A Sword of the Three Rivers

Exploding with fast paced action and adventure, ‘A Sword of Three Rivers’, the first of its series, launches into what seems to be Bovir’s exploration of vengeance, identity, and an unraveling of injustices. A wild roller coaster of twists and turns, the journey introduces many characters, challenges and experiences that one might expect from a fantastical adventure featuring a young warrior. As such, the novel leans into a masculine and heroic perspective and presents a merged approach towards what might be Middle Age and modernized perspectives.

Immersive right from the start, the novel has a strong presence of passionate and imaginative writing, capturing a depth and attention that many do not. The exploration of betrayal, love, lust, humility, greed and pain in conjunction with the descriptive passages of action also leave the reader feeling continuously present and attached to character’s journey. Descriptive introductions and initial contexts are provided when scenes and characters are presented and there is a reasonably comfortable balance between dialogue and action.

However, the constantly high-paced nature of the narrative along with the many characters, twists and turns introduced, along with the lengthy chapters, presents a challenge in the following of the context and direction of the novel. Readers are not provided much reprieve, resulting in difficulty towards taking the time to invest and process events as they occur. While a disclaimer was presented at the commencement of the novel in an effort induce the reader to take a less critical stance, the passion presented in the writing would suggest that more thorough effort toward editing should have been invested before publication, which would have largely contributed to a more enjoyable and valued experience as it would most likely have resolved the previously mentioned setbacks.

The use of common tropes and fast speed and action filled nature of the plot may appeal to some readers, while the need for another thorough edit and re-pacing of many parts may make it difficult for others to follow.