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Title: The Blacksmith Queen
Author: GA Aiken
Sub-genre: Fantasy
Guys. All I want in my life is more fantasy romance. I am not even kidding, I am going through fantasy romance (and some paranormal, plus sci-fi when I can find it) like nobody’s business and there is not enough of it in the world and I need more. So if you have recs, please send them my way!
In the Blacksmith Queen, we meet Keeley, who is–you guessed it–a blacksmith. She’s also a total badass and fiercely protective of her very large family (she has eleven siblings). When a prophecy reveals her younger sister is destined to be queen, Keeley’s family becomes the target of the vicious and violent current ruling family. Luckily, Caid, a kilted warrior/centaur, has been sent along with some centaur/warrior pals, to make sure the family stays safe. They all embark on an adventure together, with lots of twists and turns along the way. There is an HEA in terms of the romance, but the story itself will be continued in the second book.
There was a lot I loved about this book, first and foremost being Keeley and her total badassness. Followed shortly by the total badassness of Keeley’s sister Gemma (not the queen sister, a different one) and their mother. Basically, the women in this book rule hardcore. I also loved that though this is most definitely a fantasy, Aiken’s voice gave me contemporary vibes. There’s swearing and sarcasm and none of the he thou that wilt stuff you sometimes see in fantasy books. It reads like a contemporary but set in a badass fantasy world, which is basically right up my alley.
My only complaint about the book is that I wished it were longer. I could have easily used an extra hundred pages to go more in depth with the love story, and get more details about this super cool world. That being said, it is the first in a series so obviously there is more to come. But I am impatient and I want more now. Book two isn’t going to be released until November and that’s a long time to wait (I actually can’t believe I started this series with only one book out so far, I should know better by now!). If you are feeling the fantasy romance genre, I would definitely recommend starting this series. In the meantime, I’m going to go back and read her first one so I can stay busy until November.
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars