An ambitious and expansive magical fantasy that will appeal to readers of romance, epic fantasy, and twisted tales.
After her grandmother’s death, a young woman discovers that her family history is more complicated than she thought in Blacksmith’s fantasy novel.
Twenty-two-year-old Bree Tanner, her 24-year-old sister, Molly, and their mother, Mary Ann, are heading back to their hometown of Ballad, after the sudden death of the sisters’ grandma. The old woman was more than just a beloved townsperson—she was also the high priestess of the town’s coven. Now, Bree and Molly must join the coven and decide which of them will take their relative’s place. Upon arriving at her grandmother’s house, Bree is quickly drawn to the handsome next-door neighbor, Sam Sorken, a quiet writer; according to the coven’s members, her grandma had been close to him, as well. There’s just something about Sam that seems familiar to her. Sam is well aware of the power that Bree and her family hold, and he wields some power of his own, although he never mentioned it to the former high priestess.Also, it turns out that his connection to Bree is otherworldly; he’s not at all sure that she’ll ever understand this, but he’s hopeful that things “might work out differently for them both.” Meanwhile, the coven has sensed a mysterious, dark, unseen presence around the community, and Bree’s world is about to be turned upside down. Over the course of this novel, Blacksmith effectively presents a narrative set in alternating worlds and time periods; readers not only follow the blossoming relationship between Sam and Bree, but also one between Briella and Sameril of the world of Eldoria. The author expertly weaves the fates of the two pairs together, and hints about how the relationship reflect (or deflect) each other will have readers taking notes of characters’ corresponding names and abilities. Bree’s story, and timeline, is clearly the main one, but the tale of Briella is undeniably fascinating, and just as important to Blacksmith’s impressive worldbuilding tapestry.
An ambitious and expansive magical fantasy that will appeal to readers of romance, epic fantasy, and twisted tales.Pub Date: May 11, 2025
ISBN: 9798991947961
Page Count: 516
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
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