The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco (book #2 in the Bone Witch series) did not disappoint! I loved Tea's voice and how she behaved like the very young person she was in the beginning. Her curiosity and willingness to go her own way is much of what endeared me to her. As the events and betrayals added up she changed and she became strong, vengeful and cold. I have always liked reading about women that are not "nice"! Rin Chupeco's writing is delightful and dark!
I felt that the men characters were less developed and a little stereotypical but that was ok with me. This was Tea's story through and through.

The Heart Forger continues the story of The Bone Witch in it’s interesting way of weaving past and present together. With the interesting characters that always sit on the line of good or bad.

So I love Rin Chupeco’s characters. They are always so interesting. Tea in particular, she is one of those characters that is deeply flawed. She has both light and dark in her and you are not always sure which one is on the surface. I love Tea because she is very open about who she is and fearful of what she has the potential to become. She is also willing to take risk to protect the people she cares about. Despite the fact that her brother is her familiar, she just wants him to happy. In the past we see her as young and just finding her way, in the present we see this very determined woman. She is ready to do what she thinks is right and not let anyone sway her. You start to see more and more of the Tea from before as she tells her story though.

So there is more love story in this book and I loved it. It also made me sad because you know there is something coming around the bend. We have both Fox’s love story and Tea’s love story. Both are very sweet and fun to read.

Again I love the characters. From the handful of Asha we spend our time with, the Princess Inessa, Khalad the heartforger, Kance the Prince, Kalen the Deathseeker and of course Fox the familiar. Of course there is also the leaders of the Faceless as well. We get a little more insight into them too. I really like everyone and what they bring to the story.

So the book is told from Tea’s past point of view and the Bard’s present point of view. So it’s kind of interesting that we don’t have Tea’s actually feelings in the present. We are still left with questions that will be answered in the next book, I hope. It’s interesting to see as the past starts catching up to the present of Tea’s story. I can never decide how I feel about the length of the book. I’m never not interested in it. Sometimes I have to take breaks but I think it’s because there is a lot to devour and process.

I really enjoyed The Heart Forger. I’m looking forward to seeing the end of Tea’s story. To the end of all the characters stories. I have a feeling the next book will be sad but I also think it will be happy. Ha ha which is hard to explain but I think Tea will find the ending she wants because she is just that kind of girl. Nobody is going to stop her.

Sooooo it's been a bit since I've finished The Heart Forger and I'm still so in shock. I was lucky enough to read The Bone Witch as an ARC last year, and I wholeheartedly loved it. I was so excited for the sequel, and I was not disappointed! It's been almost a year since I've started this blog and The Bone Witch was actually one of the first reviews I posted, so this is really fitting.

This book continues in the same style as the first one where there's a past Tea and a present one. The two points of view didn't have as much to do with each other as the first book, but so much happens in each plot line that you won't even notice tbh. I did love the build-up of the past plot line into the present one.

The characters are so much more developed throughout this novel; we get to know a lot of the others other than the asha (finally!). They're all so beautiful and well-fleshed out and I suddenly have a lot of new favorite characters. Also!! The romance that was hinted at throughout the first book finally happens and ahhhhhhhhh I can't stop smiling!! I just love them all so much :')))

There's really not much for me to say without spoiling the book. The writing, I thought, was a bit more...modern (? if that makes sense) than the first book. I do think I liked the descriptive writing in the first book more, but since there's a lot more action in this one, I understand why we didn't get as much of it here.

The Heart Forger is a beautiful, thrilling book that fortunately does not succumb to second-book-syndrome. If you want an exciting, dark, well-written fantasy, I wholeheartedly recommend this jewel of a novel (although read the first one first of course). With characters that you'll immediately love and a plot that leaves you guessing, Rin Chupeco's The Bone Witch series is one to read. I cannot recommend it enough!

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. A solid sequel, that brings more depth to Tea's character development and her various relationships that in my opinion, could have benefited with a few changes. I read "The Bone Witch" more than a year ago and I wish the second book had had a bit more recap in it so I could remember more of what happened with Tea and all the other players. I honestly liked the first book better then this one. There was a bit too much action and I felt a lot of it could have been edited down a bit. I wasn't as invested in the story this time around but even so it was enjoyable and I look forward to the conclusion.

On its own, The Heart Forger is an incredibly well-thought, phenomenally written fantasy told in hauntingly compelling narratives at a thrillingly suspenseful pace. What I really loved about it was the author’s ability in expertly balancing out all the elements. The eventfulness of the plot never compromised the complexity or the development of the characters, especially Tea. The faster pacing never took away any depth – be it in terms of character relationships, themes, or impact. The deepening of a romantic relationship that was only hinted at in The Bone Witch was effective without overshadowing any of the other crucial elements.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I can continue raving about The Heart Forger for hours and hours, but let me keep this as simple as I can. Basically, this sequel was everything I could hope for and more: excellently placed tension, subtle social commentary, meaningful and relevant themes, surprising reveals from both main and supporting character roles, engrossing and effective writing, and more insight to tons of unanswered questions while still leaving hopelessly obsessed readers, such as myself, wanting more and more and more. Book 3, I cannot wait to get my hands on you!

I loved The Bone Witch so The Heart Forger was high up on my wish list for 2018 releases and I'm happy to say it surpassed all expectations. It took all the things I loved about the first book and then ramped them up to an even higher level, this book was much faster paced, had far more action, lots of twists and some fantastic monsters. I know some people didn't like the the slower pace of the first book but I thought that Rin Chupeco laid a brilliant foundation and helped to create a fascinating world for us to explore. Now she's used that foundation as a springboard and really kicked off the even more exciting part of her story.

As with the first book the story is told in two parts. You have the present, where Tea is older, wiser and far more jaded, she's been through hell and she's determined to put an end to the threats against the people she cares about. That Tea is telling her story to a Bard who is recording her journey to share it with the world. Then you have the younger version of Tea, the one who is slowly trying to figure out who she can trust. The stakes are getting ever higher for both versions of Tea and you can see how the weight of the world is settling onto her shoulders as she fights against an evil that has been plotting for years.

It's really hard to say much more without giving too much away so I'm going to keep this review short. All I'll tell you is that if you enjoyed the first book I guarantee you'll find this one even more compelling. I loved everything about this book and I'm definitely going to be first in line for a copy of The Shadowglass next year. Rin Chupeco's writing is outstanding and I can't wait to see how Tea's story ends.

An intriguing tale that picks up where the last book left off an continues to leave you wanting more. Flipping back and forth from the past to the present through telling a character only known as the bard of the journey that led her to current events. Tea's story is one of twists and turns that often leave her as surprised as the reader. Her loyal friends often question her motives and fear that her dark powers are taking over. Tea must prove to her friends and herself that she has a grander purpose in the moves she makes even if they do include revenge against enemies and uncovering long held secrets. In a short amount of time Tea had grown into her powers as a bone witch, with grander powers than anyone has seen before. This story creates its own realistic mythology and world building that stays consistent and doesn't overload with information. Characters grow and change as they are impacted by life events. This series continues to be a read that is incredibly hard to put down.

In both The Bone Witch and The Heart Forger Tea has a so-called bard, who accompanies her on her path to personal justice. It is important to Tea that there is someone to hear the truth, her truth, and for that person to tell future generations what really happened. To an outsider she appears to be violent, irrational and capable of extreme actions, and that is why she needs the bard to see and experience beyond the lies of her enemies. Then again perhaps she has just been driven insane like all the other dark asha before her.

The bond between Fox and Tea started to unravel slowly but surely in The Bone Witch. The siblings, who once fought side by side are now on opposite sides. As far as Tea is concerned this is unforgivable, how can her brother support the very people who killed her true love. Fox on the other hand has always been concerned about the darkness inside his sister. Now she is on the warpath and is preparing for battle, it seems as if his instincts just might have been right.

The beauty of this series isn’t just the immaculate world-building, strong characters, the fascinating plot and the intricate descriptive writing, it is also the metamorphosis of Tea. The inquisitive young girl, who is filled with immense power and lives by a strong sense of wrong and right, morphs into a dark vengeful being driven by anger and a need to punish those she perceives to be the guilty.

Chupeco is an extremely talented writer. Her creativity knows no bounds, and her characters evoke empathy even when they are bent on destruction and revenge. I would like to see the author expand beyond the restrictions of YA, her thought processes are complex and her plots compelling. A true gem of the genre, and perhaps still a wee bit underrated. The Heart Forger is a fantastic read.

I loved the book the Bone Witch so much that I was waiting for the Heart Forger to come out. If you haven't read the Bone Witch you will need to read that or if it has been a while since you read it you may want a refresher.

We pick up where we left off of the cliff hanger from the Bone Witch. The book is wonderfully written to bring you into Tea's world of both past and present. I loved getting to see more of Tea's relationship between her brother and also her love interest.

I am already eagerly awaiting the next book to find out what happens after this cliffhanger. Rin Chupeco created an amazing world that I love reading about

Omg where do I even start with this review?

How about the fact I’ve been up for close to 28 hours now. Not cause of the book, I’d finished that a few days prior. But because I’ve just travelled home from my vacation in Ohio.

Future me maybe dont agree to things straight after your holiday (omg i have a book event tonight too oh no).

Anyway now we are done with my excuses for this incoherent rambling of pure love for this book!

Returning to Tea’s world was no chore. I fell back in easily and was instantly whisked away on her adventures.

I still adore the dual narrative/time setting that Rin uses throughout but I must say the present day intrigues me the most.

I love reading about Tea being very powerful and doing what she has too to prove everyone wrong and help put an end to some very nasty people but at what cost?

Though now I’m typing this I also really loved reading about Tea’s past as she expands her knowledge and with the help of Fox and her friends piece together the information they have to find out the truth about the sleeping sickness.

Another element that is really important in the past is that you start to see more examples of why Tea may have a black heart in the future. Its clear she’s not as strong against the dark any more, now she has the taste for it.

The character development is just *mwah* I LOVE IT.

I LOVE HER RELATIONSHIPS. FRIENDSHIPS. ALL OF IT.

For those of you who have read it will understand me when I tell you I was lay on my friends bed squealing whilst reading about certain thigh scars. And on the other end of things when certain three headed good boys are good.

(Meanwhile my friend is waiting to buy her copy of the book like Lauren will you shut up!!!)

((The answer was no))

As always I loved reading about the daeva, the variety of runes, and the faceless.

I truly can not wait for book three because I can already tell its going to ruin me.

P.S. Lihk has stolen my heart.

Rin Chupeco has done it again. I loved the second in the series as much as I loved the first if not more. Mrs. Chepeco seems to have only improved as a writer since the publication of The Bone Witch and in my opinion the writing and action flowed even better in The Heart Forger. I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

Tea's story, beginning in The Bone Witch, continues in this sequel that continues the dark path Tea began and walks ever further down as her asha powers grow.

As terrifying as the descriptions of Tea are, as much horror as the citizens of the world might have in regards to bone witches and her in particular, there are moments when the reader sees a softness to her personality. Whether it is through the eyes of the Bard, who is telling the story as a third party observer, or through Tea's first person perspective, moments like leaning into a loved one or flying with her daeva (azi) juxtapose with this fearsome image that others have and that Tea herself often embraces.

The dual perspective was one of my favorite things from The Bone Witch and I was glad that it continued in The Heart Forger. It's interesting that the Bard, the person who is ostensibly telling Tea's story as an impartial party, lets slip their own judgement at times. You get a sense of what they think of Tea's actions as they go; not just being kept in the dark about her plans, but about what those plans are once unveiled. Why they're surprised anymore I'm sure I don't know, but I was amused and intrigued because the Bard, for their flaws, was still a great perspective to read.  The flow of the words, the attempt at being the reader's eyes into the world while still having their own opinions slipping through (as I mentioned), combined to support a style that was easy to slip into from Tea's emotional first-person perspective and back out of again.

Emotional may not be quite the word I'm looking for her. Conflicted or troubled may be better. Tea's powers are far stronger than expected, as anyone who has read The Bone Witch started to find out, and they keep growing. What they will allow her to do, who they allow her to be or who they allow her to control, all of the facets of this building force are both awe inspiring and frightening. It's not just the power the Tea has to contend with, but more "mundane" aspects, such as a loved one's death she might not be able to prevent or reverse, that develop her into a complex and still relatable character. She's equal parts sympathetic, concerning, enviable, and more.

Rin Chupeco has a real gift and I love her Bone Witch series. The world building, the discussion points, character development, all make a series that I look forward to reading more of. There's one book left coming out next year (The Shadowglass, 2019) and I know I'll be sad when it happens. Will Tea find peace? Will the darkness consume her? Who the heck knows? Does Rin? What does she have planned?? **FLAILING**

This book was fantastic. One of the best reads for me this year. The story was intriguing and developed well. It kept giving and the characters interacted brilliantly as well.

I would recommend to everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment was worried it suffer from being the second book as it not having a lot of action happening but for this series the second book is jammed packed with action.  I think that due to the type of story the author is telling in that the first book really had to spend the time to set up our characters and world.  In this second installment our character Tea and her familiar are well established so we are able to jump right into our adventure.  This is a great series to read and it definately has a lot of little snippets and intricate to keep you well intrigued.  And much to my delight we are getting a book three The Shadowglass due out in 2019.

A beautiful continuation of the Bone Witch that captures the reader in this strange and mysterious world. Watching Tea grow and mature is in an experience that is wonderful to observe as we learn about the secrets and treachery with her. Twists and turns keeps the reader on edge following Tea's adventure and love life that is far from perfect and somewhat cliché. It is a beautiful story that is very well written that includes Real Politik applications and possible scenarios that are carefully maneuvered through the group. As love and hatred are blurred lines, this book covers the spectrum of both. I high recommend this book to people and am eagerly waiting for the next one to arrive.

The Heart Forger is an amazing fantasy story, and I have to say I'm surprised by how much I loved it! I was curious about it, but I didn't fall in love with The Heart Forger, so I went in with low expectations. Tea has grown, and the overall story was much more suspenseful now that I had a full grasp on the world building.

The sequel to The Bone Witch, a fantasy series that I started last year but that I had obviously forgotten that I struggled with the storyline. But I had stated in my review of book one that I was intrigued enough to see where Rin Chupeco would take Tea, her brother Fox, Kance/Kalen/Khalad, and the rest of the cast. We have the future Tea telling her tale to the Bard and the past story in each chapter. I must confess that by chapter 9 I started skipping the future because it was making the story weighed down...sort of like trying to wade through mud. The last few chapters was where all the action ended up being because most was taken up by Tea trying to figure out her feelings while also trying to control the darkness taking over.

The one shining spot of this series does remain the gorgeous cover illustrations, definitely decor for a personal library. Just not my cup of "tea."

"No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life...and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty Daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the Royals who wronged her—and took the life of her one true love.
Kingdoms against each other and magic in between, no one safe."
In this second book, we have the opportunity to know more about Tea and her past. Though some readers think the pacing is low, I do not agree, sometimes, well most of the times I may say, fantasy is of a low pace due to the world building, characters’ interaction, and when the author knows that there will be more books for the same story, he/she takes time to expand the settings, and characters’ development.
I enjoyed the writing, the atmosphere, the author creates, and the way she shows us Tea, a witch but with human flaws, sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain.
Overall this was an awesome second book in a well-developed world. I love the characters, the magical system, and the romance in this series and am so looking forward to the next book to finally see how the two stories become one and how Tea completes her journey. As an advice, take your time reading it, do not miss any line and enjoy it.

Link will go live March 14, 2018

Due to happy scheduling chances, I was able to read "The Bone Witch" and "The Heart Forger" pretty much back to back. Not only is this always a fun way to read books and their sequels, but it's especially nice with stories that have complicated world-building and non-linear storytelling. "The Bone Witch" was a beast of a book, with tons of detailed descriptions of the world, magic system, and a past/future POV character. The "Heart Forger" pretty much picks up immediately after the events of the first book, and doesn't hesitate to expand even further on its own world, while also adding a healthy dose of increased action to the mix.

Newly-minted bone witch, Tea, has a lot on her plate at the start of this story. Her beloved mentor is still slowly perishing due to her lost heartglass, Tea's brother's love life has presented some political complications, her own crush on Prince Kance continues, there's a murderous woman in the dungeons who promises great power and to reveal secrets about the elder Asha if only Tea would listen, and now a sleeping sickness is making its way through the royal family, in a direct line towards Kance himself.

This says nothing of the future Tea's story, which has gone from zero to sixty from the last book to this. No longer is the older Tea content to live her life banished on a desolate beach, raising her daeva beasts from the dead. Her mission has started, and alongside her newly-raised beloved, Kalen, she sets out to conquer nations, all in a greater quest whose origins and purposes are still only vaguely hinted at.

Between all of this, the increased action is probably the most notable aspect of this sequel. If there was one fairly common complaint about the last book, it was that it was perhaps a bit too slow. I enjoyed it quite a bit, as I like reading books that focus on detail and slow character development. And given this one's fast-paced story line, in retrospect, the time and effort that was put into place laying the foundation for this world, this conflict, and the characters who take part in it, were well worth the effort. Our characters quickly travel from one location to another, surviving and battling against multiple city-wide sieges and more slinky, sinister hidden antagonists as well. I particularly loved the increased action for Tea's dragon-like daeva. It was all very "Dany and her dragons" esque.

The political intrigue was also ratcheted up to a new level. With the sleeping sickness spreading between the royal families, tensions are high and everyone is looking for someone to blame. And the only man who might have the answer, the titular Heart Forger, is no where to be found.

In the future, an older Tea is fully committed to her plan, whatever that is. From what we (from the bard's POV) can tell, it looks a lot like raising armies of the dead to attack entire countries. We get further insights into Tea's vengeance, something about secrets that the elder Asha have been hiding, and a larger plot by this world's ever-dangerous arch enemies, the Faceless. But for all of battles, both large and small, we still know very little about Tea's reasons as a whole. There are numerous references to her having killed some woman, but we don't know who this was or how it happened. In the end, there were almost too many question left unanswered for my taste.

One of the things I most enjoyed was the developing romance between Kalen and Tea. At the end of the first book, we saw Tea raise him from the dead and welcome him as her beloved. But at the start of this book, the younger Tea is still fully enthralled with Prince Kance. Her slow realizations about her feelings for Kalen and their relationship's progression were very enjoyable and probably best took advantage of the solid foundation that was built between these two in the first book. I really dislike insta-love romances, and this was a particularly good example of how to avoid that, and instead have a strongly built and developed romantic story line.

For all of these good things, I did struggle with this book a bit more than the first one. For one thing, the first book spent a lot of time with all of the details and rules of this world. But then, here, we see numerous exceptions and loopholes built into the world, all seemingly used to simply move the story the way the author needed it to go. At best this was distracting as I tried to work out how these exceptions made sense in the larger scheme of things, and at worst it felt like blatant deus ex machina moments where the author's hand was all too visible.

Further, there were a few characters who made decisions that seemed completely nonsensical and out of character even. In particular, some of the "revelations" in the future story line really seemed at odds with the characters. People keeping secrets for no reason, and then revealing them when the story would be best served for a dramatic moment. But why then keep them in the first place? I have a hard time when suspense is built in a story at the expense of consistent and rational characters

And, while I still enjoy the juxtaposition of the future and past story lines of Tea, the devise itself is starting to feel like its hindering the story. The secrets thing that I just mentioned is largely a problem because they're needed to prop up the suspense of the future story line. And, by the end of the book, there are still too many question that were left unanswered. The older Tea has said several thing that sure, sounded cool, but don't particularly tie-in very well to the events taking place with past Tea. In my opinion, the story has out grown this structure and that trying to maintain it was starting to actively work against this book. I hope that in the next the two story lines quickly meet up and we move forward with a single plot.

All in all, however, I still very much enjoyed "The Heart Forger." The increased action made it a fun read, and now that the characters have all been established, it was a joy to follow all of their individual plot lines. Further, the romance between Tea and Kalen is one the best I've read recently. "The Bone Witch" is required reading for this book, but if you liked that one, than you're sure to enjoy this one as well!

I loved the 1st book in this series and was excited to read this one and it didn't disappoint. This dark and magical world of the Asha is an interesting take on the idea of necromancy type magic.