"Forged in Fire and Stars" by Andrea Robertson

Forged in Fire and Stars (May 5, 2020) by Andrea Robertson.

*This is the first novel in a series.*

What is “made of the heartbeat of the earth, the memory of a tree, and the laughter of a star?” Ara Silverthread is the daughter of the late Yos Steelring, and he was the last Loresmith. He was killed before Ara was born. A Loresmith is a blacksmith who forges weapons blessed by the gods, “the wellspring of Saetlund’s defense against all enemies.” The Loresmith forges weapons for others, but never for oneself, and the Loresmith’s stave (Ironbranch) may only defend. Ara has spent her 15 years hiding in the northern village of Rill’s Pass until she’s found … by Princess Nimhea and Prince Eamon, royal 18-year-old twins of the late King Dentroth (who was murdered by Fauld the Ever-Living, Vokkan emperor). Ara embarks on a quest with the twins and Teth, a mysterious thief with ties to Lucket, Low King of Fjeri (Low Kings are very powerful and work the underground, hence the word “Low”), Lahvja, a Summoner (not a necromancer), and a wily fox. The quest is dangerous, and they will all be tested before a few of them are further tested through Ofrit’s trials. Ara needs to possess these aspects of the gods:

                        “The wisdom of the Twins.

                        The steadfastness of Wuldr.

                        The cleverness of Ofrit.

                        The generosity of Nava.

                        And Eni’s own curiosity and cunning.” (p. 31)

            Overall, this is a straightforward fantasy, the first in the Loresmith series. While the cast has two strong heroines in Ara and Nimhea, more character development surrounding the two of them, plus Eamon and Teth, would help the story. While I never felt weighted down while reading the story, it’s not as fast-paced as I would’ve expected it to be. The quest is dangerous, but the path still runs in a fairly straight line with a lack of plot twists and dire setbacks until near the very end that hopefully points toward an interesting next story.

            Fortunately, there are some takeaways and quotes that I found intriguing. To note, cute surprises are fine. Butcher crows are not fine (no, really, they aren’t). “Like power, knowledge itself is neither good nor evil, but can be used for either. As I said, a person’s choices chart the course of their fate.” (--Lahvja to Eamon, p. 245)

            These lines …: “The world is made to drown people. It’s the ocean. Don’t swim out there.”

            … lead to my favorite line: “Take your problems one puddle at a time.” (--Old Imgar to Ara, p. 40)