Across the Sorrow Sea by Anthony Ryan (Book Five of the Seven Swords)

Source: NetGalley – Thank you to the publisher!!
TL;DR: One of the better installments in the series. Good action and monsters, and we finally get part of an answer for why the swords were made.

Plot: This was definitely a plot first book. We got some major reveals and the new direction of the story was revealed.
Characters: The party is getting very large that is traveling with Pilgrim – and that did feel a hair overwhelming at first but seems to have balanced out well.
Setting: Lovely setting, as always. The seascape was captured fantastically and I wanted more time on our wizard’s island of madness.
Magic: The magic on the new sword in this one was a little underwhelming but the surrounding magic with the pirates and spectral isle completely made up for it. Loved all of that.

Thoughts:

I think The Seven Swords series is nearly the end and I don’t know that I’m ready? Across The Sorrow Sea has got to be one of my favorite entries in the series since the second or third book. The balance of exploration of the world and the action on and off the sea? Fantastic.

It’s hard to review these books without giving spoilers for the whole series but let’s give this a shot. The Seven Swords series follows a group as they seek to find out how and why a series of demon inhabited swords (truly a wide variety of blades but let’s say swords since that’s the series name) was made. We get new members to our group as we travel and uncover new swords almost every volume. Each book has a unique setting and this one is on the water, crossing the sea in search of a vanishing island.

I did call the little twist at the end for the sword, but those monsters and those fights? Anthony Ryan always manages to slip something into everyone of his stories that surprises me. This was no exception even when it clocked in at less than two hundred pages.

I truly recommend this series for fantasy fans. The kindle ebooks are inexpensive, all the books are on the shorter side and you get to try out one of my favorite authors. I’ve turned a lot of my friends onto this series with great success and the series just keeps getting better. Pick these up!!