Review: The Arrow and the Sword

Realms of Caelia by Sara Farnsworth is my favorite new series. Each book combines two well-known fairy tales to create a story filled with magic, adventure, and romance. I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her latest book, The Arrow and the Sword. Instead of fairy tales, this book combines two well-known British legends, King Arthur and Robin Hood. It follows the popular trend of turning Robin Hood into a woman. I think I've read more books about female Robin Hoods at this point than male ones. What makes this book unique is that it combines the character of Robin Hood with Lady Guinevere, or Gwynn, as she is referred to here. As a child, I was a huge fan of Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, which loosely combined the King Arthur legends with the magical girl genre and made Princess Gwenevere a strong leader. This book brought back many of the feelings I got from watching that show.


Lady Gwynn is a master archer who can't seem to stay out of trouble. As she is trying to come to terms with her romantic feelings toward a squire named Arthur, who is friends with her brother, Lancelot, the Sheriff of Nottingham disrupts her life by attempting to force her into marriage. When she overhears something she wasn't supposed to, she must flee for her life and go into hiding. In doing so, she gathers a band of ragtag peasants whose lives have been negatively impacted by the sheriff and the corrupt Prince John. As their vagabond population grows, they build a shelter and come up with a plan to rob rich, corrupt nobles for survival until a better king can be found by way of the magic sword, Excalibur, according to the wizard Merlin's legend.

At first, I wasn't sure about the warrior princess archetype that this book touted because it was so different from Sara Farnsworth's other books, but she won me over yet again with her strong writing. Gwynn is a believable character who is far from perfect. Although she is brave, skilled, and snarky, she is also reckless and tends to get into trouble despite the fact that she hates being a damsel in distress. She has a strong sense of guilt about her actions as Robin Hood, but her friends support her and stand by her no matter what. In fact, it is Will Scarlet who creates the Robin Hood legend, and she merely goes along with it. The only thing the book lacked was sufficient justification for Arthur to be the true king, which could have been easily resolved with a few extra chapters.

Compared to the rest of the Realms of Caelia series, this book is most similar to Lake of the Wild Swans, despite the protagonist characters being polar opposites in personality. Both stories have a creepy villain who wants to force a much younger girl to marry him, causing her to need help from her true love. Each heroine comes to terms with their feelings after it's too late to escape the villain's schemes. The main difference is that in this book, Gwynn can defend herself to an extent. She isn't strong enough to overpower the sheriff, which is more realistic than most modern princess stories, but that doesn't mean she can't rough him up a little. She is a plucky heroine who provides a good complement to the studious Arthur.

The Arrow and the Sword by Sara Farnsworth is an exciting adventure that blends King Arthur and Robin Hood legends, with a unique twist that turns Robin Hood into Lady Gwynnevere. Gwynn is a refreshingly realistic strong female character who must navigate her feelings for Arthur while fighting against the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham. Farnsworth's writing shines in this warrior princess tale, bringing to life a relatable heroine who is both brave and flawed. With its blend of magic, adventure, and romance, this book is a compelling addition to the Realms of Caelia series, and fans of the series will not be disappointed.
I have always dreamed of being a writer and creating the next great fairy tale princess heroine. Princesses inspire us to be our best selves. While you're here, feel free to follow my page on Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and check out my books. I'm also on Instagram and Twitter.

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