**I recently finished a book and can’t stop thinking about the world. It is one of the sort that is truly magical, that completely captivates you and feels like a fairytale. I study the map in the book and picture it like a real town I’ve seen. This is a book by one of my favorite writers, so I was sure I would enjoy it. I close the book and put it with the rest of my collection.**

After two and a half years of it being on my shelf, I finally read Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer. Brigid Kemmerer is one of my favorite authors after falling in love with A Curse So Dark and Lonely in 2021. Since then, I have been reading multiple books of hers each year. I knew I wanted to read Forging Silver but I was very nervous about it. Even though I love the worlds she creates and the way she writes, I was very apprehensive about going back to Emberfall in a new story.

Forging Silver Into Stars follows three characters: Callyn, a baker, Jax, a blacksmith, and Tycho, king’s courier who we meet in A Heart So Fierce and Broken. Jax and Callyn get roped into a rebellion and Tycho is working with both kingdoms to learn about it. There is magic, action, and plots against the crown.

I didn’t have the same connection for these characters that I did for the original trilogy. Rhen and Harper are some of my favorite book characters, so it would be hard to beat them. Even so, I just couldn’t find myself completely loving any of these characters, especially Callyn. Her hatred of magic blinds her to the reality of what is happening and what she has gotten herself into and I just couldn’t really find myself enjoying her as a character. Jax, on the other hand, was much more likable. I do think that he is very down on himself, a little too much in my opinion, but I found his perspective much more enjoyable than Callyn’s. Tycho’s perspective was surprisingly my favorite, which I didn’t expect since I didn’t care for his character in the original series. I liked that we got to see different parts of the kingdom and his relationships with our new characters and the old ones.

The plot of the book was interesting. There is unrest in both kingdoms with rebellion due to magic returning in the form of their new king. It was interesting to see how Jax and Callyn get roped into this and even more so why they were doing it in the first place. They each had their reasons and it really shows that desperation can lead to certain decisions because there may be few other options.

I can’t lie and say that my favorite part of this book was something like the plot or one of our main characters. My favorite part of this book was the cameos we got of the original characters. Grey’s character wasn’t my favorite after reading Heart, but he felt like he changed a bit in this one. I suppose it has been four years since the end of the last book, so it could make sense, but I feel like he was written as more unlikable. He and Tycho have their issues and something about Grey’s personality seems more rude. Rhen, on the other hand, is still my favorite. There were some great scenes between him and Tycho and I really liked to see how their relationship has evolved since the original series. I also love the moments between Rhen and Harper and need another full book about them. Harper was barely in it, but I still love her appearances.

I loved being back in this world and seeing some of my favorite characters. I think that Brigid Kemmerer has a great talent for writing magical worlds and stories and making the reader invested. I can be impatient in my reading and flip forward to see how many pages are left in the chapter, but the only times I turned my pages were while I was reading (or to catch a glimpse of Rhen or Harper’s names to see their next appearance).

Reading this may make it seem like the minor characters were the only things I liked, but I did really enjoy this book. I enjoyed watching Tycho travel and see him interact with the four royals. I also thought it was interesting to see his dynamics with each and how they have changed as well as his relationship with magic. Jax was another perspective I enjoyed and I liked to see him find his strength when he feels as though he has none because of his missing foot. And Callyn . . . well, maybe she’ll be better in book two.

I am anticipating book 2 in this series, Carving Shadows Into Gold, which comes out January 28. I will hopefully get my hands on this close to the release date. After that, I have Thicker Than Water and the Elementals series to be caught up on all of Kemmerer’s books. I am excited to read the rest of her backlist and upcoming releases. Also, if you read my top books of 2024 post, you will know that I was unsure if this should be on that list or not or stay as an honorable mention. There is still a possibility of it changing and I still have not decided. If it does, it will replace #9 with the rest staying the same.

So with that, go read a Brigid Kemmerer, and I will see you on Monday.

xoxo,

Just another reader