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The Silver Blade
(French Revolution #2)
by
A stirring tale of magic and revolution- fans of "The Red Necklace" won't want to miss it. The year is 1794. With his beloved Sido safely in England and the Reign of Terror at its height, mysterious Yann returns to revolutionary France to smuggle out aristocratic refugees who will otherwise face the guillotine. But while the two are apart, Yann's Gypsy origins prejudice Si
...more
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Hardcover, 362 pages
Published
September 17th 2009
by Dial Books
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Start your review of The Silver Blade (French Revolution, #2)

I think this one comment sums it all, "Gardner just keeps getting stranger and better."
The Telegraph
The sequel to The Red Necklace certainly does not dissapoint. This one is darker in tone and there is even more dread of death upon everything. Seriously, I almost felt like I could smell the blood. Yann Margoza has become a Robin Hood of sorts. He uses his extraordinary powers to help people escape the unforgiving guillotone and becomes to be known as the Silver Blade. Sido on the other han ...more
The sequel to The Red Necklace certainly does not dissapoint. This one is darker in tone and there is even more dread of death upon everything. Seriously, I almost felt like I could smell the blood. Yann Margoza has become a Robin Hood of sorts. He uses his extraordinary powers to help people escape the unforgiving guillotone and becomes to be known as the Silver Blade. Sido on the other han ...more

3.5 stars:)
Love "the love letters" *sigh* ...more
Love "the love letters" *sigh* ...more

Apr 29, 2009
Miss Clark
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Sally Gardner, the French Revolution period, magic and love
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

* Usually when it comes to sequels, I like the first book better, but in this case, I would have to say that I found The Silver Blade much more action-packed and gripping than its predecessor. That's not to say that The Red Necklace is boring, but this book has a much more amplified story. It's a teen-version (and generally less-boring version) of The Scarlet Pimpernel and I have reasons to think that Sally Gardner intended it that way: at one point in the story, a character is surprised at the
...more

Jan 09, 2010
Valerie
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Valerie by:
Ginny
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
male-protagonist
I'm glad I read this even though I liked the first better. Very interesting, great writing, and certainly informative in the French Revolution aspect.
The book starts a couple of months after the first ended. Yann and his crew are helping people escape France. Sido and Yann are in love still and have sent letters to each other though it is dangerous.
I believe that the villain in this one is scarier, a plus point for me. I must say he is really really bad, and evil, and wicked. I mean literally, ...more
The book starts a couple of months after the first ended. Yann and his crew are helping people escape France. Sido and Yann are in love still and have sent letters to each other though it is dangerous.
I believe that the villain in this one is scarier, a plus point for me. I must say he is really really bad, and evil, and wicked. I mean literally, ...more

Do you ever pick up a book and actually shake with the anticipation of it being as good as the author’s previous books and then as soon as you start reading it you never want it to end? Well, that’s how I felt about The Silver Blade.
In this sequel to The Red Necklace, we are reacquainted with Yann Margoza, the young Romany magician and Sidonie de Villeduval, the young aristocrat orphan as well as a host of other familiar characters we have grown to love or hate, including the dwarf Tetu and the ...more
In this sequel to The Red Necklace, we are reacquainted with Yann Margoza, the young Romany magician and Sidonie de Villeduval, the young aristocrat orphan as well as a host of other familiar characters we have grown to love or hate, including the dwarf Tetu and the ...more

The Silver Blade is an excellent ending to the Red Necklace. I'm so sad there won't be any more in this series. Sally Gardner is now on my favorite author list.
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I will start off by saying that I like The Red Necklace better than its sequel. Sally Gardner likes weird in her stories, and The Silver Blade is certainly no exception. I thought the first one was weird! Well, the weirdness factor is vamped up for this two-book series's finale. While the weirdness in The Red Necklace didn't detract from the story, it did in this one because it was so embedded in the storyline.
Kalliovski isn't dead, naturally. The devil has claimed his soul and brought him to li ...more
Kalliovski isn't dead, naturally. The devil has claimed his soul and brought him to li ...more

With his beloved Sido safely in England and the Reign of Terror at its height, Yann Margoza returns to revolutionary France to smuggle out refugees. When Sido is kidnapped under strange circumstances, Yann must outwit the evil Count Kalliovski, rescue Sido, and help save all of France.
I thought this book was OK, but it certainly didn't live up to Gardner's usual standards. Of course, it was still an enjoyable read, but I think it did admittedly have a few issues. I've had trouble sorting out whe ...more
I thought this book was OK, but it certainly didn't live up to Gardner's usual standards. Of course, it was still an enjoyable read, but I think it did admittedly have a few issues. I've had trouble sorting out whe ...more

It is 1794, and the Reign of Terror is at its height. Having disposed of many of the aristocrats, the people have turned on each other, and anyone who ever served an aristo is in danger. Yann Margoza is working with a group of trusted friends as a masked magician in the most popular show in Paris. Everyone knows him as the Harlequin, but this is just a cover for his true mission. With the help of Didier, his trusted friend, and the threads of light, he is smuggling people out of Paris to safety,
...more

‘There is no more terrifying sight in all Paris than that of the guillotine.’
Paris, 1794. A single word is enough to betray someone to death by guillotine. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else, no one can be trusted. Sidonie deVilleduval (Sido), an aristocratic orphan, is safe in London longing for Yannick Margoza (Yann). Yann is in Paris, using his various gifts and skills to save French aristocrats from the guillotine.
The evil Count Kalliovski has designs on both Sido and Yann. He wields hi ...more
Paris, 1794. A single word is enough to betray someone to death by guillotine. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else, no one can be trusted. Sidonie deVilleduval (Sido), an aristocratic orphan, is safe in London longing for Yannick Margoza (Yann). Yann is in Paris, using his various gifts and skills to save French aristocrats from the guillotine.
The evil Count Kalliovski has designs on both Sido and Yann. He wields hi ...more

I really enjoyed The Red Necklace, so I was eager to read the sequel and rejoin the world of Sido and Yann. I particularly like the setting of the French Revolution in this book. I think it gives the story an edge.
I liked how Yann is the focus in this story. I think Sido received her closurer in the first book and if it weren't for the fact that she's tied to Yann, we wouldn't even really need to see her in the book. I liked the mystery of the silver blade. It's impressive that Yann was rescuing ...more
I liked how Yann is the focus in this story. I think Sido received her closurer in the first book and if it weren't for the fact that she's tied to Yann, we wouldn't even really need to see her in the book. I liked the mystery of the silver blade. It's impressive that Yann was rescuing ...more

This book will work best for someone who knows something about the French revolution; others with no familiarity may find it somewhat confusing. A lot goes on in this story - maybe too much. Yann Margoza is a gypsy actor in France, who was raised by a dwarf Tetu after Yann's mother was killed. Yann has magical abilities to control thoughts and movements, which he uses to try to save members of the nobility and their innocent family members who are being condemned in endless and indiscriminate nu
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I enjoyed this book so much more than the red necklace! I literally did not want to put it down to even sleep last night. This was less historical fiction and more gypsy folklore though so if you are looking for more of a historically accurate account of the French revolution, keep looking! If you are looking for an entertaining read though then this is your book.

Aug 13, 2014
Angela
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
middle-grade
Pretty morbid for a children's book but it is a fascinating read! Full of intrigue and suspense, it kept me going the whole time. I loved the characters, there were a few parts that didn't seem to flow but very small details. The connection to the first book flowed very very well. It was a fantastic book to read, I couldn't put it down.
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I’m a huge fan of the original story The Red Necklace and anyone who has read it will want to know what inevitably happens between Yann and Sido, who, at the end of the novel are in separate countries.
I’m sorry to say, I was kind of disappointed. Yes, the plot and story was there, and you are definitely drawn into Yann’s world. He becomes like an underworld Robin Hood, saving aristocrats from the guillotiné. I love that he is not the perfect hero, he is a flawed character who makes rash decisio ...more
I’m sorry to say, I was kind of disappointed. Yes, the plot and story was there, and you are definitely drawn into Yann’s world. He becomes like an underworld Robin Hood, saving aristocrats from the guillotiné. I love that he is not the perfect hero, he is a flawed character who makes rash decisio ...more

I do think I prefer the first book, but this was an enjoyable conclusion. The danger is higher, but Yann is also more in his element, making it a fun and exciting read. I also love the villain, and just how sinister he is.
I do wish there had been more opportunity for the romance to blossom, rather than it happening simply through letters, but it made sense for how the story was set up.
I also wish more had been seen of Yann's exploits, rather than leaving them largely to the imagination. I know ...more
I do wish there had been more opportunity for the romance to blossom, rather than it happening simply through letters, but it made sense for how the story was set up.
I also wish more had been seen of Yann's exploits, rather than leaving them largely to the imagination. I know ...more

2.5 stars. I enjoyed this one less than the first one. There was just something about this series I didn't enjoy. I found I was getting very confused as to what was happening in most parts and struggled to understand how the younger people (who it is written for) could understand it. Maybe it was just me not paying THAT much attention. I didn't like the romantic side of it or the way it was written. However, I did enjoy the French Revolution side to it and learning about the Revolution. That par
...more

it is interesting tale of magic woven with history, Yann character is interesting, though he is a moody lad, and it was nice to see the development of Sideo from a shy, weak girl into fierce strong woman ....
the plot of the silver blade and the rescue of the aristo was great, but the main villain Kalliovski felt weak, all smoke and mirrors, I think Anslem ( the side evil chr) was more interesting
the plot of the silver blade and the rescue of the aristo was great, but the main villain Kalliovski felt weak, all smoke and mirrors, I think Anslem ( the side evil chr) was more interesting

This book was not terrible at all. However I found myself more excited for the first book than this one. It still had that excitement from the first book that came from the magic and the French revolution, but the story just wasn't as exciting I suppose. Despite these things, I still enjoyed this book and would still recommend the book to other people.
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I am so glad I re-read the first book because I would not have remembered any of these characters 😂
So Yann is basically the Scarlet Pimpernel now and we all know that Percy Blakeney is THE Scarlet Pimpernel. But it’s still fun to read about Yann’s exploits.
This book is just as fun and intriguing as the first book though I wish the romance was developed more.
So Yann is basically the Scarlet Pimpernel now and we all know that Percy Blakeney is THE Scarlet Pimpernel. But it’s still fun to read about Yann’s exploits.
This book is just as fun and intriguing as the first book though I wish the romance was developed more.

Fun quick read. I'd actually give it 3.5 stars. Easy reading, a bit of magic/fantasy with the French Revolution as a backdrop. I didn't know it was actually the sequel to another. While I figured out what was going on with no trouble, I might look into the first book.
...more

Oct 22, 2018
Amanda Bromley
added it
Loved it!!!
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Sally Gardner grew up and still lives in London. Being dyslexic, she did not learn to read or write until she was fourteen and had been thrown out of several schools, labeled unteachable, and sent to a school for maladjusted children. Despite this, she gained a degree with highest honors at a leading London art college, followed by a scholarship to a theater school, and then went on to become a ve
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