The Sword and the Dagger

by Robert Cochran, Jr.

[nightingalereads]

3.25 stars

Going into this book, I really had no idea what to expect. The premise sounded intriguing - a Christian princess, a Muslim assassin, and a neighboring prince forced together on a quest that may leave them bonding despite their differences.

Robert Cochran's author bio says he was a co-creator of the show 24, which doesn't surprise me at all. The plot of this story reads like it could be written for TV. It's quick-paced, for sure - definitely not of the Tolkien variety - but still intricate. Though the plot moves like a high-speed train, the story still manages to explore a lot of interesting and relevant themes, especially when it comes to religion. The most important to me being: how do you view and treat others who have different beliefs than you?

There were a few aspects of the story that bothered me.

- Conrad's view of women for the first half of the book was irritating, though I know it's meant to reflect the time period.

- As far as the portrayal of religion, I'll preface by saying I'm a Christian, so I can't speak in-depth on the representation for the Muslim characters, but the Christianity depicted in this book was very surface level. (Which was obviously fine and as expected, since it's not a Christian book!)

- All of the characters could've used more fleshing out. Though I enjoyed our three protagonists, they felt a little like cardboard cutouts and never had my full emotional investment. Rashid was my favorite, though, if I had to choose.

Overall, this book was both fun and thought-provoking. The title The Sword & the Dagger also makes a lot of sense once you finish. I'm curious if this story will be a standalone or if a sequel is in the works!