This book reminded me why Tricia Levenseller is one of my favorite current authors - I fell in love with Daughter of the Pirate King within the first few pages, and I could tell from its opening that Blade of Secrets was going to give me that same wonderful reading experience. I love how Ziva's magic was explored; the weapons detailed in this story had creative, unique abilities that were skillfully explained to make perfect sense based on whatever Ziva was doing or thinking at the time of forging. Her social anxiety was a poignant plot point without overwhelming the rest of her character. The way she was able to speak easily about her work, the way she tried to convey that she couldn't just "think" her way out of it, it felt authentic. The sister dynamic was great, how they pushed and pulled on each other's strengths and weaknesses, trying to keep their bond alive and central even though they have very different ideas of what an "ideal" life would be. I will definitely be picking up the second volume!