Review of She’s the One Who Gets in Fights by S. R. Cronin, a historical fantasy
It’s the 1200’s, and the small realm of Ilari has had peace and prosperity for generations. That doesn’t mean every citizen is happy, however. Sulphur, the third of seven sisters, is glad the older two have been slow to wed. It’s given her the freedom to train as a fighter, in hopes of fulfilling her lifelong dream of joining Ilari’s army. Then, within a matter of days, both sisters announce plans and now Sulphur is expected to find a man to marry.
Is it Sulphur’s good fortune her homeland is gripped by fear of a pending Mongol invasion? And the army is going door to door encouraging recruits? Sulphur thinks it is. But once she’s forced to kill in a small skirmish, she’s ready to rethink her career decision.
Too bad it’s too late. The invasion is coming, and Ilari needs every good soldier it has.
Once Sulphur learns Ilari’s army has made the strategic decision to not defend certain parts of the realm, including the one where her family lives, she has to re-evaluate her loyalty. Is it with the military she’s always admired? Or is it with her sisters, who are hatching a plan to defend their homeland with magic?
Everywhere she turns, someone is counting on her to fight for what’s right. But what is?
Excerpt
As Svi neared, the dropping temperatures forced me to cut back on my workouts. Instead, I helped my father with the heavier stuff around the farm. Dad seldom asked his daughters to do chores but I knew he appreciated it when we did. He didn’t often ask his daughters questions, either, but on this cold afternoon he made an exception,
“Why do you want to fight?” he asked.
When I’d been young, Dad indulged me by teaching me how to handle weapons and even did a little play sparring with me on occasion. He’d stopped as I grew into a woman, of course, but he’d probably heard about my begging men to help me with my training as I got older. I guess I had to be grateful he hadn’t discussed it much with my mother, at least not enough so that she tried to intervene.
“It’s bad enough when a man has to fight,” he said. “A grisly, sad business. Life dealt you a lucky card not having to raise a weapon to harm another. Why do you want to throw that card away?”
I hadn’t thought of it that way.
“I’ve had to fight all my life, Dad. It comes naturally to me.” I hadn’t meant to tell him that, but perhaps he needed to know more about the sort of things that went on when he was gone.
“No you haven’t. Why would you say such a thing to me?”
I knew my answer would hurt him, so I tried to soften my response.
Review
Another great installment in this series. I love watching the story unfold from multiple angles, and the sisters are all so interesting. Sulphur is no exception. I found myself not quite understanding where she was coming from in the first two books, but this one made all clear. Sulphur emerged as a force, both on the battlefield and as a person.
The exploration of love/relationships was fascinating to watch. I won’t spoil, but Sulphur isn’t afraid to dislike something and make it known. She’s also okay with being different and not caring what people think about that difference.
I’m going to cut this short here because if I start writing too much, I’ll spoil things, and that’s the absolute last thing I want to do. Instead, I’ll just say “go read this series.” You won’t regret it. Trust me.
About S. R. Cronin
Sherrie Cronin is the author of a collection of six speculative fiction novels known as 46. Ascending and is now in the process of publishing a historical fantasy series called The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters. A quick look at the synopses of her books makes it obvious she is fascinated by people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had.
She’s made a lot of stops along the way to writing these novels. She’s lived in seven cities, visited forty-six countries, and worked as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. Now she answers a hot-line. Along the way, she’s lost several cats but acquired a husband who still loves her and three kids who’ve grown up just fine, both despite how eccentric she is.
All her life she has wanted to either tell these kinds of stories or be Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise. She now lives and writes in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she admits to occasionally checking her phone for a message from Captain Picard, just in case.
Find her online:
Giveaway
S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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