Review of The Way of the Sword

[Ozioma Miriam]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Way of the Sword" by Luke Herbel.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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I have not heard of Kendo as a sport until I read this book. From its descriptions in the book, it's a Japanese form of combat. The Way of the Sword was written by Luke Herbel. The story was about two college students who were learning and trying to master Kendo.

The Stanford brothers, Roland and Paul, though living separate lives, decided to end their final year at college by joining the Kendo class. They had very different personalities. Paul was harsh and sinister. He enjoyed power and took pride in the fact that he was the best and was respected in the Kendo club. But Kirino shattered that belief for him. One day, she breezed into the club and challenged the Stanford brothers to a duel, which she won. Roland took the defeat better than Paul. He was devastated that they had lost at the hands of a girl. This made him start harboring ill feelings for both Roland and Kirino. Then events happened that not only fanned his hatred for both of them but also allowed him to deal with them.

This book was thrilling, and the characters were interesting. Roland was the good guy in every sense of the word. He didn't try to cover, protect, or make excuses for his brother when he did things the wrong way. Kirino fascinated me. I enjoyed reading about how smart, agile, and strong she was. Paul, on the other hand, had a very bad attitude. His outlook on life, his reasons for learning the sport, and his motivation all sounded wrong to me.

Unfortunately, there were things I didn't like about this book. As much as the book was thrilling, the suspense was frustrating at times. While it kept me in suspense about an event, it jumped from one unfinished memory to another. I didn't like the sequence of the book. It wasn't arranged well. It was, at times, confusing. The characters' features were not fully developed. This made the characters not distinctive in my mind. The book described Kirino as a blonde, but the lady in the cover picture had dark hair. This was very contradictory.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I found only one error. So it was professionally well-edited. But for the reasons above, I removed a star. Jumping from one memory to the next was interfering with my enjoyment of the book. It made me unable to relish when an unfinished event had been resolved. This might affect the experience of other readers. The features of the characters that were not fully developed might affect the mental image of readers of the book. Except for these, the plot of the book was interesting. The book wasn't a stand-alone. But it's the first book in its series. I recommend this book to lovers of thrillers and to those who enjoy the Kendo sport.

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The Way of the Sword
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[Chimdik Chimezi]

This story in this book seems to be rampant. Everyone has an inner envy that normally surface when engaged in a challenge. The book didn't mention a way of handling this innate bad trait. I wish it had given one or two points to this effect.

[Jatto Onimisi]

From your synopsis, I was expecting a book that would expound on the subject of kendo, but that isn't the case. However, I think you have just thoroughly reviewed a well plotted action thriller.

[Ozioma Miriam]

This story in this book seems to be rampant. Everyone has inner envy that normally surfaces when engaged in a challenge. The book didn't mention a way of handling this innate bad trait. I wish it had given one or two points to this effect.

True, but since it's a sequel, it might do that in the next book.

[Harry Torsney]

I'd like to learn more about the sport of kendo. Based on this excellent review, this book contains a lot of exciting events that revolve around Roland and Paul. Kudos!

[NetMassimo]

I'm not sure about this novel, as it has some interesting elements but the flaws you pointed out might make it pretty boring to me. Regardless, thank you for your great review!