Book Review: The Tempered Turns of Time

My rating: 4 fierce stars

'People are capable of great good or great evil, depending on what drives them. They are also capable of change.'

And this is exactly what this instalment of The King's Swordsman is about. Change. Changes in the characters' mindset, changes in their behaviour, changes in relationships, changes in time...
Change on the heels of previous events when characters were broken and reforged, some for the better, others for the... not so good?



I loved the first book in this series and practically fell in love with it's characters by book 2. Book 3 raised the bar even higher and had me set it among my all-time favourites. So this book 4 had quite the pace to keep. Did it uphold all my expectations? Yes and no.

Let's start with the yes, shall we?
The characters are, once again, fabulous. And I have to give it to this author. She sure as hell knows how to write them in such a way that they get under your skin. From strengths and weaknesses to feelings and everything else, they are all wonderfully made up.

The most annoying swordsman ever is not quite so annoying anymore. In fact, he's become quite the caring, kind and forgiving big klutz you can't help but wanna hug. You can't shoulder the blame for everyone else boy! That's what I felt like shouting at him more than once in a while.

Aubin had me understand and feel his sorrow, though I swear I still wanted to smack him upside his head while muttering a heartfelt 'idjit'.

And then there were Evyn and Tuniel!

'It is the quiet ones that bear watching.'

These two quiet ladies were the highlight of the tale for me. They both changed so much and come such a long way! Especially the Master Mage under whose frosty appearance hides so much feeling waiting to be shared.

As far as side cast goes, I thoroughly enjoyed the new additions and their dynamic with the old gang had me cracking up at times. They are downright fabulous!

As far as the plot is concerned, the story picks up straight on the heels of the previous book. The pace is pretty slow in the first 40%, but picks up with a vengeance in the second half and shit hits the fan yet again, in the most unexpected manner. And then that twist at the end... Well I'll be!! Can I get book 5 like RIGHT NOW please!!

The wordbuilding is nicely expanded, including time travel and portals. And whatever confusion readers might have had due to the alternate versions is fully cleared by now.

And the tale itself... it was, as expected from this writer, simply chef's kiss! I teared up and smiled and even laughed out loud. And I did bite my nails too, while frantically turning page after page because I NEEDED to know what's next.

Then why the NO you ask?
Because of the pace, which seemed to drag a bit in the first 40% of the book. And because, as much as I love getting into a character's head, this time around the introspection felt a bit too much. And now and again, the character interactions seemed a bit ... not quite fitting. But then, that might be just a matter of a reader's perception, since I'm in my forties and the younger generation of readers out there may not share my 'I get it already!' reaction. And that is also the reason for which I knocked off a star.

But at the end of the day, slow pace and certain interactions apart, this part of The King’s Swordsman series is a worthy addition to my shelf of favourites and I’m already looking forward to the sequel.

Check out this book and more of Becky James over at https://www.beckyjamesauthor.co.uk/