Book Review: The Templar Sword by Sam Clarke

Noah is a typical teenager with a very atypical dream – becoming a modern-day Knight Templar. His estranged father, a senior commander within the Order, is dead set against it.

An ancient sword has been missing for centuries. Recovering it would prove Noah's worth to his father and earn him a place at the Clearview Templar Academy.

When he stumbles across a Renaissance painting that holds a clue to the sword’s location, Noah’s dream seems within reach. As the death toll quickly mounts, it becomes apparent that others are hunting the sword – for far more evil ends. The future of the Templars, very much like Noah’s, is at stake.

Together with his friend Viggo and mischievously attractive Isabelle, Noah embarks on the deadliest quest of his life. The sword’s dangerous trail will take them from the canals of Venice, to the spires of Seville, to a gripping showdown in the underwater caves of the Caribbean.

A fresh, original adventure story. Can be read as a standalone novel or as the sequel to The Twelfth Ring.

GENRE: Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sam Clarke is addicted to rock music, coffee, and Japanese manga. Her gardening skills are abysmal and she is rumoured to have killed a potted cactus. She currently lives in London with two cats, two kids, and a husband. Her first book, The Twelfth Ring (a Page Turner Awards finalist and a BBNYA semi-finalist) reached #1 in the Amazon Young Adult Thrillers charts. Her second book, The Templar Sword (a Page Turner Awards finalist, Wishing Shelf Awards finalist, BBNYA finalist, and Ink and Insights Judges' Favourite) was released on 7 June 2022 and hit the #1 New Release spot on Amazon US a week later.

Review

I read this book for the final round of the 2023 Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Awards (BBNYA) and while this wasn't my bet to win, this was absolutely my favorite.

I love the writing style. Crisp prose, so easy to breeze through. I have no problem with first person especially with YA; in fact, I love LOVE Noah's voice! Holy heck, I've been noting passages and sending them to a friend because the lines are just hilarious and I totally laughed out loud in places.

It's also amazing how well this one stands alone. I actually forgot it said so in the blurb and thought it strange that it started where it started, only to realize soon enough that it's a sequel. Yet everything still made sense!

And the cast is great overall, but Noah especially. I LOVE THAT KID OKAY?

If you like adventure, humor, family, found family, treasure hunting, this might just be the book for you! I now want to read The Twelfth Ring and any of Noah's adventures in the future.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️️

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.