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and_abelard_reads's review
3.0
It took me aaages to get into this so my lower rating may be a little undeserved.
The characters took shape slowly and gradually, with their motivations seeming to be the primary mystery rather than the one driving the plot. Once we got into the action the pace was almost breakneck and some of the high-stakes scenes really got the adrenaline going.
I was a little disappointed by the resolution (leading neatly into book 2) but it involved some great characterisation and character development and some really fun swashbuckling.
TL:DR Fun swashbuckling and snark with nice clockworky world-building. Promising series opener.
The characters took shape slowly and gradually, with their motivations seeming to be the primary mystery rather than the one driving the plot. Once we got into the action the pace was almost breakneck and some of the high-stakes scenes really got the adrenaline going.
I was a little disappointed by the resolution (leading neatly into book 2) but it involved some great characterisation and character development and some really fun swashbuckling.
TL:DR Fun swashbuckling and snark with nice clockworky world-building. Promising series opener.
obviousthings's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book. I wasn't sure about it at first (I found Edgimont's chapters... rather trying), but I kept reading and really enjoyed it. It goes in-depth into Vocho and Kacha's self-esteem issues and complicated sibling relationship in a way that feels so real. I loved the contrast between Kacha's perfectionism and Vocho's reckless confidence, because when it comes down to it, they're two sides of the same coin.
The setting is pretty easy to get into, which can be a plus (I love challenging worldbuilding, but sometimes I want something a bit lighter). I didn't like Kacha's romance subplot at all, but it's not really the focus of her character arc, so I mostly just ignored it.
The setting is pretty easy to get into, which can be a plus (I love challenging worldbuilding, but sometimes I want something a bit lighter). I didn't like Kacha's romance subplot at all, but it's not really the focus of her character arc, so I mostly just ignored it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse and Slavery
Moderate warnings forannastarlight's review
3.0
French revolution meets fantasy novel meets Musketeers meets steampunk. The lack of women made me sad.
I picked up Swords and Scoundrels because of the main characters: a brother and sister, both trained duelists. Siblings? Sword-fighting? Count me in! I was disappointed, however, to find out that the vast majority of the novel is told from the brother's - Vocho - point of view. It took up to fifty pages for Kacha's point of view to appear. It was such a disappointment to me that the first paragraph of her chapter, written in her voice, recounts her feelings for relatable antagonist Egimont.
Can we please, please, pretty please with a fucking cherry on top, stop making female characters that are defined in relation to men? Can we stop making them the object of desire, controlled by their feelings, giving them only page time when we need some romantic subplot? It feels slightly unfair to go on this rant, because Kacha does get better as the book progresses, but truly, I feel let down. I was looking for a fantasy book in which men and women are given equal standing - if not in the world of the book itself, then at least in the narrative. Instead, I got yet another fantasy book where all key characters and the vast majority of the supporting cast is comprised of men. The king, the prelate, the guild master; all three key political players are men. The only slightly relevant woman besides Kacha is a female magician, who predictably, is sexually dominant and seduces any man she comes across. It saddens me that fantasy as a genre is still stuck in this narrow paradigm of what a story should be like.
The characterization itself was rather flat as well, most characters only having one clearly-defined motivation or issue. The world on the other hand, felt fresh and interesting. Swords and Scoundrels largely avoids long info-dumps, and I enjoyed discovering more about the clockwork-meets-fantasy world that Ms Knight has created. There is enough background information to give rise to interesting political and cultural struggles, and these bits in the story I very much enjoyed.
It is a shame, really, that Swords and Scoundrels wasn't what I expected it would be. I do think the book is fun; there is plenty of action, an interesting debate on democracy in the background, the power imbalance of swords versus guns, and the world does need more stories about siblings.
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Trigger warnings:violence.
I picked up Swords and Scoundrels because of the main characters: a brother and sister, both trained duelists. Siblings? Sword-fighting? Count me in! I was disappointed, however, to find out that the vast majority of the novel is told from the brother's - Vocho - point of view. It took up to fifty pages for Kacha's point of view to appear. It was such a disappointment to me that the first paragraph of her chapter, written in her voice, recounts her feelings for relatable antagonist Egimont.
Can we please, please, pretty please with a fucking cherry on top, stop making female characters that are defined in relation to men? Can we stop making them the object of desire, controlled by their feelings, giving them only page time when we need some romantic subplot? It feels slightly unfair to go on this rant, because Kacha does get better as the book progresses, but truly, I feel let down. I was looking for a fantasy book in which men and women are given equal standing - if not in the world of the book itself, then at least in the narrative. Instead, I got yet another fantasy book where all key characters and the vast majority of the supporting cast is comprised of men. The king, the prelate, the guild master; all three key political players are men. The only slightly relevant woman besides Kacha is a female magician, who predictably, is sexually dominant and seduces any man she comes across. It saddens me that fantasy as a genre is still stuck in this narrow paradigm of what a story should be like.
The characterization itself was rather flat as well, most characters only having one clearly-defined motivation or issue. The world on the other hand, felt fresh and interesting. Swords and Scoundrels largely avoids long info-dumps, and I enjoyed discovering more about the clockwork-meets-fantasy world that Ms Knight has created. There is enough background information to give rise to interesting political and cultural struggles, and these bits in the story I very much enjoyed.
It is a shame, really, that Swords and Scoundrels wasn't what I expected it would be. I do think the book is fun; there is plenty of action, an interesting debate on democracy in the background, the power imbalance of swords versus guns, and the world does need more stories about siblings.
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Trigger warnings:
bookishfifi's review
4.0
Loved it! Refreshing to read and although there was a love interest the main characters were brother & sister with a suitably prickly relationship. Plenty of swords and lots of scoundrels, sadly my library don't have book 2 so will need to wait to read it :(
vinayvasan's review
4.0
One of the light read banter filled pacy racy books that tries to pack in a convoluted plot with non-linear storytelling with all threads converging at the end. The highlight of the book is the chemistry between the brother-sister pair and the characters are remarkably well etched with all the sibling love, hate and competitiveness one can think of it (even its a bit hairy given both are expert sword wielders). One would think that the focus would only be on the lead pair but Julia Knight also devotes enough time on a secondary character who is quite wonderfully conflicted and a mess to put it mildly. Overall for a pacy book, the plot is bit on the convoluted side with the betrayals coming fast, naturally or forced through magic. The book does not really have a resolution with events to continue in the next book which usually would be a bummer but with books 2 and 3 coming out back to back over a fortnight, one just has to consider this series as an extended book
graculus's review
3.0
This is one of those times when the ability to give half a star on Booklikes is a distinct advantage over Goodreads - when a book like Swords and Scoundrels makes you feel mean if you give it three stars but doesn't quite merit four.
Anyway, the basic premise of Swords and Scoundrels is that it's set in a city which runs on clockwork, so every few days most of the streets and buildings shift around, with one of the exceptions to that being the headquarters of the Duellist's Guild. In theory, they stand outside the government and work for whoever pays them, so when the monarchy is overthrown by the followers of the city's Clockwork God, they manage to survive relatively unscathed.
The main characters all have a link to the Guild, with the main focus of the storyline being on Kacha and Vocho, brother and sister who end up being taken into the Guild and trained - this institution has a history of taking on both the children of nobles and those of the poor, as long as they vow allegiance to the Guild above all. The relationship between Kacha and Vocho is a difficult one at times, since Vocho wants desperately to be the best but his sister is the one who everyone always seems to favour. However, when Vocho is being hunted for the murder of a priest who he was supposed to be guarding, Kacha goes on the run with him and believes in his innocence.
Anyway, Swords and Scoundrels is a solidly-written first book of a trilogy (where all three have been published, so no waiting around!) but doesn't break much new ground when all is said and done. There's some good characterisation, though I wasn't particularly convinced by Kacha of all of them, finding myself instead unexpectedly sympathetic to her ex-, the former noble Petri who just doesn't seem to have much luck at all. However, I think what kept this book from getting 4 stars for me was the use of flashback chapters, which was relied on a little too heavily for my liking in order to justify events in the present day.
Still, if you're looking for a fantasy trilogy, you could do much worse - the next book in the series is [b:Legends and Liars|25066585|Legends and Liars (The Duellists Trilogy #2)|Julia Knight|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438010711s/25066585.jpg|44751205], which looks like it pretty much runs straight on from the end of this one. I may well check it out if the library has it, but I don't envisage reading it otherwise.
Anyway, the basic premise of Swords and Scoundrels is that it's set in a city which runs on clockwork, so every few days most of the streets and buildings shift around, with one of the exceptions to that being the headquarters of the Duellist's Guild. In theory, they stand outside the government and work for whoever pays them, so when the monarchy is overthrown by the followers of the city's Clockwork God, they manage to survive relatively unscathed.
The main characters all have a link to the Guild, with the main focus of the storyline being on Kacha and Vocho, brother and sister who end up being taken into the Guild and trained - this institution has a history of taking on both the children of nobles and those of the poor, as long as they vow allegiance to the Guild above all. The relationship between Kacha and Vocho is a difficult one at times, since Vocho wants desperately to be the best but his sister is the one who everyone always seems to favour. However, when Vocho is being hunted for the murder of a priest who he was supposed to be guarding, Kacha goes on the run with him and believes in his innocence.
Anyway, Swords and Scoundrels is a solidly-written first book of a trilogy (where all three have been published, so no waiting around!) but doesn't break much new ground when all is said and done. There's some good characterisation, though I wasn't particularly convinced by Kacha of all of them, finding myself instead unexpectedly sympathetic to her ex-, the former noble Petri who just doesn't seem to have much luck at all. However, I think what kept this book from getting 4 stars for me was the use of flashback chapters, which was relied on a little too heavily for my liking in order to justify events in the present day.
Still, if you're looking for a fantasy trilogy, you could do much worse - the next book in the series is [b:Legends and Liars|25066585|Legends and Liars (The Duellists Trilogy #2)|Julia Knight|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438010711s/25066585.jpg|44751205], which looks like it pretty much runs straight on from the end of this one. I may well check it out if the library has it, but I don't envisage reading it otherwise.
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