Forging Silver Into Stars
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Pages: 542 pages
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: 7th June 2022
Rating: 5 Stars!
Synopsis:
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.
My Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was amazing! Definitely one of my favourites for the year. I loved the A Curse So Dark and Lonely trilogy and loved the fact that i could re-enter that world following Tycho and some newer characters.
Forging Silver Into Stars follows Jax, a blacksmith, and Callyn, a baker. When Jax was younger, he had to have his foot amputated, leaving him unable to walk without crutches. I love how Brigid Kemmerer always writes such positive disability rep.Both these characters are hit with a tax debt and Jax starts keeping letters in exchange for silver to help them out of their debt. These letters are supposedly treasonous, but Jax and Callyn can’t afford to lose their homes and livelihood. It’s four years after the events of A Vow So Bold and Deadly and Tycho is now 18 and is the King’s Courier. He frequently travels between Emberfall and Syll Shallow carrying messages between Rhen and Grey. Both Rhen and Grey are at unease, because there are coded messages travelling between a group called Truthbringers. This group do not like Grey and want to protect the Queen and their country from him and magic.
On one of Tycho’s journey’s home, his horse throws a shoe and he has to stop at the nearest town to go to a blacksmith (you see what’s happening!!). This leads to Tycho meeting both Jax and Callyn in her bakery, at the same time as Alek arrives, one of the lords asking Jax to hold messages. There is quite clearly tension between Tycho and Alek and I love how this becomes a plot point in the story and leads to some very tense moments.
‘You’re not distracted. You’re not reckless. If your heart tells you someone deserves your attention, listen to it.’
There are so many good relationships in this book, but one I wasn’t expecting to love as much as I did was the one between Tycho and Rhen. It is clear both have matured since the original trilogy and I loved how Rhen stuck up for Tycho against Grey. I can’t wait to see more of this friendship in the sequel! I did feel like this book made me question Grey a bit more, as his and Tycho’s relationship falters a bit in this book.
My favourite relationship was definitely Tycho and Jax’s! There was so much angst and pining and just pure tension and I am obsessed with them. My heart went through a rollercoaster with their relationship. I had the pleasure of meeting Brigid Kemmerer at YALC the other weekend and was reading this book at the time. She told me one of her favourite scenes was coming up, and boy did I love that scene! It was the scene where Tycho teaches Jax archery. It felt like a pinnacle moment in the beginning of their relationship and it was so cute.
‘Grey might be good with a sword, and he might have the magic, but when it comes to words and strategy, no one beats Rhen.’
Callyn’s story kind of took a back seat for me in this book, but I definitely think she’s going to become more important in the sequel. I’m very intrigued to see where the tension between her and Lord Alek goes and what becomes of them! I loved the political/rebel plot in this book, and can’t wait to see what’s next.
I adored this book and think it was an amazing start to a new trilogy! It was so easy to return to this world and the new characters are beautifully written.
Keep reading,
Georgia x
Lost in Neverland 
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