Releasing June 7, 2022 from Bloomsbury YA
Forging Silver into Stars completely hooked me. Fans of character-driven fantasy-romance with a dash of politics and action will love this book.
I really enjoyed Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreakers Trilogy, and I loved this follow-up focusing on supporting character Tycho, now nineteen and star of his own book. Along with Tycho, we meet Callyn and Jax, a baker and a blacksmith, who get drawn into a plot by nobles to potentially overthrow their monarchy (one led by the characters from the previous trilogy).
Forging Silver is a character-driven book. It’s a slow burn that’s made tense and thrilling by caring about Callyn, Jax, and Tycho, their relationships with each other, and the hard choices they have to make. There are some wonderful action scenes in the second half as well.
I appreciated the nuance in the political manoeuvrings (and parallels, especially in the opening scene depicting an invasion to overthrow a government), and I’d like to see that continue in this series. I love the way Kemmerer is not afraid to show the negatives of choices made by Grey and Rhen, beloved characters from the previous book.
I loved the contrast between the developing romantic relationships: one is a very sweet, pure first love story, and one is a bit more complicated. I’m also curious to see how the series might continue exploring class differences within the core relationships.
The only negative for me was that Callyn and Jax’s village didn’t really feel lived-in. Did the two of them know anyone beyond their immediate families? I would have liked to see some interaction with regular customers to the bakery or the forge, for example. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this one and I’m very excited for the next book.
Although this can work as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the Cursebreakers trilogy first.
Thank you to Bloomsbury YA for my review copy of this book. My review (or an excerpt) will also appear in the June issue of YA Fantasy Magazine.
Leanne Olson 
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