The Silver Sword Review

The Silver Sword is written by Angela Elwell Hunt and can fall into the categories of Christian, romance, and historical fiction. It is the first novel in the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor series.

"The auburned-haired O'Connor women share a bond far deeper than their striking physical appearance. These courageous, high-spirited women all push against societal limits in this exciting historical, romantic novel that spans generations and countries from 13th-century Ireland to the excitement and mystery of 15th-century Prague.

It is said that as Cahira, daughter of the great Irish king Rory O'Connor, lay dying of a wound from a Norman blade, she beseeched God that others would follow her calling. To Kathleen O'Connor, Cahira's story was nothing more than a fable--until research divulged that the tale was true. As a stunned Kathleen realizes that she herself bears the mark of Cahira, she wonders if she is destined to continue the legacy.To uncover the answers, Kathleen delves into the past to find the truth about the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor. It is a journey that carries her across generations, from the battlefields of 13th-century Ireland to the castles of 15th-century Prague. It is a past filled with peril, courage, vengeance, love, and sacrifice beyond anything she has ever known."~Goodreads*

"We are all Hussites without knowing it." -Page 388

I feel like I should say the reasons I decided to read The Silver Sword. The first is my mom wanted me to read something from the church library, while the second and third are the plot sounded intriguing and I was studying the time period. Was being the key word. I have had the book in my possession for five months. You may question why I didn't read it sooner or bring it back, but I was determined to read this book and others just decided to be read before. I think part of the reason I found the plot appealing is because the main character is Irish and I'm Irish, plus we have a girl defying "stereotypes".

Needless to say, I'm very glad I chose to pick up it up. Hunt's writing drew me in from to get go. Her research was thoroughly conducted and accurate. The book helped me determine better what was going on with that one event than two paragraphs of a textbook did. As I read, I was able to understand what several terms meant, and the world building was great.

There were those slow parts when I desperately wanted to put the book down because let's be honest, I like my action scenes. During those parts I found myself flipping to see the number of pages left in a section. One thing that irked me the whole book was how Anika wants vengeance even though she knows her Bible and it says that revenge is the Lord's. I do know without this there would be no plot and no book, and my feelings toward this were resolved at the end.

I loved it and the ending. It was one of those that leaves you satisfied enough but urges you to go read the rest of the series (which I can't wait to do especially after reading the excerpt when I originally planned on not doing). I can't wait to find out what happens to Kathleen, though that requires more reading and not instant answers. However, I do want to know what everyone thought once Anika's secret was revealed. This will be one hard story to live up to.

Rating:

*This is not the description on the back of the book, and I find this one far less intriguing. Therefore I am attaching a picture for anyone who wishes to read a different version (click to see better).