ONLY THE BROKEN CAN LEAD THE DEAD… ally, Roaran is Archanin’s prisoner. The fallen god shackles his prize in a desolate castle hidden by magic – a solitary possession to be tortured and humiliated. But there’s something dangerous his captor wants from Roaran, and if he breaks, the dark legacy of his fall will change the fate of kingdoms.
Save him or kill him
As city after city is seduced by Archanin, Dannon struggles to hold the Sword Brotherhood of ancient warriors together. He wants to save Roaran. But if he can’t, he’ll have to kill him.
The secret keeper
The brotherhood’s only hope of defeating Archanin is a young woman trapped in the past. Warrior, sorceress, Genya knows keeping secrets is how you survive. Now she must decide between duty or power. But when the brotherhood makes its final desperate stand against a tyrant and deceiver, what if the chosen one chooses evil?
A breathtaking, heart-pounding journey into darkness and the redemptive power of friendship.
The darkest yet in the Shadow Sword saga, The Sword Brotherhood will enthral fans of this epic fantasy series from the author of the award-winning The 19th Bladesman.
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The Sword Brotherhood is the third book in The Shadow Sword series by Susan Hartland. Having not read book one or two, I had some research to do in order to full appreciate book three. The book opens with the lead, Roaran, a prisoner of the lead villain Archanin., who was once his ally, but now wants Roaran to lay his secrets bare. Of course, Roaran endures with determination. The dark imagery and torture is distressing, but immensely effective. I connected with Roaran, I felt the pain of his betrayal and I couldn’t wait to see him liberated.
The Sword Brotherhood combines riveting action and intensely, visceral scenes from page one! While Archanin keeps Roaran imprisoned in a castle protected by magic trying to extract dangerous information that could change the fate of the kingdoms, Dannon struggles to keep the Sword Brotherhood together. He enlists the help of a mighty sorceress, Genya, in an attempt to free Roaran and defeat Archanin, but secrets and savagery stands in their way.
Great fantasies explore the boundaries between ‘good and evil’, and offer glimpses into alternate realities, shaking us from our apathy and challenging our perceptions. The Shadow Sword series achieves this while seducing readers with elaborately crafted realms, enticing plot twists, and unexpected revelations into characters that beguile and disturb.
The Sword Brotherhood reveals a world tearing itself apart through manipulation, domination and subjugation, that was chillingly familiar.
“The Sword Brotherhood,” Book Three in The Shadow Sword Series by S.J. Hartland, is a fantasy so dark, twisted, and all-consuming it should come with the disclaimer: “Warning: this book may cause lack of sleep and the loss of desire to do anything but read.”
Roaran Caelan, the Seer King, is betrayed by a friend and given up to the evil ghoul-god, Archanin. Through a decade of torture Archanin peels away the layers of Roaran’s heart, mind, and soul until there’s seemingly nothing left but a shell of the man he once was. The Sword Brotherhood of ancient warriors come together to rescue Roaran, but it’s a fickle battle of wills amongst the brotherhood, who discover their only hope lies in a young girl, Genya, the one foretold to destroy the ghoul-god and save the world. But at what cost? It’s an epic battle of good versus evil as humanity’s only hope is lured to the dark side.
While the story is epic dark fantasy it’s anything but your standard prose and reads like a psychological thriller on steroids. It will definitely get inside your head. The author is a writing mastermind who creates with an expert hand and an almost poetic grace, even when dealing out torture to one of her unsuspecting characters. She skillfully weaves together unfathomable brutality, bitter vengeance, heartbreaking betrayal, and unrequited love, and does so through shifting loyalties, ultimate sacrifices, the rise and fall of honor, unlikely friendship, and the never-ending battle of good versus evil. The world-building is top-notch, the characters are striking and multi-dimensional and, I may have said this before, but it begs repeating – The Shadow Sword series would make an outstanding movie or television series.
In a series that checks all the boxes, it’s hard to name just one thing that stands out, but for me it would have to be the ruthlessness Hartland displays towards her characters – she’s not afraid to kill anyone off or torture them within an inch of their life so don’t get too enamored with any one person! You just never know what’s going to happen next.
Opening one of Hartland’s stories is a journey that delivers you straight into her dark world and “The Sword Brotherhood” is a compelling continuation of one of the best fantasy series I have ever read. I highly recommend readers pick up the first two books in the series: The 19th Bladesman and The Last Seer King as you won’t want to miss a single word of this unforgettable adventure.
I am looking forward to part 4. I read the whole series and each book is better than the previous one. The author is really talented and I was on the edge of my seat reading this stunning book. What I love the most is the fact that characters seem to be so real they make mistakes and there are no divine powers who rescue them but they suffer from consequences and if they are rescued they get it thanks to hard work not any miraculous event. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves epic fantasy.