Sworn to Raise

by Terah Edun

• ISBN10: 1620512076
• ISBN13: 9781620512074
• Publish Date: 3 February 2016 (first published 9 April 2013)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Terah Edun Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 220
• Language: English

Reviews

[Heather]

This is a book that I loved until I didn't.

The beginning of the story drew me in quickly.  I loved the writing and the story of a girl who is discovered in the laundry and trained to be a courtesan.

She is the last of a family of powerful mages.  She has the ability to amplify the magic of anyone else.  This is very attractive in a companion.  Companions are chosen for life.  The Patron may go through multiple marriages but companions stay by their side as business partners and sometimes as romantic partners.  Ciardis peaks the interest of both men and women interested in her powers.

Then, about halfway through the story, it started to lag.  It started slipping into too many tropes for my liking.  The Prince is in disguise!  Ciardis doesn't realize how powerful she is!  There are evil people advising the King!  Any of these could be worked into a good story but this book didn't seem to go deep enough.  It was like it was hitting the highlights of what should be in a fantasy book.

I did like the fact that there was no romance in this book.  That is a nice change of pace.  I have a feeling that it will change in future books but it was nice for now.

I am still intrigued enough in the overall story to give the next book a try.  The reviews on Goodreads suggest that it is better than the first one.  So far there are nine books in this series.  I'm can't imagine where this could be going that requires that many but I'm willing to be surprised.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Sworn to Raise managed to fill my need for a light fantasy novel, while still providing some interesting backstory and new magic system.

Ciardis does fall into the troupe of “unknowing chosen one” since she is plucked out of unlikely circumstances and suddenly finds out that her family is one of the more powerful magic families out there but I did like Ciardis despite this. She’s a sweet but feisty girl, who works hard, and is highly independent. Not to mention she doesn’t fall head over heels for anyone in this book, despite the premise centering around her finding a Companion within the Imperial Court. The whole idea is of a companion is somewhat similar to finding a marriage partner, except you have better social standing and receive more power. Plus it’s more of a strategic move than a romantic one, which I really liked the idea of. It added a touch of political intrigue that I wasn’t expecting. The idea of a Land Wight is also a new one to me, and while I would have loved more details about it, I really liked the way it played into the story. Ciardis’ mentor and sponsor was also a nice addition tot he story with her rather scathing sarcasm.

Part of the problem I had with the story is that in it’s simplicity and ease it lost some of the time needed to grow the story naturally. A lot happens in this 265 page book, and I would have loved to see some inner conflict about joining the companions or some more scenes with the Prince before an alliance was ever formed.

Overall it’s one of the more shallow fantasy novels, but for someone who might might enough page after page of detail this is perfect and it certainly filled that need for me. I can’t wait to see how Ciardis’ decisions in this book play into book two and how people will react to her alliance with the prince.

I'd say more like 2.5 stars. I enjoyed it plot wise and thought it was interesting, but the writing and randomness left much to be desired. Also, not much cohesion.
Full review to come.