Title: Forging Silver into Stars

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Pub. Date: May 3, 2022

Pages: 560

Pub: Bloomsbury YA

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . .

Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won’t save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can’t pay what they owe.

Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has returned to Syhl Shallow — in the form of a magesmith who’s now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it.

When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious — even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It’s a risk they’re both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King’s Courier, the man who’s been tasked with discovering who’s conspiring against the throne.

Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic . . . where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you so much to Brigid for gifting me an ARC to read, and thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve read Forging Silver into Stars – I probably should have written my review sooner, but I literally had no words. My whole being was just this –

No, seriously. Anytime I tried to articulate my feelings after finishing, I just wanted to scream and do that wiggle thing we all do when we’re giddy and in love with a book. So many times while reading, I had a stupid smile on my face because I was just so in love and so utterly invested in what was going on. I wasn’t bored for a single moment reading this book – and when I go to the end, all I wanted was the next one.

My first message to Brigid after finishing was legit –

If you’ve been around for a while, then you know that I fell in love with Tycho in A Heart So Fierce and Broken and would die to protect him. He’s baby. Well, it’s been four years since the events of A Vow so Bold and Deadly and Tycho is still baby, but he’s 19 now, and things have changed. Tensions between Syhl Shallow and Emberfall are starting to boil over, lines are being crossed and chances taken. Efforts to bring the two nations together are difficult and are being undermined at every turn.

Tycho is struggling to truly find his place while staying true and loyal to those he cares about. His arc in this book is so good – I am so in love with the direction that Brigid takes in this book. And there’s this scene (which leads to a handful of other scenes) that she didn’t plan for, and it’s 100% one of my favorite moments in the whole book. I could’ve never guessed it would pan out that way, but I’m so glad it did.

There are some slice of life scenes that absolutely melted my heart and I thoroughly enjoyed that Brigid included them. With everything that happens in this book – and it’s a lot – I liked the slightly slower moments, the more emotional ones. With tensions so high and the repercussions potentially dangerous and deadly, seeing these characters just get to breathe and feel…

Y’all there is one moment with Grey that nearly broke me. The way I saw it in my head, the way it came to life – nope, can’t talk about it because I’ll get all caught up in the feels and then I’m just going to have to re-read the book again.

*deep breaths*

I needed to gather myself for a moment lol.

Moving past the softer moments, let’s talk about Jax and Callyn – the main two new editions to this world and Tycho’s life. I loved them. Well, I loved Jax from the beginning. I like Callyn, but due to her history and general unease, she spends a lot of this book making choices that made me want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. Hard. On one hand, I can wholly understand why she made the choices she made, and I’ll back her every time. On the other hand, she was a dummy lol.  

I just loved how natural it all felt – the friendship between Jax and Callyn – and her little sister Nora (who is utterly delightful and I love her – spicy romances ftw) was just so effortless. I didn’t need convincing that their friendship and feelings were genuine. I didn’t need convincing that the path their relationship takes wasn’t organic. Again, tensions are high, loyalties are being tested and choices have to be made.

I think it was inevitable for things to change, and the way Brigid wrote it was perfect. She executed this all so flawlessly and I loved every minute of it. The introduction of Tycho into the mix just leaves you wanting more and again, loving every minute of it.

And the way Callyn and Tycho describe seeing Tycho the first time is so perfect and explains their personalities so well.

As for Alek – another new character we get to meet – I’m honestly lowkey conflicted. In any other fantasy book, I’d probably consider him the protagonist and root for him. I don’t think he’s necessarily a bad guy, but he goes about things the wrong way. It’ll be interesting to see where Brigid takes his character in the next books.

From the moment this book started – I was hooked. I somehow managed to not inhale it (I blame work and having to sleep at reasonable hours). And while I would have loved to read it in one go, I did like taking my time. The wait for book 2 is already going to be long as shit, as it is. I think it took me a little over two weeks to read the whole thing, and honestly it was perfect. I’m already planning on re-reading it again before release, because I loved it that much.

Brigid put so much into this book and it’s nonstop. From the first page to the last, so much happens and the ending leaves you utterly desperate for more. I’m still kind of dying waiting and wanting more. The ending is a whirlwind of omfg moments that leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you loved the Cursebreakers Series – Rhen, Grey, Lia Mara, Harper and Co. then you’re going to absolutely going to love this next installment. It’s perfectly crafted, the vibe and tone of it is everything I want in an Upper YA fantasy book. The dash of spice Brigid includes is *chef’s kiss* perfect. I loved this book so much and I’m surprised I got through this review. I’m still very much a giddy excited mess that just wants to throw this book at everyone and yell that them to read it. Seriously, get your pre-orders in and dive into this book as soon as you can. You’re going to love it, and then be left desperate for more.