Book Review: Master of Iron (releasing July 26th)
[ID: Two books sitting side by side on a gray wooden floor surrounded by book page confetti and yellow daisies. The one on the left is Blade of Secrets with a winged sword and a swirl of fire on the cover. The one on the right is Master of Iron which is blue and features a hammer submerged in water. Two prop swords are above the right book.]
The first installment of the Bladesmith duology, BLADE OF SECRETS, was one of my favorite discoveries of 2021 so I’m absolutely thrilled I got to read its sequel MASTER OF IRON early thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!
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MASTER OF IRON continues the journey of Ziva, a magic smith with social anxiety, as she races to save her sister, escape a controlling prince, and save her realm from a tyrant. She does all of this with social anxiety and once again I feel like the author has created a brilliant portrayal based on her own personal experience.
At times Ziva’s perspective is claustrophobic, but it feels completely real and understandable. I really loved how this book continued Ziva’s character development and allowed her to come into her own. She grows so much and confronts her anxiety in realistic ways but it is never magically cured. Instead, we get to see how a person with anxiety can face challenges and thrive alongside her disability.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of the romance in this duology but I found myself coming around to it in this book. It feels like a romance between real people and I appreciated how communication is a center focus of their dynamic. Overall I was very satisfied with how this series wrapped up and I think it’s safe to say it’s become one of my favorite duologies. The magic, battles, and characters plus the mental health representation makes it simply unmissable.