The Chameleon with a Sword

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Pub Date 1 Oct 2019 | Archive Date 20 Oct 2019

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Description

Duro.

Protectors of the Day. Life. Loyalists.

A word that slices fear through sixteen-year-old Leena Niran the way her sword does enemies. A people who decided her destiny, but don’t even know she exists.

Nox.

Protectors of the Night. Death. Traitors.

A word once signifying respect and honor in Prince Mordecai’s homeland. A people synonymous with betrayal because of him.

The Oculan.

The reason life exists peacefully. The sum of Day and Night—two ancient energy forces a king must keep in balance or risk blending life and death in a cataclysmic melee. A risk worth Leena’s life.

Suddenly, a nomadic fencer finds herself wanted. By a government, a king, and a vengeful exiled prince seeking salvation for the illness killing his people. A cure flowing through Leena’s veins.

Leena’s safety becomes the duty of another protector, but her fate is her own. With a bounty on her head, Leena must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect herself, her dreams, her family, her world. The choice will be deadly either way.

Duro.

Protectors of the Day. Life. Loyalists.

A word that slices fear through sixteen-year-old Leena Niran the way her sword does enemies. A people who decided her destiny, but don’t even know she...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781733406697
PRICE US$7.99 (USD)

Average rating from 35 members


Featured Reviews

Wonderfully written, fast paced and entertaining read. Great world building, really nice mix of fantasy and sci-fi. Well paced throughout and relatable, interesting characters, fantastic read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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God, I loved this book. I can't remember the last time I read anything that actually resembled a true and honest novel. I love reading the fast-paced books that have good beginning, middle and ends, but this one gave me a mini series and a dozen other reasons to come back.

The writing is as gorgeous as the cover, the characters played off well on each other, and I liked the duo POVs. Like the two opposing forces, they gave you a better idea of the world building up with every step these two characters took, and it was magical. Information was slowly fed to you, giving it to you when you needed it, and I was pleasantly shocked at a lot of things that were revealed. I liked how dark Leena's opposition was, but mostly because a lot of his 'darkness' took pride in providing for his people. There's nothing better than complex characters who've made up their mind.

It's a definite recommend. It's heady, fantastical, and you'll like watching these characters slowly turn into family.

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Three and a half
This YA fantasy has a lot to recommend it and it was an enthralling idea that sometimes had a little too much going on. I really liked that we got not just the protagonist Leenas point of view but also that of the villain Mordecai as it allowed the reader to understand their motives.
Leena has had an awful life and has been lied to, betrayed and used as a host for a power that's celestial in origin. She's used to protecting herself but when someone tries to run her off the road Leena discovers that her family are definitely not what she thought ! With help from new allies Leena undertakes a journey that sees her truly embracing everything that she's capable of.
Mordecai is a conundrum. He's the Prince that led an attempted revolution only to fail and find himself and his allies banished . Now their powers are diminished and he's desperate to save his people. Oddly he isn't really written as vile or odious . Yes there's a brief mention of him murdering people but essentially Mordecai felt heroic ! Perhaps the author realised she had made him likeable because then very strangely he has the ability to leave his body and destroy souls ! This came out of nowhere and didn't fit in with the plot and honestly he was the oddest type of Grim Reaper that I've ever read .
The world building here is immense and yet at times difficult to grasp. There's technology and a police state that appears barbaric. We also get a fantasy element with magic that's almost scientific. Then I have to mention supporting characters such as Aiden the token love interest and it's an enemies to almost lovers that was obvious a mile off but still felt rushed to this reader. Zacharias is a warm loveable character who I wanted more of and Suki is bright and breezy but has a secret . Which brings me to that family because Leena truly has the family from hell ! Violent mother, absent father, a grandfather who just didn't make sense and an uncle who wants to kill her ! Yes for me just too much here felt like it needed a beta reader to advise revisions. I really want to rate this higher because I did enjoy parts of this but sadly because it couldn't decide if it was fantasy, sci fi , paranormal or maybe even dystopian I feel three and a half is appropriate.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

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I enjoyed this book. It is a two-hander where the story is told through the eyes of the heroine Leena and her nemesis Mordecai. It is quite an elaborately imagined and constructed world (or set of intertwined multiple worlds...) and we discover much about how the various different groups of inhabitants interact as Leena does, as she has been hitherto kept in the dark about them and how she fits in it. I liked much of the book, apart from the ending, which seemed to come to its crescendo very quickly, although it mat just be being left more open ended to allow for further books..

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The Chameleon with a Sword is a fantastic book! I instantly was hooked from the first page. The science-fiction and fantasy elements worked so well in the story.
What really grabbed my attention was the main character, Aileen. Aileen has a uniqueness to her character that just draws you in and want to know her story. She is fierce, loyal, and introverted. I love any fantasy story with a strong, female character who can fend for her own and be independent.
Aidan was an added bonus. His character is witty, cocky/borderline arrogant, and caring. I want to read more of him and I feel like I haven't had enough of Aidan and Aileen.
I also loved the switch between narratives. The antagonist of the novel, Mordecai, is not just some evil villain in this story. He has a voice and a story that makes you empathize him, and it doesn't make the story plot so cliche as good versus evil. Sometimes you don't get to know why the antagonist acts and behaves the way they do, which isn't always necessary to have in the story, but it works so well for the plot.
Fantasy is amazing because of the world building that happens and transforms our reality into an entirely new one. There is a lot of world building, and it really set this story apart from others. However, I did find myself lost at times because I was suddenly pushed into a scene where something was being described, but there was no explanation of what it was or what it meant. The Astroniva concept and Death/Reaper scene was confusing and it felt rushed. More background would have grounded the reader and made the dive into the fantastical world more smooth.
Despite the world building confusion, I really loved this story. I couldn't put the book down, and if I did it was only for a second because the characters, the drama, the action, and the romance and intensity sucks you back in.
A worth while read for any fantasy and sci-fi readers.

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God, I loved this book sooooo much!
I didn't know what to expect at first, BUT WOW, this was more than I could ever ask for in a book!

I LOVED getting to know Leena and Prince Mordecai as individuals in their separate narratives.
Main character, Leena, who has been hurt and abandoned, must decide who she can trust, and whether she can harness her strength and her mysterious abilities to help the people that she suspects have betrayed her.
Prince Mordecai bears the responsibility of his peoples’ exile. Separation from their land is slowly killing them off and he must take drastic actions to fight his family and regain his throne.
When Leena and Mordecai’s stories intersect, it is so satisfying and the story really takes off.

The writing is as gorgeous as the cover, the characters played off well on each other, and I liked the duo POVs.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

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I loved this book. I loved everything. Cover art, storyline, characters. I was hooked from the start. It was fast paced and wonderfully written. Another thing that i loved about this book was narratives. We read both povs so that was amazing.

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This novel is splendidly written in the badass heroine category, a more introverted heroine than I typically find in fantasy books. The way the main character had to reinvent herself to survive and feel safe going through life alone, where she's unable to trust anyone but herself.

This book deals with the story of Leena Niran, a heroine with an attitude as well as a sword, who has spent her youth at risk that can cost her life.

She has been hurt and abandoned. She is passionate and willing to do whatever it takes to fight her way out of this life she was forced to endure.

One of the things I loved about this heroine is her fierce habits. She also still wonderfully vulnerable in the ways she responded to her world.

Also, this book is written in the parallel narratives within a single storyline. Prince Mordecai is the second character this story followed, who took pride in providing for his people.

While there is romance in this book, it is most definitely on our heroine's terms, which complemented the story that allowed Leena to form a new family and new friendships despite undertaking her most difficult tasks.

If you enjoy magic, realistic combats, and harrowing adventures, you probably will love The Chameleon with a Sword by B.L. Logan.

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A very detailed book of the live of a young woman, wo discovers she ka going to ne a leader in one of the three worlds den lives on.

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Leena is a loner, a fencer who hones her skill at a place where illegal sword fights take place over gaping holes. She's sent a lot of opponents down to either suffer or die or both. She does it for the money, to survive. She does it because, though she's only 16, there's no one to take care of her. She does it for the thrill.
I liked Leena a lot as well as her other friends. The characters in the story are great, especially Mordecai. The author does a fantastic job of taking the villain hunting Leena and making him relatable, human. That takes skill.
My only complaint is the unanswered questions I and other readers are left with. Why did Leena's mother hate her so? Why did her father choose her mother and then abandon them? Is she ever going to build steam with Aiden?

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3.5 stars

I have been thinking so long about how to review this book. There are a lot of things that I love but also some things that made me struggle to get through this book.

Plot
The Chameleon With a Sword follows a teenage girl named Leena, who spends her days gathering money in illegal underground fencing matches. When her mother decides she wants to move to a new place, they get into a car accident and when Leena comes to, her mother has disappeared. She wakes up in a strangers house. He claims to be an old friend of Leena's family and takes custody over her until they are able to find her mother. Leena's new life is not what it seems though and she needs to learn to navigate through a life of magic, deceit and with the lives of many resting on her shoulders.

Worldbuilding
There is so much going on in this book. There is technology, there is magic, and both are accompanied by a lot of new terms which are not explained (or a whole lot farther in the book). This makes the first 100/200 pages hard to follow. Our main character Leena is as clueless about all these terms as we are, but because this book uses a dual perspective new terms are used freely and in abundance. Only when Leena figured out what she is and what is going on some of the things are loosely explained, but even when I knew what was happening I was still struggling with applying this new info to what was being said in the beginning of the book when I still had no idea what was going on.

Characters
That being said I think it is not fair to focus solely on this because I did enjoy the story when things were finally falling into place bit by bit. Leena is a great character, she is fierce and semi-reckless at times, but also caring and insecure. She gets thrown into a world that is unknown to her and is forced to adapt quickly because she is in constant danger. She has been struggling for so long and she still manages to turn everything around. The same applies to Suki, Zacharias and Aiden. They have all had their struggles and have very different personalities, but they still manage to love and take care of each other and that just warms my heart a bit.

Conclusion
I feel like this book will click with a very specific audience. It is hard to put a specific genre to this book and some patience is needed to push through and digest the bulk of information thrown on unsuspecting readers. That being said, I highly recommend this book if you are willing to put in some effort and are intrigued by complex magic, adventures, friendships and overall badass characters. I will be checking in for any kind of sequel for this book!

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I loved the premise of this book! Original and unique, the detail is wonderful and I really enjoyed the story line! We liked this book so much we are working with her this month to promote her book!

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(Rant to begin, ending on a high note)

I'm so sad. I'll just jump right in and say, this book left me so disappointed. Don't get me wrong, there were so so many things that I loved about this book and for a long while I honestly thought it was going to be 5 stars, til the end. This is a very long book and I feel like I invested so much time and energy into these characters and this world, I truly cared about them and what was going to happen. It was such a long, emotional, bouncy, sometimes tiresome, roller coaster ride - with virtually no pay off.

I can't say much here without spoilers but I think everyone who has read this book knows the true relationship between Leena and Mordecai.. and I just wanted him to figure it out! I wanted there to be that moment right at the end, where he had an epiphany - yes! I wanted to see his reaction and feel his heartbreak and betrayal. Everything could have still gone exactly as it was written, with Leena still being none the wiser and Mordecai doing what he did and Noxden (trying my best to be cryptic). It's all I wanted. I wanted all that work to finally lead to something that had meaning (at least for me personally). Instead we were given the most teeny tiny subtle hints that maybe, just maybe in the future, he might finally see the truth. As others have mentioned, the story is left wide open, so it may or may not be continued.

A lot of the second half was very repetitive, with essentially the same scenes on a loop with the cat and mouse game becoming a bit tedious. Overall, I thought the writing was very good, but the action scenes felt rather clunky, as if they had been written in bullet point form. You also bounce back and forth quite a lot between past, present and different POVs (getting a bit dizzy).

I just feel like, after all that, it was for nothing. Right now, I'm tired and I don't know if I feel invested enough to read a second book, if there ever is one. So much time and energy has already been spent just trying to understand the world, which again as mentioned by many others already, I still don't fully understand. In saying that, I did love the world, but it's like missing that final puzzle piece that brings it all together.

Ending with the good stuff.. and there is a lot! I really thoroughly enjoyed this book, which I guess is what makes my disappointment even more apparent. Aside from the confusion, as mentioned, I really did love the world. I love the concept of the duality, opposing forces, the light and dark, one can't exist without the other, all that I really liked. I thought the main plot was very well done, I enjoyed following the journeys of the 2 protagonists and the split pov (though I personally would've liked a lot more pages from Mordecai's).

Which brings us to the shining stars of the book, the characters. Superb! Absolutely so well written, I am gushing! Stealing the words from another reviewer, the characters are all so imperfect and flawed, which makes them wonderfully - human. Yes! I had my favourites (Mordecai, Aidan and Zacharias), but each and every one of them was so fleshed out and defined. They each had their own clear voice and morals, intentions, motivations, struggles.. bringing a unique dynamic to the story and the relationships. It was raw, it was pure, it really was just fantastic.

Ms Logan clearly has a flare for creating believable characters and relationships through emotional and relatable storytelling. Aleena, damn girl, I feel your hurt and the betrayal. It was so real.

The kind of immersive experience I was able to share with the characters in this book is why I read! So, thank you.

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Review can be found on Booked J and Goodreads. As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

This book was proper good. I'm not sure why I had issues getting into it because at about a quarter of the way through I went from being indifferent to thoroughly captivated by The Chameleon with a Sword. Something about the beginning just didn't connect with me, but, dang. D-A-N-G.

When I DID connect with it??? When it finally connect with me? Pure entertainment that consumes your day. The Chameleon with a Sword holds to incredible story-telling as its center. The story is compromised of many things: high paced plotlines, thoroughly delightful and thrilling with characters that feel as complex and dynamic as is necessary for development.

Each of these essential qualities are tied into a beautiful prose by B.L. Logan, who's writing shines bright and compels readers until the story wraps up. She pens the story in a way that is full of wonderful, intrigue and dedicates a great amount of her time to world-building. Logan further takes the story to incredible heights by providing reader's with the POV of both the hero and the villain.

Come for the premise, stay for the fantastical writing. The Chameleon with a Sword surely has its flaws, but it is Logan's tone and determination that makes the story build into something all the more special. Time is split fairly evenly throughout the novel, leading to a quickly paced exploration of the story.

Each conflict that arises in the narration and plotlines ties into the bigger picture. We learn about the world right alongside one of our main characters, which adds a wonderful layer of intimacy and atmosphere to the novel. The Chameleon with a Sword is destined to be a work of fiction that draws new readers into exciting worlds.

B.L. Logan is definitely a voice to look out for. I can't wait to see what else she brings to the table in the future.

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The Chameleon with a Sword was a really interesting read. It was fast-paced, a great fantasy / Sci-Fi read. I loved the characters and the storyline.
Thank you Net Galley for the E-book

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The Chameleon With a Sword follows a sixteen year old girl named Leena who spends her days earning money in illegal underground fencing matches. When her mother decides she wants to move someplace else, they get into a car crash and when Leena wakes up, she finds that her mother has disappeared. She soon finds herself in a strangers house, who claims to be an old friend of her family and takes custody over her until they are able to find her mother. Leena's new life is not what it seems and she needs to learn to navigate through a life of deceit and magic.

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I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot from beginning to end.

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