Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Heart Forger

I enjoyed this one but not as much as the first! I think it was a bit too drawn out and could have been shorter. Still, I'm very curious to see how the timelines converge in the last book of the trilogy.

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kathrynleereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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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pitchblackkoi's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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lakinglaze's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely wonderful! I loved it even more than the first book in the series and can’t wait for the final installment!!

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planetarycrow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

4.75

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ofbooksandechos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

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noellelovesbooks's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

2/9/2022
Content Warnings: Sexism, blood/gore, murder/death, homophobia, transphobia, torture, imprisonment, death/murder of a loved one.

Although I’ve read “The Bone Witch” three times now…this is only the second time I’ve read through “The Heart Forger” and I forgot how emotional it would make me. This book picks up immediately after the first book ends as we continue to see the current time through the eyes of “the bard” and see past events through Tea’s eyes.

We were told and taught, many things in book one that book two reveal to be false. I absolutely love the back and forth between times, there are so many important things happening in both timelines and you’re left desperately wanting to know everything going on in both. The pace of book two is definitely faster than book one, as book one taught us much of the backstory to the world and people.

Without giving anything away, in case you haven’t read through “The Bone Witch” just know that “The Heart Forger” made me cry…just as much and as hard as I did when I first read it almost two years ago. The world that Rin has created for us can be so beautiful and so cruel at the same time…and I love every second I spend in it.

9/24/2020
Rin Chupeco is a master storyteller...

The Heart Forger picks up where The Bone Witch ends and leads us on more of Tea's current, and past, path. There are so many thing's that we thought to be true in "The Bone Witch" that we find aren't what they appeared to be. This book is full of more beauty and ugliness set in this masterful world Rin has created for us. These first two books have put me through so many intense emotions that I know that I'm not yet ready to face the final book.
Although this is only the 2nd book of Rin's I've ever read...I can honestly say she's one of my favorite author's and I can't wait to meet the other world's she created in her other books.

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cheye13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Both the frame story and the main storyline pick up speed. The politics are a little complex but the story is engaging even without taking the time to break things down. The foreshadowing is effective without ruining suspense. A great bridge for books one and three.

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