The Demon Sword Asperides by Sarah Jean Horwitz

This book is a finalist for a 2023 Cybils Award in Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction.

What worked:

The most innovative aspect of the book is having a demon sword as a main character, able to mentally communicate with a human main character named Nack. Asperides has been around for centuries and it’s used to being paired with ruthless, power-hungry men. Its primary goal is to trap captured souls and send them into the depths of the underworld. Asperides draws magical power from these souls which it uses to slay and reek chaos. An intriguing twist occurs when a wanna-be young knight in training becomes the sword’s new partner to rescue two female knights in danger. Readers will wonder what’s going to happen when a kind, young boy becomes the partner of a rare, terrifying demon sword.

Nack battles an internal conflict throughout the plot. He displays compassion for an enemy early on but he’s shunned by his family for the kind act. His major motivation after that is obtaining an angel blade, completing a brave quest, and then being welcomed back into his family. However, Asperides calls Nack a coward when the boy fails to decisively kill human opponents and Nack suffers from self-doubt. He still stands up for defenseless women and children by slaying demon creatures and he tries to behave kindly toward others. His ultimate goal is to be welcomed back home but he’s shocked when he enters the castle of the family’s nemesis to rescue his older brother. Despite being the master of a demon sword, the anguish, confusion, and insecurity within Nack’s mind add complexities to the story.

The conflict tying the entire plot together involves Asperides’s former, undead master and his plan to return to power. Amyral schemes to regain possession of the demon sword and retrieve his soul from the deepest depths of hell. Readers will wonder what will happen since Nack and Amyral have been partnered with the same sword. Who is the rightful master of Asperides? Amyral’s plot will culminate when the Missing Moon returns after two thousand years so the story has a built-in countdown clock. Amyral is aided by a young necromancer and her presence contributes additional twists to the plot.

What didn’t work as well:

Some readers might question the pace of the plot and Nack sometimes comes across as whiny. However, readers must appreciate the evolution of the characters in addition to the quest to stop Amyral. There’s no continuous action and the battles aren’t overly descriptive but the changes in personalities, attitudes, and self-images are what’s important.

The final verdict:

Nack, Asperides, and others are dynamic characters and undergo realizations and transformations throughout the book. Their emotional adventures will engross young readers as they try to stop Amyral from releasing swarms of demons from the underworld. Overall, this is an innovative twist on familiar middle-grade quests and I recommend you give it a shot.