Review: The Sword: Sons of Destiny, Book 1 by Jean Johnson

Title: The Sword: Sons of Destiny, Book 1
Author: Jean Johnson
Genre: fantasy Romance
Grade: B
Reason for Reading: I saw that someone was starting a role playing game based in this universe, and since I had the first one, I figured I might as well see if the books were any good.

Synopsis: A seer has spoken and there is a prophecy involving eight brothers, four sets of twins, each of whom will find their prospective mate. Of course, the first part of the prophecy spells disaster, so the eight brothers in question are exiled to Nightfall Island, where women are strictly forbidden… At least until Morganen, the youngest of the brothers, plucks Kelly Doyle, a modern American woman who just so happens to know kung fu as well as a lot about medieval society and, well, pretty much whatever she needs to know about anything to keep the story moving, out of our world when some mean people decide that the people in the local medieval re-enactment society (Ms. Johnson is careful not to call it the SCA) are evil and Kelly is some sort of witch. Anyway, Saber, the eldest of the eight brothers, is really pissed that Morganen brought Kelly into their world, but strangely, he is attracted to her. Will they manage to avert the disaster that’s going to befall them and start their destinies rolling?

My Thoughts: I have a soft spot for the modern American girl gets plucked out of our world and into another plotline. I tend to prefer that she end up in a fantasy world where the author isn’t tempted to play fast and loose with real history as well as the suspension of my disbelief, so I found this a very pleasant read. Actually, I thought this was a good example of a guilty pleasure type book. There are things about the story and the characters that, if they hadn’t been couched in such a pleasant story would have really burned my toast.

I liked the whole destiny prophecy premise, and thought it was an unusual way to work the fated mates concept. The prophecy itself doesn’t stand up well from the standpoint of someone who’s read more traditional fantasy (it’s just a tad too literal to be really good), but it’s certainly a more interesting setup for me than some guy meeting his mate and tripping her while she’s trying to get a cup of coffee. Plus, I have to admit that “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” is one of my all-time favorite movies ever, which is just more proof that I am a complete and total dork.

The only thing that did bother me about the prophecy is that I thought it made for some pretty superficial characterization of the other seven brothers. Wolfer is all about hunting in the woods, and I bet that when I read his book the word ‘predator’ will make an appearance. Dominor is, as someone I used to roleplay with would say, a “dominate male”. Rydan loves the night, and he is emo gothness personified. You see what I mean? It’s the kind of thing that makes me want to roll my eyes.

But the thing was, Ms. Johnson doesn’t seem to take herself overly seriously. I thought that the story was mostly pretty lighthearted and breezy, and I very much enjoyed it.

As for the main couple… Kelly was a pretty good heroine. She was a bit of a Mary Sue–she manages to make everyone fall in love with her, she just happens to know a lot about the stuff she needs to know in order to survive this world, and she also knows kung fu. Yes. Kelly is a ninja. She also had the habit of randomly peppering her conversation with pop culture references that nobody else would get, which is something I could have stood a bit less of. But, for all that, she did work for me. She was spunky without being–horror of horrors–feisty, and I liked that she didn’t wallow in self-pity and just got around to doing what needed to be done. I didn’t buy her rather flimsy excuse about why she was still a virgin, because it seemed out of character, but I guess it all worked out.

Saber wasn’t particularly noteworthy as romance heroes go. He’s alpha and domineering, but basically a decent guy. I do have to say, though, that the whole “I don’t want to love her… But damn it, I guess I do!” story arc works for me every time, and it worked beautifully in this case. Plus, you know it’s love when you end up being sick together and are only drawn closer because of the experience.

As for the world-building, well, ardent fantasy fans will find it a little cheesy. Hell, I did, but Ms. Johnson gets lots of points for having there be a culture away from the land where the brothers hang out that has progressed beyond medieval technology. I’ve wanted there to be more fantasy with guns, and I just don’t see much of it.

Overall, I have to say that, despite my nitpicks, I really did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it. I’m almost tempted to read the next book in the series right away, which hardly ever happens, just because I really want to know about the types of women that will be worthy of the Sons of Destiny.