Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.

Forging Silver into Stars brings us back to the Cursebreakers ' world years after the conclusion of A Vow So Bold and Deadly . Though this time, we revisit this world through the perspectives of new characters and old supporting characters—something I greatly appreciate because although I would’ve loved to read the story in any of the original main cast’s POV again, I think this change provides an opportunity for the Cursebreakers ' world to be expanded beyond the limitations of those characters.

And, true to expectations, it did. Set mostly in Syhl Shallow, Forging Silver into Stars follows Callyn, an older sister and baker who’s in debt because of her deceased father’s actions, and Jax, a disabled blacksmith who’s also in debt due to his abusive father’s preference for drinking away their money. The story also follows Tycho, who is from the original trilogy and is now King’s Courier. Through these alternating POVs, not only did we get to learn more about the world beyond castle walls, but also witness different, realistic perspectives on the aftermath of ending a conflict between two kingdoms.

However, as the main characters aren’t the actual targets of the anti-magic faction’s schemes in Syhl Shallow, there were several instances that made the story feel convenient—all for the sake of providing those characters with more links to the main plot. Some of the events that happened between Callyn and Jax also felt ridiculous, especially since they are supposedly best friends. Honestly, I still can’t wrap my head around how (view spoiler). Like, is caring supposed to only be a one-way thing when it comes to best friends?

So yeah, you can probably tell by now that I really dislike Callyn. She’s selfish, easily manipulated and a piss-poor best friend, but she’s also undeniably human. Though, if she were real, she should thank her lucky stars that Kemmerer’s writing is too darn good for me to stay pissed off enough to DNF the book. Jax and Tycho, on the other hand, were sweethearts. I love their characters and their growth. Even so, I have to admit that none of these new main characters are as interesting as Grey and Rhen and their dynamic, or as compelling as Harper.

In fact, despite their delegation to side cast status, he few appearances Grey and Rhen made were brilliant reiterations of their core characteristics while providing more facets to who they are. I’ve seen some reviews mentioning that Grey was intentionally written in such a way so that readers would start disliking him, but I disagree. It made him a more complex character and gave him solid flaws that accompanied his strengths.

Overall, what made Forging Silver into Stars a strong read for me is undeniably the author’s enthralling writing (it’s either magic or a curse because even when I hate a character, I’m still hooked by the writing 😂). If you loved the Cursebreakers series and don’t mind any of the abovementioned negatives, give this spin-off a read.

 

Catching up on some long overdue reviews to say… Brigid has done it again!! The pacing! The romance! The tension!!! There’s just enough worldbuilding that never feels info-dumpy. Both the new & familiar characters are charming, delightful, and sinister in turn. I am CRAVING the sequel, as I always do for Brigid’s fantasy books.

Content notes: parental abuse, past PTSD, past parental death, fantasy violence 

Brigid Kemmerer does it again. I love her books so much, and being able to revisit Syhl Shallow and Emberfall was great. I loved getting to see the old cast of characters once again as well as the new characters that were introduced. I also really appreciated how she sprinkled the plot of the Curse So Dark and Lonely throughout to remind past readers who may have forgotten some of it (AKA: me). 

Perfect. I need the sequels, and even more sequels, and I want every single character to get their own sequel! 

In a mini-review I posted on bookstagram, I said, "move over, Cursebreakers, this spin-off takes the cake!" I think that pretty much sums up the majority of how I felt about Forging Silver Into Stars!

I loved the original series (primarily the first book), but I never felt the kind of connection to it that I felt while reading this book. There was something really special about the start of this new series. Not only did it continue to include disability rep, it also had queer rep, and dealt with much heavier topics like miscarriage and abuse. While those things might not entice everyone to pick it up, they were really well written, in my opinion. I appreciated the sensitive approach to the challenging elements and the way that they were handled throughout the story. It drew me to the characters and made me relate to them during so many moments.

Along with that, I loved that for the majority of the book, you weren't really sure who you were meant to root for. It seemed as though everyone was a touch morally gray, and that wound up being really appealing. Sure, it was easy to pick favorite couples or characters (at least, it was for me), but you didn't always know whether or not you should trust them. It added to the suspense of the story and had me gasping aloud on multiple occasions when certain things were revealed. The characters were truly the heart and soul of Forging Silver Into Stars and I look forward to seeing how they grow in the coming installations. It was also really special to be let into the lives of some of the beloved characters from the former series. After several years, they had matured a lot and it was comforting to witness how they had changed and grown.

The literal only issue I had with the story was the fact that one of the characters from the original series was villainized a bit in this book. This seems to be something that Kemmerer likes to do to throw you for a loop, just when you think you understand everyone. She did this in the Cursebreakers series,

when Rhen became the villain in the second book, after you had completely grown to adore him in the first. Similarly, she did that with Grey in this book, making him a bit of a villain towards Tycho, despite the fact that he's always been a loved (and loving) character.

Now, I recognize that for some people, this is really cool. In fact, the person I buddy-read with liked this element a lot. For me, it tends to be a little frustrating. But I can't say that it took away from how excellent the book was.

Truly, I'm just so excited to find out what happens next. That ending was fantastic and left me with a lot of questions that I hope will be answered in the sequel!

4.5 brilliant stars!

Halfway through, I was prepared to give this book 3 stars. But then, things started picking up and I was at the edge of my seat.

The first half of the book felt very domestic. We were following Jax (a blacksmith) and Callyn (a baker) who were trying to make ends meet. I'll admit, I don't really care for the first half– the romance, the domesticity etc. But their desperation to earn silver to save their homes laid down the groundwork for a lot of important keypoints in the story– their inner battle of right and wrong as well as the bigger conflict in the Kingdom of Syhl Shallow and Emberfall– the anti-magic faction.

I've read Defy The Night by the same author and quite frankly, I can't comprehend how it was written by the same author. I loved the Cursebreaker Trilogy– and now this book– because of the way the bond between the characters were written. They didn't need to say anything much to each other but the hurt, betrayal and angst oozed from the pages. I love that kind of thing in a book. I can't quite understand why Defy The Night couldn't accomplish this level of emotional maturity and intelligence but then again, I might already be biased because of nostalgia.

I said that I loved the way the bond between the characters were portrayed. The conflict between Tycho and King Grey was something that started in the previous series. I'm glad that it was finally addressed in this book and becoming something vital in the plot. And that unlikely bond between Tycho and Prince Rhen, I'm living for it. Rhen is absolutely great in this book.

I wished we got at least one perspective from the old characters, either Grey or Rhen (I mostly just want to see what the hell Grey was thinking because like Rhen said, Grey never yields), but I guess we can't all have nice things.

Can't believe I have to wait for the second book now...