4 out of 4 stars
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Mirrored Sword Part Two by Allan Hands is a historical fiction that borders on war, love, misunderstanding, and rebellion. Susanna was a lady who had been fascinated by the king and wanted to serve him as his lover and painter. She went to the extent of trying to drown a man she presumed was an enemy of the king. Coming from a distant place on the king's invitation to meet the king and getting all her plans altered got her frustrated and angry. Things get interesting when she discovers that the man she thought was a rebel might not be one. How far would she continue to pin after a man who paid her no attention? What would become of the rebels when the truth eventually comes to light?
There is a lot to relish about the book. The book was enthralling and imbued with elements of suspense and irony. Susanna thought Tom was on the king's side, and Tom acted along. The plot is substantial and has intriguing twists of events, starting from the arrival of the Roussell brothers at the Mandeville house to the adventures encountered on the way and to the cancellation of the friendship tour. The author's writing style is expository and flavored with humor. For example, "the stream was already winking at the rain’s return" was something I found humorous in its context.
Several figures of speech were employed to enhance the book. The author made use of personification. "Flames were stretching and yawning as though they are humans," and "the light gasped" on page one were good instances. Simile was also present quite a number of times. Some of the comparisons were amazing. The author's descriptive aptitude was prominent in his construction of events and character development. He introduced each character in a precise and sometimes in a dramatic way. I particularly liked the character of Cecily. Worth mentioning is the author's penchant for forming nicknames on the characters. Surprisingly most of the nicknames were befitting for the characters. I also liked how the author would write the name of the characters he was writing about at the top of each page.
On the negative aspect of the book, the use of English in some of the chapters was written in strange English. Some of the characters' names were different from how they appeared the first time. For example, Peter was called Pietro but was later explained in further chapters. I felt as though I was missing some essential points at some points. This could be because I didn't read part one of the book.
The book was well-written and professionally edited. I found an error, but it did not hinder my comprehension of the book. Mirrored Sword Part Two is an amazing story that will keep you up all night and leave you craving for the next page. I, therefore, rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to lovers of historical fiction. Those who love books on adventure will also enjoy this book.
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Mirrored Sword Part Two
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