The sequel to Blade of Secrets was a solid fantasy, but definitely lost some of the originality and freshness of the first book. This was a lot of battle and political intrigue, the pace was going going going, however because it was so much action, I felt it lost a little in the character development. We did get a little more of our heroine’s magical powers, but without our actual magical sword of secrets, some of the ingenuity was gone. The anxiety rep was still fantastic, but I felt that our two sisters lost a little in the maturity department as the book went on. I did listen to the audio and the narrator’s choice of voice for the sister was unfortunate, she sounded more like a whiny valley girl instead of someone who dreams of being a warrior. I was also very excited that the first book was a great match for younger Ya readers, but the second book ramps up the sexual discussion, so it is now more upper YA even if nothing is shown. I can’t decide if I thought the ending was great or a little anticlimactic and I’m not sure the villains motivation was made clear enough for their determination.

Blade of Secrets saw Ziva, our anxious but strong-willed magical blacksmith, and her friends are on a quest to keep a magical sword, Secret Eater, out of the hands of a rampaging warlord. Master of Iron continues that journey as our friends must now keep magic out of the hands of, you guessed it, another rampaging tyrant.

As someone that has been working to treat their own social anxiety for several years now, I find it hard to not get overly frustrated by similarly anxious main characters, especially when I'm locked into their point of view. I generally feel immense sympathy for a character that is experiencing thoughts and frustrations that I once felt but at a certain point with some books, you become able to tell if the anxiety is just a plot device to justify a character getting in their own way and that is where I generally lose interest in a book and DNF. This is not that type of book. I was so excited to see Ziva's growth in this book, the depiction of anxiety and healing here feels authentic, thoughtful, and realistically paced. Tricia does an incredible job showcasing how an anxious mind may interpret their surroundings and struggle to articulate their frustrations. She also takes great care in demonstrating how Ziva begins to question that mindset and put in the work to overcome it when she realizes that relationships with other people could be something she wants for her future. Does this make Ziva a little annoying and frustrating as an MC? Yes. Of course. But it also makes her feel real.

There was so much to like about this book. There is a great cast of characters and the world building is rich and detailed *Disclaimer: this is definitely not a fantasy world i would ever want to visit, it sounds like an even bigger mess than ours...but the magic and action-adventure aspects of the book were well thought out and incredibly fun!

Unfortunately, I did think the plot dragged a bit compared to the first book. I would have also loved to see our rag-tag team do something other than battle yet another over-powered war-obsessed tyrant while traveling from town to town, it did feel a bit repetitive. I also would have liked to get to know the other magic-users better, I feel like that was a dynamic that wasn't explored as much as it could have been. Overall, a fun read and I'm glad to have a conclusion to Blade of Secrets but I did feel like there was more potential here.

Thank you so much to Tricia Levenseller, Fiewell & Friends, and Netgalley for the e-arc!

Thank you for Macmillan and Fiewel & Friends for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I love everything about this duology. Spot-on mental health rep, a well-adjusted mentally healthy to go along with it (really, this is something that YA severely lacks), healthy & loving relationships, adventure, magic, and an ending worth waiting for. Can we please stay in this world a bit longer?

Ziva is the amazing bladesmith who can add unique abilities to her weapons. Her story continues as parts of the kingdom are banding together to stop a common enemy.

I love love love Tricia Levenseller. She is one of my top 3 authors. But... uugh I hate to say but, but this one was not my favorite. I love Ziva and her relationship with each character. I wish I knew knew why this book wasn't as good as her others to me but I can't really put my finger on it. It felt like a good sequel but I found myself not flying through it and there were times I almost had to push myself to read it.
However, don't get me wrong, my least favorite of Tricia's is still way better than most books!! I was going into it with very high expectations because I can easily read any of Tricia's books in one sitting. So compared to her other exceptional works I was a little surprised that I didn't devour it.

I would still recommend this to fans of the first book and to Levenseller fans. I will continue to read all of her works and would still read another in this series if it had more.

I love Tricia Levensellers writing style. There is something about it that captivates you within the first page. This is the first time I haven’t been completely enthralled with one of her books. Was it good, yes. It was a nice conclusion to the Bladesmith duology. Did it keep me on the edge of my seat? Not really. I found myself putting it down and coming back to it quite a few times. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly it was, but it didn’t have that wow factor that her other books have. I will definitely try reading it again in the future because it could have very well just been my mood that left me unengaged.
3.5 stars for me.

Before I begin raving about this book, and the whole duology altogether, I have to share its origin story. I recently met Tricia Levenseller on her tour for Master of Iron, and she shared her inspiration for this duology with magical weapons. When Thor forged his new axe in “Avengers Infinity War” she realizes she needed to write about magical weapons. Loving all things Marvel, and her books, she has completely won me over as a lifelong fan.

This series features a heroine that many of us didn’t know we needed.
Ziva is a talented and complex character. We learn of her ability to magic weapons that she creates with iron. In Master of Iron, Ziva is widely known for this ability and always being chased by people in power. Her primary mission is to get her sister to a magical healer before it’s too late. Along the way, she is thrown in to several battles that are not only physical combat with others, but also mental battles with herself. With severe social anxiety, Ziva successfully hid in her forge for years. Now that she’s exposed to love, friendship, and too many strangers, she is constantly fighting against her instincts to run and hide.


In Master of Iron, we’re taken through a wonderful progression of character for Ziva. It’s not that her anxiety is ever cured, it is a path of lessons that teach her better coping methods. Friends along the way learn how to best support her, and set her up in ways when she needs a good push. Kellyn is definitely key to her learning to trust herself, and make decisions that put herself first. It also helps that she finds him to be a nice kisser 😘 . Thank you to Tricia Levenseller for turning up the heat on their romance!

There is a lot more fighting amongst warlords, kings, and princes in this book. All throughout, Ziva hates hurting people but she knows it’s necessary. With each fight, she gets better while feeling worse. Ultimately what keeps her fighting against armies is the ever burning need to protect the people she loves most. Her magical weapons are being used against her friends, and it is the ultimate definition of bad ass when she reclaims new war hammers for herself. I won’t spoil what she names them, but it had me feeling like “yes queen!”.


Ziva is truly my favorite heroine ever written. Her struggles are person to my heart, as I raise a girl with anxiety. Ziva is the example that young readers need. She displays true inner strength being how we keep moving each day even if we’re carrying extra mental weights. She displays the bravery it takes to step out of your comfort zone sometimes, and survive the utter nervousness you feel on the inside. Ziva also shows that it’s ok to never be cured of a struggle, but rather shows how we can manage it, and keep moving forward. She’s the ultimate display of a survivor.

Thank you Tricia Levenseller for this masterpiece! It was so wonderful to hear you speak about Master of Iron during your book tour.

Ziva is a blacksmith, well-known for the weapons she crafts and imbues with magic, in a variety of different ways. She is being pursued by the warlord Kymora, who wants to use Ziva's talents to enhance her army's weaponry and aid in her attempt to take over the kingdom of Ghadra. Ziva and her sister, Temra, have already fled Kymora once, in the first volume of this duology, Blade of Secrets, with Temra receiving a fatal wound in the process. Master of Iron picks up exactly where Blade of Secrets leaves off, with Ziva, and their companions Kellyn and Petrik, trying frantically to reach a magical healer before Temra can succumb to her injuries. Once they arrive, they must rescue the healer from another prince, and so become embroiled in the next round of the war.

Ziva is a wonderful character, a real, anxiety-ridden teenager of about 18, who experiences teenage angst over her anxiety, her attraction to Kellyn, her fear for her sister, and the state of the world in general. Throughout the novel, Ziva works - sometimes with less success than she'd like - to overcome her various anxieties so that she is able to navigate the world, and the war, around her. Her changing relationships with her friends and her ability as she works on herself show how people can learn, change, and overcome - or at least control - their anxieties. Recommended for middle school to adult.

What I love about this books is that it brings the anxiety that is often never portrayed in novels to the surface. Levenseller does a fantastic job in utilizing her own anxiety and connecting to teens in a way that makes sense. The adventure of this novel continues in intriguing ways, and I'm excited to see what she does next!

Tricia Levenseller is one of my favorite authors. Her books never disappoint. This is not an exception.

Thank you FierceReads and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book felt different from the first book in the duology. It was less band of rogues on their own and a lot more courtly politics. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however I don’t think it *quite* lived up to the expectations the first one set. I just found the plot of this one to be a little less engaging, a little slower, and just a little…less.
However, I still really enjoyed it. I will always love Ziva, Kellyn, and co. And I’m sad to say goodbye to them. I loved watching Ziva come into her own more and learn to embrace who she is and learn how to use her power in a way that she wanted to. And, of course, I adored the anxiety rep in this book. It was a little less than in the first book, but it was still there and still way too relateable,
This was a solid conclusion to an amazing duology and I impatiently await Tricia’s next book!

First of all, I want to say that I love that this is only a duology. No need to water down a great story to 3+ book, so thank you Tricia for that!

I have a little bit of mixed emotions about it. I'll start with what I liked. We get to see more of Ziva and Kellyn in this book as a couple with I love. It did get annoying in some parts about Ziva's cluelessness. Even though this is a YA book and it is very common, I feel it was a little over done to create conflict between them. Social anxiety aside of course.
The first book was super heavy in the adventure and world building. While this one I felt it more like a snowball of problem solving and rescue missions rather than adventure it self. I love political scheming in books, which Tricia did amazing in The Shadows Between us. I honestly wished it was more scheming in this one. The battles are goals!!! It definitely brought stories to a close.
Again, the magic in this book is amazing and very well done. Weapon building and welding with magic I think is a great premise.
Ziva coming into her own person and overcoming her fears was very well developed. The sister bond is strong and inspiring. This is a trope that I always love, the protectiveness between sisters.

I am so lucky and grateful to have received this book as an ARC and more after meeting Tricia Levenseller in person and getting this book signed. Cant wait to read more from her!

When readers last left Ziva and her friends, she had managed to find a way to neutralize Secret Eater; however, the final battle with Kymora left Temra severely injured. With Kellyn’s and Petrik’s help, Ziva must travel across the kingdom to find a magical healer who can save her sister. But when Ziva finds the healer missing, she must embark on a journey to retrieve her from Ravis, the king who stole her away. All does not go as planned, and once again Ziva discovers that those in power will do anything to get their hands on her magicked weapons.

As a reader, I felt that Ziva was an interesting protagonist. Ziva suffers from severe anxiety, and I empathized with her struggle to navigate social situations; however, I was pleased to see her growth as she began to find ways to be assertive, helping win her freedom and happiness. In many ways, Ziva’s journey also comes as a result of her separating from Kellyn at the beginning of the novel. Angry at Temra’s injury, Ziva decides to take a step back and end her relationship with Kellyn. Though initially disappointing, this actually allowed their romance to develop more naturally and move beyond the YA insta-love trope. Instead, Ziva and Kellyn embark on their own paths and find their way back to each other, allowing their relationship to feel like one that might stand the test of time.

For those that felt the first book moved slowly, Master of Iron will most likely suit them better. This novel is much more plot driven, mostly because the characters were developed in Blade of Secrets. Master of Iron pushes the plot into constant movement as Ziva, Kellyn, and Petrik rush to save Temra and then stop a war among the kingdoms. As they do so, they run into other magic users, who also add unique powers and plot beats to the novel. Though the magic rules are still unclear, whether powers are gifted through blood or in some other way, this can easily be overlooked for the enjoyment of the story.

Overall, Master of Iron provides a satisfying end to Tricia Levenseller’s Bladesmith duology, and I found it to be an above average YA series. As a long time fan of Tricia Levenseller, I felt that this duology was a weaker entry into her body of work; however, I would still recommend this series since I think Tricia Levenseller has a knack for spinning interesting and unique stories with memorable protagonists.

Thank you MacMillan Children's Publishing/Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for this eARC for review!

5000/5 stars! Yet again another amazing story from Tricia Levenseller! Basically she could write anything and I would read it at this point.

EDIT: I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID ABOUT STRUGGLING!

This book was AMAZING, once my ADHD decided to cooperate and let me focus, I absolutely flew through it! Ziva's journey was so frought with inner turmoil, SO much personal growth, and the relationships the main group of character's built with one another was chef's kiss amazing. After the events of book one, the emotional and mental journey Ziva went through to navigate how she felt about her gift and the way it was used was my absolute favorite part of the story ARC. And getting to see Temra become unabashedly independent and so fierce was awesome!

Now on to our precious baby boys, Kellyn and cinnie roll PETRIK. Petrik must be protected at ALL COSTS. He was such a sweet, delightful character full of his own personal strengths, that we really got to see shine through in this installment. Also, the way Kellyn would speak to Ziva? "Sweetheart", "oh, honey", it was so gentle and loving, and exactly what Ziva needed! There were so many twists and turns that I didn't initially anticipate, and the way Ziva's magic was used at the end was absolutely perfect for her and a very "full circle" moment for her, and her hometown. This series is now a long time favorite!

After reading Blade of Secrets I was so excited to learn what happens to Ziva, Kellyn, and the rest of their group. I love that Levenseller’s duos rival each other on greatness between books one and two, where as some sequels can leave a lot to be desired. Once again I was in love with the magic system of this book and I find it to be super unique and refreshing. I loved that it was ramped up a notch in this one, really showcasing itself. Ziva’s crippling anxiety and general social awkwardness is so relatable and enduring in a MC. Her development in this book was great. It was fun to see her grow into her self and gain some confidence and control. I love Kellyn and the way he is her calm in the storm, even if he’s a bit irritating at times. All of the characters in this book are perfect right down to even the villains. The world building is one of my favorites, full of castles and quaint villages. Epic journeys and battles, and love mixed into it. I am really happy with the way that this ended I think it wrapped up really nicely while still leaving some things up to the imagination.

This one is a tough one to rate because I really enjoyed it, but it lacked the exciting fantasy feel from book one because it focused so much more on developing Ziva, Petrik, and Kellyn as characters.

Master of Iron picks up right where Blade of Secrets left off, so this is NOT a book that can be read as a standalone. And if you’re like me, I had to go back and reread they last few chapters of book one to refresh my memory.

One thing I absolutely loved in this story was how Levenseller further dives into Ziva’s anxiety and gives the reader unfiltered access to Ziva’s innermost thoughts and feelings. As someone who also battles with anxiety, it’s refreshing to see the care in which this topic is handled and that is not something to just be cured with magic. I also really enjoyed the closeness and interactions that Ziva and Kellyn shared especially when it came to how anxiety can affect personal relationships and feelings.

I do wish this story had more of a quest focus like book one did, however, this story really is a wonderful conclusion to this duology.

I'M SO HAPPY I GOT THE ARC FOR THIS ONE! I normally wait until the last minute to read my arcs but I read this one immediately when I got approved. I am a huge Levenseller fan and this one did not disappoint. It’s a bit hard to review the sequel because you don’t want to spoil anything but we get more Ziva, more magic, more romance, more action, and I could not have been happier with this book.

Title: Master of Iron
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister's life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn's capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she's been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva's safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she's not sure just how much of herself she'll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she's been trying to stop.

I hadn’t read the first book in this duology, so it took me a few minutes to get into this, but then I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ziva’s point-of-view is well-done and really shows how her anxiety feels from the inside—and the things she notices about how people respond to it. A nice level of magic and an interesting culture, as well as vivid and likable secondary characters made this an above-average fantasy read.

Tricia Levenseller is from Oregon. Master of Iron is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.)

I really loved this first book and wanted to love this one too but I had a hard time getting into it. I think it is one I would be able to pick up again at a later time but it didbnt flow like the first did for me.

Tricia Levenseller is back with the highly anticipated action-packed conclusion to the Bladesmith Duology!

Master of Iron was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and I loved finding out what happened to Ziva, Temra, Petrik, and Kellyn. The story is mostly fast-paced with the gang, especially Ziva, having to overcome obstacle after obstacle in order to save the people they love and all of the world as they know it.

Throughout the book, Ziva is dealing with her anxieties. She has to fight away the urge to retreat within herself and stave off panic attacks while literally fighting for life. Beyond that, she's having to learn to ask for what she wants and needs from the people around her, especially Kellyn.

While I loved how Ziva's relationships with each of the characters closest to her evolved in this book, the relationship I most enjoyed watching evolve was the one with herself. The book begins with Ziva severely doubting herself and hating her magic. By the end of the book, she's not only found a way to use magic for good but she's also found her voice and her inner strength.

It was a true honor to get to read an ARC of this book and I cannot wait for Tricia Levenseller to publish her next story!

Once again Tricia Levenseller has created an amazing book!

I love Ziva! As someone with anxiety, social and otherwise, this character made me feel seen. Her in head bantering and over thinking is something I go through on a daily. Kellyn’s understanding of Ziva’s anxious thoughts is what ever person hopes their partner will have. Over all the plot was good. I enjoy a solid YA fantasy that gives me King Arthur feels. The duology ended with a big nice bow wrapped around it, leaving no confusing drops offs.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC!

4.5 stars, rounded up.
Tricia Levenseller is on a roll! This latest duology is absolutely fantastic. I absolutely love the characters, the conflict fits, the adventure is thrilling, and the romance is adorable.

Thank you to NetGalley for my e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

*steamy make outs, mentions of implied intimacy