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Isle of Swords

(Isle of Swords #1)

Wayne Thomas Batson (Goodreads Author)

4.14 · Rating details · 2,388 ratings · 193 reviews

A young lad awakens on an island, alone and brutally injured, with no memory of his past.

Captain Declan Ross searched for riches that will free him and his headstrong daughter, Anne, from the piracy business forever . . . Bartholomew Thorne, an infamously ruthless pirate, seeks to destroy Ross and any who stand in his way of the legendary treasure hidden by a mysterio

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Hardcover, 344 pages

Published September 9th 2007 by Thomas Nelson

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Clean teen fiction (Christian)

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Average rating 4.14 ·

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· 2,388 ratings · 193 reviews

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Start your review of Isle of Swords (Isle of Swords, #1)

Oct 17, 2015 Brianna Silva rated it liked it

When I first read this book eight years ago, I absolutely loved it. I would have given it 5 stars. But it's funny... now that I'm reading it again, I can tell that it's actually not very well-written. (Technically, at least.) I know Wayne Batson has improved as an author since then... and apparently I've become a more critical reader! :)

That being said, despite the many weak points, it's still a super fun adventure story that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. This book is famous among my b ...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Stephen rated it it was ok

Shelves: water-logged, religion-spirituality, ebooks, fantasy, ya, 2006-2010

1.5 to 2.0 stars. Not quite all the way to "okay" but I felt it was better than a 1 star effort so I went with two stars. I seem to disagree with most reviewers of this book so let me begin by saying that from a technical standpoint, this book is competently written and moves along at a nice pace. Additionaly, while I did not know that this was a "Christian fantasy" when I picked it up, the fact that it was didn't effect my enjoyment (or lack thereof) one way or the other.

The reason for the rel ...more

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Oct 25, 2014 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Look, it's not exactly great literature, but I don't think it's meant to be. And as far as being what it is — a fun pirate adventure story with pretty solid themes and a really nice father-daughter relationship — it does a really good job of that. And, yeah, it leans on a lot of pirate tropes-that-are-practically-cliche, but there's also more cleverness in here than I remembered. (That said, the last time I read the book, I was in that stage when I thought it was cool to be overly critical and w ...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Annie rated it liked it

Shelves: owned-books, female-pov, historical-fiction, male-pov, christian, 2000s-release

Isle of Swords and its sequel, Isle of Fire, are separate books, but I'll be reviewing them together because reasons. It works because I have pretty much the same feelings about both of them. Just so you know, this review contains minorish spoilers (though I hesitate to call them spoilers because the reveals are completely predictable and I had it all figured out right away).

A few years back, I read this author's The Door Within and the rest of the trilogy. I remember enjoying it, so I wa ...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Gillian Bronte Adams rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviews

Set sail on a rip roaring adventure on the high seas! From the blue Caribbean to the wild North Atlantic, follow Captain Declan Ross and the fierce (but loveable) crew of the William Wallace. Originally forced to turn to piracy, Declan Ross seeks enough wealth to leave behind the so called “sweet trade” and settle down ashore with his daughter Anne.

Anne, however, does not share her father’s desire. To top it all off, the Wallace is short of supplies, leaking water, and caught in the hunting gro Set sail on a rip roaring adventure on the high seas! From the blue Caribbean to the wild North Atlantic, follow Captain Declan Ross and the fierce (but loveable) crew of the William Wallace. Originally forced to turn to piracy, Declan Ross seeks enough wealth to leave behind the so called “sweet trade” and settle down ashore with his daughter Anne.

Anne, however, does not share her father’s desire. To top it all off, the Wallace is short of supplies, leaking water, and caught in the hunting grounds of the worst pirate in history: Bartholomew Thorne. It couldn’t get much worse, right?

Until the discovery of a brutally beaten lad abandoned on an island, a fateful fight against Thorne’s second in command and a strange meeting with an even stranger Priest result in Declan Ross and the Wallace ranking number one on Thorne’s most wanted list. A desperate race to find the legendary treasure of Constantine could give Ross the wealth he seeks. If Thorne doesn’t find it first…

When Wayne Thomas Batson’s book Isle of Swords came out several years ago, I literally devoured it. Flipping from page to page as fast and as long as I could! So, I figured it was high time I wrote a review.

True to form, Isle of Swords opens with a bang. Writers often talk about putting their characters into the worst possible situations and letting them work their way out again. Batson leaves nothing to be desired in this respect. From the start, there is absolutely no doubt as to what is at stake.

Batson’s characters fairly jump off the page. Determined Declan Ross, headstrong Ann, and poor Cat who can’t even remember his own name! Not to mention the fierce Red Eye who can’t seem to collect enough weapons or Nubby (named for the stump of his missing arm) who serves as the Wallace’s cook and whose favorite dish is Iguana Stew.

Isle of Swords is a story full of color and spice that will whisk you out of your chair and transport you to the swaying deck of a ship or drop you into the overarching palms and thick underbrush of a muggy jungle. Quick paced action, vivid settings, and characters you can’t help but love, make Isle of Swords a story well worth reading. Due to violent content and evil pirates who are sometimes disturbingly cruel, I recommend Isle of Sword for readers 12+.
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May 21, 2019 Esther rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, young-adult, pirates, autographed, paperback, christian, favorites, buddy-read

A little help here? My heart is still pounding. O.O

Wow! What an incredible book! The plot was solid, the descriptions vivid, and the story suspenseful. But the characters were my favorite part. Somehow Batson managed to pull together a huge cast while making each character distinct and dynamic. He also succeeded in creating a villain that scared the daylights out of me! (Probably wise not to read this before bed. ;) )

I can't wait to continue this high seas adventure! Especially since book two ...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Kelsey Hanson rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. There aren't very many modern books that feature pirates of the colonial era. This is a pleasant combination of Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Island. I do like that it fast-paced and has a fun crew to follow. The actual main characters of this book are a little bit tired. I enjoyed the secondary characters more, but it was a light enjoyable read and good enough for me to want to read the sequel. ...more

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Oct 16, 2018 Ferson (Jefferson) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 4-5-stars, christian-fiction

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Written very well, and a great Pirate story!
I love how the author put christ in it! It was just a great book (P.S. not going to do spoilers ;))

Highly Recommended!!!

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Jun 04, 2020 Saleh rated it really liked it

I think the dad really loves his daughter one example is when she was cold and terrified and he wrapped her in his jacket and hugged her another example is when she told him that there were monsters in the sea and he said there wasent it was the storm even through he knew that there were monsters this shows that he will do anything to comfort his daughter

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Jun 26, 2020 Yami rated it really liked it · review of another edition

that was an enjoyable adventure...one of the good pirate-y themed novels..a little predictable , but not boring at all , the characters likable.

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Nov 06, 2009 Whisper rated it it was amazing

This is an excellent book and it definitely ranks among my top ten.

The story is fabulous. The book is stuffed with humor, unique and endearing characters, oceans of peril, and the whole thing is saturated in mystery. Secrets shroud the tale. However, the author meters out the answers to those secrets carefully, just enough at a time to satisfy the reader and make him/her come back for more. I have never read books that do this so well. I highly, highly recommend Isle of Swords.

Sea monsters, stan ...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Rebel Rider rated it it was amazing

Shelves: clean, christian

I normally read science fiction and fantasy and when I finished the book I realized that I had read and really liked a book that wasn’t quite in those categories.
The book follows a pirate crew as they try to get to the treasure before the evil pirates do. (Of course the British are trying to capture the pirates too.)
This book was a lot like a Christian Pirates of the Caribbean and this book had good morals so you could actually like the characters.
There isn’t anything in this book for parents ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 Amy rated it it was ok

I would have loved this book if I had read it in Middle School. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite enthrall me as much as an adult. I would definitely give it to a younger audience to read, but I don't think I'll ever come back. ...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Kenzie Kathleen rated it it was ok

Easy to read but too boring to keep me into it. Not as good as I was hoping.

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$Anna {Follow me for reviews! (✿◡_◡)}$

Mar 06, 2020 Anna {Follow me for reviews! (✿◡_◡)} rated it liked it

Shelves: younger-audience

2.5 stars

Okay, okay. Where do I begin? First I shall say that I picked this book up not realizing the age category it was for. I'm definitely too old for it. But that's okay. Let the review come!

Characters:
I never really liked any of the characters that much. Nubby was okay and I'm not sure why I kinda liked him. He was just the best, I suppose.
Cat was super confusing. He would often have conflicting ideas go through his head. First, he knew they needed to and wanted to leave a place because it ...more

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Sep 04, 2018 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, christian, historical-fiction, tween

I was hesitant to read this, but it was better than I expected. If you want a rollicking, high seas adventure packed with intrigue, danger, wit, and sass, give it a shot!

What did I like? Other reviewers have said that it was predictable and that they'd figured the plot out at once. I, however, did not. And I guess all the plots. All of them. There were a few instances where the writer had used the same device before, so I knew it was coming, but for the most part I was surprised at the amount ...more

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May 18, 2021 Holli rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! It took me a few chapters to get into it but I really had a lot of fun reading it! Pros- it reminded me a lot of the pirates that Caribbean, and I loved that! The characters were each really memorable, and I loved how the little details of the plot all came together in the end. It wasn't too predictable and I still easily understood what was going on. I really only have two cons. The first one is that literally every female characters described has red hair- and on th ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Levi Helin rated it it was ok

Shelves: owned

I again am lead to write a review borne of confliction rather than praise.

Let it be known at the outset that this book isn't bad, despite the rating. Two stars is admittedly low for me, but the book is not two stars throughout. If I could I would rate some sections at 3 (which is my "it was good" rating) and some others at 1 (which...isn't). Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that I'm not in the age bracket this book was intended for. It has literally been on my reading list since the beginning - I again am lead to write a review borne of confliction rather than praise.

Let it be known at the outset that this book isn't bad, despite the rating. Two stars is admittedly low for me, but the book is not two stars throughout. If I could I would rate some sections at 3 (which is my "it was good" rating) and some others at 1 (which...isn't). Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that I'm not in the age bracket this book was intended for. It has literally been on my reading list since the beginning - since before I was even on GR - and I've only just gotten around to it. Had I read it back then, I would likely have thought differently about it.

The Good: The characters and plot are the strongest aspects of the book, and would make up the previously mentioned '3 star sections.' The characters are distinct and the stronger ones make up for others. The plot kicks along at a good pace, which is one of the books saving graces. It doesn't drag things out unnecessarily and the chapters are nice and short - something I greatly prefer in books; It all comes together to make it feel like it's always moving and that the weaker sections don't kill the pacing.

The Less Good: If I were lazy I would say "it is a Young Adult book" and leave it at that. While much of the plot is fine, some points here and there are predictable and vapid. Not uncharacteristic for the genre, but still, these sections drag the rest of the plot down. The dialog and imagery is the area that I would have to finger as the weakest. Some scenes are stilted and awkward, some even woefully so. I understand this was one of Baton's earlier works, which would explain why I rated the Berinfell Prophecies - the series which came after this - higher; Clearly the practice here had an effect down the line. The last element, which I'd wager is less of the crushing blow to others as it was to me, is the occasional, woeful historical inaccuracies. I am a self-proclaimed nautical history buff and the Golden Age of Piracy is a favorite period of mine. With that background, there are some truly abysmal scenes which fly in the face of historical realism. Again, I imagine the average reader wouldn't realize or care about such things - suspension of belief and all that - but they leapt out at me and rammed my immersion to a dead halt. They jump out all the more because it's clear that a certain amount of research was done going into the book, but it isn't enough and tends to feel all surface and no iceberg, if you follow me.

I've gone on long enough, but to reiterate, the book isn't bad. It's often good, with characters and a plot compelling (and most importantly, fast-paced) enough to make it easy to read. Despite my aging out of the target audience and my embarrassment at the ahistorical elements, there was evidently still a part of me that was able to engage. When the pendulum swings, though, it swings hard and if you are like me, it might clean you out when it does. ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 Jesse rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This, to my surprise, was pretty good.
I read The Sword in the Stars by this same author, and didn't really enjoy it too much. I found to be pretty boring and didn't care a lot for the characters. So I was going into this book thinking it will probably be just as bad as The Sword in the Stars, but I actually enjoyed this a lot!
Very fast paced. You get thrown into the story from the first chapter, and from there you learn all about the characters and their backgrounds and stuff like that, especial ...more

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May 18, 2015 Ashley Bogner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, comic-relief-characters

Sword fights.
Evil Villains.
Humor.
Explosions.
A hint of romance.
What more could you ask for in a novel?

I read--and loved--Batson's The Door Within , so when I saw this book, I had to try it. And Isle of Swords did not disappoint!

The characters in this book were brilliant. As with The Door Within , Batson weaves in some great friendships. We really get a sense of loyalty between Ross and his crew. I also enjoyed seeing Ross and Anne's father-daughter relationship develop. Cat was, by far, my f ...more

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Apr 12, 2014 Philip Green rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish, young-adult, 2013, bad

I chose this book based on its GoodReads rating (4.2ish), but was disappointed by it. The plot jumps along quickly but spends little to know time introducing the characters or exploring their motivations. The characters are about as bland as I have ever seen (and I've read a lot of books) and the writing is nothing special. I only read about 20% of the book so maybe it improves, but I doubt it. 1.5 stars rounded down because it does not deserve its 4.2ish goodreads rating. ...more

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Mar 21, 2020 Charis_Reads rated it it was amazing

This is one of the best pirate books I've ever read. It has awesome fight scenes, badass characters, and some well-placed romance. If you are religious, the characters believe in God and mention it several times, but if you are not then it is also okay because the religion is not a main focus and can easily be overlooked ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Abby Cashen rated it really liked it

Shelves: island-sea

Although I can't say I enjoyed the first book in his more popular series The Door Within; I really became invested in Isle of Swords.

(Read full review here.)

http://sutorinohana.blogspot.com/2015...

(Includes content advisory.)

...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it

I greatly enjoyed this book. I’d read the second one first, so it was interesting to see the characters’ start. The Isle is Swords was an interesting place and I was intrigued on how Jacques joined the party. However, I wasn’t exactly sure in the point of the first chapter. I guess it kind of tied up at the very end, because that was Blake’s intro to his wife, it turns out. But still kind of odd. The secret tunnels and treasure throughout was also quite interesting. Cat trying to find his identi ...more

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Dec 13, 2017 Brian rated it really liked it

Quite the swashbuckler! Tight, and fast-paced plot keeps the pages turning. Anne is a strong protagonist, and her friend Cat and her father Declan are also well characterized. The baddie (Thorne) is a cruel and truly awful baddie (they ARE pirates after all, but seeing how some pirates can also be decent people (forced into the "sweet trade" by terrible governments) is delightful. It has its dose of Christianity, but that is very much secondary to the plot in this book. ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 Stephani Austin rated it it was amazing

This was an enjoyable read, it kept me coming back for more. I appreciated the interplay of the characters. There were so many fun relationships.

I also really liked the ending. Looking forward to reading the next book.

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Jan 29, 2020 Abigail rated it really liked it

Interesting story plot and well-paced writing. Had a hard time putting it down to go about my daily life. Definitely see myself reading this again! Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a rousing yet clean pirate read.

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Jul 25, 2021 Shannon rated it it was amazing

What an excellent read! I read it aloud to my girls and we couldn’t wait for the next time to read together. Now there are some gruesome parts that might not be for every kid but the adventure was so good that we kept reading. On to Isle of Fire tomorrow!

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Jan 28, 2017 Neil rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, historical-fiction, fiction, finished-in-2017, young-adult

This was a fast read for me. It moved at a good clip, it held my interest all the way through. It had good [decent] character development; I enjoyed both the primary and secondary characters interspersed throughout the story. Despite being written specifically for teenagers, I still enjoyed reading the book.

Even though it is probably considered "Christian fiction", Christianity is not the focus of the story; neither is salvation or conversion the "blatant message". Instead, it has Christians in ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Jessica Lindenberg rated it really liked it

Entertaining, interesting, a very good read!

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About Wayne Thomas Batson

Wayne Thomas Batson

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Wayne Thomas Batson was born in Seabrook, MD in 1968. He had an adventurous childhood and adolescence that included: building forts in the woods, crabbing and crayfishing in bays, ponds, and bayous, playing lead guitar in a heavy metal band, and teaching tennis lessons at the local recreation center. He attended Gabriel DuVal Senior High School where he wrote for the school’s newspaper and literar ...more