An absorbing, fast-paced fantasy full to the brim with political intrigue, simmering with rebellion and stirred with desperate decisions. I love the gorgeous cover and clever title.

For me, Forging Silver Into Stars far surpasses the original Cursebreakers trilogy (A Curse So Dark and Lonely,) the events of which this follows on from. Although I enjoyed that too! You do not need to have read the Cursebreakers books. However, be aware that there are major spoilers if you do plan to read the series at some point.

The characters here were more mature and complex. I liked the exploration of the difficulties experienced uniting a Kingdom and Queendom, no matter the rulers intentions, as they were two separate peoples and cultures with a complicated history of wars, prejudices, grief and vengeance. I also enjoyed experiencing this through the eyes of characters who were not the people in power. It was intriguing to see rulers from the other novels from the main characters' points of view.

There is no one like Kemmerer for showing the many perspectives on violent and moral conflicts or choices; no situation is clear and simple. Whether I was rooting for a character or not, I understood them and their perspective. Everyone was trying to make the best decision, from their point of view, with the hand they were dealt. Central themes included: trust, loyalty, choices, abuse, poverty, powerlessness, survival and empowerment.

I absolutely loved the three main characters and their different relationships.

I always appreciate Kemmerer's representation, including her strong female characters. I liked that Syhl Shallow was a Queendom, where daughters inherited, and generally, women were preferred. I liked that gay and lesbian relationships were not only normal in these worlds, but always have been, and how the novel touched on the difference this made to people's behaviours, emotions and view of the world.

Her disabled characters were real, full characters. They were not magically healed as in many fairy tales - their disabilities were an inherent part of them and how they experienced the world. Characters adapted, used aids, found coping strategies, yet they also faced challenges; it was not as if their disabilities made no difference to their lives or perspectives. Also, at times they experienced ableism and people tried to take advantage of them. Being scarred, or missing an eye, did not automatically denote that someone was a Bond villain.

I tore through Forging Silver Into Stars in two days and really hope the next in the series is out soon. If you liked Defy the Night, then this is an absolute must.

Favourite quotes:
- “You saved my life and served me dinner and kissed me senseless— and now you’re kneeling on the ground at my feet. Somehow you believe you have too little practice with courtship?”

- "Speak your fears. You cannot challenge them if you cannot even voice them."

I have been looking forward to FORGING SILVER INTO STARS, more so since planning to re-read A HEART SO FIERCE AND BROKEN and A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY. It's a chance to return to the tensions and relationships of a series I really enjoy, and to see what happens next. There's so much change at the end of that series that it feels natural that there would be strife yet to come. Not to mention it's a chonky book (~550 pages) which means more time spent in the world!

There are a lot of familiar cast (which is yay!!!) but there's balance with new ones too. Jax and Callyn bring a new side to the world. The first series focused on the court, with the common people being very secondary and much more about being helped than their lives. The new narrators bring that side into focus, and gives a clear understanding of why people would be nervous about Grey and his magic.

The tension between Tycho and Grey was so good! (I mean, it's not good that there is tension, but the way it was written!!) Despite him not being a POV, you understand <em>exactly</em> why Grey acts as he does, the pressures and fears strangling him so that he acts like that. And you've also seen Tycho's side. It makes the tension feel real and believable, rather than being manufactured solely for plot purposes. Not to mention it makes you want it resolved because you get both sides of the story, so don't really blame either.

Another relationship I loved? Tycho and Rhen! (Yes, Tycho was my favourite of the POVs - I've been invested in for two books already, and I think the dynamics he had were the most interesting of the lot.) Tycho and Rhen have a lot of history, so I did not expect their relationship to take the path it does, but it works so well.

This book can <em>technically</em> be read without the first trilogy, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think Tycho's relationships will make much more sense, and have a deeper weight, with that knowledge.

In terms of story "completeness", I'd say this is pretty close to A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY. It reads almost like a standalone - there are some things left open at the end (a few vague threats) but most of the story is tied up. It would work perfectly well as a standalone as the primary villains are dealt with and the characters all end up in (relatively) OK places. But there is more, and you can see where it will come from (the fact that the group behind the main villains aren't dealt with.) It makes it very satisfying, while also making you want to read the coming books.

I loved Brigid Kemmerer's earlier series, The Cursebreakers, which was about an American teenager (Harper) finding her way into an alternative world called Emberfall, where she meets Prince Rhen and his bodyguard Grey, and where magic is real and deadly. (There are three books in that series: A Curse So Dark and Lonely #1, A Heart So Fierce and Broken #2, and A Vow so Bold and Deadly #3.)

This story, Forging Silver into Stars, takes place four years after that series and follows one of the supporting characters, Tycho, along with two new characters, Jax and Callyn, who live in an almost forgotten village on the border between Emberfell and Syhl Shallow. There are new heroes and villains, along with several old friends. You don't need to have read the earlier series first, but you would get more from the story if you do.

Jax is the main protagonist; a young blacksmith who has coped well with losing his foot in an accident. He works hard to keep his father's forge open, despite his father's regular trips to the local pub. Likewise, Callyn is running her family's bakery and looking after her younger sister. Both have reasons to distrust magic, which was outlawed in their country until very recently, and both are struggling financially. They don't care about politics, just keeping food on their tables and paying their taxes. When a strange woman arrives at the forge, asking for Jax's absent father to keep a message for her, Jax volunteers to keep it safe. He'll earn valuable silver and, after all, what harm can passing on a message do?

Forging Silver into Stars is a thrilling adventure story featuring first love, friendships, and shifting allegiances. Brigid Kemmerer is brilliant at world building and I was soon sucked into the rising tensions between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow. There's lots of grey area between the good guys and the bad! There are wrong choices made for right reasons, and soon Jax and Callyn's life-long friendship is severely put to the test!

Forging Silver into Stars doesn't end on a cliff hanger but there are several threads that can be explored further, hopefully with lots more books! (I suspect the next one might feature Alek!) I would also love to find out more about Nakiis and the Scravers. Forging Silver into Stars was one of my favourite reads this year. Would suit fans of Naomi Novik (Uprooted) and Katharine Arden (Winternight trilogy).


Thank you to Brigid Kemmerer and Bloomsbury for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

As a disabled girl I always love encountering disabled characters in fantasy settings, especially when their disability is just there, sometimes causing issues and pain and insecurity, but never really a plot in itself. Brigid Kemmerer did a great job with Harper in A Curse so Dark and Lonely and when I discovered that this book was once again gonna star a disabled main character I didn't know how fast to request this book on Netgalley. And I was so happy to see my request granted!

I have to admit that I was kinda glad that I only read the third book in the Cursebreaker series a few weeks ago. Although this book in a way can be read as the first book in a new series it does continue with storylines and story-arcs that have already started in the previous trilogy. I think people who haven't read the previous three books will miss a lot of background information, world building and character development, which basically means they will be reading an entirely different story.

I quite liked though how this book has a slightly different tone. The story is growing. It feels like this book is targeted at a slightly older audience. The characters have jobs and responsibilities. And this book is about so much more than good versus evil and freeing the kingdom from dictators and sorceresses. The politics is complicated, up until the point that you get where everyone comes from, even when you can't agree with all their methods used.

Just like the characters are incredibly complicated and intriguing. They mess up. Some even mess up pretty badly and yet they show that making mistakes doesn't have to determine your entire life. And that sometimes even when you made mistakes you can eventually still make the right choices. Although, I'm pretty sure there are a lot of mistakes to be made in future books and lot of paths still to be chosen. I can't wait to read it!

I enjoyed the Curseworkers books, but mostly picked up this series because I absolutely adored Defy the Night, and this book did not disappoint.
Tycho is now a young man, employed as the King’s Courier to carry messages between Shyl Shallow and Emberfall, but when his horse loses a shoe on the road he winds up in a small town forge and meets Jax, the blacksmith, and Callyn, the baker. What follows is an adventure full of secrets, lies, deception, and impossible choices.

I adore the new characters we’ve met in Forging Silver into Stars, and seeing the characters from the Cursebreakers books from a different perspective. Rhen in this book came across very differently than he did in the later Cursebreakers books, and seeing Tycho’s perception of him change was really interesting.
I eagerly await the next book in the series - which could be a while since this one isn’t even out yet!

Brigid Kemmerer’s two current ongoing series are now my favourite of her works, and I’ve preordered the B&N exclusives of both Defy the Dawn and Forging Silver into Stars, despite needing to get them forwarded to the UK.

I was so excited to get a copy of this, I miss the world of Emberfall and Syhl Shallow so much , so to dive back in, well it felt like I had never left. Told in multi-POV from the perspective of Jax, Callyn, and Tycho, I loved how different this felt whilst at the same time feeling familiarity too. I loved the fact too that I found my feelings changed towards Rhen and Grey in this too. As you would expect this has the same fabulous and magical world-building as the Cursebreakers and I was hooked from the start. While the beginning of this is mostly setting the scene , our characters etc it really picks up pace and towards the end its an action-packed finish. I’m definitely glad to be back and I cannot wait for more

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I love Brigid Kemmerer storytelling and world building. This was a fascinating story, a YA well developed and gripping.
The world building and the characters are as good as usual, the plot is gripping and compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Forging Silver into Stars is a YA fantasy novel that takes us back into the universe of the writer’s Cursebreaker series. While Harper, Rhen, Grey and Lia Mara are still involved in the story, its plot really follows Tycho and two new eighteen year old characters; Jax, a blacksmith, and Callyn, a baker who looks after her little sister alone and who, like Jax, is struggling to make ends meet.

Espionage, LGBTQ+ representation, morally grey characters, miscommunications and plenty of magic…this book has it all. However, it does require some understanding of the relationship dynamics and histories of the original Cursebreaker characters so I would definitely recommend reading the trilogy before diving into this! I loved seeing Tycho grow and become more emotionally vulnerable, and fans of the original trilogy will love delving back into the complexities of life in Emberfall and Syhl Shallow (though I’m hoping to see a little more Rhen and Harper down the line!)

The epilogue absolutely sets up another book and as, at times, the pacing of this one was a little slow, especially in the first half, I think the establishing of characters here is clearly laying a foundation for a faster-paced sequel. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read this magical book.

I didn't know how much I've missed these characters and the world until I went back to it.
Tycho was my one of favorite characters of the Cursebreakers series, I just couldn't believe how much he's grown in this book, and to be honest at first the new characters didn't captivate me much but halfway through the book I just couldn't have enough of them.
I loved so much to get back in this world with this new plot with the anti-magic group Truthbringers, it got so difficult at times to separate what was good and what was bad and I've always loved this aspect in books.
I can't wait for the next book to be out just to so I can see what's going to happen to my new favorite characters.

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

This is the second series I read written by Brigid Kemmerer and I've found myself loving it as much as the other one. I fell in love with the writing and the characters, so I can't wait to read more from her!

I was having difficulty getting into this book, and I soon learned that it was more of less required to have read the previous series to understand this one, which i hadn’t. So I’ll be reading that and then return to this novel and reread it with a better understanding of the setting etc. I do however enjoy the writing and the characters and the world that we’re in here. It’s a good book with plenty of interesting details and a solid plot.

okay i might have messed up a little as i have never read the cursebreakers series in which this book is based in and so i had already had a fight a head of me of not understanding the world i was in. plus i am guessing this book is full of spoilers for the other series and so i really should have read the other series first.

sadly i couldnt get in to this book because of that and so did DNF it. which is completely my own fault.

A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read this arc.

This review is SPOILER FREE.

You should certainly have read the original trilogy before venturing into FSiS, or the entire story will be ruined for you! I am so glad that I reread the Cursebreakers trilogy before returning to the world of Emberfall and Syhl Shallow. It helped to refresh my memory of the story, characters and the world itself. The events of FSiS take place in the same world around four years after those of the original story that ended in A Vow So Bold and Deadly. Tycho - now 19 - is one of three main characters telling this tale from their perspective. Jax, the blacksmith and Callyn, the bakery owner are best friends living in Syhl Shallow a good distance from the Crystal City and close to the border with Emberfall. Both are in dire financial circumstances for a variety of reasons consequently finding themselves embroiled in a plot against the King and their friendship threatened by the growing hostilities on both sides of the border.

All your favourite characters from the original trilogy make an appearance, some more prevalent than others. Having just reread Cursebreakers back-to-back, I found the portrayal of Grey in this new series to be slightly off-putting but not enough to prevent me loving the story. Of the two new characters, I found Jax to be the more likeable and I was rooting for him and Tycho from the start. Once again, I'm pleased to see Brigid Kemmerer providing positive disability representation in her work.

The book is almost 600 pages long but I finished it in under three days as I was so engrossed. The ending was a complete adrenaline rush and I am eager for the second book! A 5/5 star read for me!

I can never go wrong with a Brigid Kemmerer book whatsoever!

Diving back into the A Curse So Dark and Lonely world, we meet two new characters Jax and Callyn but we see a point of view also from Tycho who was a character we knew well from ACSDAL! I really enjoyed all of their points of view, their characters were so well rounded and I liked the conflict and friendship between them that went on.

At the 80% mark I got incredibly nervous with how the plot was going to turn out as I wanted a nice kind of ending despite it being the first in a new series!

It was great to see some of the other characters from ACSDAL too, Grey, Then, Harper, Noah and Jake!

Forging Silver Into Stars is set five years after the events of A Vow So Bold and Deadly, Grey is king and married to Lia Mara ruling over Emberfall and Syhl Shallow but people are still tense over his magic and don't think he should be ruling in Syhl Shallow.

I'm looking forwards to book two especially after the epilogue!

It was an absolute delight to return to the world of Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. While I adored the Cursebreaker series, Forging Silver into Stars is my favourite book to date in set in this world. It isn’t absolutely necessary to read the Cursebreaker series first, but I’d strongly recommend it , as there are lots of spoilers for the original trilogy in this book.

Forging Silver into Stars is told from the perspectives of Jax, Callyn and Tycho. Jax is a blacksmith in a small border town in Syhl Shallow, where his friend Callyn and her sister run a bakery. Both of them have reasons to be afraid of magic, and both of them struggle with financial hardships. In order to keep their livelihoods, they start passing messages for a rebel group in exchange for silver, which they need to pay their taxes. Soon they realise that they’re involved in something larger and more dangerous than they’d originally bargained for.
Former stable boy Tycho, who provides the third POV, is now the King’s Courier and a Lord. He arrives in Briarlock on his return from Emberfall, where he befriends Callyn and Jax, while investigating rumours of rebellion.

I loved all the characters, but the budding romance between Tycho and Jax was the highlights for me. Both have a lot of past baggage, there are trust issues, there's a bit of a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and there's the difference in their station - but while there are plenty of obstacles for Tycho and Jax to overcome, it was nice that homophobia didn't enter the picture.
This was a clear five star read for me. If you loved the Cursebreaker series, you'll adore this first installment in this sequel series. I can't wait so see where Kemmerer takes the story next"

I quite enjoyed this medieval fantasy story.

I didn't realise this was a spin off of other books when I decided to read it however I still was able to follow the background of the kingdoms well enough as the relevant information was re-told as part of this story.

Set from several points of view a complicated plot against the royal family, some MM romance and some regular romance with a touch of magic thrown into the mix, meant it was an easy to read tale with a bit of a mystery to solve making for an enjoyable story.

I love all of brigid kemmerers books, and this was no acception. Highly recommend this book, and all others by this author

I really wanted to enjoy this book but the pacing made it super difficult to get through, it felt like the story went nowhere for the majority of the story and then the conflict happened so fast you'd almost miss it. There was a good story and characters underneath it all but unfortunately the pacing of the story ruined it.

I just love Emberfall & Syhl Shallow and their magic!

I really liked returning in this world again and seeing it from a different angle. The story is engaging, eventful and magical.

Although the world is known from the previous books, we still learn more about it and we also learn more about the magic.

Another thing that I love in this book, as with all the BK’s books, is the representation of different communities and people and I was very pleased of how well this happens in this book too.

I so much enjoyed reading this and I can’t wait for the next!