Fire Heart

Joyce Ch'ng does a great job in this opening chapter of the Fire Heart Duology series. I thought the characters were perfectly written in the world that was created. It does a great job in creating the world and introducing us to this adventure. I was never bored when reading this. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from Joyce Ch'ng as I had a great time with this book.

A beautiful, engaging story with a Wehia being a relatable and strong main character! Fire Heart absolutely captured me in the City with excellent world building. Wehia is stubborn, impatient, and an impeccably strong which immediately makes her a great main character. With all the worry, and pressure on her shoulders she is set on doing what is right, and following her heart. Fire Heart also explores LGBTQ+ relationships as the main character is in a relationship with a woman. It is so refreshing to see a sapphic relationship being so prominent in a fantasy book. The interactions between Wehia and Geri are extremely wholesome and I adore their dynamic. I am so excited to see how Wehia develops as a character even more in the next book!

FIRE HEART is the story of Wehia, whose dream is to create a sword and prove herself as a sword maker. But in order to learn the craft, she must apprentice far from home, under her aunt Hadana, who demands hard work and sacrifice from Wehia. Wehia's saving grace in this time is her close companion and fellow apprentice Geri, with whom Wehia forms a closer-than-friends bond. Also lurking at the edge of civilization is the threat of bandits—but perhaps there's more to their struggle than meets the eye. Wehia must learn what it takes to become a real forge woman and sword maker.

I deeply enjoyed Wehia's story—full of fascinating insight into the life of forge workers and fill to the brim with moving depictions of a coming-of-age in a dangerous world. Wehia is prickly, stubborn, and lovable, exactly the type of young female protagonist I would have instantly seen myself in as a teenager (and still do!) Geri, Wehia's "amal" (promised), is also a standout character; she's kind and gentle but there are (literal) knives up her sleeves too. Hadana, the forge mistress and mentor to Wehia, is equally complex and interesting—she isn't always fair but she is doing her best to keep the forge running and teach the girls what they need to know.

I eagerly await the sequel, COLD STEEL, and highly recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy!