The Sword Unsheathed – Guardians of Erin, Book 3

The Donoghue siblings are still searching for their parents while also learning to use their manifesting powers. As the third sibling Kian becomes the Sword of Light, he is able to see their past lives revealing secrets and new clues hopefully leading to their parents. Ashling is torn, trying to decide if Aengus may be her true love, even though she still has feelings for Lorcan. She sacrifices herself to save her sister Deirdre who is being held in the Netherworld by Aoife. Traveling between realms of the Netherworld, Otherworld, and the real world Ashling cannot help but feel as if part of her belongs to the darkness. Everyone must work together to save both Donoghue sisters from Aoife as they realize her evil plans may bring about the destruction of the world.

Readers will enjoy “The Sword Unsheathed” told with humor and plenty of youthful angst as they take pleasure in the sisters’ tumultuous love triangles. Sadly, the continuing search for the Donoghue parents is pushed to the back burner while the siblings learn to control their powers. The constant time jumping may be a tad confusing but is very compelling once understood. Their arch nemesis continues to be typically evil; however, her motivations are given more depth. The story has a slow pace as it deals with bewildering young love, abundant time travel, and a thickening plot leaving readers hanging on the cliff awaiting a heartbreaking climax or an extraordinary happy ending. Judith Sterling’s magical world is filled with characters on journeys of self-discovery, Irish legends with modern twists, complex romances, and overlapping mysteries ensuring readers will be eager for the next page-turning dilemma.

Tonya Mathenia