Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

The Sword by Lilypearl Colman is a wonderful exploration of the enchantment, magic, and inherent violence of early Norse culture and family life. Oddný Einarsdóttir was just fifteen when, on a voyage with her foster brother to Iceland to finally be reunited with her father after years of separation, she was captured and taken into slavery by the evil and vicious tyrant Örlygr Thrasason. Taken to an isolated farmstead, Oddný is subjected to the terrible lifestyle of a common slave; regularly beaten and worked all hours to serve the masters of the homestead. It is here that Oddný loses her virginity, her innocence, and her ability to choose, all at the hands of Örlygr Thrasason and his men. One thing her slavery cannot take away is her desire to escape, her lust for freedom. For three long years, she will suffer the indignities of a slave woman but when the opportunity finally does present itself to get away from her oppressors, she grabs it with both hands, whatever it may cost her. Nothing could be worse than the world she is currently in, could it?

The Sword is a deeply personal and detailed account of a young woman’s treatment in a male-dominated, patriarchal society in the violent world that was 10th-century Norway. Author Lilypearl Colman has created a delightful character in Oddný whom all women will readily identify with even a thousand years after the novel’s setting. Her ability to withstand the change in circumstances in her life and to compartmentalize what was happening to her at the hands of her master and his men is something that all will understand and feel. I appreciated that at times she felt such despair that she wanted to take matters into her own hands and end it all. That she was able to pull back from the brink through divine intervention was a testament to her resilience and determination to survive, come what may. I enjoyed the relationship and the doubts between Oddný and her father who struggled to build a father/daughter relationship despite them being almost perfect strangers to each other. This story is set in a violent and sexually aggressive world and the author doesn’t hold back in describing the horrors of the day but this adds a realism and frankness that allows the reader to more fully identify with the characters involved. I was glad to see that this is just the first in a series that promises so much. Oddný is a character that many will be drawn to and root for, so I look forward to the next iteration of her adventures in the Nordic world. This was a fantastic read that I can highly recommend.