Book Review: A Sword Among Ravens (The Long-Hair Saga) by Cynthia Ripley Miller @CRipleyMiller @maryanneyarde

A Sword Among Ravens

(The Long-Hair Saga)

By Cynthia Ripley Miller

Publication Date: 9th December 2020 Publisher: BookLocker Page Length: 267 Pages

Genre: Romantic Historical Mystery

In a grave, on the edge of a Roman battlefield, an ancient sword has been discovered. Legend claims it belonged to King David of Israel and carries a curse—those who wield it will tragically die—but not the chosen.   

AD 455. Arria Felix and her husband, Garic the Frank, have safely delivered a sacred relic to Emperor Marcian in Constantinople. But now, Arria and Garic will accept a new mission. The emperor has asked them to carry the sword of King David of Israel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Arria will dedicate it in her murdered father’s memory.

As Arria and Garic travel into the heart of the Holy Land, they face many challenges and dangers. Their young daughter is missing then found in the company of a strange and suspicious old monk. A brutal killer stalks their path. And a band of cold-blooded thieves is determined to steal the sword for their own gains. But when Arria confronts the question of where the sword should truly rest—old friendships, loyalties, and her duty are put to the test like never before. At every turn, Arria and Garic find themselves caught in a treacherous mission wrapped in mystery, murder, and A Sword Among Ravens.

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review 

A Sword Among Ravens

📚📚📚📚📚 

If only more authors took a chance and wrote a historical fiction novel that is not set in the conventional and predictable eras that fill the bookcases of shops, both online and in the high street. If only publishers would take a chance - there is only so much us poor readers can take of Ancient Rome, the Vikings, the Tudors and Regency period and, of course, World War 2. Sigh. Anyway, A Sword Among Ravens breaks the mould, for it is set in the late 5th Century in the Eastern Roman Empire. Unlike the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Empire is not one that I know much about. Neither did I know that the Jews had been banished from their own city.

This novel is about a sword that is to believe to be King’s David’s - unfortunately the sword is cursed unless you are deemed worthy. The best that Emperor Flavius Valerius Marcian can come up with is to return the cursed sword to Jerusalem, but who to send? His decision to send Arria, his late son’s wife and her new husband may seem a little reckless, but there is no one he trusts more. Everything must be done in the utmost of secrecy for there are those who see the sword as a way of making money - curse dor not. If the price is high enough then there are men willing to take the risk.

With a tremendous talent for creating believable characters and a storyline that was quite simply sublime, Ripley-Miller has written a story this is next to impossible to turn away from. I became utterly engrossed in the trials and tribulations that face Arria as she tries her best to deliver the sword to a place where it will be treasured and protected. The threat of death dangles over all those responsible for the sword’s protection, and death plagues them on this dangerous mission. Likewise, the antagonists of this tale are desperate to get their hands on this sacred weapon. By choosing to show both sides of the story, Ripley-Miller has given her readers a real insight into just how important this sword was. She also demonstrates how greed can overcome good sense and self-preservation. I don’t think I would want to possess such a weapon unless it had chosen me, not that that would be likely, for I know nothing of swords or Gods for that matter!

Although the story of the sword is fictional and from the author’s imagination, I really liked the idea of it. In a time when holy relics were sought after and cherished, especially Christian ones, such as the cross Jesus died on, then it made sense that the Jews should also have something as sacred as their ruined temple (which unfortunately they could not visit, for Jews were banned from the city during this era - I looked it up on Google). The idea that there was a curse on the sword also gave this story a sense of menace. Was the sword good or evil? I guess it depended upon who you were.

With careful use of word-building, Ripley-Miller has presented her readers with a novel that is not only thoroughly enjoyable but one I could happily read over and over again. The only slight reservation I had about this novel was the ending. I will not give away any spoilers, but I don’t think I would have been quite so forgiving.

If you enjoy historical fiction but are fed up with reading the done to death eras, then you should definitely check this novel out.

You can find this novel over on your favourite bookstore!

Cynthia Ripley Miller is a first generation Italian-American writer with a love for history, languages, and books. She has lived in Europe and traveled world-wide, holds two degrees, and taught history and English. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthology Summer Tapestry, at Orchard Press Mysteries.com, and The Scriptor. She is a Chanticleer International Chatelaine Award finalist with awards from Circle of Books-Rings of Honor and The Coffee Pot Book Club. She has reviewed for UNRV Roman History, and blogs at Historical Happenings and Oddities: A Distant Focus and on her website, www.cynthiaripleymiller.com You can also find her on the following social media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthiaripleymiller/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRipleyMiller

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cripleymiller/ancient-world-fiction/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Ripley-Miller/e/B012P0FJC6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56274617-a-sword-among-ravens

Cynthia is the author of On the Edge of Sunrise, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, and A Sword Among Ravens, books 1-3 in her Long-Hair Saga series set in Late Ancient Rome, France, and Jerusalem. Cynthia lives outside of Chicago with her family, along with a cute but bossy cat.