As a fan of Assassin's Creed, I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it ended up disappointing on almost every level. The characters and plot were weak, and it really feels more like beach-literature than something to really get your teeth stuck into.

Whew! What a wild ride! Super fun read in the sense that I was kept interested and engaged throughout. Would definitely recommend!

The Sword of the White Horse is another Assassin's Creed novel that I really enjoyed. This is an original saga set in the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and we have a Celtic warrior defending her people from Viking raiders and infiltrating an ancient sect to save her homeland.
As always I loved the world building and I really enjoyed the writing style as well as the storyline. The author does a great job combining history with mythology and the Assassin's Creed world. The book is a page turner and it's adventurous and at the same time dark.

I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the games but also if you like Norse Mythology inspired books.

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Assassins Creed book Sword of the White Horse by the amazing Elsa Sjunneson , published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

I also think I may have met Elsa at the Dublin WorldCon, but I met a lot of people that week and my memory is still addled by the curse of brain damage!

So let’s crack on with a review then!

What is Assassin Creed
Assassins Creed is an adventure game franchise published by Ubisoft (One of my Edge of Empire Co-hosts used to work there as well I should probably mention), and depicts a millennia-old conflict between the Assassins, who fight to preserve free will, and the Templars who desire to bring around peace by controlling people.

The games take place throughout various historical periods, the original 2007 game being set in the era of the 3rd Crusades, and the latest game Assassins Creed Valhalla, set in the Viking Invasion of Britain, and that is the setting of this book.

The Story
This game is set after the events of the main Assassins Creed Valhalla game, and before any of the DLC in 878.

Niamh, a witch-warrior of Avalon and her clan, the Women of the Mist finds herself given a mission by The Lady, the leader of Avalon, to respond to a letter sent by The Hidden Ones, and infiltrate the organisation to find out what their plan is.

Travelling from Argyll beyond Hadrian’s Wall to the city of Lunden in Mercia, she finds herself drawn into the conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, as she works to uncover the threat the latter poses to the people of her faith, and the Women of the Mist.

Challenged in her preconceptions, she has to put aside prejudice to work with Northmen, Romans and those from further afield, as she seeks to find an ancient relic, which if acquired by the Order of Ancients, could lead the islands into darkness.

Conclusion
I have yet to play Assassins Creed Valhalla, but the stuff I do know fit in quite well with the book, and it was rather enjoyable.

I devoured it, in two sittings, finding myself unable to put it down until I was literally too sleepy to concentrate.

I was kinda hoping for a bit more of her learning the trade of the Hidden Ones, and ascending the ranks to become an Assassin, but the story didn’t need it, if anything, I would have loved this book to be twice as long.

A lot of excellent world building and the sights, sounds and smells of Mercia felt so real, its a very descriptive story.

There was a lot of great stuff that forced Niamh to overcome prejudices, especially towards Christians and Northmen, as she found herself working to save and work with people from those backgrounds, whilst keeping her true motives hidden, despite knowing the two groups should be natural allies.

I was really excited by this book, and was looking forward to it, but I really wish it was longer.

My only real criticism, is that character development felt, shallow, which I think was a compromise between fitting so much story in and keeping its length down. But I could never really get a good grasp on Niamhs character, was she a planner or did she go by the seat of her pants, cause she kinda never seemed to fit into either, and I struggled to understand her personality.

Also it did feel like the novelisation of a game, with distances and time being a bit wishy washy, but that’s just nitpicking.

I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars, which feels stingy for how much I enjoyed it, but I really think the faults it did have, really could have been resolved with more pages.

This was a really good read. I couldn't believe how fast the action started. I just loved the pace of this book. It definitely made for one exciting and thrilling story. The book continues with its wonderful fast pace unil the end. This book was a fantastic page turning novel that had me engrossed from the very start. I tried so hard to read it in one sitting but I couldn't stay awake so I just woke up early to finish it. This book was extremely well wrote and the author created such a wonderful sense of atmosphere and tension. The characters were easy to love and developed well throughout the story. This book was so close to 5 stars that I actually awarded it 4.5 stars 🌟 this book took me on a brilliant roller coaster ride that was packed full of action and was so interesting. I really recommend this book if you love assassin Creed or fantasy books that are packed full of action and will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this wonderful and exciting story that I just couldn't put down. I will certainly be looking out for more assassin Creed books and mire from this brilliant author. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog yesterday https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/assassin-s-creed-valhalla-sword-of-the-white-horse-by-elsa-sjunneson-aconyte-4-5-stars either under my name or more likely ladyreading365

I tried to get into this one several times but it just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the characters and felt like I needed a lot of back story in order to understand it.

As an avid fan of the Assassin’s Creed video game series, and having recently played the Valhalla game, I was really excited to delve into this novel. Many great books have maps, and the thought of having a gigantic, epic, open world map that you can navigate in parallel with the story was really intriguing.

I loved reading about places I had traveled in the game, picturing these places through another characters story. Interacting with characters from the game and learning more about their backstories. Niamh’s character was an interesting direction to take the story though. Rather than following an invading Viking’s path through the world, as the game does, Niamh, a witch warrior from the Women of the Mist, is local to the land and has strong feelings toward the foreign invaders.

My favorite aspects of the book were her actions on behalf of the Hidden Ones, learning their trade, and being an assassin. The world building and imagery was interesting, especially considering the author has dual sensory loss.

All in all, it was an entertaining companion read to the game and I did enjoy it!

I really enjoyed this book!
I'm a big fan of the game so when I saw this book I got really excited!
It was well written and I really loved the character Niamh.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of the game.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A must-read for all fans of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and/or adventures set in Viking Britain. The events of this story directly follow those of the game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but knowledge of the game isn't necessary for enjoyment of this story, which is rich in Viking and Norse Mythology and Arthurian legend, as well as taking us on a journey from Caledonia to Mercia via landmarks such as Hadrian's Wall and White Horse Hill. The story follows Niamh a celtic warrior witch from Women of the Mist as she tracks down the sword of Excalibur, which has been stolen from Stonehenge by the Viking Eivor. Niamh infiltrates a secret group known as the Hidden Ones on her mission and discovers a secret war in Mercia and the rival fractions all seek to take control of Excalibur. Niamh must decide whether she should return the sword to her people or her new allies. This stunning adventure will have you captivated with vivid characterisation and immense world building. How wonderful to have a strong, fierce female at its core. #assassinscreedvalhallaswordofthewhitehorse #elsasjunneson #netgalley

Exciting and fun, Sword of the White Horse brings readers to 9th century Britain, full of change and magic. Niamh, a witch-warrior of the North, answers a summons from the mysterious Hidden Ones to discover if they are a threat to her people. Shifting alliances and emerging enemies challenge Niamh to determine which loyalties are worth maintaining and which must be betrayed. Good fun, well written, and still enjoyable for those with no knowledge of Assassin's Creed, Sword of the White Horse is an example of the very best in tie-in fiction.

That was a good read for AC Valhalla fans but also for all that love the lore around the anglo-saxxons time period and arthurian tropes although sometimes diffcult to separate.
so a lot of history covered with the pinch of a great game.

I've yet to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but as someone who's enjoyed many of the games in the series and has always liked Viking history and Norse mythology it's a game that I'm looking forward to sitting down to play at some point in the future. As such, when it was announced that a tie-in novel was being released I was eager to read it, hoping that it would encourage me to finally play the game.

Set some time after the events of the game, Sword of the White Horse follows Niamh, a warrior witch of the Women of the Mist, a secret order that operates out of the hidden isle of Avalon. Following the events of the game, one of their sacred artefacts, the sword Excalibur, was taken from beneath Stonehenge by the Viking shield-maiden Eivor. When a secret group called the Hidden Ones sends out word that they're looking for a skilled warrior to join their cause the Lady of Avalon sends Niamh to pretend to be this warrior and infiltrate their organisation.

Upon arriving in Lunden, Niamh is met by two members of the order, the mistrustful Marcella, and the kind Hytham. Working together with Hytham, Niamh is deemed to be worthy of becoming a temporary member of the group, and begins to perform missions with them. Through working with them Niamh learns more than she ever thought she would, discovering that there's a secret war going on in Mercia, one that sees rival factions fighting to gain power, and that Excalibur is an item that all sides seek to possess. However, when Niamh finally discovers who has the sword, she must decide if she can really turn on her new allies, even if she is sworn to return the artefact to her people.

As someone who hasn't yet played the game I was a little worried that there would be times reading this book that I'd get a little lost, or that my lack of knowledge would leave me having to google for background information. Other than one scene in which I felt there was a lack of information (Niamh got filled in on the rival faction but the reader didn't get this info) I never felt too lost. It quickly became apparent who each group was in the grand scheme of things. I even discovered after finishing the book when doing a little background reading that several characters other than Eivor appeared in the game too. For someone like myself, coming in with no information, this all read fine and didn't change my enjoyment; but I can imagine that for those who have played the game this would have been a great surprise.

Despite the inclusion of several characters from the game, the book focuses on a brand new character, Niamh. Elsa Sjunneson does a great job at putting the reader into Niamh's head throughout the book, and she quickly becomes a very complex and conflicted character. Her people mean everything to her, her position as a warrior witch is one she holds with pride. She takes care in her duties, and is willing to put her life on the line. However, as the book progresses she begins to gain a different outlook on things, thanks in part to the relationships she begins to form with those she'd have once considered her enemies. She starts to wonder if there could be more peaceful solutions, if she and her people could change their relationships with the outside world going forward. These thoughts put her in opposition to what she's been ordered to do, and over the course of the book we see how this all weighs on her as she tries to find the perfect solution.

Niamh was enjoyable to spend time with, and I found her to be a character that had a lot more to her than first appeared. Initially set up as a hardened warrior, we see that she has a deep caring to her. She will go out of her way to help oppressed people, especially women. She tried to use her skills to help and heal where she can. And despite her occupation, there are several times where she avoids killing, even though that'd be her best solution. I'd have liked to have spent more time with the character, to really get to see more of her in more complex situations, as I felt she was a character that could go on to be a very interesting figure; especially with how the book ends.

The novel also manages to fit a lot of interesting locations in too, and sees Niamh travelling all over Great Britain. From London, to Hadrians Wall, to Ravensthorpe, and even White Horse Hill, our hero spends a great deal of her time going from place to place in order to complete her mission. This does in some way make me think of the Assassin's Creed games, and how you have to travel all over the map, going from your home base to mission locations and back again over and over; and it was kind of neat that the author managed to get this gaming feel into the novel.

Whether you're a fan of the game looking to experience more of the ever expanding Assassin's Creed universe, or a complete newcomer who was attracted by how the story sounded, this is a book that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It's got some great characters, some wonderful world building, and some tense action sequences that are sure to keep folks entertained. Here's hoping we get more from Niamh and her story in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

Release date: April 26th 2022

As a huge Assassin's Creed fan I was delighted to get early access to this book and it didn't disappoint. The world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla is already incredibly rich and the addition of Niamh and the Ladies of the Lake made Viking England so much more enjoyable. I loved the connections between the game (with appearances from the characters of Valhalla and Ravensthorpe) and watching characters interact in another medium. It was enjoyable to explore the world of the assassins from an outsider's perspective in an era that was so turbulent already. Niamh and her relationship with her religion was a huge part of this story and I loved the way she learned to move past the understandable ideas of the new people coming to England. This was an enjoyable tie in to the game and moved very quickly, though I found that there was a lot of information given at once which slowed the flow of the story at times.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me e - ARC of this book*

Well I love Assassin's Creed books and games. This one I liked a lot, but not loved. Our protagonist was one of the Celtic Witch - warriors from Avalon what was really interesting.
The storyline was compelling, however sometimes I was a bit sceptical about the actions of Niamh and her fight skills. I enjoyed my time during the reading of this book though.

Solid 3 stars for me :) definitely recommending
#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

I love the Assassins Creed franchise from the game to the books, and in my opinion Valhalla is one of the best they have developed, so I was so excited to get to read this book and it didnt disappoint me. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. Full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery all interwoven with culture, history and mythology/folklore.
I couldn't put it down I really liked it.

I always love novelizations and novel continuations of video games and I’m a big fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. While I did enjoy this, I was a little confused at times and there didn’t seem to be much of AC mythos other than the obvious Templars/Assassins factions of the time. Overall very enjoyable on its own and a nice addition to AC novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Copy...Although I can sense it was an honest attempt of multi-faction conflicts narrative mixed with Arthurian mythos but for me it felt confusing and bare mention (at least for me) of the Assassin Creed common mythos I am familiar with, even though I could guess who the Templars and Assassins factions were in this time period.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Sword of the White Horse is the newest installment to the Assassin’s Creed novels by Aconyte and the second installment based on the Valhalla game.

The story follows a Celtic warrior defending her people from Vikings raiders infiltrates an ancient sect to save her homeland. In Mercia, 878 witch-warrior Niamh discovers a new order called the Hidden Ones is trying to establish itself in Lunden. The land is already scarred by bloody wars, Viking raiders and clashing cultures. Determined to protect what remains of her homeland, she infiltrates this new group to discover whether they stand with her or against her. But, when Niamh learns the Hidden Ones have stolen an artifact scared to her people, Niamh’s own loyalties are challenged. Casting aside newfound alliances and friendships, she soon discovers that betrayal comes with a heavy price and it will take everything in her power if her gods are willing to survive.

I want to start by saying I was worried I would be biased, I’ve been an Assassin’s Creed fan since the first game but Valhalla is one of my favourites. Norse and Celtic history and mythology have been my passions for a long time so I was excited for this one and thankfully I was not disappointed. Sjunneson does wonders to weave history and mythology together with the world of AC to create a story that is truly her own. Not to mention bonus points for the Arthurian legend links as well!

The novel captures the twisting and turning plot of Assassin’s Creed of trying to work out which sect and organization is truly able to be trusted. The characters are all believable and I enjoyed seeing Niamh struggle morally with the choices she makes and how she processes these. My favourite character, however was not Niamh but I do have a soft spot for Vikings after all.

A wonderful installment in the Valhalla canon and one that captures the setting, characters, tension and suspense perfectly. I think any AC fan will enjoy this but also fans of Norse and Celtic based fiction and mythology. And people who enjoy strong female characters I know I most certainly loved it and cannot wait for more.

Once again thank you for Aconyte and Netgalley for allowing me to review an ARC of this novel for a fair and honest review.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Sword of the White Horse follows Niamh, a witch-warrior, follower of the Lady of the Mists, in a fantasy version of historical Great Britain. She enters into the Hidden Ones as a secret mission to the Lady, but soon finds herself enmeshed in a fairly complex war between religion, race and of course the constant enemy throughout the Assassin's Creed, the Ancient ones. As someone who is Welsh and quite interested in Celtic lore, I always enjoy exploration of the Arthurian themes and legends. Excalibur is the main quest objective with plenty of history and lore behind it.

If you think describing a plot point as a quest objective is a bit weird... you might not realize that this, like all the books in the Assassin's Creed series, is to accompany the video game. I would highly recommend it to people who play the games, but it might not make the same connection with you if you're not a fan of the video game series. There are lots of hidden references and nods to the video game, from jumping off buildings into haystacks to hide, hiding corpses, stealth missions, and overall it has a very authentic video game feel of completing missions, occasionally getting side quests, and coming up against bosses who are harder than usual. As a gamer, I love reading this series of books and smiling at the Easter eggs, whilst also enjoying a simple fantasy tale of mysticism, loyalty and of course, good vs evil. Our main character is a strong female lead and that's excellent to see.

If you go into this with no knowledge of the video game, you may find some of the motivations or actions of our main characters a little odd, and also have no knowledge of the complex universe and backstory, but I still think it would be an enjoyable read.

As a fan of both the game and book franchise I'm giving Sword of the White Horse 4 stars.

I love the concept of this book but found it a bit of a slow read. The idea that Excalibur is still.out there is good.