Just a notch under four stars. I don't know what it is about the characters but while I'm fond of them I'm not really invested in them. Somehow the multiple points of view seem to break my investment in the characters and make them less rounded for me, bringing down the score just a little.

Sworn takes place six months after Dark Lady's Chosen, Martris Drayke hoped his life could go back to something resembling normal, as normal, at least, that a king could have. However another threat to the kingdoms is rising and the plague unleashed during the war is decimating the population. Tris and his friends have to fight again for a future for themselves and their children. There are plots and subplots and evil under the ground that has to be kept from causing the end of the world.

I enjoyed the read and look forward to the next story in this series. I do like many of the characters and I'm just not sure why I'm not connecting with more of them. The story is well crafted and the characters often follow very sensible courses and while often have to choose between a rock and a hard place they're also willing to make hard choices that think about futures rather than present. ( )

The previous entries in the series have been hit and miss in delivering tension even though the characters and plots had been fleshed out enough to create credible fantasy. There are some unique ideas that carry this series and those elements are explored further, with some interesting plots concerning the relationship between the living and the dead.

The Sworn, due to the sheer scale of the plot, requires a diverse cast and this makes the first half quite dense, for the last four books have added many characters and they are spread across the Winter Kingdoms. Once the characters have been established Martin creates a strong feeling of foreboding, this entry is very much the calm before the storm; a prologue for the next chapter. Thanks to some unpredictable plot twists and careful manoeuvring of the protagonists The Sworn guarantees you'll be eagerly awaiting the next book, The Dread. ( )

Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-gail-z-martin-sworn-falling.h...

Wow, this was better than I expected. Thanks to Netgalley, I had the pleasure to add this to my iPod. I must say, I have not had the pleasure of reading Gail Z. Martin's first series, Chronicles of the Necromancer, but I see why she is so popular in this genre. It was truly epic with all sort of supernatural beings that made it quite refreshing. I have never come across a series that was an epic fantasy that is full of zombies, demons, vampires, werewolves and more. It was 600 pages of greatness.

The Sworn is about individuals who come together to try and take on a group we know as Black Robes, that want to raise an ancient cult known as the Destroyer. They want to raise it so they can bring back the old ways of the Winter Kingdoms. But while all of this is happening, the Winter Kingdoms are swarmed with multiple problems. Crops are slowly running low, there is a plague happening that turns people into zombies (or ashtenerath) and there are also demons (or dimmons) being raised by the Black Robes to attack people. Even worse, the Black Robes are capturing vampires and werewolves to sacrifice their blood to the Destroyer.

I will not go too much in the details because there are a lot. Each chapter is a different addition to the plot. I love that there isn't just one or two main characters. Everyone is a main character. There were so many subplots that led to the big plot, it was a tad confusing, but I believe that was due to the fact that I just got into this world and haven't read the first series. The Sworn is a spin-off of Chronicles of the Summoner series for those that don't know.

I also loved how when the books changed from one character to the next, it is a different world. Each world is full of magic in one way or the other. Whether it be the world of summoning because of King Tris, who has the ability to raise the dead or talk to their ghosts. Or the world of Aidane, the serroquette (a ghost whore), who has the ability to harbor a ghost's spirit and let them live through her (but only for two hours). All their abilities end up playing a huge role in this seemingly inevitable war.

I am so regretful for not starting Martin's work earlier, but I definitely intend to. Her work is beautifully written and imaginative. It is full of fantasy, horror, and magic, it was hard not to get engulfed by this book. Actually this book leaves off on a sort of cliffhanger and even though it is a little over 600 pages, I was literally screaming at iPod because I didn't want it to end. So if epic fantasy mixed with vampires, demons and werewolves sounds like your kind of thing, I highly recommend this book to you. ( )

This is an interesting book. I downloaded it from Netgalley, not realizing that there was a series of books before the start of this series. I was able to pick up the flow of the story and found it entertaining. I would suggest that you read the Necromancer series first, it would have saved a lot of time in figuring out the characters, the community, and the overall plot. This story is loaded with popular species. There are mages, vyrkin (shapeshifting wolves), vayash moru (vampires), and ashtenerath (zombies). ( )