Forged in Fire and Stars: A Book Review

What instantly drew me into this book was the idea of the Loresmith: a blacksmith blessed by the gods who defends kings and queens through the ages. The story starts out with high stakes: the kingdom's Loresmith killed during a battle to overthrow the regency, and everyone thinks that the Loresmith becomes extinct. But the Loresmith had a daughter no one knew about. In short, the story follows Ara as she becomes involved with the lost prince and princess to restore their kingdom. 

The most unique thing about this book is the writing. It feels similar to J. R. R. Tolkien's writing; it has that similar fanciful feel like some old bard is telling the story over a campfire. Because of this, I struggled to see into the characters' hearts and minds and connect to them. I was constantly reminded that this is simply a story being told. I couldn't escape into the world like I normally do when I read fantasy. 

Andrea Robertson sets up a nice series with this one, so a lot of the book is spent on world-building while the characters continually travel. The plot meanders a lot, and some things just don't make sense at first. But I still felt mildly interested in the plot and characters, so it wasn't hard to finish. In sum, this book simply wasn't remarkable enough for me to fully engage with it. But I may pick up the sequel. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you Philomel Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

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