The Sword and the Dagger by Robert Cochran has a tantalizing premise and a beautiful cover, but the story is just okay. Though I wouldn’t call this a bad book, it just didn’t grab my attention the way I was expecting it to.

As I said, The Sword and the Dagger sounds like it has a lot going for it. First of all, that title! That right there lets you know that this is going to be a book full of adventure. Second, look at that cover! Isn’t that a great cover? I’m very intrigued by a book with that cover. Third, the story features a Christian princess, banding together on a quest during the Crusades. There is some excellent potential in a story like that.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe this lived up to its potential. For starters, considering it was published by Tor Teen – an imprint known for its science fiction and fantasy titles – it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. There aren’t any fantasy elements at all unless you include the various religions. This is just a straight up historical fiction adventure novel – which is fine, of course, just not was I was expecting. I kept waiting for someone to bust out some magic or something.

As historical fiction, it’s excellent. Cochran does a very nice job with world-building and showcasing the various cultures of the time period. In fact, in some cases, this is done a little too well; what Elaine has to deal with is so frustrating, I had to keep reminding myself that sadly that’s what things were like back then. As an adventure, however, this is simply adequate. There’s no real sense of danger or tension, even in moments where there should be. I never once feared for any of the main trio’s lives, the fast pace of the narrative often works against it, and everything wraps up just a little too neatly in the end.

Some of the things that bothered me about The Sword and the Dagger are personal hangups of mine. They might not necessarily be dealbreakers for anyone else, but when I discover these in books they tend to really annoy me. One of these is constant POV shifts; this book is told in third-person omniscient, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but isn’t always done well. In this case, the POV shifts randomly throughout the book with no real sense behind it, even to secondary characters.

With these POV shifts, I didn’t get a very good sense of the characters, which is a shame, because in theory they should be very compelling. Elaine, the princess of Tripoli, is rebelling against an arranged marriage and struggling to be her own person in a time when women are basically property; Conrad, prince and knight of Antioch, is dealing with his own hangups after the death of his older brother; and Rashid, a Muslim assassin sent to kill Elaine, battles with his own beliefs the more he gets to know his two companions. Sadly, there is very little sense of character. I didn’t find them well-developed at all, and though their changes in opinion, behavior, and belief by the end of the novel make sense given the context of the story, Cochran could have done a much better job explaining it on the page.

On the plus side, there is no unnecessary love triangle.

In short, The Sword and the Dagger is a perfectly acceptable adventure based on actual historical events and is a quick and fairly interesting (if you like history) read. It’s light on the romance, if that’s not your thing, and features a feisty female character in a time when women were to be seen and not heard.

The Sword and the Dagger is the debut novel by Robert Cochran. The description sounds a bit like the beginning of a joke, a princess, a knight, and an assassin. But in all seriousness, this is a fascinating novel.
The novel is fictional, but it is based on real events and time periods. That brings a whole new level of realism to the world itself. The obstacles the characters come up against are believably because they happened quite frequently during their time.
What really made this novel extraordinary was the way Cochran made his characters – all inherently different – capable of seeing eye to eye with one another. Here we have a Christian princess, a Muslim assassin, and a Christian Prince/Knight who believed in his right to rule. You'd think that these three would have nothing in common, right?
Based on the other reviews I've seen out there, people are either going to love or hate this novel. I personally enjoyed it a lot, but to each their own. The reasons I mentioned above are a good part of why I enjoyed it, but there is more as well.

Warnings: The Sword and the Dagger is a historical novel, and it shows some of the worst of our past. There's religious bias and discrimination, slavery, and forced marriages. And as in history novel where horses and war are involved...it doesn't go well for the mounts. None of these events are terribly graphic though, for what it is worth.
The Sword and the Dagger was a fascinating read. I really enjoyed it, mainly for the characters and getting to see how much they changed during the course of the novel. Character building is one of my favorite aspects of writing, so this was a huge detail for me.
The world was richly detailed, and as I mentioned above having it based in real events really enhanced the whole feeling of the novel. Though obviously the characters created were pure fiction – I preferred that, personally.
I will say that there was one element of this novel that may be off-putting for some. There are frequent and sudden perspective changes throughout the novel. I don't mind this when they're delineated by chapter changes, but that wasn't the case here. It would change mid-chapter, and then change back again at a whim. Once I got into the rhythm of it I was fine, but I know some people are especially bothered by this writing style.
I think my only other complaint about this novel was the conclusion. And I don't really mean the conclusion to the main plot, but really one of the secondary plots between characters. It seemed too sudden – I would have preferred the implication that more time had passed before the...decision was made. Perhaps that's just me though.
On the whole I really enjoyed the Sword and the Dagger, and am so happy I took the time to read it. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Robert Cochran comes out with. I'd be curious to see how his writing evolves with time.

Robert Cochran's The Sword and the Dagger is an unlikely yet engaging historical saga. Its leads are a princess who knows her own mind and has surprising life skills; the obnoxious (at least initially) Prince whom she's expected to marry to unite their kingdoms; and the young Muslim assassin who's been assigned to kill her.

What makes the story interesting are the characters. Elaine is a feisty heroine, but also an empathetic and culturally sensitive one. Conrad evolves from someone very easy to dislike into a heroic figure. This unlikely trio become friends, and more.

First of all - Thank you netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I liked this book in a middle-east-ish way! I liked Princess Elaine and I liked that she wasnt whiny and was independent. I like Conrad and Rashid.
The characters and personality was really nice and thats what kept me going.
I also liked the whole Gengis Khan storyline and I thought this medieval kind of genre was very fascinating.
However, the book was too long - As in, there was always toooo many things happening and I kept pushing through it to get it done.
It's a nice read though and if you like this kind of setting, you might enjoy the book. But i sure hope I could have enjoyed it more with the amazing premise!

While this book didn't have as much action as the title may suggest, it was such an enjoyable story of three young people overcoming differences and forming endearing relationships. The historical setting is unique to other YA fantasies, so I think this book will find its own niche with readers wanting something fresh. It reminded me a bit of Tamora Pierce's work because of its raw nature and focus on realness to drive the plot rather than dramatization. This book takes place during the Crusades, so there were quite a few sexist/racist elements. I was cringing at the start of the story because of this, but after swallowing my pride, I understood it was true to the time period and not just a cheap plot device to spur events.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I would. Thank you to Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style. The characters had well developed personalities that were believable. The story itself was interesting and will draw interest to history which as a school librarian I appreciate. Overall this is a solid YA book.

I want to thank Tor Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book, to be honest, isn't everything I expected it to be, but even so I think the idea of the book is very solid, and the author expresses with this story in a very informative way a historical moment of which personally I didn't know a lot about, so I appreciate saying that I ending this book being a little wiser, and although I'd heard it was slow I must say that for me it was very easy and quick to read

The Sword and the Dagger, is about these young boys, a Christian princess, a prince, and a Muslim assassin, who embark on a quest, in the time of the Crusades, to the court of one of the most feared warriors. It's a book of adventure and fantasy but at the same time, it's realistic in terms of culture and history. Touch topics such as faith, friendship, and loyalty


When I started reading this book, I was so pleased to see that it was really easy to move through it. The fact that this book is based on a real historical fact makes it really interesting to read it, as I said before it was highly informative for me, I didn't know anything about this time period and now I can say that I certainly do a little more, which is great. I also want to highlight the fact that while the story takes place we can get to know more about races and cultures, but spite of that, I didn't find anything that really stands out above other fantasy books.

As I said before, it was easy to read and it was something that I needed in a fantasy, since I came from a book with a very slow pace, on the other hand, I feel that maybe there are scenes that deserve a more moderate paced, I would have liked to stay a little bit in certain places where the characters spent time during the journey to know more about them, or just admire the landscapes, and although I don't complain about the paced, I think that sometimes too fast isn't a good thing either and I wanted to mention that. The fact that the journey of the characters is fast can be something that you don't like much at the time of reading, in my case, it was good because I don't usually enjoy seeing people on very long journeys.


About the characters, I really liked Elaine, who's our main female character and princess. For the time in which this is based on, I think she's a really great character, feminist, strong and capable, a girl who doesn't want to live to get married and serve her man, but she's also willing to do sacrifices for her country. I like very much how she confronts very powerful men and defends her position, which was very rare for the time, and I appreciate the point of view of a strong and independent woman in a story like this one. On the other hand, we have Rashid, the murderer, and Conrad, the prince. The character of Rashid is good, especially for his growth during the book but also for his faith and loyalty, but on the other hand, I would have liked a better development and depth in the personalities, both in Rashid's and in Conrad's, who turned out to be my least favorite character and honestly, I don't feel much towards him, I think his presence is required as the strong and stubborn guy, but that's just it. There are other characters in the story that could have gone much further and become more important characters for the plot, but the author hasn't given them a deep personality as such so they have ended up being just there


This writing style I think isn't really for me, even though I didn't have any problems with it as such, I had some comprehension problems. I think this is because the book is told from a historical perspective and there's a lot of language of the time, then it was weird for me but it's something super personal that I don't think is a problem for you
Are many dialogues in the book, which I loved, but on the other hand, I feel that at times the characters share too much information through dialogues, perhaps things that no one would say, something like "Well, as you know, you lost your father recently and your mother pass away when you were younger", you know what I mean?


What was perhaps my biggest problem with the book was the POVs change, which isn't signaled and which sometimes happens within the same chapter, which is rare. We are under the point of view of a character and suddenly changes and there's nothing that tells you that will change, you know?. I'm used to seeing that each chapter is about a character or is under the POV of just one character, but here you're reading in the middle of a paragraph and you realize that you have already changed to another POV and that can be confusing when you're trying to follow the plot. Maybe this isn't like that in the final copy of the book, but it's how it is built in the ARC


There's a chapter at the end of the book called "Historical Note", where the author explains, very thoroughly and in-depth, the historical moment in which the story unfolds and I think it's WONDERFUL. I love that and it shows how considerate the author is and how much he has informed himself before writing the book . I appreciate that he had taken his time so that everyone knows what the Crusade was really about and how politics and culture were at that time.

I really liked the end of the book, I think the last chapters are really good, even so, I think the whole outcome is quite predictable, so don't expect anything surprising to happen, because you'll be disappointed, on the other hand, it's a good ending and I enjoyed the process of reading it.


In short, this isn't a bad book, I still recommend it especially if you want to know more about the time of the Crusades and how the political and cultural theme worked at the time, also if you usually enjoy fantasy and historical fiction, I think that this is a very good mash-up of both genders. It's a book that shows you the reality of many races and religions so I also think it's very informative and that's why I recommend it a lot. If what you're looking for is complexity in terms of characters and plot, maybe this isn't for you

Sadly I had to DNF this. I had a really hard time getting into it and connecting to the characters. I also had some issues with the Muslim representation and don't feel comfortable with reading this, especially as I see now #ownvoices reviews for it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this book though, I really appreciate it.

I was really into this book for the first 1/3, but somewhere along the line it started to feel very unrealistic (yes, even for fantasy), the character conflict felt repetitive, and the plot fell kind of flat for me.

DNF- 30%

I had to DNF this book because I couldn't get into the plot or the characters. The writing style was a real barrier for me and getting into the plot of the book. Also the characters and the premise felt very off to me in some ways. Their interactions with each other and dialogue didn't flow. I couldn't get on board with how their connections to each other were building. It was too bland to keep me trudging forward.

The Sword and the Dagger reads exactly how I want historical fiction novels to read. There is a lot of information, a very detailed setting, but with twists that change the original story. We have your typical princess, prince, and assassin in a fantasy world with deadly court politics but then add Christian Crusades and Middle Eastern influences and you have something unique!

The pacing of the book goes from to slow to BAM. It worked and during other times, it didn't. I really like I also felt that the main characters could have been developed more. The main character, Elaine, was pretty likable. One thing I loved about her was how she didn't just sit around and not do anything. She was took action, especially at the end of the book. She did whatever she could to help people and I loved that about her, I didn't really care for any other characters unfortunately.

My most favorite thing about the book was definitely the world building and the writing style. If the world building of a fantasy book isn't good, then I don't expect to like it because I personally believe that world building is the most important part of it. If the world the author creates isn't believable, then everything else in the story just feels off. The world building in this book was excellent! I could actually envision the world the characters lived in and I understood pretty much everything that was going on.

All in all, it was an interesting story but it lacked something that could have brought out more creative juices.

Title: The Sword and the Dagger
Author: Robert Cochran
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Publication Date: April 9th, 2019

eARC provided by publisher (Macmillan-Tor/Forge/Tor Teen) through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

->Click for Synopsis<-

The Crusades will bring an unlikely trio together. A Christian princess, her betrothed prince, and a Muslim assassin must make hard choices if they are to survive their journey to speak with Genghis Khan.

I had high hopes for this book since I love history and even took a class about the Crusade in college. Unfortunately, there were a few things I didn't like and am sad I didn't like it more!

When it came to the characters, the one I liked the most was Rashid. As an Arab working for a Christian crown, he had difficulties and was looked down upon. He was always consistent with his behavior and he stuck to his beliefs. Elaine was nice to him and when there was an altercation between him and her betrothed, Conrad, she made sure it didn't result in any harm coming to Rashid. I can appreciate her for that but she was still a character I wasn't fond of.

I didn't see her as a strong character because she was always making poor choices because she wanted everyone to see her as being strong. Conrad was also a character I couldn't connect with. He began by not wanting to marry her and even though their relationship was a slow burn, there was no defining moment for him to all of a sudden be head over heels in love with her. The one thing I liked about him is that his attitude changed towards women by the end of the book. I can at least appreciate that.

The writing style was confusing at times even though it was written in third person. It would quickly switch from one person's thoughts to another in the same chapter. It made it hard to keep track of what was going on because of it.

The plot was interesting since it was during the crusade era. My one complaint with it was that at times it was too fast paced and I felt like there could have been more added during certain scenes. The ending also felt rushed and I wasn't a fan of that.

Overall, it was an okay read and I liked what the author was going for. I just wish there was more from the characters and the plot. Even though I had some issues with this book, if you are a fan of the crusade era then you should still give this book a try!

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

It was really interesting opening up to this book. I have heard so many of the princess/knight stories such as King Arthur but nothing as intensely historically accurate as The Sword and the Dagger talking about the most well-known fearsome warrior Genghis Khan! Every page got more intense and interesting as you read it. Also the test of love, loyalty and friendship are truly expressed throughout this book and with the characters that are key for the climax and end of this book which made it all the more interesting in itself.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you for approving me for a review copy of The Sword and the Dagger. I realise that this is a YA/Teen novel so strictly speaking I'm not the target audience but I liked the description and wanted to give it a try.

Unfortunately this isn't really working out for me. It feels to young and a little too modern and lacking in detail for my own personal taste and so I'm going to stop reading it at my current point of 30%..

I don't usually review books on my blog when I haven't completed them as it feels a little unfair to the author to pass a judgement on something if I haven't finished it. However, I am aware that this is a review copy that I requested and I am very conscious of my obligations so wanted to provide feedback to you about why this isn't working for me.

Thank you again for the opportunity to review this and I hope it proves popular even if it didn't quite work out for me.

The concept of this book intrigued me from the very moment I read the blurb. Living in a country with so many different races, cultures, and religions isn't easy. Since when I was little conflicts happened because of a little misunderstanding or ethnocentrism. So reading this book was like living in a real life for me. It's not that I'm living a pathetic life or people around me are annoying. No.

If we want to be truthful with ourselves, there were some moments when we judge people just because they are different from us even though they're kind. That's what I'm trying to say. At the beginning of this book, I found the characters are judging each other by their beliefs. Yes, there are other books that brought up the same matter but because this is a historical fiction book, Crochan wrote the name and events based on the history and it feels like I'm reading about what some people might think about others.

It's sad that what people did centuries ago, judging and killing others who are different from them, are still happening in the modern world, in this economy. The sad and heartbreaking truth that you can see from the recent incidents from around the world.

The plot was good but it was easy for me to guess. Such unfortunate, I expected more surprising amazing twists. Sure there were some turns that were nice but still average, nothing special, lack of intensity and surprise element. It was fast-paced but sometimes it was too fast because at some scenes I felt the need to know more but it was cut off. I appreciated I didn't wait too long for the story to begin but there are important things that needed more explanations. So the two aspects didn't win me over since they're not what I imagined I'd get even though the first one was important for me.

Because the story based on history, I found the world-building pretty great. Yes, Crochan did add and change a few things but overall, he did a good job. It was also helped by the writing which was enjoyable. Set in the past, the author used some formal words which I'd like to describe as 'royal tongue'. Well, what did you expect from a historical fiction book? But I still enjoyed reading it and for me, it was a plus because I could dive into the story easily.

Now, into the characterization! One thing I loved about this book aside from the concept was the characters. The three MCs; Elaine, Rashid, and Conrad, was amazing and well-developed. Elaine was strong, brave, and smart. Rashid was passionate, honest, and stealthy. Conrad was brave, strong-willed, and confident. The trio made the story become interesting. I really enjoyed following their journey, witty-banter, and adoring over their friendship.

Overall, The Sword and The Dagger was an enjoyable and fun read with deep meaning between the words. This book isn't only about the journey of three teenagers.
It is about accepting and give respect to others no matter what the differences are.
It is about putting aside your ego and proud of your beliefs. Spread love and let's all unite for a better world.
If you enjoy diverse read, history, strong female lead, a beautiful friendship, I recommend you to try read this one.

*** Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of The Sword and the Dagger by Robert Cochran from NetGalley and Tor/Forge for review purposes. Thanks so much!

What initially drew me to this book was the title and cover. Once I read the summary, the historical fiction aspect drew me in, especially since takes place during the Crusades which is a time period you just don't see much of in young adult fiction.

Elaine is the princess of Tripoli who is betrothed to the prince of Antioch, Conrad, in hopes of an alliance between the two countries during the time of the Crusades. As the last two Christian lands, their marriage is important for political reasons. Rashid is an Assassin which is an extremist Muslim sect. He's sent to kill Elaine for promises of going to Paradise.

Once the assassination attempt fails, Elaine decides to rescue Rashid in hopes to discover why and who wanted her dead. Conrad learns of their escape and joins them on their journey that is given to them by the Old Man, the leader of the Eagle's Nest. They are the find out about what is causing the deaths by whistling, feathered arrows.

First of all, this interested me because of the age old conflict of religion, specifically between the Christians and Muslims which is still very prominent in today's society. The mentions of Assassins as well as a brief mentions of Templars immediately brought the first Assassin's Creed game to mind. Something like that can be relevant to most people.

I loved the aspect of three people from extremely different backgrounds having to band together for a common cause. It's rather trope-y, but for this plot it's very appropriate. Despite the formula for a love triangle situation, there isn't one. For a majority of the story everything is strictly platonic.

Elaine is an extremely amazing character and I love how strong willed she was. For the time period it's more unheard of and I like that she's just as strong as the two men. The sacrifices she gives and her stubborn determination is relatable. While they all evolve, Conrad probably have the most character growth. Conrad has a shadow of his older brother hanging over him making that his weakness. His constant disagreement with Rashid is understandable and I like how they have those moments of agreement. I also really liked Rashid because he sticks to his values and fits the role of an assassin. He's careful and plans things out before jumping into action in contrast to Conrad and sometimes Elaine.

The story is predictable at times, but it's an easy read. It kept me interested because it showed the different POV from each character back to back so it wasn't jumping back and forth. I think it's a great novel for someone who is transferring from screenwriting to prose.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am totally recommending it!

This book looked very promising and finally, I was left disappointed with my reading.

One can easily classify the book as historical fiction. Indeed, the author used many historic elements for his story. And in particular Christian crusades and the Mongol invasion in the Middle East. We feel that the author has done rather well his researches and the end notes show it very well. This is for me the only positive point of the book, the researches gives a real side to this novel.

For what I liked least, let's start with the writing style. I have seen critics saying that the novel was well written, and above in terms of vocabulary. Certainly, but that's what has bothered me the most in my reading, I found the omniscient style not very fluid and annoying in the long run. In addition, I had the impression that it created a barrier between the characters and me which prevented me from appreciating them in their true value despite a beautiful construction of the main women character.

Now let's move on to the plot that seems flat to me. The adventures were not innovative and in the end everything was resolved a little easily in my eyes. I find it a shame because the book had potential, but sometimes reading a book is difficult and this is the case here with me.

3.5/5 stars

This was such a fun read! The first line was hilarious and seriously just made me love Elaine!

Also, don't listen to the synopsis you see on the sites. They are seriously just not that great and don't give you a feel for what this book is about.

So speaking of loving Elaine, her strength and just wanting to be independent is goals. She strives to be her own person with her own rules, not "doing her duty" to obey a husband or men, even though she is the princess. The blend of Middle Easten and French themes and characters is so well done, and you do see a battle of Christian vs Muslim beliefs in here as well. I think it was well done, and the characers grow very well throughout. Elaine is a strong female character who doesn't let a man dictate how she behaves or speaks. Conrad is the betrothed of Elaine, and really he's an ass at the start. His character grows so much that, by the end, I actually really enjoyed his scenes and POV. Rashid has to be my fave though. I liked him from the start, and he plays such a huge role between the two different cultures.

The pacing is a bit slow at first, for about maybe a quarter of the way through, but then it picks up once Elain makes a decision to visit a certain someone. It goes uphill from there and was really fun to read! The reasoning for my rating is just that it does drag quite a bit at times, and we start to see POVs by characters I personally had no interest in. Usually side characters that you hardly know much about, and so their POV just doesn't do anything except to say "hey look! This is what I think of XYZ".

Also, why do the chapters not say what POV we're starting with? Like I get that this is all 3rd person, but seriously... Give me SOMETHING so I'm not having to reread the starting page for each chapter over again to make sure I know which character I'm following. This is DEFINITELY my biggest problem with this book.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The writing is a pleasant wrapping for a good concept; the author refrains from too much exposition, but also doesn't really push the story anywhere unexpected.
A strong female lead has much to recommend it, and Elaine does not disappoint!

Sadly I had to DNF this book. It was just not for me.
However the premise of this book is great, the plot, the setting and the characters were also good, but for some reason I just could not get into the story. This is by far not a bad book and I would recommend picking it up and giving it a read if this is your sort of thing. I can't say there was anything bad about it just that I personally couldn't get through it.