So good! Just as great as the first novel and I love that it was a duology (sometimes a long series can be a lot to keep up with). The story itself managed to be interesting with some great action, while still wrapping the story up in a satisfying way. The portrayal of healthy, real relationships is so well done. This includes the way consent is always discussed.
Though I will still miss the characters, I am inspired to read more of Tricia Levenseller's books because she is such a phenomenal writer.

Such a beautiful conclusion to a heart-pounding duology! As I was reading, I kept thinking how I didn’t know what could happen next because.. how could something resolve so quickly? This is something I’d recommend to anyone needing two short, yet filling reads in the YA Sci-fi genre. Even if there were a few times I wanted to yell at the characters about communication!!

This book is the conclusion of a duology, and I didn’t think it was as good as the first one.

I appreciate that the protagonist struggles with social anxiety. That’s something a lot of my students deal with and it’s great to see a main character they can relate to in a way that isn’t often addressed. Unfortunately, I don’t know if it was handled particularly well. Ziva really became overwhelmed by some very small and common things, yet she often handled extreme situations with aplomb. That read as unrealistic to me, however I don’t have anxiety attacks. If it’s actually an accurate representation, I think more discourse was needed to make it believable for those who are unfamiliar.

The story reads very young to me, but it is a young adult novel. The romance is immature, but that’s appropriate considering the age of the characters. What came across as false to me was just how understanding and supportive Kellyn was. I know YA novels like to sell the love interest as a fantasy, but teenage boys aren’t really like that. I have an issue with how teenage relationships in these books are often either toxic yet presented as a romantic ideal, or overly sweet to the point of being ridiculous. I think this sets up young readers up with unrealistic, and sometimes even harmful expectations of what a relationship should be like.

The plot was very fast paced and I think readers will like all the action. The big battle at the end was……..confounding. It was very violent considering people were getting smashed with hammers and run through with swords, and that didn’t mesh well with the otherwise non-adult vibe. I was also confused by the world building. There’s basically a war going on, and yet only a few hundred fighters are involved. The world these characters inhabit felt too large to have so few people.

I am a huge fan of Tricia Levenseller, and this book was incredible. I was so happy to pick this up after reading the first book in the series, and this book was even better. Like always, the characters were spot on and easy to connect with, and the pacing was very well done. I can't wait to read her next book!

This was a great conclusion to the duology, and great character growth too. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Today I had to take my husband on a parts run because he’s always doing something to his truck and I was like “let’s skip lunch and get dinner later, I need to get home to my book” because Master of Iron is that good ya’ll.

I applied for this this one from NetGalley and didn’t really think anything of it until I checked in the other day and saw it was approved…I screamed. My husband is used to it, the dogs don’t even flinch anymore ;)

If you read Blade of Secrets by Tricia Lavenseller you already know how amazing these characters are. (Check my review on that one below) Kellyn and Ziva are so adorable. For all their stumbling and quirks in Blade of Secrets there are so many cute moments for them in Master of Iron.

Petrik and Temra are the perfect opposite for Kellyn and Ziva and we get some amazing new characters including Petrik’s siblings! There’s tons of action which is always a plus, keeps the story moving and the magical elements are excellent but not overwhelming so if that’s not your thing, it doesn’t dominate the world building.

Finally, if you have any experience with anxiety Ziva is a character you do not want to miss. Her work through Blade of Secrets continues in Master of Iron. I love how Kellyn is with Ziva but I also really enjoyed the fact that she works through a lot of her spirals and trauma on her own terms.

Overall an easy 5/5 stars. I could read about these characters forever so I’m bummed that this is only a duology that is now finished but it was worth it, for sure! I tore through this one in about a day and it was such a good read.

Always a fast and enjoyable read when it comes to Tricia Levenseller! I love the simplicity of her writing, yet there's always a wonderful picture to come with it. If you enjoyed the first, or any of her novels, please please give this one a read! Always fun and easy to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an ARC to review!!

Whoooo this was such an amazingly wild ride! Tricia Levenseller has very quickly become one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend all of her books.
Master of Iron is the sequel to Blade of Secrets, one of my favorite reads of 2021, and one of my top favorites of all time. It left on such a cliffhanger and when I saw that I was accepted for an ARC, I screeched in excitement. And let me tell you, this did not disappoint!!
The book picks up pretty much immediately after BoS ends, which was really nice. There's so much intensity and high stakes to get through, and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I don't want to spoil MoI or BoS, but let me just say... WOW!! Absolutely amazing.
The angst between Ziva and Kellyn, Petrik being the adorkable bean that he is- they were all fantastic!! And the agony waiting to find out what happened to Temra... my heart is still traumatized.
I'm so incredibly grateful for Ziva's story involving her challenges with anxiety and I can't wait to read more of Tricia's books!

**Scheduled to publish post on June 24, 2022
Publication date: July 26, 2022

My Thoughts:

This book follows Blade of Secrets which came out in May 2021 and is probably a really good action/adventure/romance/girl power fantasy. I do not say this because I read the first book. I probably missed it when it came out on NetGalley. I have so many books in my queue that the publishers probably hate that I ask for their books, but lucky for me, they give it any way.

No, the reason why I know that Blade was a good book is that I trust this author, Tricia Levenseller. I have her review of Warrior of the Wild here and it was a fabulous one and done read. She is another of the female fantasy writers that write from a female "bad ass" perspective for YA readers. I gobble this stuff up. Also, in Master, the author gives enough hints about the first book to know that it was a good read. Unfortunately, since I know that the characters made it out of the first book (because they are in the second book), I do not want to read it. However, if you have not read Blade of Secrets, please do before July 26, 2022 when this book comes out. Readers who do not want to commit to the three or more fantasy series like Sarah J. Maas' fabulous Throne of Glass series will enjoy these new one and dones or duology fantasy books. I appreciate that these authors are also pushing the envelope in diversity such that white, heteronormative is not the automatic go to in YA fantasy. There is a shift coming, yes?

In this duology, although the 4 main characters are cisgender whites, there are LGBTQIA side characters and the society of this book does not balk. The main character also suffers from social anxiety, but a lot of this book is about Ziva, the main character, gathering the mental health tools she needs amidst war, trauma, romance and magic-ing. Her love interest, the mercenary Kellyn, also is able to help her prioritize love, family and hope, which is a nice shift.

I was going to put more ladders (next books to give voracious readers) here, but I read a lot of fantasy, so just look here for recommendations. This book followed a book that I had to abandon because I just could not accept the premise, so I was looking for a devour worthy fantasy to recenter myself. Despite not reading the first book, these characters grabbed me and I could read this book without reading the first one. Consider me re-centered and ready to go.

From the Publisher:
In Master of Iron, the conclusion to Tricia Levenseller’s exciting Bladesmith YA fantasy duology, a magically gifted blacksmith with social anxiety must race against the clock to save her beloved sister and stop a devastating war.

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.

What an epic duology!!

I adore that Ziva has anxiety! Seeing her fall apart and struggle is so great to see in a fantasy MC!! It's so well written and I could totally relate. The way she describes her struggles was just spot on!! I appreciate the mental health representation!!! Her growth in this book is great! It was so good to see her find her strength and recognize that she could do so much more than she originally thought!

I really enjoy that the book starts off with a Gandalf quote! I so see the LOTR Fellowship in this found family and the way they travel their world trying to save it from evil power hungry people! They're all average normal people who stand up to a tyrant and find their strength! I really enjoyed their adventures! The writing is so fabulous and the pacing is great! I was thoroughly entertained and couldn't put it down!! I literally read it in one sitting! I love Kellyn! I love how their relationship changes and grows! I simply love Ziva's relationship with her sister! It's such a strong bond and they're completely there for each other but that doesn't mean they don't snip at each other like true siblings. Petrik is adorable! I just love this found family!!

I like the unique way her magic is imbued into the weapons she makes! It's such an interesting magical system! The battles were well written with enough description to see but not so much gore I was sick! The spice level rises from the first book but keeps it at some very steamy kissing and no sex. I fell in love with this way more than I expected to and I think it's due to the way Ziva is written. I really resonated with her! I highly recommend this duology!! Thank you Tricia and NetGalley for the arc! Opinions and gushing all me!!

This book was everything I wanted from the end of this duology and more. I binged it over two days because I just couldn’t stop reading.

Ziva continues to grief so much throughout this book. Her struggles with anxiety are so real and hard. These lead her to decisions that made me want to shake her, but I loved her.

Kellyn is the definition of swoony assassin. Talk about hunky. I adored his patience, loyalty, kindness, strength, and kick-butt self.

The stakes are higher, the world gets bigger, the relationships deepen, the action is more intense, and the romance is swoonier.

Preorder this one and get ready, it won’t disappoint.

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Well I didn’t expect this book to make me cry, but here we are. Let me just start my review by saying that I really, really enjoyed this book. When I first read Blade of Secrets last year, I didn’t love it. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it or something, but it wasn’t for me. However, I don’t like when a story feels unfinished and I enjoy Tricia Levenseller’s writing, so I wanted to read Master of Iron and see how the story wrapped up. I adored it during my reread! And I will say that while I am glad I reread it before starting Master of Iron, since I enjoyed it so much on my reread, I don’t think it’s necessary to reread it to understand this book, even if it’s been a year or whatever since reading the first one. There were really good references to the first book to familiarize the reader with the story in case they forgot any details, but it didn’t feel repetitive even though I didn’t need those details personally. I really enjoyed that.

I love that this book really focused on Ziva. She’s a wonderful character and her growth is incredible. I loved meeting all of the characters in Blade of Secrets, and while that one did focus on Ziva as well, this one felt more in depth. It was also very cute and romantic, I smiled a lot reading this. Honestly, I think I had basically every emotion under the sun while reading this.

I was not a big fan of Temra in Blade of Secrets, but I was still concerned for her with how the book ended. She’s still my least favourite of the main four characters, but I did like them all. But somehow Kellyn may have shot to the top?! I would still die for Petrik, but wow did I love Kellyn in this book! In my review for Blade of Secrets after I read it for the first time, I said he was hit and miss for me. I was wrong. I almost want to edit that out of my review because of how wrong I was. He’s a precious baby angel and we love him. No misses, all hits.

I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I also want to try to explain why I gave this a 4/5 instead of a 5/5. So to try to be vague, let’s just say that I felt like I wanted a bit more from the reunion. There were some things I wished had answers for the reader sooner. Also, I personally didn’t care for the cotton spinner storyline and how that came into play near the end.

I’m so, so glad that I reread Blade of Secrets in preparation for this book, and I am even more glad that I moved Master of Iron more than I expected. This was wonderful. I will absolutely be picking up a physical copy for my shelves when this comes out in July.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

An amazing end to an amazing duology.

Every book this author writes is so captivating and well thought out. I absolutely loved this.

This has amazing mental health representation. I felt like Ziva’s anxiety was really well done. I loved getting to see her work to overcome it.

Kellyn is perfection. I love him so much. I will not elaborate because it’s not necessary. He is immaculate.

The romance was a very good subplot. Even the romance of the side characters was well done.

The plot was very good. It flowed well with that of the last book.

Releases July 26th 2022, preorder your copy now!

I love this author’s writing so much and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Fantasy romance is my favorite, and this was a great YA fantasy. The characters were likeable and ziva and kellyn are adorable.

Even though I read Blade of Secrets only five months ago, I'd already forgotten how it ended when I went to start Master of Iron. Luckily, the first chapter gives a good recap of where our characters are at in their journey, as this book begins right where the first one ended.

Bladesmith Ziva, mercenary Kellyn, and scholar Petrik are on their way to a magical healer to save Ziva's sister Temra, who is gravely injured. Also along for the ride is their captive, the villainous warlord Kymora. Some things happen and then most of the book is spent with Ziva and Kellyn alone together.

Ziva is so dense. It actually frustrated me how often something is so obvious and Ziva is acting like an idiot about it. For example, it is beyond clear that Kellyn likes her, and he even says so, and then when someone hits on him and he says he's spoken for, Ziva asks herself why he said that, who he's with, when did he have a chance to meet this person, what is she doing there if he likes someone else, etc. This type of conversation happens multiple times throughout the story. It just read as really immature to me because obviously, Kellyn likes Ziva and she's as dense as a brick about it. And then a girl will look at Kellyn and Ziva will ask herself why she's suddenly feeling jealous. Because you like him, you idiot! Duh! People don't ask themselves those questions about potential romantic partners in adult novels because they're usually written with more common sense, and as an adult, I was continually frustrated by it.

Unfortunately, the romance in this book didn't really work for me. It was so immature. I cannot count the number of times Ziva refers to Kellyn as stupid, dumb, idiotic, or a big oaf. She doesn't ever have anything nice to say about him. I know this was all supposed to be said in love or in good humor, but I never saw it that way. Ziva is constantly insulting him every time she talks to him or thinks about him. And maybe that's her way of not accepting her own feelings toward him, but I just wished she would be nice to him. She's irritated when he risks his life for her, she's mad she has to risk her life to save him, she often complains about him in her inner monologues, and all of it just frustrated me. Yes, they do kiss a lot, and yes, there's a happy ending, but I didn't like their chemistry in between those moments. Kellyn's cool but Ziva really got on my nerves.

Like I said in my review of Blade of Secrets, this duology reads young to me. I think it's just Tricia Levenseller's writing style, but I feel like this is a book for tweens, even though the protagonist is an adult. The drama, the romance, Ziva's internal monologues--it's all written in a way that is not relatable to me as an adult, and many scenes and conversations are very eye-roll-inducing. I do think younger teens will enjoy this story a lot more than I did. Unfortunately, I spent a good portion of the book wanting it to be over. It wasn't a bad story, but I know I'm not the intended audience here, and I wanted to be reading something with more depth and more mature characters than what we get in Master of Iron. Plus the writing is very modern for a story that's a medieval fantasy. One time Ziva and Temra are actually talking about going to the store for groceries. Um . . . no. There were many other examples of overly modern writing that felt very out of place in this narrative, and it bothered me.

Ziva has social anxiety, and I remember loving this aspect about the first novel as I, too, have social anxiety, and it was nice to relate to a character on that front. But somehow, in this book, I found myself dissatisfied with how her anxiety was portrayed. At times it felt overly exaggerated, and at other times it felt unrealistically underrepresented. For example, Ziva always has the right comeback at the right time and she verbally stands up for both herself and her friends. This is not something that someone with social anxiety should feel comfortable doing or even be able to do on a regular basis.

Speaking from personal experience, whenever I am faced with confrontation or aggression from someone who is not in my immediate family or one of my closest friends, I clam up. I have so many things I'd like to say but my heart is racing and I can't say any of them so I just sit there, terrified of opening my mouth, unable to defend myself no matter how much I want to. It's humiliating, frustrating, and embarrassing. So I find it unbelievable that Ziva does not often have this problem of being unable to speak up for herself during times of conflict, despite exhibiting other traits of social anxiety that would make me believe otherwise.

Thinking back on Blade of Secrets, I believe Ziva was like this in that book too as I remember her always having the right thing to say and being kind of bad-A. So that makes me sad, that only her inner monologue is relatable and representative of what it's like to have anxiety, while her outer actions seem to be like any other strong, female protagonist that is so common in literature these days.

This book is very fast-paced, sometimes moving so quickly that I didn't have time to care about the story's events before something else started happening. But on the other hand, the overall story felt too slow-paced for me, the characters being in one place for far too long and spending too much time on side tasks before getting back to the main storyline. I had this problem with the first book too; I struggled to gauge the passage of time in the narrative.

Overall, I struggled to read Master of Iron. I liked Blade of Secrets better, but its sequel had too many pieces that didn't work for me and made me not enjoy the story as much as I had hoped to, although I will say that I did enjoy the ending. I think the idea of a female bladesmith who is able to imbue her blades with magic and who has social anxiety is an awesome idea for a story, and while there were some good parts that I enjoyed, I ultimately just think that this duology reads too young and immature for my tastes and that Tricia Levenseller's writing style doesn't work for me. I do, however, encourage you to check this series out if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.

I loved this series so much! I was so excited to read this one. It picks up right where book 1 ended and dives headfirst into another exciting adventure. I had almost forgotten just how much I absolutely adored reading from Ziva's anxiety-ridden point of view. It's such a vital perspective that we don't get to see enough of in literature. You can read every feeling and thought she has and get real explanations for why she just won't do what you want her to do, and it really makes you feel for the character and just love her even more. The others in our little ragtag group are still just as fun as they were in book one. But I really just loved Ziva's development, especially her growth with her magic. I cannot recommend this duology enough!!

I didn't love this book as much as the first one. The inner monologues of the main character seemed a little to immature and rather repetitive. That being said it was still an enjoyable and quick read. Overall it was a good conclusion to the duology.

Considering the major cliffhanger at the end of book one, I couldn't get my hands on this sequel fast enough. Levenseller's Master of Iron continues to follow the misadventures of Ziva as she attempts to navigate politics, love, war, actually having to talk to new people, and learning the true extent her own power. Ziva is a lovingly relatable character and neurodivergent readers will find themselves nodding along to an inner monologue that is not often portrayed in literature. Her relationships with her friends, family, and love interest evolve and change with character development that doesn't involve "fixing" her personality or introverted ways; which is refreshing for that archetype. This second novel also introduces a wider cast of secondary characters that are delightfully vibrant and include a variety of orientations. With war looming on the horizon and power hungry warlords fighting for dominance, this novel has its fair share of nail-biting moments and dramatic turns. When the book came to an end, I found myself wanting more of these characters and would have loved this series to become a trilogy. I look forward to getting more Tricia Levenseller on my shelves!

“Master of Iron “ was a terrific sequel and it wrapped things up nicely. In many ways I enjoyed this installment more than the first, possibly because I was immersed in the world, invested in the political intrigue, and cared for the characters. I appreciated how the protagonist grew throughout the duology insofar as her struggle with anxiety felt real and well thought out. I also applaud Levenseller for avoiding many overused YA tropes and providing original fantasy material.

I adore unique fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world.