Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review The demon sword Asperides is in semiretirement, and it suits him just fine. He spends most of his time hovering in a dark pub booth in the underworld, a space populated by all kinds of supernatural entities and wicked humans. In the daylight world, his physical self sits stabbed through a coffin containing the body of his last master, the truly terrible Amyral Venir, and has been for centuries. Asperides is in no hurry to vacate that post and work on tricking yet another person into trading their soul for the sword's unlimited power, but events force his hand , blade. Amyral is resurrected by an admiring necromancer (she considers him the "coolest evilest sorcerer knight of all time"), and a disgraced young knight, Nack, nabs the demon sword in a desperate fight, though he has no concept of the dangerous power that he wields. Everyone has a different quest, but they'll all collide in the race to save, or destroy, the world. This rollicking story is endlessly inventive and terrifically funny, and the chatty text is suffused with sarcasm and silliness, though kindness beats at the heart of it all. The setting feels vaguely like medieval Europe, though this is a world with multiple moons, married lady knights, plenty of magic, and, well, a talking demon sword. Fantasy fans will adore the hilarious but incredibly heartfelt adventure.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A motley crew must stop an undead villain from opening a portal to the underworld.Asperides is a 2,000-year-old semiretired demon sword whose power is sourced from the imprisoned souls of his previous masters. Despite lacking a mouth or hands, he enjoys spending his days in a dark corner of the Wet Fang, an underworld pub, nursing a warm drink. One day, Asperides feels the trapped soul of his last master, Amyral Venir, go missing. Unbeknownst to him, 18-year-old dark sorcerer Cleoline has attempted to fully resurrect Amyral but finds her spell did not go exactly as planned. Meanwhile, across the kingdom, Nack Furnival has been banished from his knightly family. He is determined to complete a quest, receive an angel blade, and return to their good graces. Nack meets Asperides, who hides his true demonic nature, impersonating an angel blade to win his trust and claim his soul. The duo encounter Sister Dawn Therin, a 12-year-old Seer who shares a significant prophecy that will bring them all together. Horwitz's middle-grade fantasy is quirky and fun but also nuanced and complex. Chapters shift in point of view as the narrative threads are woven together with masterful dexterity. Readers are clued in before the characters, and the journeys to their various places of self-discovery are wholly enjoyable. Asperides is delightful, imbued with hilarious snark and a gray moral compass. The main cast reads White; there are some queer secondary characters.An exciting and well-wrought romp. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A motley crew must stop an undead villain from opening a portal to the underworld.Asperides is a 2,000-year-old semiretired demon sword whose power is sourced from the imprisoned souls of his previous masters. Despite lacking a mouth or hands, he enjoys spending his days in a dark corner of the Wet Fang, an underworld pub, nursing a warm drink. One day, Asperides feels the trapped soul of his last master, Amyral Venir, go missing. Unbeknownst to him, 18-year-old dark sorcerer Cleoline has attempted to fully resurrect Amyral but finds her spell did not go exactly as planned. Meanwhile, across the kingdom, Nack Furnival has been banished from his knightly family. He is determined to complete a quest, receive an angel blade, and return to their good graces. Nack meets Asperides, who hides his true demonic nature, impersonating an angel blade to win his trust and claim his soul. The duo encounter Sister Dawn Therin, a 12-year-old Seer who shares a significant prophecy that will bring them all together. Horwitz's middle-grade fantasy is quirky and fun but also nuanced and complex. Chapters shift in point of view as the narrative threads are woven together with masterful dexterity. Readers are clued in before the characters, and the journeys to their various places of self-discovery are wholly enjoyable. Asperides is delightful, imbued with hilarious snark and a gray moral compass. The main cast reads White; there are some queer secondary characters.An exciting and well-wrought romp. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The demon sword Asperides, a sentient weapon, has spent the past 300 years physically pinning his most recent wielder, the dark knight Amyral Venir, inside a sarcophagus, when Asperides feels Amyral-s soul mysteriously vanish. Asperides is soon drawn from his physical resting place by 13-year-old Nack Furnival, a disgraced knight-in-training seeking a heroic quest that will redeem him to his family of accomplished swordfighters; the only thing he needs is a virtuous angel blade. Asperides conceals his demonic nature and offers Nack a deal: he can wield Asperides, but in return, Nack must forfeit his soul to Asperides upon his death, to be used as a means of restoring the sword-s power. Boy and sword forge an unlikely partnership, fighting evil across the kingdom. But even as the two gain helpful allies and discover what it means to be true heroes, Amyral-s villainous might grows stronger, and Asperides dreads the day they-ll be forced to face him. Employing thoughtful subversions of classic fantasy tropes to explore themes of good vs. evil and the power of change, Horwitz (The Dark Lord Clementine) crafts a clever adventure that is at once humorous, thrilling, and touching. Human characters read as white. Ages 9-12. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (July)