If you like classic epic fantasy and are looking for a YA take, this one is worth checking out! It has great world-building and cool mythology, but the pacing drags in parts, some plot twists are pretty predictable, and the characters were fine, but could have used more nuance. Forged in Fire and Stars has been compared to An Ember in the Ashes and Game of Thrones. And....I'm not sure those are great comparisons, other than the epic scope and political elements to be found here.

I attempted this title a few separate times and unfortunately could not ever get into it. I can’t put my finger on what the problem was, but I could never get past page 50. Thank you for the free review copy.

I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

I unfortunately didnt get to reading this book when it came out and two years later I’m not that interested in reading it anymore.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this after 100 pages. I simply could not get into this story. I'm afraid it wasn't for me.

I really wanted to like it, but there was nothing really pulling me into the story/world.

It was a basic YA fantasy book that wasn’t bad, but wasn’t amazing either.

It was a really interesting novel with so much indepth world building and mythology. Ana was a great main character but the rest of the characters were kind of flat in general. I think it was a good introduction book for the rest of the plot so I probably will be picking up the sequel.

If you like classic epic fantasy and are looking for a YA take, this one is worth checking out! It has great world-building and cool mythology, but the pacing drags in parts, some plot twists are pretty predictable, and the characters were fine, but could have used more nuance. Forged in Fire and Stars has been compared to An Ember in the Ashes and Game of Thrones. And....I'm not sure those are great comparisons, other than the epic scope and political elements to be found here.

This was unbearably slow, definitely not action packed as advertised. It had so much potential though.

I couldn’t get into this one but others have enjoyed it and I will say it just might not have fit me.

I tried really hard to get into this, but sadly I just couldn't. I even tried via audio when the book was released. (The narrator is fabulous, though, by the way!!) It just feels generic, I guess? I can't pinpoint exactly what my issue was. Two attempts and I was just bored. It's not a bad book by any means, it just wasn't grabbing my attention. I do think plenty of people will enjoy this one, though!

Loved the characters! I am a huge fan of mythology and this was a great mix of YA fantasy and Myth. This was my first read by this author, I look forward to reading more by them. The cover was what drew me to it. One item I had some issues with was that some of the scenes were a bit slow, but overall I loved the journey the characters had to endure. The worldbuilding took a little bit of time to set in for me but I was able to get an idea of what was going on.

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing me with an e-arc of the book!

Right away the synopsis of Forged in Fire and Stars caught my attention because I thought following a blacksmith was super unique and different from the fantasy books I usually read. This book did involve a lot of travelling, which can sometimes be a bit boring, but the characters definitely kept the long journey interesting. The very end of the book was where the story really grabbed me and made me not want to put the book down. I feel like this book was just a build up to something great. Especially based on how this book ended, I’m excited to find out where everything will go in book two!

Thanks Penguin Teen for this eARC!

I really loved the main character. I feel like Ara has a really great journey ahead of her and I quite enjoyed her. However, I felt this book was a little slow going? Maybe it'll pick up in the second one. I look forward to reading more about this world!

Forged in Fire and Stars was an intriguing series starter that I think many readers will enjoy. I thought that Robertson did a decent job setting up the world and introducing an interesting cast of characters. However, I never quite felt the chemistry between the main characters, which made it difficult to connect with the story. The plot itself was relatively simple and straight-forward. It very much followed a traveling quest structure. I just kept wanting the story to reach a little bit further, to develop the characters more or throw in some unexpected twists.

Overall, I thought that Forged in Fire and Stars had promise. It was a quick read but the book just didn’t quite stand out for me.

Forged in Fire and Stars is about a girl named Ara, who is the daughter of the last Loresmith. A Loresmith is a blacksmith chosen by the gods to make weapons to help protect the kingdom from evil.

This book drew me in by the cover and comparisons (Game of Thrones and An Ember in the Ashes) and the statement that it was an “action-packed fantasy.” Queue the John Travolta looking around gif. This book is far from action-packed. There is a lot of setup, and I mean a lot. Learning about the gods and how the Loresmith came to be was interesting. I loved the lore that was brought up throughout the story to explain the gods and their motives. Besides those stories that occur a couple of times, I didn’t like much else. Ara is portrayed as being important. There is barely enough time to get to know her and develop a connection with her before she gets kidnapped and a bunch of stuff happens. Ara doesn’t grow as a character throughout the book, and is honestly forgettable by the end. The pacing is super slow, with the characters just walking down a road for most of the book with very little interesting interactions. I’m sure the action will happen in book two, but for me to have read almost 400 pages of virtually nothing happening BEFORE getting to the real action, is disappointing.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the eARC! I really wanted to love this, because I really enjoyed the premise, but it just didn’t capture my attention, and so I read it very very slowly. I kept putting it down to read other things. The pace was a little too slow for me, and I just really couldn’t connect with the characters. Overall it wasn’t a bad book at all, it just didn’t really stand out for me personally.

I really enjoyed the story and the overall concept. The characters were amazing and I loved most of them. Unfortunately, the pace was so slow and as I continued reading, I become more and more uninterested. I t was becoming very obvious that this was going to be a series. I really enjoy a good series, but sometimes it's too spaced out in the first and second books making the story move too slowly.

Thank you so much to PenguinTeen, ya'll are the real mvps!
I found myself rooting for Ara unconditionally! some of the aspects of the world building are a bit difficult to navigate, but thank goodness for notes!
Ara is a total badass and I can't wait for the next book!

Everyone keeps talking about how action-packed this book is, but I found nothing was happening in this story at all. YA fantasy is becoming very hit or miss for me and unfortunately, this one is a miss for me.