Blade of Secrets: Book 1 of the Bladesmith Duology

"A breath of a laugh expels from his lips as he leans to the side, near my ear. 'What is it like in that head of yours?' 'Busy,' I mutter."If there has ever been a more relatable line in fiction, than that one, I'm not sure I've read it.Admittedly, I have been a fan of Tricia Levenseller's work since I first read Daughter of the Pirate King, but is this the best thing she's ever written? I think maybe it is. Her writing gets better with every novel, and the characters she creates are increasingly complex and relatable.This book. First, I have to say that the premise itself had me hooked from the first time I read the description. A magical female blacksmith with extreme social anxiety thrown into a found family of misfits and fighting to keep an incredibly powerful blade away from the world-conquering warlord who commissioned it? I am all the way in. The story was exciting, terrifying, occasionally hilarious, and I could not put it down. Tricia has a gift for writing stories that could be incredibly stressful but weaving in sarcastic banter, witty dialogue, and laugh-out-loud moments that take the pressure off without ever alleviating the need to know what is going to happen next.What can I say about the characters here? The supporting characters, Temra and Petrik are brilliant. I love that Tricia's secondary characters have their own story arcs and are not static. Watching these two grow and come into a fuller understanding of themselves and the world they live in was fantastic. Is there a potential for some romance here? There could be. Add in the absolutely hilarious banter between Petrik and Kellyn, and really I could not ask for more from these two.And then, of course, there's Kellyn. He is perfect. If you can't love an arrogant and sarcastic mercenary with a hidden soft side, then you probably should not be reading fantasy novels. Kellyn's character is truly such an important part of the story. He fully sees Ziva as she is, and not only is he willing to accommodate her, but he cares for her. He sees her strengths and her limitations. He encourages her to be brave without ever insinuating that she needs to outgrow her social anxieties. His character walks that tension beautifully, and his relationship with Ziva reveals parts of himself that he's worked very hard to hide or outgrow.Finally, Ziva is beyond incredible. Although my anxieties are not as extreme as hers, I have never read a fictional character whose inner monologue felt so familiar. I adored watching her journey and seeing her growth throughout the story. Ziva gains strength and independence over the course of their adventure, but Tricia never makes it seem like Ziva was weak before it. Again, in Ziva's character, Tricia demonstrates the importance of growth and self-awareness without ever implying that Ziva needs to be "fixed." Her story was beautiful and empowering, and I loved her so much.Without giving too much away-there were so many plot twists in the last fifty pages of this book. I am thrilled that this series is going to be a duology, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what comes next for these amazing characters.This book was amazing, and it will absolutely be a comfort read that I revisit often.

I cannot wait to read the sequel to this wonderful adventure-filled journey packed with pure friendship, loyalty and touch of slow-burn romance. Finished reading in 3 days, could not put it down. Would hugely recommend to someone who loves Young Adult Fantasy (10/10 would fall for Kellyn and his arrogant smirk)

4🌟BLADE OF SECRETS➡️Found family➡️Representación de ansiedad social➡️Romance Slow burn-Definitivamente el mejor elemento de todo el libro son los personajes y cómo se comportan entre ellos. La relación de hermanas entre Ziva y Temra, las amistades que forman dentro del grupo con Petrik y Kellyn y el romance.-La representación de ansiedad social de Ziva y cómo reaccionan los demás a ella es impecable.-El sistema de magia y el religioso son muy originales.-La trama es un poco confusa, parece que no hay introducción - desarrollo - desenlace bien definidos. Es más una sucesión de viajes que no hacen avanzar realmente la trama, pero sí consolidan las relaciones entre personajes.-La construcción del mundo no está demasiado desarrollada, he hechado en falta más descripciones para definir mejor los lugares y las jerarquías. Espero que en el siguiente libro se expanda más el universo.Recomendaciones: The Remnant Chronicles (ambientación similar, también trata de viajes entre reinos), Caraval (relación parecida entre dos hermanas)

This book was amazing! 😍The characters are so diverse and I loved it! I loved that the MC had anxiety because it's something I struggle with myself and I related to her so much and it's nice to read about it and see myself in what she's experiencing.The book reads really easy and I'm very excited for the next book!I'm glad I waited to read it until the next book came out because that ending was stressful and I need to know what happens next! 😅I also love these new covers! Although I already had the book in hardcover I also got the paperback 😍

Ich habe die Story geliebt. Es fällt einem leicht sich auf die Charaktere einzulassen und sich in sie einzufühlen ohne sich mit ihnen und ihren Bürden identifizieren zu müssen. Man lernt die 4 Hauptcharaktere zu schätzen. Der Plot bleibt spannend und abwechslungsreich. Und auch die sanfte, wie nebenbei eingewobene Romanze ist achtsam, unaufdringlich und wirklich romantisch. Heut zu Tage übertrumpfen sich Liebesgeschichten durch Körperlichkeiten, Oberflächlichkeit, reiner Sexualisierung und teilweise sogar subtilem sado-masochistischem Gehabe. Als würden Schriftsteller keine Ahnung mehr von echter, aufrichtiger Liebe und Verbundenheit haben. Diese Erzählung jedoch, genauso wie die übrigen guten Bücher der Schriftstellerin (Daughter of the pirate king I & II, Warrior of the wild), trifft es auf den Punkt. Sie macht die Story noch wertvoller, ohne aufdringlich den Plot zu versauen. Von mir - alle Daumen hoch- und 5 Sterne, wie auch für die übrigen erwähnten Bücher.