Once again a wonderful, exciting, well written novel by G.A. Aiken. I love her stories they always leave me wanting more. Love the new story line with centaurs. Highly recommend all her books!

With the demise of the Old King, there’s a prophesy that a queen will ascend to the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s sons, who are prepared to defend their birthright against all comers. But for blacksmith Keeley Smythe, war is great for business.When I started reading I couldn't put it down. G.A. Aiken is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

If you have a wicked sense of humor and like middle-earth style heroic fantasy, The Blacksmith Queen should be your next read!

G.A. Aiken, who also writes as Shelley Laurenston, writes hilarious fantasy with a touch of romance and some well placed profanity. She continues to amuse and delight with this new series set with a strong female protagonist and a great adventure to be had.

Keeley Smyth is the oldest of 12 children and the current blacksmith of her family, a trade that is passed down to each generation. When the Old King dies, a prophesy for the next queen points to Keeley's family and the race to obtain or protect the new queen begins. Along the way, siblings squabble, changes of fortune occur and centaurs, elves, dragons, barbarians, and demon wolves join (or don't) in the fun.

I stayed up very late reading this book and I laughed so hard that I woke my husband a couple of times. I really liked that there was a minor romance story line and that it didn't dominate the story but complimented it well. There is swearing by many characters, so perhaps giving this book to a young person is not a great idea, but it was all consistent with each character and funny as all get out.

I enjoyed this book so much that I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!

The Old King is dead. With his death comes a prophecy that a queen shall rise to the throne. However, this also doesn’t stop the Old King’s sons from fighting for their place.

When it comes to light that Keeley Smyth’s sister is the prophesized queen, she’ll stop at nothing to ensure her—and the rest of her family’s—survival. She won’t be going into the fight alone. She’ll be aided by a bevy of mystical creatures including the Amichai, a clan of centaurs sent to aid the new queen in claiming her throne. But not all is as it seems and the group will be faced with trials, tribulations, and quests that will challenge their skills and prove who is truly meant to rule.

The Blacksmith Queen is the first book by G.A. Aiken that I’ve read. Although I’ve recently become more familiar with her writings as Shelly Laurenston, I thought this first book in a new series would be a perfect time to start. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant as I wasn’t sure how the well-known Laurenston humor would translate to a fantasy series, which typically lean toward serious.

I have to say, however, that I absolutely loved it! The Blacksmith Queen was like a breath of fresh air. Balancing the seriousness of the situations our characters find themselves in with heaps of humor, and moments of action. It all worked so well.

Keeley is such a force to be reckoned with. I absolutely loved her kind disposition. Always thinking of others before herself. She’s kind of always held the mantle of caregiver to her younger siblings, so there’s no question when her sister is named as Queen that she’ll step in to ensure she takes the throne safely. Keeley and her other sister Gemma clash quite frequently throughout, but the dynamic between them felt so real, and provided much of the levity throughout. The incessant fighting, but then turning on a dime to protect just shows how deep the bonds of sisterhood run.

It’s these interactions that make the story much more focused on family than on romance. Don’t get me wrong, romance is there and in some cases it’s quietly brewing beneath the surface, but all the twists and turns revolve around family. From the brothers and half-brother fighting for their father’s throne to Keeley and her sisters fulfilling a prophecy.

The whole questing portion of the book kind of sneaks up on you. One moment our group is headed to the Amichai Mountains and the next thing you know we’re dealing with dwarves and elves, and other such mythological creatures trying to secure loyalties as an undeniable battle looms on the horizon. However, oftentimes the building up of the world slows the pacing. I felt like the balance between the stunning and surprising actions scenes and the slower developing story was skewed just a bit and it lagged in a few places, but I understand that this is just the first installment in a series. Things have barely come to a head by the end.

It’s a particularly treacherous betrayal about a fourth of the way through that sets the stage for what I think we can expect for where the series will ultimately take us. Despite being rather heartbreaking, I’m very interested in the implications that arise.

If you’re looking for a new fantasy series that balances the funny and serious, you won’t be disappointed with The Blacksmith Queen.

I loved this book so much that I really want to read the rest of the series she hasn't even finished writing yet.

Aiken has a definite sense of humor is my cup of tea. (sometimes so it might not be for everyone.)
I loved the quick remarks that go back and forth between Keeley and her sister Gemma, but Keeley's relationship with Caid is what makes the story so good. Aiken leaves us wanting more. AND, I CAN’T WAIT FOR MORE. I cannot wait to see what else this author comes with for this series

Dwarves! Elves! Centaurs! Mages! …… Say what?! My first G.A. Aiken book and I am now officially HOOKED!
The Blacksmith Queen was an absolute delight!
I love the fantasy genre and G.A. Aiken has introduced me to her new universe and I am officially itching for more.
Where have I been all my life because I loved Aiken’s style of writing.

Keeley was such an amazing character. I really enjoy reading books with kick-ass, awesome female heroines and boy did she deliver. I think Keeley has become one of my new favourite fictional fantasy characters.
She is not your typical heroine… nah uh…she’s a Blacksmith. And her favourite weapon of choice? Her Hammer.. She can swing that hammer just like any veteran. She has broad muscled, strong shoulders that gives off a complete opposite vibe to her true nature of personality. Keeley truly is a kindhearted soul with an amazing witty sarcastic humour.

I won’t call Keeley humble per se hahaha She is an amazing Blacksmith and she is not ashamed to tell anyone who sneers at her profession. She is confident, I’ll give you that. Despite being such a strong character, I loved how vulnerable she could be especially when it came to her family.
Speaking of her family! I am completely obsessed with Keeley’s crazy chaotic family and I can bet that you will love them as well.

G.A. Aiken manages to capture my undivided attention with her story telling ability. When she describes the war scenes, the way Kelley swings her hammer with such ease, you can’t help but be completely enamoured by the scenes unfolding infront of you.

Caid is the PERFECT love interest for Keeley. The complete opposite yet so perfect: He is the calm to her storm, the voice of reason to her ranting moments, her silence to her non stop chatter 😂 But most of all, he is her protector, her partner and he lets Keeley be Keeley. What’s not there to love. Oh I forgot! He’s a Centaur 😮 ❤️

The Blacksmith Queen has an stunning cast of characters! The secondary characters deserve all the attention just as much as the main protagonists. The storyline is addictive. The humour is PERFECT! Oh! I laughed so much while I read this book (The author manages to insert moments of pure unadulterated humour without it feeling forced and unnecessary).

With mythical creatures, amazing storyline of warfare, betrayal, love and let’s not forget the hilarious humour, The Blacksmith Queen is an epic adventure and I am dying to read more!
What an awesome fantasy book!
You guys need to get this book ASAP! You will not be disappointed at all!

I have been looking forward to this book for too long! Reading the blurb, I knew this would much like the author’s Dragon Kin series. Larger than life good guys, small minded bad guys, lots of violence, and tons of humor and the perfect amount of kissing.
I was not disappointed!

Keeley Smythe comes from a long line of blacksmiths. Her mother was a blacksmith and it looks like there will be at least one younger sister to follow in Keeley’s footsteps. Keeley can swing a hammer – a really big hammer. She is also friend to all, especially animals, including the misunderstood demon wolves. And for Keeley, family is all. Don’t mess with Keeley’s family. You won’t like the results. How can you not like this heroine?

Caid is a low-key hero. Gruff, fierce, strong, quiet and, let’s face it, anti-social. Caid, his sister and other members of their tribe are there to make sure the future queen is kept safe. Keeley, will not let her sister go without her, so she joins the protectors. Together, they make an able group of warriors who are in for a surprise or two.

Future queen Beatrix reminds me of Dagmar Rheinholdt, the Beast of the Northlands (What a Dragon Should Know). Studious, calculating, smarter than everyone in the room. Except with Beatrix, her ambition makes her a little less smart.

In addition to blacksmiths, there are witches, elves, dwarves, centaurs, demon wolves, and humans. I love the heroic additions to the story: a quest to find gold, castles to battle over, pheasants to save, armor to wear, and enemies to defeat. There are several references to the world readers might remember from Aiken’s Dragon Kin series, but there is only one dragon in the story. Will there be more ties to that world? I hope so.

My favorite part of this book is the humor. Aiken is a genius with the dry conversational humor that just makes me laugh out loud! I dare you not to do the same. 😊

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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🛠🔥The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken🔥🛠

“You do know that most people would want their sister to be queen, but only so others would be forced to call them ‘m’lady’ or ‘m’lord’ or so they could have unlimited access to the Old King’s gold and jewels.”

“I wouldn’t mind having some jewels,” Keeley admitted. “I’ve always wanted to make my father a copy of his old battle sword from when he was a soldier. Only I’d include a jeweled hilt.” She grinned, nodded at Caid. “The mistake a lot of people make is that they want the entire hilt to be covered in jewels. In battle, that will do nothing but hurt your hand. But if it’s done correctly, you can display a jeweled sword on your wall or pull it down and destroy an entire army in case of attack. My da would love that.”

Keeley took a moment to think about her dream sword and that’s when she noticed that the centaur who never smiled had a grin so wide, she barely recognized him.

They stared at each other until she asked, “That isn’t what you meant . . . is it?”

Laughing, he rode off and Keeley followed.
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I couldn’t sleep last night (thanks, insomnia) and decided to read a book in an effort to be productive (as opposed to scrolling through social media mindlessly 😫). I’ve heard really amazing things about THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN, but was hesitant to start because I’d heard the romantic arc wasn’t that prominent. It isn’t, so don’t go into this book expecting a fantasy romance. Your expectations should be “badass women running everything and saving the world.” I freaking loved this book. It’s so clever and subversive (my favorite kind of humor!).

The beginning of the book reminded me of Gaiman’s STARDUST as the old king just died and his sons are battling for power (and killing each other!). Unlike STARDUST, the focal point isn’t the men but the women. The relationship between Keeley and her sister Gemma made me laugh until I was nearly crying (haven’t we all screamed and attacked at our sisters? But we still love them). And in 2019, this was pretty much the perfect read: women burning everything down and taking power for themselves. I loved it.

This is an honest review of an ARC I received through NetGalley

G.A. Aiken is an amazing author! She has taken my favorite elements and woven them into this amazing story. We are introduced to Keely right after the Old King died and the prophecy of a new queen is given. As a character, Keely is amazing-strong, courageous, and absolutely hilarious. Reading this book and watching her interactions with her family and with Caid will bring tears to your eyes. There are many similarities to her Dragon Kin books with regards to her characters, both the complexity and the idiosyncrasies of the cast. However, that in no way takes away from the book. The Blacksmith Queen is its own story (even though there is a mention of Annwyl) and its own conflict. I don't want to be too specific and ruin the story, but Keely is betrayed in the worst way, but is a much stronger character for it-she becomes a true queen. This gives AIken the canvas to build a world full of Centaurs, dragons (of course:-)), wolves with fire in their eyes, and many other mythical creatures. Her complex conflicts with the brothers fighting over the crown make mewish I could beg her to write the next book faster. I look forward to seeing more of Keely and the world in this book. I highly recommend this book!

I guess this just wasn't my kind of book. I love a good fantasy and a good romance, so I had high hopes for this one, but I almost immediately did not like it. While the plot is interesting and the dialogue witty, this book was just completely all over the place. The writing style wasn't for me, I personally think it was not that great. Every other paragraph switched character POV, which made it quite confusing to read and made the story choppy at best. There was way too much dialogue, and the cursing was awful. I don't mind well-written dialogue or expletives, but these were all extremely modern, so they sounded weird in context, plus there were just a lot of REALLY crude ones which I'm just not a huge fan of when they are in EVERY paragraph and bit of dialogue. I would have loved if the author could have been more creative and selective with the expletives. Maybe come up with some funny and new curse words for the specific universe? It just felt off.

The characters also just didn't resonate with me and instead of getting to know our characters better, we are just automatically thrust into the thick of violence and gore at the beginning of the book. This immediately kept me from feeling the least bit invested in the characters and I could not have cared less about what happened to them. I am about 75% in and I still don't really care what happens to them and am frankly quite bored. I may or may not finish if only to see how the plot veers, because the plot and the sometimes witty dialogue are the only things that have kept me around this long.

This book was so much fun. I have read this author's Dragon Kin series as well as her Call of Crows series under her other name and I have really loved some of them. The humor in her stories and the insane family dynamics are amazingly funny most of the time. So when I saw that she was starting a new series, I jumped at the chance to check it out. And I am so glad I did.

Keeley was a great character. Born into a family of blacksmiths she embraces that fully. Her greatest joy and pride can be found in the forge, and she's never far from the giant hammer she made herself. She knows how to fight astoundingly well, but also knows how to love just as fiercely. Family is everything for her and she'll do anything to protect them. What I liked about the female lead this time compared to all of this author's other books is that Keeley actually showed a much broader range of emotions. She wasn't just angry all the time and itching for a fight. Keeley was allowed to cry and crack when the burdens of her situation weighed her down too much. It made her a much more believable character. I also just loved her demon wolf friends. What an awesome thing to include here.

Caid was perfect for Keeley. He was almost the balance to her crazy in some ways. But Caid is more than a man, he's in fact a centaur. Locked in a perpetually brooding mood and never enjoying the company of others, Caid finds himself actually liking being around Keeley. Which is an amazing thing. He's also a fierce fighter but he's much more level headed. So yeah, a good balance.

After the death of the king, slaughter ensues with brother against brother in a bid for the crown. But things get complicated when the witches make a prophecy about a queen ruling and pointing out exactly who. So a few centaurs of the fighting class make their way to protect the girl and guide her to the witches to confirm that she's the one. They knew they'll have to win over the sister first who protects her family so strongly so they watched Keeley for a couple days before approaching her. Unfortunately, the day they do this is also the day that her sister that abandoned the family decides to show back up. Let's just say that Keeley and Gemma do not get along. Gemma is a war monk though, so she's pretty good at kicking ass. Which is something they need.

The princes find out about this queen and of course want to kill her before she can do anything. All but the oldest who's mother thinks it would be wiser for him to marry her. So there's a lot of glorious and gory fighting to come. Things become much more complicated when they finally make it to the witches and and a horrible betrayal happens. And because of that and what it means about that person, it all falls to Keeley to fix this. She doesn't want to be a queen, but that's what she's going to have to become in order to save all the people of her land.

And to do that, she also needs an army. So it's off she goes with her centaur protectors. We meet dwarves and elves, encounter one angry dragon, and other possibly terrifying creatures on this trip. She even manages to wrest control of city back from one of the princes, essentially creating her own home base. It's not quite enough yet, but it's a darn good start.

I don't know if they next book will be a new couple that we follow, but I really loved Keeley and Caid together, so I'm hoping we continue to follow them. Either way, I am totally looking forward to the next book.

There was also mention of Annwyl here and the dragons, so dare I hope that at some point in the future the two series might crossover?

"The Blacksmith Queen" by G.A Aiken
What an enjoyable romp through the fantastical world of the Blacksmith queen. The book grabbed me and held me hostage from the opening pages where a king has died, and his offspring are murdering each other for his crown.
The story quickly moves to the forest where the Smythe family is feeling the repercussions of the king's death. The Smythe family is gloriously filled with strong, courageous, brutal women to revel in combat (most often with each other). Soon we learn that Beatrix, one of the sisters, has been prophesized by witches to be the next queen. This prophecy puts her and the entire family at risk from the remaining competing royals.
I have a penchant for strong female characters. Rarely have I come across a character like our main character, Keeley. With a body honed by "womaning" a forge Keeley not only has the physical strength to fight any man or beast, She also has unwavering courage that holds fast no matter the circumstance.
With a fast-paced plot, a nice bit of gore, hilariously funny characters and just a smidge of sex, this novel was the perfect read at the end of my summer. I laughed aloud innumerable times (a couple of times in the waiting room at the doctor's office, which garnered me many a stare). And yay! There are several more Aikian novels out there for me to read!
I would recommend this novel to High School students but be cautioned that there is one sex scene that could cause controversy.

The Blacksmith Queen is the first book in G.A. Aiken's Scarred Earth Saga but I believe it will eventually intertwine with the amazing Dragon Kin series. The author has a talent for writing strong female characters who love as fiercely as they fight. To Keeley, family is everything and, she quickly wiggles her way into the heart of the stoic warrior Caid. She doesn't need a protector but it's great to have someone who believes in her by her side. They face many foes and travel across this fantastical world with a motley crew. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see how this royal and deadly chess match between good and evil evolves.

The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken 5 Stars

A new G.A. Aiken and no dragons??...hmmm. You start the book and you see a lone woman confronting some bad guys armed with a hammer, she starts to beat the bad guys up with the help of kilted warriors and demon wolves. HOOKED! I am totally in love with Keeley Smyth, the "Blacksmith Queen". If you have read G.A. Aiken before, I would say she is a calmer version of Annwyl from Dragon Actually with her own quirks. The first book of the Scarred Earth Series is a blast.

Keeley Smyth is the eldest of 12 siblings, her dad an ex soldier now farmer, her mom a blacksmith. There is Caid, the kilted warrior that is hiding a secret in the beginning which is quickly revealed. The book is a series of adventures and fights with Keeley having to escort her sister Beatrix to the Witch Queen to verify a prophecy. There is a great betrayal and a quests. The side characters are extremely funny and there is a mention of the "Dragons in The Dark Land". A meet up between Keeley and Annwyl may be in the far future. I think I also see a glimmer of the couple in the next book. I hope that this series runs into multiple books like the Dragon series.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for this ARC.

A very interesting and fast-paced story with a good plot. I loved the way it was narrated and I also loved the identity of the characters. Very interesting book for the fantasy lovers!

A fun, easy to read, fantasy with all your favorite mythical creatures. Dragons, elves, dwarves, and centaurs, oh my!

Keely is not your typical heroine. What with her muscles, broad shoulders and propensity to help anyone and anything in need. Not because she's naive, but because she's confident she can take down any threat that may arise. And honestly, she certainly lives up to her confidence.

The last thing Keely wants is to be queen. But when the other alternative is letting her treacherous, power-hungry sister rule over the lands, Keely is ready to step up and accept her destiny. And it is an interesting and entertaining journey as our easy-going, teasing heroine partners with her new centaur allies to take down her bloodthirsty sister.

I do wish there was a tad more world-building and the ending was not quite so abrupt. But I'm certainly interested enough to continue with this series.

This book was outrageous, funny, and uniquely weird.

It begins with the Old King dying, and his numerous sons immediately killing each other for the chance at the throne. And maybe I'm just a bloodthirsty reader, but that's a great way to start any book. There is also a prophecy that declares a random girl to be queen, so the surviving brothers go off in search of this girl - to either kill or marry her first. The story then shifts to Keeley Smythe, a seemingly unrelated person who gets involved in this search for the queen.

I like stories about finding/lost queens, and I thought this one was framed at least somewhat uniquely with the potential new kings going out to basically find the woman who would consolidate their rule. I also have to say that Aiken has a definite sense of humour. (It can be vulgar sometimes so it might not be for everyone.)

I kinda wish the story had continued mostly with the bloodthirsty brothers on their quest to find the queen (and kill each other), rather than focusing on Keeley and her family. The whole brother feud/search for queen is only brought back around the 20% mark. Until then, we meet a LOT of characters, including Keeley's family (she has 11 siblings), and a group of people also sent to find (but protect) the potential queen.

While I did like the glimpse into Keeley's hectic life and her relationship with her family, I think consistently alternating POVs between her family and the dueling princes would have created a different dynamic and kept up the suspense from the prologue. POVs do end up switching quite a bit throughout the story (past the 20% mark mostly), between various characters, but the focus is mostly on Keeley's family. The constant switches in some chapters do make for a sometimes jarring experience.

I will also admit that this is the type of fantasy where you don't really question the worldbuilding or how things work. A mother fights and escapes while simultaneously breast-feeding? She also single-handedly built a trebuchet because she was bored? There are demon wolves with eyes of fire? Sure, why not. It does work with the sort of irreverent, throwaway humour of the novel (hence why I called it uniquely weird), but I will admit it was sometimes stretched a bit too far.

I did really enjoy the story until around the 50% mark. I started to figure out what direction the story was taking, and found it was getting bogged down in its huge cast of characters and world-building rules that were never quite explained.

Overall, it's a funny fantasy that doesn't really take itself seriously. I don't think its humour or style was exactly right for me, but I did like the premise and its strangeness.

This author never disappoints, dysfunctional but supportive families, strong female characters and loads of humor this book has it all. Centaurs, elves, wolves, warrior monks and a dragon, doesn't get much better when it comes to fantasy - and I'd definitely want to be a character in this authors mind - though not on the wrong side as i wouldn't last very long!

2.5 stars.

This just wasn't my kind of book. I should have known that when I picked it up but, I thought I'd give it a try anyways. The Blacksmith Queen is about a young blacksmith, Keeley, who discovers her sister is destined to be the next queen, so she sets out to protect her, along with a group of centaurs, from the Old King's sons. The writing was not great and switched POVs every couple of paragraphs, which made it confusing and broke up the flow of the story. The banter between some of the characters was funny, but overall there was too much dialogue. If you're looking for a quick PNR read, then this might be for you. If shapeshifters aren't really your thing then I would pass.

You need to read the book!

Blacksmith Keeley Smythe had one loyalty other than her family and it was to steel so when the Witches of Amhuinn named her sister Beatrix as queen and one of the sons of the dead king wanted to grab the new queen so they attacked the family farm and the mercenaries found out they had picked the wrong family because they were ready.

Trying to describe any book by G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston is hard because there is so much going on in the book and that is what makes it so good to read and usually reread to pick up the stuff that I missed the first or second time I reread the book.

So buy the book and take the time to enjoy it because this is one to read. My favorite quote is the final line in the book and I’m hoping you will understand when you read the story.

“Well… It is an awesome hammer.”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.