ARC Review--Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller

 

In Master of Iron, the conclusion to Tricia Levenseller's exciting Bladesmith YA fantasy duology, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety must race against the clock to save her beloved sister and stop a devastating war.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister's life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn's capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she's been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva's safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she's not sure just how much of herself she'll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she's been trying to stop.

 

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review. 

Tricia Levenseller brings an exciting conclusion to her Bladesmith duology with Master of Iron! The stakes are higher, the danger is deeper, and nothing will be the same by the time it’s over!

Ziva, Kellyn, Petrik, and an injured Temra are racing to the palace with the captured Kymora. Temra is nearly at death’s door and requires a healer but naturally upon their arrival at Petrik’s brother’s palace, they learn that his famed healer has been taken by his brother and rivaling kingdom. Now the trio must venture into enemy territory to rescue the woman who is Temra’s only hope. 

After the rescue attempt goes awry, Ziva and Kellyn find themselves prisoners of King Ravi’s. In an attempt to save her life Kellyn reveals her secret and she’s now forced to make magic enhanced weapons for the enemy so he can defeat his siblings and rule the world. 

This book was a whirlwind of excitement! Everything felt so intense and dire since poor Temra’s life is on the line and we have to wait ages to know if she will make it or not. In the meantime we watch poor Ziva become a prisoner once more as she does as she’s told in order to keep Kellyn safe. Funny how that always seems to be the case in YA reads; the heroine and hero are always doing whatever’s necessary to save the life of the other with no regard to their own safety. 

They won’t remain prisoner for the entire book but I won’t go into more details than that. What we always knew was coming finally comes in this book; war. A battle to end all battles is nigh and not everyone will survive and the fate of all the kingdoms hangs in the balance. 

I continued to adore Ziva in this book. While I may not have severe social anxiety like she does I do find myself fretting over social situations constantly like she does. Even some of the exact same thoughts for that matter. And can I say how refreshing that is? To have a heroine who’s not necessarily witty with verbal combat. Don’t get me wrong, Ziva can thrown in her quips when she’s comfortable, much like I find myself doing! She’s without a doubt one of my favorite YA heroines now!

There’s also the smoldering romance that continues to brew between Ziva and Kellyn! While we didn’t get as many kisses as we might have desired in the first book, Tricia livens it up several levels in this one. Yet things remain as sweet and romantic as ever. She really develops the relationship on the emotional level between these two before allowing too much of the physical. This too is just so refreshing when it comes to YA where sometimes things move a bit quicker than you’d expect. She handled things incredibly and realistically too!

The ending to this one was just right! Since this is the final book of the duology, my expectations were incredibly high when it came to this final goodbye! There was so much fretting over the fates of everyone we’ve come to know and love. Though I do question one person’s end, it’s not one that will forever haunt me, so take that as you will. Lol. 

If you’re looking for an amazing fantasy read this year, I highly recommend reading the Bladesmith duology! The representation of Ziva was so remarkable, I positively loved it because when presented with her very situation I found I’d be worrying over the same things. Ziva is a badass heroine in her own right and her bravery is something to truly be admired. Plus with a swoon-worthy romance, perfect amount of humor, endearing secondary characters, this has all the makings of a truly GREAT read that’s not to be missed!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Master of Iron releases July 26, 2022