Bridge & Sword Collection (Books #1-3 Plus Bonus Prequel Novel) by JC Andrijeski 5 of 5 stars

Bridge & Sword Collection (Books #1-3 Plus Bonus Prequel Novel) by JC Andrijeski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great collection of the first three books and a prequel in this fantastic series by the author. A science fiction/fantasy of epic proportions it certainly is full of action and and drama - and 5 stars for all 4 full length books too. Here are my reviews of each book:

Rook
Allie is human and has always distanced herself from the Seers on the planet when a series of events occur that transports her from her normal life to being on the run from both her won government and a group of Seers called Rooks with a Seer called Revik. As part of that she learns that Seers are not like she was previously been told, that the world is also different than she understood, and her origins may not be as human as everyone thinks. Then her family get dragged into the war between different Seer factions and everything gets very personal - can Allie stop it and save her loved ones?

I loved this story. It had lots of drama, suspense and lots of twists and surprises in the story. You could empathise with Allie and what was happening to her even if you didn't understand why she couldn't commit at times. It was well written and everything was clear and easy to understand. Now I just need to know what happens next and will there be some time for happiness.

Shield
Allie is still trying to get used to the concept that she is now this being called "The Bridge" and all that it entails. Plus she is also trying to work out the rules around the culture of being a Seer and how that affects her relationship with Revik - problem is no one will tell her the rules so she gets it wrong and into trouble! Even worse the Rook she helped get into the White House in the US is gunning for a war with China. Then confusingly a mysterious child appears that could be Syrimne but he should be more like 100 years old not a child. Then he announces that Allie belongs to him and is his wife! Can it get any worse?

WOW - so many things happened in this story. There were lots of twists, turns and moments when you just had to go with it until it became clearer (a bit like it was for Allie herself). There were times of joy and happiness which must have been a pleasant relief for Allie and Revik, but then ultimately a lot of sadness which means I absolutely have to read the next in the series in order to hopefully see the return of some happiness and normalcy even for a while. The book was well written and I could definitely feel the emotions and experiences the characters were going through.

Sword
Allie is all alone after the loss of her husband and then finds herself thrust into the role of the official face and voice of the seers. She then desperately tries to stop the two worlds that she straddles from an all consuming war. Then she discovers that Revik is not dead as she thought but instead is on the other side of the seer race and is already fighting the war against humans. There is no way she can compromise with him on this, but she has to do whatever it takes to save him from himself and save them all.

Wow - plenty of twists, turns, and agendas that are so hidden you can't pick them out until they happen. I loved the way the politics between the various groups came into things and how that affected all of the characters and their actions. As usual for this author, it was well written and I could feel and empathise with all of the thoughts and emotions involved in the story. The ending is a complete surprise and also pretty kick ass. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series now.

New York
Allie Taylor lives in a world with two races - humans and seers. These seers are enslaved by governments, corporations and the wealthy. They are psychic in nature and have a high sexuality. Allie is fascinated by these exotic beings even though she is never likely to ever meet one. Then her boyfriend's band has a gig in New York and seers are visible on the streets there. Whilst she is experiencing trouble with her boyfriend she observes seers being tasered, a terrorist attack and she seems to have a crazy stalker leaving her weird cryptic notes. She also finds that no matter where she is there is a tall black haired buy with the most amazing eyes. Then her trip becomes downright dangerous when a a strange religious cult that venerates seers targets her in a strange ritual which could prove fatal to her.

Wow – great story! I really enjoyed reading about this period before the Bridge and Sword World series started It certainly helped me understand some of what happens in the books and why certain things happen and why the main characters Allie and Revik behave the way they do. Everything was well written and made perfect sense. I could empathise with the characters and understand their feelings and motivations. If you have not read any of the stories in the series this is a perfect introduction.

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