuse. However, not only that, he is trapped in the cycle of poverty, where the only thoughts that he indulges in is how is he going to manage today, and has as many problems with central coherence that Edwin does in his world view., and I have to admit that I got quite cross with John on a number of occasions, which when you think about it highlights that I got invested in the story.
Whilst I have mentioned that the main crux of the story revolves around John & Edwin, the other main character is Aubrey. Now I loved it when Aubrey came on the page. For me she was the one that is able to manage Edwin and give him critical learning points throughout the story, makes Edwin figure things out. However, she does not do this by rote, she carefully nudges him to make realisations and the big decisions.
The prose is quite clipped and CM Caplan does not use over descriptive narrative which works well. In addition to this, there are some intricately woven action scenes in there, particularly when he is describing the fencing scenes with John and whichever adversary that he is pitted against.
All in all, I enjoyed The Sword In The Street, especially when I got used to the writing style. It pushed me to read out of my comfort zone with its focusing on relationships, but this story of redemption and revolution did get under my skin, and it wasn’t until after I finished it that I realised how good it was.
If you liked this review and want to see more, visit my blog at www.fantasybooknerd.com
stevesbookstuff's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a great read. It's a queer indie fantasy by a debut author. While it is a fantasy, it deals frankly with real world topic and issues in a refreshing and honest way. So you get swordplay 𝘢𝘯𝘥 relationship issues! 😊
I was offered this book as part of a book tour and am really glad it came my way.
I could go on and on about it, but if you're interested my full review is here: https://tinyurl.com/3w4w5cj9
I was offered this book as part of a book tour and am really glad it came my way.
I could go on and on about it, but if you're interested my full review is here: https://tinyurl.com/3w4w5cj9
clendorie's review
adventurous
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Sword in the Street reminds me of Swordspoint, Ellen Kushner's masterpiece and one of my favorite books ever. It may not quite live up to its predecessor but it's an interesting novel by a promising author.
The Sword in the Street features John, a duelist who scrapes every coin he can find in hopes of escaping the slums he was born into. While he is not working for his patron, Lordess Triumph, he spends time with his boyfriend Edwin, an autistic student disowned by his family. It's easy to be invested because the conflicts mirror real-world problems. Most of the story is about their daily struggles to escape poverty while the nobles families use power, money and the law to maintain a status quo that only benefit them. They both want to better their lives but they have different perspectives on it: John is fixed on short-term goals (gain more money to rent a better room) while Edwin is more idealistic and wants to change the law to help everyone.
The relationship between John and Edwin is the emotional core of the book. They clearly love each other but don't know how to communicate. Even though he is working hard on it, Edwin is incapable to read social cues and needs people to express themselves clearly. John is set in his ways and emotionally stunted (in the first draft, I wrote 'selfish bastard' but that's because I can't stand him).
Edwin is a wonderful character. He is earnest and wants nothing more than be a better friend a better partner for John. He may come as pushy and needy sometimes but it's something he's working on.
Meanwhile, John... I hate him. He had a rude upbringing (rampant poverty, abusive father) but most of his actions are selfish and he never, never considers others' opinions. Everything is about him and he fools himself thinking that he's helping. His relationship with Edwin was infuriating. Since the book alternates viewpoints, we see that Edwin cares about him but not so much from John. He spends more time complaining that Edwin is needy and doesn't know when to stop asking, even though he knows that words need to be spoken clearly. I really wanted to help Edwin realize that he doesn't have to stay with John because he might become a better man in the future. John may start to redeem himself in the last pages but real change take time and I'm not sure he is up to the task.
I hope the author plan to write a sequel because I want to see how this city will handle the changes with free work and a disarrayed nobility. Also, more Edwin and Aubrey please, they're great characters and I love their friendship.
The Sword in the Street features John, a duelist who scrapes every coin he can find in hopes of escaping the slums he was born into. While he is not working for his patron, Lordess Triumph, he spends time with his boyfriend Edwin, an autistic student disowned by his family. It's easy to be invested because the conflicts mirror real-world problems. Most of the story is about their daily struggles to escape poverty while the nobles families use power, money and the law to maintain a status quo that only benefit them. They both want to better their lives but they have different perspectives on it: John is fixed on short-term goals (gain more money to rent a better room) while Edwin is more idealistic and wants to change the law to help everyone.
The relationship between John and Edwin is the emotional core of the book. They clearly love each other but don't know how to communicate. Even though he is working hard on it, Edwin is incapable to read social cues and needs people to express themselves clearly. John is set in his ways and emotionally stunted (in the first draft, I wrote 'selfish bastard' but that's because I can't stand him).
Edwin is a wonderful character. He is earnest and wants nothing more than be a better friend a better partner for John. He may come as pushy and needy sometimes but it's something he's working on.
Meanwhile, John... I hate him. He had a rude upbringing (rampant poverty, abusive father) but most of his actions are selfish and he never, never considers others' opinions. Everything is about him and he fools himself thinking that he's helping. His relationship with Edwin was infuriating. Since the book alternates viewpoints, we see that Edwin cares about him but not so much from John. He spends more time complaining that Edwin is needy and doesn't know when to stop asking, even though he knows that words need to be spoken clearly. I really wanted to help Edwin realize that he doesn't have to stay with John because he might become a better man in the future. John may start to redeem himself in the last pages but real change take time and I'm not sure he is up to the task.
I hope the author plan to write a sequel because I want to see how this city will handle the changes with free work and a disarrayed nobility. Also, more Edwin and Aubrey please, they're great characters and I love their friendship.
ninetalevixen's review
I received a review copy for the blog tour through Caffeine Book Tours; all opinions are my own and honest.