I reeaaaaally tried to get into this book and I love the author but I couldn’t ever get fully invested. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me :-(

I really enjoyed the first book in this series but I was not hooked with this one as the first. Do not get it wrong I still enjoyed this book, it just is another book in the pile that I may not remember reading in a few months. It wasn’t as memorable or enjoyable as I was hoping. It could be the plot just wasn’t as fast paced as before, the world building was great and the characters were well thought out and represented wonderfully. I just don’t know it just did not hook me like the first one did.

I love Levenseller’s books and this one was no exception. I love the main character and how Levenseller portrayed Ziva’s anxiety. This was an exciting conclusion to a duology that I very much enjoyed.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!

This was a really great sequel to the first book. While sometimes the characters drove me crazy I did still really enjoy their story. One thing I did not love that much was the relationship between the two main characters. I thought that they were good together but the back and forth sometimes could get tiring.

I really enjoyed the action sequences in this book though. Even though this may be my least favorite book by the author that I have read so far I still enjoyed it.

This duology is really good overall! The anxiety rep is great and I really liked the way magic was used in this story. The romance was also very sweet. The plot itself felt kind of standard and expected, but the characters are so well-developed and entertaining that they mostly make up for it. Overall, a solid sequel and duology.

Master of Iron is the second book in Tricia Levenseller's Bladesmith duology. In this book, we follow Ziva, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety. First of all, can we talk about how cool it is to be a blacksmith who can do magic? After defeating a warlord, Ziva's sister falls ill, and she must go on a journey to find a magical healer. She's joined by Kellyn, the handsome mercenary, and Petrik, the young scholar. Of course, things don't go according to plan. Ziva and Kellyn get captured by an ambitious prince, and Ziva is forced to make dangerous weapons that could lead to world domination. So, not only does Ziva have to save her sister, but she also has to save the world. No pressure, right?

Master of Iron closes the duology with big adventures, lots of romantic tension, and dangerous weapons. MoI is a strong follow up to Blade of Secrets and I found it to be substantially better. This feels more like the author who wrote The Shadows Between Us, my favorite Levenseller book. You can't help but fall in love with all of the characters and route for them and they're growth. One thing I appreciate about this book is how it tackles social anxiety. Ziva uses her craft as a way to cope with the outside world, but now she's forced to confront her fears head-on. The conversations around anxiety are so powerful, especially for young readers. Everyone in the story has their own unique reactions and acceptance to Ziva's anxiety. I loved being able to see everyone's thoughts and feelings to Ziva as well as the growth that follows around this conversation.

Overall, Master of Iron is a thrilling conclusion to the Bladesmith duology. It has magic, action, romance, and a protagonist who's relatable to anyone who's ever felt anxious in social situations. So, if you're looking for a book that's both entertaining and meaningful, pick up Master of Iron. Just don't blame me if you find yourself trying to forge a magical sword after reading it.

I am a huge fan of Tricia Levenseller and have read all her books. While this wasn't my favorite book by her I still thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are looking for a great ya fantasy full of adventure, romance and witty characters you should pick this one up!

The story opens as the group travels to the healer that will hopefully save Temra after she was injured and received a nick in her lung. The group consists of the captured warlord Kymora, Ziva, Temra, Kellyn and Petrik. Kymora happens to be Petrik’s mother and his father is the deceased king. They’re all on their way to get help from Petrik’s half brother, Prince Skiro. Soon after they arrive at their destination, they’re informed that the healer has been kidnapped by Prince Ravis, Skiro’s oldest and war hungry sibling. Petrik shows Kellyn and Ziva the portals to the siblings’ connected kingdoms. They use the portrait portal to quickly get to Ravis’ kingdom and rescue the healer by Kellyn causing a distraction. Ziva sends Petrik and the healer back to Skiro’s kingdom then she destroys the portrait and goes back for Kellyn. She’s captured along with him and forced to create magical weapons to conquer the other kingdoms. Ziva vows never to create magical weapons again after seeing what Kymora and Ravis do with them. The group moves from one conflict to another after Ziva escapes with Kellyn and goes back to Skiro’s castle. Ravis soon attacks and Skiro uses the imprisoned Kymora against the attack. She’s loose and still wants to conquer the world. Ziva has tough decisions to make involving her magical abilities, Temra, Kellyn and their future. She also works at overcoming her anxiety and undergoes tremendous character development. The suspense and action made the reading go by quickly and I like the snippets of humor woven through the duology, 5 stars!

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this series. I wished there was more worldbuilding as I had no idea what kind of world it was supposed be. (modern-inspired, historical-inspired, it's own unique place?) It took a long time to get into the story in the first book, and after that I kind of lost interest in Ziva's story. If I had gotten better invested in the first book, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. I do tend to be mood reader and maybe if I tried this series again, I would like it. At this time, however, it just was not for me.

This was a great followup to the previous book. It continued delivering on adventure and anxiety rep. While it didn't have as much 'fantasy' it still had enough romance and magic to make it a fun read.

The MC in Master of Iron was a relatable character! After reading book after book of characters who can be termed Mary Sue's or unrelatible in most ways finding an author who brings the struggles of mental battles over physical battles is one of my favorite things about Tricia Levenseller's. She is and will always be an auto buy author for me. I can't wait for more of her work.

I loved this book and this series. Was a great addition to Levenseller's works. I read it all in one sitting. 5 well-earned stars.

The MC's crippling anxiety was highly relatable for me and I don't see that often in books. I'm not sure I could have been as brave in the same situation though.

The fantasy/romance/mental health mesh was great. Also made be think of the game Skyrim often and I tended to picture it and apply it to the world from this book.

I cannot believe how amazing this book was! I fell in love with Blade of Secrets and this is the perfect sequel!

Personally, I love Tricia Levenseller's books. I definitely think this was better than the first book in the series. I believe her work is easy to read so it is really good for beginners. At times, I got annoyed with how the main character acted. It felt like the anxiety aspect was a little overplayed as someone with anxiety but I still loved the representation. Great read for someone just now getting into Young Adult.

yeah Tricia Levenseller's books are always a hit for me, and this one was no different! I loved this continuation of Ziva's story. it's so refreshing seeing a heroine (in a fantasy novel, no less!) struggle with and overcome her social anxiety. it really does seem like the only mental illnesses we see in fantasy novels are the ones that stem from severe trauma (PTSD, etc), so this representation was really important. I'm also always a fan of fantasy duologies! this book was a 10/10 for me

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

Love Tricia Levenseller and her books are an automatic buy/read for me and I'm happy to say that she's continuing the streak with this series!

I adored the first book in this series so much. A misfit group who happens to end up together and go on an adventure is one of my favorite tropes. I think that’s why this one just didn’t work for me. Although a great solid book, I was looking for more adventure and less politics.

This book was a thrilling conclusion to the Bladesmith duology. I have to say again that I have never met a main character I have related to as much as I relate to Ziva. Her social anxieties, the things she says and feels and does are all things I have also experienced or can relate to. I don't have words for how much I love her and how much I enjoyed watching her journey. Because despite all her fears and anxieties, despite her different way of looking and reacting to the world, she proved she was a hero. She pushed through despite everything and she came out with strong relationships.

Master of Iron is a perfect conclusion to Blade of Secrets as we pick up with our main characters, Ziva, Temra, Petrik, and Kellyn, all being put in some horrible situations. The stakes are higher, the danger is real, and of course emotions are fraught. Watching all the different relationships unfold was so beautiful. Ziva and Temra have a great sister bond, a bit like Anna and Elsa almost, and watching it evolve and having them try to find a balance between loving each other and living their own lives and following their dreams was perfect. The romances were also so well done. Ziva and Kellyn working to build an equal relationship as Ziva tries to overcome her social anxieties and doubts just felt very grounded and relatable to me. I love how supportive Kellyn was and how he would give her the space she needed but never give up on Ziva. And Temra and Petrik are just adorable. I love them. I'm a sucker for a good OT4 gang.

While the character arcs and relationships are what really held my attention, we can't forget to mention that this book is set against a back drop of looming war. There are some twists and Ziva may have to face more than one enemy. Let's just say there's a lot going on. Definitely enough to keep you on your toes.

So if you like books with action and adventure, with great character growth and great character relationships then I highly suggest you give this one a try. As someone who also has social anxiety I thought the anxiety rep with Ziva was great, so if you're a person who also experiences that I highly suggest picking this up because Ziva's journey is not only relatable its inspiring.