Kion Bray can’t accept that his father was a coward. Bullied for his dad’s actions in the last war, the seventeen-year-old shepherd is determined to restore his family honor. And the only way to do it is to win the village’s annual sword-fighting contest.

Lacking experience, Kion fears he might only bring more embarrassment upon those he loves. And with his biggest tormentor awaiting him in the competition and a dark army mobilizing to the north, his quest for redemption may come to a swift and painful end.

Can a simple shepherd learn to master his blade before his hopes and his people are crushed?

Truesilver is the first book in the epic Swordspeaker Saga YA fantasy series, a tale of legendary weapons and the heroes who wield them.

Book 1 of the Swordspeaker Saga series.

DJ Edwardson’s Truesilver attempts to forge a heroic fighter from a humble shepherd. Kion Bray, outcast son of a dishonored warrior, plans to redeem his family’s honor by winning the annual village tournament. Unfortunately, his everyday life blocks his blows as surely as any opponent, and more dangerous matters lurk at his world’s edges. Although the story’s first half advances through smaller matters with the methodical pace of a forge bellows, its second half brings more intense action hammering upon the heroes. Monstrous enemies, magic swords, and weighty discussions of honor and courage balance out teenage angst, village life, and small-minded characters, making Truesilver’s world large enough to include multiple future volumes.

Best for: Teen boys as well as fans of coming-of-age stories, adventure, and slow-burn epic fantasy.

Discern: Mildly graphic wartime violence and fighting, bullying, made-up swear words.