REVIEW || The Sword that Saves: A Sam Stone Novel by Ambrose Merrell

I was sent this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

* How could an orphan, living in Vancouver, end up in 16th-century Japan, fighting against the terrifying forces of Darkness in a battle to save the world?

The tragic deaths of Sam Stone's parents leave him lost and alone. Fostered separately from his two younger sisters, he sets out to track them down and meets Kensho Iwata. This extraordinary Japenese martial arts teacher has a mysterious sword that the evil powers of Darkness seek to steal.

As Sam, Sophie and Zoe journey back in time and develop their own extraordinary gifts, they are drawn into a battle it seems impossible to win.

The power of Darkness is growing...

*

Firstly thanks to Vicki for sending me a copy of this on behalf of the author/publisher!

I throughly enjoyed this book. It sits at 265 pages, meaning it can easily be read in one sitting or two, or about twenty if you're like me and keep getting distracted! Initially, when I was contacted, I was given the brief synopsis of this book, I was attracted to the martial arts area of it, whilst in a YA concept - this really did intrigue me! When I was younger I did Kickboxing, and I have often wondered how a martial art would entwine into a YA novel, and Ambrose does it so well!

The plot wasn't too difficult to follow, and any martial arts terminology - particularly aikido - weren't that difficult to understand, as all terms were explained to us as they were to Sam. It was actually quite interesting to read the author notes too, as Ambrose is actually trained in Aikido, so hats off to him for utilising what he knows for the sake of the novel. Often, there's a tendency to "overwrite" something an author has a passion for, but this isn't the case. The author takes all readers into consideration in terms of terminology, explains everything at least once (actually twice if you count telling Sams sisters) and therefore you come out of the book with new martial arts knowledge to wow others with!

Overall this was an enjoyable read. The characters developed well, particularly Sophie and Zoe, whose developments I admired the most throughout the book. I'm giving this book a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, meaning I'd recommend it to most readers, or those with a particular interest in the topic.

See you all soon with another review!