[A quick note: I love the cover of this book. I couldnโt resist doing spraying the edges. I had a bit of motivation to try ombrรฉ edges. Being my first time, I think it came out great. This book is even prettier now. And great news, the second book comes out this month! So if youโre someone who hates waiting, you can dive right in after reading this one.]
โ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐. ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐.โโAndrea Robertson
Ara was still in her motherโs womb when her kingdom fell. And the twin heirs to the throne disappeared, their lives purchased by the sacrifice of Araโs father. With his death, so too died the last Loresmith of Saetlund. The Loresmith became nothing more than a myth. Fifteen years later, when the twin heirs appear in Araโs obscure little town, claiming that sheโs the key to regaining the kingdom. Sheโs the heir to the Loresmith title by blood. The time for hiding is over. She has a choice to make, seek her destiny or let the tyrants continue. But to take up her birthright, she must set out on a quest to seek the gods and gain their favor, or all will be lost.
This story grew on me, page by page. Filled with quests, an awesome book map, gods, lore, and a fight to regain a kingdom, it had a Viking-esk feel that captured my attention. There were a few timeless tropes like lost heirs, earned birthright, coming of age, betrayal, and found family that I really enjoyed. The characters were each unique and I especially loved Teth and Fox. While this book was a little slow, repetitive, and bloated in the beginning for world building purposes, it was a pleasant light-hearted read. And the second half moved faster.
First and foremost, this was a coming of age. Heirs to a kingdom unite with a legendary figure from lore who must also come into her own birthright. Together they go on a quest across the kingdom, hiding from enemies and facing tests. There wasnโt a whole lot of โnewnessโ here. But it was still fun. However, I was a little disappointed. Hereโs why:
Marketed as Game of Thrones meets An Ember in the Ashes, I expected a bit more. The action wasnโt as high-stakes as I was led to believe. Even for a YA. This might have been a marketing mistake. If I had gone in blind, it wouldโve been fine. The story was written for a much younger YA audience (15-year-olds vs an older later teens). But it was sweet and didnโt fill me with anxiety like some edge-of-your-seat books tend to do. And Iโm definitely looking forward to the next book coming out in a few weeks! Iโve come to really like the characters.
โ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ. ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป. ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐บ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ.โโAndrea Robertson
I do want to highlight a couple of things I especially enjoyed. Firstly, the idea of the Loresmith and Loreknights. Iโve never seen a book with a female blacksmith who has the power to forge legendary weapons. In this sense, it defied gender roles and I appreciate that. Secondly, there was also a hint of queer representation. I liked that too. And finally, I appreciated that Araโs abilities were tied to a few key personality traits, and that her power was limited to one important rule: she was never allowed to lift her hand against someone unless in defense. This would insure that she would never misuse her power.
Overall, this is a lovely read for adults who enjoy YA fantasy and are looking for something low-key and enjoyable. That makes it the perfect read for the end of a stressful day. And it will absolutely appeal to the general YA audience it was intended for.
๐ ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐: ๐ฐ/๐ฑโญ๏ธ
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