Book Title: Forging Silver into Stars ( Forging Silver into Stars #1)
Author: Bridgid Kemmerer
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Target Audience: Young Adult
Publication date: 7th June 2022
Format: eBook/Kindle
“There’s little use dwelling in self-doubt.”
What it’s about
Forbidden magic. Secret romance. Dangerous alliances. Enter the world of New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s electrifying series.
When nineteen-year-old Tycho, the King’s Courier, arrives in the remote village of Briarlock, he hopes to escape the demands of his new life in the royal court, where magic reigns for the first time in ages. He doesn’t expect to fall for a handsome blacksmith with a bruised heart.
After years of cruelty in his father’s forge, Jax never dared to dream of a better life — until a magic-wielding young lord shows him an enticing alternative. But when rumors of a rebellion reach Briarlock, Jax wonders who he can trust — and if he’ll even survive.
Jax’s best friend, Callyn, doesn’t trust anyone — especially not a handsome stranger with magic, which killed her parents years ago. When another royal emissary arrives, seeing a co-conspirator, Callyn finds herself embroiled in a plot that could lead them all to ruin. . .
As tensions flare throughout the kingdom, it won’t be long before everyone must choose a side.
War is brewing. Passions are building. And magic may doom — or save — them all . . .
Author
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring YA novels like A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Defy the Night, and Letters to the Lost. A full time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her family. When she’s not writing or being a mom, you can usually find her with her hands wrapped around a barbell.
What I Thought
I like Brigid Kemmerer’s books and have read at least two of her series before this one. I enjoy her writing style and was looking forward to revisiting the world of the Cursebreakers series.
That being said, this started rather slowly. I understand that we were introduced to several new characters and one who was a minor character before. I didn’t feel like it was going anywhere until at least chapter twelve.
In regards to the new characters, Jax was rather interesting. He is the local blacksmith, and if you didn’t know any better, he is rather unassuming. Apart from Callyn, whom I will get to soon, he is a loner who is stuck in his forge all day trying to avoid anything to do with his alcoholic father. It’s not until he meets Lord Tycho (who I believe we met before in *Cursebreakers*) that he becomes interesting and starts to get a spark.
Callyn is a girl who runs the local bakery and is shouldering most of the workload alone since her mother died in the war and her father was killed during a protest. She dreams of being a soldier like her mother and probably would have, if she didn’t have her kid sister, Nora, to care for.
Lord Tycho is the catalyst for the events that begin a new path for Jax and Callyn.
Once the story gets going and we meet some old and familiar characters, it feels, in a way, like coming home. Although it felt like coming home, it also felt strangely new at the same time, due to slightly more mature themes than in the Cursebreakers series. In comparison to recent books I have read, these are rather mild, but I would much rather give people a heads-up if they feel uncomfortable, as part is MM.
I wouldn’t say the story is fast-paced per se, but there is a gradual increase in pace toward the end. The excitement level increases with each chapter, and the characters become more interesting once their loyalties are known.
I have an early copy of book two, so I won’t dive right in. I will most likely give it a day, but I am also back at work now, so I may have to slow down a little since my husband has also suggested that I put money aside every time I read a book throughout 2025, but we haven’t yet agreed on an amount.
Star Rating
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Laura's Literary Loves 