Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Heart Forger

Rin Chupeco really outdid herself with this one. The Heart Forger follows Tea across the Eight Kingdoms as she explores the extent of her powers as a Dark asha.

First of all, the pace of this book picked up so much from The Bone Witch, it was incredible. We went from nothing happening in 300 pages to so much happening that it was nearly (but not quite) hard to keep up.

While the plot of The Heart Forger was fantastic, what really took the cake in this book were the characters.

Tea continued to be her marvelous self, and it was interesting to see her slowly changing from the girl we know into the girl she is in the Bard’s chapters.

Kalen surprised me by becoming my favorite character, which I was not anticipating after despising him in the first book.

Fox continued to be his loyal, unshaken self, while also developing his own relationships.

Likh has made impressive strides when it comes not only to personal development but also to sparking conversation in (and beyond) the Willows.

We got to see a lot more of Khalad and get to know him better, and the more I learn about him, the more I love him.

Honestly, this book just grew my love and respect for all the characters. Mykaela, Polaire, Althy, Inessa, Zoya, Shadi, Empress Alyx, they all grew in the best ways.

The only character whom I lost any respect for (other than the actual villains) was

Kance.

The last scene of the book made me irate. He defended his father to Tea, Kalen, and Khalad, who all had experienced Telemaine’s wrath.

Casting Tea out of Odalia for driving Telemaine mad was too much. I understand the grief that comes with losing a parent, but defending him after all the things he did seemed wholly unnecessary.

Despite my misgivings throughout the first book, I cannot express how in love I am with this series so far.

I have high hopes that Chupeco will finish off strong in The Shadowglass.

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tanadeet's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I'll say it again... don't expect your usual witchy story. It's a completely different take on witchyness. I loved it, maybe because I wasn't expecting it and the story is beautifully written.

If political intrigue, a dash of necromancy, mystery being unfolded bit by bit and there be dragons is your thing, this might be for you. The dual POV threw me a bit in book 1, but now I rather enjoy it, especially as it gives you a spoiler here and there and a glimpse into future events. The story has more sense to it in book 2 and I'm both nervous and excited for book 3...

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I liked the sequel better than the first book! It was much more plot driven but still had a lot of good character moments as Tea delves into becoming something of an anti-hero.

I liked the mystery and excited to see where it goes in the third book.

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I am thoroughly enjoying this series and will be reading the next book in it.
Love seeing the azi being described like a cat (makes a 3 headed dragon beast super adorable. Love when dragons are described like big scaley cats tbh). All the mystery/secrets are keeping me going because I need to know why we got here and what Tea's end goal will be/look like.
Def wasn't expecting the little twist in there involving the Odalian royal family.

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