3.5 stars
Blade of Secrets follows Ziva, a teenage blacksmith with magic and social anxiety. Along with her sister, a scholar, and a mercenary, she embarks on a quest to destroy a magical sword of her own creation.
-Plot-
The plot follows a traditional quest style, with Ziva and her crew traveling around the kingdom while also fleeing from a dangerous warlord. It was generally engaging but at times felt a bit repetitive. The characters journey to a new location, fight someone, and they move on, without any long term consequences. Repeat. There was also intriguing worldbuilding with the divided kingdom, but I felt it was never explored enough. Perhaps in the sequel we will get to see a little more of the effects of this divided world.
-Characters-
I think this is one of the book's high points. I don’t think I’ve ever, ever seen a character with social anxiety represented in YA fantasy. And Levenseller does not shy away or make Ziva “just a little shy.” Ziva’s anxiety is a constantly present part of her character. However, I unfortunately didn’t love Ziva’s character otherwise- she seemed whiny and hypocritical. I wish we would have seen more of Ziva in her comfort zone with just her sister. I think she was pushed way out of her comfort zone for most of the story, which allowed for growth but also led to a very stressed-out-and-not-at-her-best-Ziva. I liked the other three main characters, and I’m excited to see their growth in the next book.
-Writing-
The writing was fairly simple, but it did enough to immerse you in the story. It’s a quick read, coming in at just 322 pages.
-Overall-
Once again, mad props to Tricia Levenseller for writing a character with social anxiety in YA fantasy. My main issue came with the plot- the stakes were never high enough, and the “big bad” was never bad enough. That being said, it was still a fun read and I’ll definitely be reading the sequel. Perhaps the story has now hit its stride, and it will take off even more in the next book.
Blade of Secrets follows Ziva, a teenage blacksmith with magic and social anxiety. Along with her sister, a scholar, and a mercenary, she embarks on a quest to destroy a magical sword of her own creation.
-Plot-
The plot follows a traditional quest style, with Ziva and her crew traveling around the kingdom while also fleeing from a dangerous warlord. It was generally engaging but at times felt a bit repetitive. The characters journey to a new location, fight someone, and they move on, without any long term consequences. Repeat. There was also intriguing worldbuilding with the divided kingdom, but I felt it was never explored enough. Perhaps in the sequel we will get to see a little more of the effects of this divided world.
-Characters-
I think this is one of the book's high points. I don’t think I’ve ever, ever seen a character with social anxiety represented in YA fantasy. And Levenseller does not shy away or make Ziva “just a little shy.” Ziva’s anxiety is a constantly present part of her character. However, I unfortunately didn’t love Ziva’s character otherwise- she seemed whiny and hypocritical. I wish we would have seen more of Ziva in her comfort zone with just her sister. I think she was pushed way out of her comfort zone for most of the story, which allowed for growth but also led to a very stressed-out-and-not-at-her-best-Ziva. I liked the other three main characters, and I’m excited to see their growth in the next book.
-Writing-
The writing was fairly simple, but it did enough to immerse you in the story. It’s a quick read, coming in at just 322 pages.
-Overall-
Once again, mad props to Tricia Levenseller for writing a character with social anxiety in YA fantasy. My main issue came with the plot- the stakes were never high enough, and the “big bad” was never bad enough. That being said, it was still a fun read and I’ll definitely be reading the sequel. Perhaps the story has now hit its stride, and it will take off even more in the next book.