The Templar Sword

I received a copy to review for BBNYA, and my review has been withheld until after the competition ended. I also grabbed a paperback copy, as I prefer to read physical.

One of the things I worried about as this is my first year with BBNYA is the idea of 2,000 words being enough to fully grasp the worth of a story. For me, this story was not a huge win for me for round one. I was intrigued, but not desperate to continue. Luckily, I received it again, because this was one hell of an action adventure story!

This reads like a young adult historical fiction where the Templar order is searching for lost artifacts. The back likens it to Indian Jones and Uncharted. At first, I thought it odd that it didn’t mention Assassin’s Creed, as it seemed unlikely the author had not heard of it, but then I figured that might have put them as villains in readers’ minds.

Noah is desperate to follow in his family’s footsteps, to prove himself to his father, and to join the Templar order. This is the last thing his father wants, but unfortunately, it’s not entirely up to him.

The action is slick and believable, never going to the action-hero limit, while still being edge-of-your-seat enjoyable. The diving scenes really helped amp up the claustrophobic feeling and that added to the overall climactic built.

Personally a 4.5/5*. Really enjoyed it, but some of the teenage boy thoughts got a bit repetitive.