Hi Cara,
It’s another debut novel that being reviewed today. This time its Shaun Curry book The Sword of Silence. The Sword of Silence is the first book in The Swords of Fire Trilogy.
Father Joaquim Martinez left Portugal to spread Gods Words to the people of Japan and made his home in the Hizen Province.
As the country is under the control of the Shogun the military dictator, who believes Christian views are destroying Japan. Christianity is outlawed and caught worshipping will be sentenced to death.
With the threat of a massacre looming, and the Shogun’s samurai closing in, Father Joaquim Martinez must decide, if he is willing to risk everything, to save those he the people he has sworn to protect.
Shaun Curry doesn’t hold back this book is brutal.
I think that I have a strong stomach for violence but some of it took me by surprise. It shows what people were willing to do to each other due to religious persecution.
The story direction is guided by Father Joaquim Martinez faith, this means that you are never sure what is going to happen. It doesn’t matter what situation Father Martinez is in his belief is always strong.
The Sword of Silence is a book that in places I wanted to read between my fingers. You know something bad is going to happen but you don’t want to look away.
The Religous element is strong in The Sword of Silence. It is an important element in the book as it is the motivating factor of the story. I did have a hard time with the constant questioning of faith but I understand that it is needed for the story. (This might have more to do with my own relationship with religion. Also, the fact I would not try as hard as the villagers do to keep their faith.)
One of my favourite elements of The Sword of Silence is the comparison between the Christian faith and the other religions and professions. Showing that even if you label something differently the inside is the same.
The fighting element in the book was another one of my favourite element. The scene where gripping, action-packed with the hard and soft elements. I like that it was different from other Japanese fighting scenes I had previously read.
My rating for The Sword of Silence is 4 out of 5.
The Sword of Silence is published 19th September 2019.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Inspire for the ARC e-book copy of The Sword of Silence for a fair and honest review.
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Thanks for reading,
