Many thanks to Tricia Levenseller for the e-ARC thru Netgalley. I had so much fun reading the bickering and conversation of Ziva with her sister and Kellyn. This review is based in an advance reader's copy, so there might be some changes in the published book. Will try to read the published one and give it a review too.)

3.9/5 stars

I found this book fun and entertaining to read. I don't know why. There were a lot of life-threatening parts in it, but what I most looked forward to was Ziva's romantic life. Tricia knows how to brew up romance despite the dangers included in the story. I consider this a YA fantasy with fighting scenes and dangers but a light read. This is something I need, a light YA fantasy read, after all those previous books with heavy world-building, heart-wrenching betrayals, revelations, cliffhangers, plot twists that I've finished just before Blade of Secrets.



I enjoyed the story, the prose, the storytelling, the bickering, the blooming friendship, budding romance (especially the budding romance) . And the story wasn't predictable like I was able to predict the previous few books I've read before this.

Why I consider this a light read despite the actions and fights? Well, there weren't really parts in it that kept me on the edge of my seat. (Well maybe there was one, just ALMOST, when I thought Kellyn was really going to betray them). The fights and actions, I consider, are something that should be necessary and should be in the story given the fact they were fleeing from someone powerful and important.

This is another book that I've finished so quickly after I started reading it. I finished it after 3 days, which is a lot coming from me since I am a single-mom and have lots of errands to take care of with my hands.

This book was so good! I love Tricia Levenseller's ability to weave a great story with all the perfect pieces of a YA fantasy. Intrigue, unique magic systems and the best little romance. I need book two NOW. I highly highly recommend this.

Really appreciate the social anxiety rep, sisterhood, found family, and the slow burn romance. Readers will enjoy this Arthurian retelling!

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller is the story of a bladesmith who forges a potent magical weapon. When she learns that the weapon will be used for evil, she and her flirty sister flee. But not alone, with them goes a scholar (who does not wear a dress...they are ROBES) and a handsome mercenary. This book is precisely the type of fun fantasy I love to read. Epic questing. Magical crafting. Banter. And, plenty of sword-y action. I also really appreciate having a main fantasy character who has almost debilitating anxiety she has to contend with. I rarely see characters who struggle as much as I do, and I appreciate this. The romance in this book is so sweet. Not usually what I like, but it’s a good slow burn. I rarely like all the primary characters, but I adore all four of them in their own unique ways. This is the type of fantasy all YA readers can enjoy. Descriptions of violence are present with light gore.

Can I just being with: THAT ENDING. I didn't think that was really it, I kept flipping through to make sure it was right and not missing anything and.. well it wasn't, that was really the end. Which also means: NEW SERIES/DUOLOGY??

On a more serious note, I absolutely loved this and having never read anything by Tricia Levenseller I absolutely loved it! I'm so used to book that have a slow burn that just.. doesn't feel like a slow burn romance. Until this one! I was so addicted to the characters and not only that but Tricia did a fantastic job at making the writing feel like you're inside of Ziva's head. With the questioning and the panic and the anxiety, I loved seeing that represented in a fantasy story! At first I had thought it would get way too annoying to enjoy the book, but it really takes hold of the plot and you really learn more about her and her relationships when figuring out where she might fit in in the world.
Not only that, but the ending makes me want to see more! It really took a turn that made me realize that the villain in the series may not be who we think it is.

This story is about a girl finding her comfort spot and being ripped from it and learning more about herself, the world, and relationships along the way. Although she remains the nervous blacksmith she was in the beginning there's a whole new part of her that began to emerge and I'd love to see how she navigates life after this.
For any lover of fantasy stories with a nice story and some relatable characters, this is for you! I can't compare it to her other works, as I mentioned before, because I haven't read them but I adored this!

I went in not expecting too much since her "Warriors of the Wild" was an okay read for me. Blade of Secrets has an interesting premise and a unique main character with social anxieties not often fairly represented in books. I enjoyed the characters. But feel a little underwhelmed by the plot. The cliffhanger ending does leave me wanting to find out what happens next.

Ziva is a magically gifted blacksmith, who can endow her weapons with an assortment of powers and abilities. She also prefers steel to people and sequesters herself away from the world. However, her capability draws attention from all over the realm. It also attracts the commission of a powerful warlord, who wants a greatsword that could bring a kingdom to its knees. The sword ends up being powerful enough to steal the secrets of those cut by the blade and the potential to destroy an entire kingdom.

Soon enough, Ziva realizes the warlord's intentions are dangerous and decides to leave behind the safety of her forge and escape with her sister, a scholar with an interest in magic items, and a handsome mercenary that Ziva wants to touch despite her usual dislike of people. These four strangers embark on a journey to either find a worthy wielder of the sword or a way to destroy it forever.

Blade of Secrets is the quintessential fun, fantasy adventure that features quippy dialogue and a cast of characters were extremely likable. At the center of the story is Ziva and her younger sister, Temra, who are both orphans. Due to Ziva's skill with a hammer, the two are able to make a comfortable living. Ziva has social anxiety and prefers to stay in the safety of her forge while Temra runs around outside and flirts with boys. I love both sisters, who are somehow stereotypical but also original in a charming way. Levenseller takes classic tropes, such as the adventurous sister vs. the cautious one, and adds another level of realistic detail in characterizing Ziva's anxiety and Temra's fierce protection of her sister.

Besides the two sisters, the scholar and the mercenary add humor to the story, as well as, intrigue. Ziva creates her devastatingly powerful sword when she sees Kellyn, the mercenary, through her forge window and for the first time in her life experiences attraction. Ziva's social anxiety combined with her interest in Kellyn made for even more humorous moments as she tries to find her way and Kellyn patiently waits. It makes for an even sweeter romance.

Lastly, the story slowly reveals itself and establishes some interesting foundations for the rest of the series. At first, the plot is about Ziva escaping from the warlord and keeping her powerful blade out of the warlord's hands. However, it seems that this plot is only the start of a much larger arc that has yet to reveal itself. Anyone, who has read the book, knows that there is a twist towards the end of the book that raises some implications and more questions about the overall storyline. I am very excited to see where Levenseller goes with this series and cannot wait for another fun and humorous adventure with Ziva, Kellyn, Petrik, and Temra.

Thank you for the chance to read this book early!

I really love Tricia's writing so was so excited to read this book. It does have a different feel than her other books (especially in the beginning). The main character has social anxiety- I do too, so it was sort of hard for me to read at first. I felt it sort of triggering my own anxiety. The further I read (and after 25%) it really picked up and I enjoyed it much much more. I enjoyed watching Ziva open up and get more comfortable with her situation and others. The group had great chemistry and I am excited about the next book! Levenseller has such a great voice with her writing and her books are always really fast reads.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really needed this book right now and it could not have come at a better time. Ziva is a master bladesmith that loves metal more than people but when a mysterious warlord asks her to craft a sword that decides the fate of mankind, unaware Ziva creates the sword, grabs her sister and runs away. Knowing that someone evil is using your love and your gift for evil is never a good feeling and I could hear my heart pounding when Ziva found out the real intention of this sword. Also their was some romantic influence in the story when Ziva meets the handsome mercenary and the scholar that teaches her more secrets and Ziva really questions her purpose. They continue on their quest to destroy this sword before it gets in the wrong hands and their fate of existence is terminated. This is the perfect exciting fantasy novel to get lost in and I know our teen book club will absolutely love this and have a great time reading and discussing it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I liked this, but I felt that the character relationships felt a little juvenile.

The world is interesting and this captivated me enough to want to read the second.

Y'all, I just love Tricia Levenseller's books, and this was no exception. She typically writes really engaging, likable characters and that was very much the case in Blade of Secrets. Our main character is a blacksmith with the ability to imbue her creations with magic, and I found the resulting magical weaponry to be quite creative and fun to read about. She also had regular panic attacks, and I always love to see good portrayal of anxiety in YA. She's also a little prickly and her interactions with her patient and not-at-all-patient love interests vacillated between sweet adorableness and hilarity.

If you are looking for a light, compulsively readable fantasy with a cute romance, look no further! I really liked this and will be recommending it to teens who like fantasy. 4 stars.

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley for the eARC that I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Blade of Secrets will be availble on 04 May, but you can put your copy on hold today!

First line: I prefer metal to people, which is why the forge is my safe space.

Summary: Ziva, an eighteen-year-old female blacksmith, makes magical weapons in her forge. But one day she takes a commission from a powerful warlord. With this commission she makes the most deadly weapon ever. It has the power to bring nations to their knees. In order to keep it from the woman who wants to use it to take over the country she and her sister flee their home to find a way to destroy the weapon before it can be used.

My Thoughts: I have come to love Levenseller’s books. She writes such fun stories that have great characters. This one was the same. Her main character deals with social anxiety while also have a powerful gift and talent. It is great to see author’s bringing in characters that are not perfect. Everyone needs a hero that represents them.

The beginning of the story seemed to drag for me. It took a while for me to get invested in what was happening which was really disappointing because usually I am all in for the author’s stories. About halfway in I started loving the characters, enjoyed the possible romance and was waiting for some big twist to happen. But the end is what made it hard trying to decide how to rate this book. I loved the last 25% or so. Characters became more developed, secrets are revealed and a big battle happens. And of course a cliffhanger.

I will definitely read the next book.

FYI: This is the first book in a duology.

Wow!!! What a journey, what an adventure!! What a wonderful crew of characters!
I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read the sequel!
In a kingdom where magic is a thing of the past, Ziva- a bladesmith with severe social anxiety- is able to create magical weapons forged with magic. When a warlord commissions a sword from her, Ziva creates the most dangerous weapon- a sword with the ability to steal secrets, and cut deeper then any weapon known to man. Once Ziva finds the villainous truth behind the warlord’s plans she goes on the run with her sister Temra, the insufferable and very attractive mercenary Kellyn and the scholar Petrick. Together, they go on a journey to find freedom from the warlord whilst being hunted down.

My favorite things about this book
- the characters!! I love me a good found family trope and these four were so SWEET!! Also the two romances blooming had me rooting for them every step of the way
- The journey! We got to travel across the lands in search for freedom and it was really cool seeing this new world
- The magic system! Ziva’s powers are SO unique and cool- I also enjoyed seeing her confidence in her power grow
- Zivas social anxiety! I thought it was written very well and she was so relatable! Ziva teaches me to be brave

Overall, this was definitely more of a quest/journey type book and I’m very excited to see where this crew goes next book!

I really enjoyed this book. It was exciting and full of adventure and a touch of romance. I'm excited to read the next one!

I enjoyed this just as much as her other stories I’ve read. She plots her stories well & they are simple to follow but very engaging. Her characters are well fleshed out & I loved the love story in this one. The action was strong, although it did hit a lull halfway through for a bit. I liked that Ziva’s anxiety was a focus point, but I was overemphasized at times. Overall, a solid fantasy read for those who don’t want a super complex storyline!

Spoiler free! This book was very interesting to me. I loved the world building created throughout the book. The story follows a band of characters set on hiding a secret blade that can steal secrets! They go through multiple situations that make the story that much interesting. I really enjoyed this book!

I received an early digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I give this an enthusiastic 3.5 stars. I REALLY enjoyed it and read it in two sittings. This is only the second book by this author that I have read. Last year, I read The Shadows Between Us and gave it 5 stars. It was deliciously dark and exactly what I was looking for. Blade of Secrets is not as dark, but I still enjoyed it and will recommend it!

What I loved about it:
1. The story is SO easy to get swept away by and lose track of time.
2. The characters are likeable (for the most part, there are some times where you want to shake them).
3. There's a found family trope!!!
4. Positive and realistic anxiety disorder representation.
5. The ending was both satisfying and gripping so I will definitely be picking up the sequel/finale!
6. The flirty banter and will they or won't they tension was really entertaining!
7. Quick read. Would be great to try if you're in a reading slump.

What brought this book down from 4.5 t0 3.5 stars:
1. One of the love interests repeatedly makes fun of another male character by equating his scholar robes to dresses...as if there's something wrong with a male character wearing a dress. That made me cringe every time. I really hope these jokes are swapped out for something else in the final copy, because it lessened my overall enjoyment of the book.
2. Because it's so heavily based on dialogue, it's SUPER easy to get swept up in, but it means that the worldbuilding is a bit lacking. Honestly, this will make it easier to pick up the 2nd book in the duology without having to reread the first book, but it also means this story won't stick in my feelings as long as other series with more robust worldbuilding.
3. One of the main characters is described as having darker skin than the rest of the characters. When a child in a small, isolated town stares at him, the mother tells the kid that he's a person just like them. It didn't feel like true, meaningful representation of a BIPOC character. I could be completely off-base on this, and I defer to BIPOC reviewers. It just made me feel a bit uncomfortable with how it was handled. I almost felt like a microaggression combined with a character patting themselves on the back for seeing a BIPOC character as equal to the white characters. Again, I defer to BIPOC reviewers on how this was handled.

TW: on page anxiety attacks, character with anxiety disorder, death of wild animals (wolves), murder of parents (off page), gore, violence (lots of action scenes with medieval style weapons), vomit

Recommended for fans of Sky in the Deep, Serpent and Dove, and Blood Heir.

Overall, I will recommend this book and I will continue with the series. This likely would have been a 4.5 star read if it were not for the potentially problematic elements I mentioned above.

Thank you Tricia Levenseller for creating a character that I can finally relate. Ziva is an eighteen year blacksmith with social anxiety. I myself have the same condition and I couldn’t help but feel what Ziva was going through dealing with social anxiety and learning how to cope with it. Of course, I also enjoyed the fantasy element, family sacrifice, romance and adventure. I enjoyed all the characters but Ziva of course was my favorite. I preorder two physical copies for my personal collection and a copy for my classroom. I have always admired Tricia Levenseller’s work and will continue read anything she publishes. Thank you Netgalley for giving me to opportunity to receive an early copy. I loved it so much.

I am a fan of Tricia Levenseller's books and I was very excited to receive an ARC copy of Blade of Secrets (thank you!). Right off the bat, there were a few things that caught my attention. First, our protagonist, Ziva, is a lady blacksmith who is world renowned for forging magical weapons. At first, Ziva doesn't seem too sure of how her magic works, but her skill (and the reader's understanding of their magical world) grows throughout the book. The second thing that immediately caught my attention is that Ziva seems to have a lot of social anxiety and panic attacks. As someone who has both anxiety and panic disorders myself, I was surprised and intrigued to see how Ziva's struggles would affect the story. To my knowledge, there are few young adult characters who have been written this way. Thankfully, Levenseller did not try to magically "cure" Ziva of her anxiety. It is a part of her character; it is who she is. I was pleased to see that even though Ziva had struggles, she was still able to grow and learn coping skills throughout the story. The other characters were enjoyable. Be advised that the book does end on a cliff hanger, so I assume that Levenseller is developing a duology or series. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others, especially students who are experiencing anxiety.