Bel Reviews: Sarah Silverwood - "Double-edged Sword" and "Traitor's Gate"

I’m one of those people that likes something left for me to discover about a book after reading the review. I read the first book of this series last year, and though the book is well thought out and evenly paced, I found it difficult to write a review without giving the away whole plot.

The deep and intricate way the stories are woven together really has everything connected in such a way that to tell one story, is to involve them all. So upon completing the second book this week, I think I can now natter out a skeletal enough review without totally ruining all the surprises that will await you, should you decide to pick the series up and give it a go.

Our key characters are British teenage boys, Fin, Christopher, and Joe. They know each other from the schools that Fin attends in an alternating order. The journey through book 1 Double Edged Sword introduces Fin and his friends to the alternate reality London called Nowhere, and the secret society of knights that keep the Somewhere (the London reality that Fin and his friends grew up in) very much separate from the Nowhere. Confused yet? Fin’s main storyline is that he just wants to find out who his parents are.

In book 2, Traitor’s Gate, Fin’s main storyline from book one isn’t as prominent, while the struggles of Christopher and Joe share equal page space. There is an evil forcing the Somewhere and the Nowhere to align, sending both realities into utter chaos. The boys are struggling to find out who’s responsible and how to fix the rift.

As I said before, the books are evenly paced, though that pace is very slow. I think this series would be a little more consumable if it were in audio format, or if you’re a teen that still enjoys being read to, this would make a brilliant read aloud series.

There is political intrigue, gypsies, thieves and damsels in distress everywhere.  There are twists in the least likely places and stick with it until the end of Traitors Gate to have your mind blown away and to have you really wishing book three, The London Stone, was close at hand.  But you’ll have to wait until March 2012 for that third installment.