Review: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

The book opens on Anne Bonny about to give birth. It's definitely an effective opening. Grabs your attention and keeps it from there. Chapters alternate between Anne and her many greats grandaughter Maude Stapleton. Anne's story takes place in 1721. Maude's takes place in 1870-1871.

Maude has left her home in Golgotha to pursue her father who has taken her daughter with him back east to Charleston. She is one of an elite group called the Daughters of Lilith. And she has been training her daughter Constance to follow in her footsteps.

A woman who is also a part of the group of the Daughters of Lilith is orchestrating a kidnapping of Constance because she believes that Constance must be sacrificed in order for the group to continue. Meanwhile, an opposing group called the Sons of Typhon also wants to kidnap Constance for their own purposes. So, when Maude arrives in Charleston she is destined to have her hands full. And that's without the subplot of trying to regain control of the estate she inherited from her Gran Bonny and recover legal custody of her daughter.

Searching for Constance will lead Maude afar. Anne's chapters are complementary and are about her own journey in Africa seeking enough treasure to retire from the pirate's life.

Maude and Anne are two of my favorite characters from the Golgotha series. I love how fiercely independent and capable they are. There are other well-drawn characters in the book including for example Alter Cline a reporter following Maude, and Maude's lady lawyer Arabella Mansfield.

The structure of the book works well to advance the plot. It's well-paced. I found myself flying through it wanting to know what would happen next.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's very well written. You could read this without having read the first two books in the series, but you'd be missing some of the flavor. This book picks up soon after book two and refers to events in it. The author does do a good job of catching a reader up on what's been going on though. I find myself looking forward to further adventures in the world of Golgotha and wonder what will be next for these characters.

Teaser Tuesday: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"I am not your love," she said in a voice not entirely her own. "I am not your pet." She filled herself with clean air and felt her whole body burn with a power she did not fully understand. "I am a Daughter of Lilith; I am the Mother's sword. If you're so eager, come play, come play with death." (p. 97)

Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher was published June 27, 2017 by Tor Books. The third book in the Golgotha series, it focuses on Maude and her daughter Constance and Anne Bonny. In the above excerpt, It is Constance who is doing the talking.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Throwback Thursday Review: The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher

This week's throwback review is of The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher. It was published October 2014 by Tor Books. This is the second book in the Golgotha series.

Golgotha, Nevada, deep in the desert, is from outward appearances a busy frontier town bolstered by the recent influx of miners. If one looks closely beneath its veneer, one can see that not everything is necessarily what it appears to be. Nor is everyone who they appear to be. After all, one can remake themselves in Golgotha: "You could be a hero, a villain, a self-made man, or you could vanish without a trace, erasing the person you once were." (p.23)

Sheriff John Highfather and his deputies, Mutt and Jim, have been having their hands full with ordinary crimes. Something supernatural is on the horizon, though. There is an evil skull that Biqa, aka Malachi Bick, was tasked with hiding and protecting and now Ray Zeal is after it along with those that possess any of the teeth  that were scattered back in the day. Those that have the teeth have been pursuing lives of crime, to put it mildly. Ray Zeal wants them to help him recover the skull and take over Golgotha.

Also back in this novel are Maude, her daughter Constance, Malachi Bick, Mayor Pratt, Auggie, Clay, Gerta, and Gillian. Each has a special role to play in what's coming to Golgotha. Kate, a Pinkerton detective, is introduced as well as a pirate queen, and the bouncer for the Dove's Nest.

The book can be read as a stand-alone, but is a better read if you've read book one. It's fast-paced and full of action that only increases in momentum as the book goes on.

This book is definitely a weird western. It's a bit of horror/dark fantasy. I like all of the good guys, but Maude, Kate, Jim, Mutt, and the sheriff are my favorites. The bad guys are pretty much majorly unlikeable which is a good thing. The main characters are multi-dimensional.

Overall the book is well written. If you like weird westerns, or your horror or dark fantasy with a taste of old-time west, then this book is for you. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next in the series. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

You can read an excerpt from the book on Tor.com

Teaser Tuesday: The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"They all headed west, where luck and fortune still flowed like milk and honey and where your fate wasn't set in stone. You could be a hero, a villain, a self-made man, or you could vanish without a trace, erasing the person you once were." p.23

Golgotha is definitely a place where there are people who have remade themselves. And it is a town where both the natural and preternatural abide, sometimes side by side. It's sort of a paranormal western, maybe tends a little towards horror. 

The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher was published October 7, 2014 by Tor Books.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever-growing TBR lists.