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literarypenguin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a series I stumbled upon by curiosity, the synopsis was too tempting for me not to give it a try. When I finished, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed this! This now inspired me to read the rest of this series in the near future!
The characters in Forged By Magic are so interesting and varied, so many different races and personalities. It made this island village that much more interesting and idyllic. The main characters Daella and Rivelin were both fascinating, the more you learned about both of them the more similarities that could be found. Daella was optimistic and tried to find the good in certain things despite growing up in horrible circumstances that were out of her control. Rivelin was sort of a loner at first, preferring to be by himself with a strong sense of protecting his village. Soon however we learn that he had a dark past that made him the way he is now and shaped his obsession with protecting his home. Both of them had undergone trauma in their life and were truly looking for something to make them happy, for them to have meaning in their lives. Their romance was so good and the steamy parts were perfection.
The village was so warm and cozy, I honestly wished I could live in this place! The village had so many different people and the people worked together to help their fellow villagers to support them was so heartwarming to see. Which made the idea of wanting to protect this place even more dire as a place like this, it would have been awful if something happened to it. It was wonderful to see people come together to protect their home.
I really want to get to the second book of this series! If the second book is as good as this one was then I will have a new favorite series incoming!
The characters in Forged By Magic are so interesting and varied, so many different races and personalities. It made this island village that much more interesting and idyllic. The main characters Daella and Rivelin were both fascinating, the more you learned about both of them the more similarities that could be found. Daella was optimistic and tried to find the good in certain things despite growing up in horrible circumstances that were out of her control. Rivelin was sort of a loner at first, preferring to be by himself with a strong sense of protecting his village. Soon however we learn that he had a dark past that made him the way he is now and shaped his obsession with protecting his home. Both of them had undergone trauma in their life and were truly looking for something to make them happy, for them to have meaning in their lives. Their romance was so good and the steamy parts were perfection.
The village was so warm and cozy, I honestly wished I could live in this place! The village had so many different people and the people worked together to help their fellow villagers to support them was so heartwarming to see. Which made the idea of wanting to protect this place even more dire as a place like this, it would have been awful if something happened to it. It was wonderful to see people come together to protect their home.
I really want to get to the second book of this series! If the second book is as good as this one was then I will have a new favorite series incoming!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement and Death of parent
karapillar's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Genocide, Deportation, Slavery, Confinement, Murder, Torture, and Physical abuse
Minor: War, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
doahdancer's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Genocide
dinipandareads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
TL;DR: It took me a minute to get into this story but once I was hooked, I didn't want to put it down! This was action-packed and full of magical adventure and a somewhat literally steamy romance. 😉 Daella and Rivelin were fun characters to root for as you see them go from untrustworthy enemies, tentative friends to eventual lovers. It was a nice slow burn! Overall, this was a great first cosy-ish fantasy romance at the start of a new series and I can't wait to continue it soon!
Although I feel this had a bit of a slow start as we're introduced to this magical kingdom that has been taken over by a megalomaniac frost giant hell-bent on getting rid of all dragons, dragon-magic users and other creatures that threaten his dictatorial rule. This world had a mix of all the creatures that you'd expect to find in a fantasy including elves, orcs, dragons, pixies, ice giants, dwarves and elemental demons, amongst many others. Despite the kingdom having a dark history, this was a pretty cute and cosy fantasy romance! There was something so comforting reading about the idyllic island life and the midsummer parties, plus I especially loved the Travelling Tavern!
I liked Daella and Rivelin. Both have experienced great losses due to the emperor and they were both easy to root for and empathise with. When Rivelin finds Daella he believes her to be a murk from the Emperor and despite both feeling some kind of attraction for each other, their initial enmity and lack of trust meant they went from enemies to tentative friends and eventually became lovers. The romance moves quickly once they give in to their feelings but I wouldn't necessarily call it "instalove" and although the events happen over one summer, it didn't feel like it happened fast and I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved as they let their guard down around each other.
That said, where it went kinda bonkers for me was in the last maybe 30%. The miscommunication or more like no communication trope plays a massive role in their third act and I was not a fan of it especially since they made snap judgements about the other when they had seemingly worked past doing that. Things escalated quickly from speculation to pointing fingers straight to jail and it was very confusing and a bit nonsensical. The logic was not logic-ing and it kinda took away from my enjoyment a bit simply by how predictable and how quickly things escalated. I wish that Rivelin had to do a bit more grovelling for how he reacted and Daella's instant forgiveness of the other community members who played a role in driving her away was just too easy. I wanted to feel they were more sorry than they came across!
Overall though, this was a fun read. Friendship, a magical midsummer competition, and a community of fantasy species living in relative harmony on a secluded idyllic island location, out of sight of the kingdom's bloodthirsty tyrannical ruler. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series about Lillia cos I loved her!
Although I feel this had a bit of a slow start as we're introduced to this magical kingdom that has been taken over by a megalomaniac frost giant hell-bent on getting rid of all dragons, dragon-magic users and other creatures that threaten his dictatorial rule. This world had a mix of all the creatures that you'd expect to find in a fantasy including elves, orcs, dragons, pixies, ice giants, dwarves and elemental demons, amongst many others. Despite the kingdom having a dark history, this was a pretty cute and cosy fantasy romance! There was something so comforting reading about the idyllic island life and the midsummer parties, plus I especially loved the Travelling Tavern!
I liked Daella and Rivelin. Both have experienced great losses due to the emperor and they were both easy to root for and empathise with. When Rivelin finds Daella he believes her to be a murk from the Emperor and despite both feeling some kind of attraction for each other, their initial enmity and lack of trust meant they went from enemies to tentative friends and eventually became lovers. The romance moves quickly once they give in to their feelings but I wouldn't necessarily call it "instalove" and although the events happen over one summer, it didn't feel like it happened fast and I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved as they let their guard down around each other.
That said, where it went kinda bonkers for me was in the last maybe 30%. The miscommunication or more like no communication trope plays a massive role in their third act and I was not a fan of it especially since they made snap judgements about the other when they had seemingly worked past doing that. Things escalated quickly from speculation to pointing fingers straight to jail and it was very confusing and a bit nonsensical. The logic was not logic-ing and it kinda took away from my enjoyment a bit simply by how predictable and how quickly things escalated. I wish that Rivelin had to do a bit more grovelling for how he reacted and Daella's instant forgiveness of the other community members who played a role in driving her away was just too easy. I wanted to feel they were more sorry than they came across!
Overall though, this was a fun read. Friendship, a magical midsummer competition, and a community of fantasy species living in relative harmony on a secluded idyllic island location, out of sight of the kingdom's bloodthirsty tyrannical ruler. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series about Lillia cos I loved her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A cozy, light read full of magic, romance, and dragons, my only complaint it was over all too soon.
The world building and the lore in Forged by Magic is one of my favorite parts. The lush setting and extensive history makes the land and people feel real and vibrant. Daella and Rivelin have great chemistry, I love how they took time to get together and weren't instantly sleeping together. When they did get together it was STEAMY! Towards the middle and end I did find a bit of with the pacing. The ending and the plot felt rushed, I wish there was more of a chance for Daella to showcase her battle prowess and for a confrontation with the emperor. There almost felt like a bit of disconnect from the end and the rest of the book. The miscommunication that occurs also felt very out of character for the side characters.
There is another book in the series, and I will definitely be reading that next!
Overall this is a light and cozy read, and a perfect story for anyone looking for a sweet fantasy.
The cover is amazing! Honestly the whole reason I picked up this book through KU is because the cover caught my eye. I love the composition, color, and how well depicted the characters are.
The world building and the lore in Forged by Magic is one of my favorite parts. The lush setting and extensive history makes the land and people feel real and vibrant. Daella and Rivelin have great chemistry, I love how they took time to get together and weren't instantly sleeping together. When they did get together it was STEAMY! Towards the middle and end I did find a bit of with the pacing. The ending and the plot felt rushed, I wish there was more of a chance for Daella to showcase her battle prowess and for a confrontation with the emperor. There almost felt like a bit of disconnect from the end and the rest of the book. The miscommunication that occurs also felt very out of character for the side characters.
There is another book in the series, and I will definitely be reading that next!
Overall this is a light and cozy read, and a perfect story for anyone looking for a sweet fantasy.
The cover is amazing! Honestly the whole reason I picked up this book through KU is because the cover caught my eye. I love the composition, color, and how well depicted the characters are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence
kim03's review
2.0
What I liked:
- Dual POV (even though I'm certain we spent more time in her head than his)
- The cover (seriously. It's the reason I wanted to read this book. So gorgeous.)
What I didn't like:
- The characters
- The plot
- The writing (felt like purple prose to me)
- Any and all intimate scenes. They were cringe and unsexy. I hate one singular thought throughout them all: "Ew."
- The back and forth. I already had problems bc i don't like enemies to lovers but this couldn't even decide where it was on the Journey. I hated it.
- The way it took a rumor to make each doubt the other? Never seen two ppl have this little faith in each other.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder and Sexual harassment
robin_reads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Daella, a half-orc, was sent out to hunt Draugr and ends up washed up on an island where she meets Rivelin, a grumpy elven blacksmith. They end up working together reluctantely, trying to protect the island.
This was such a pleasure to read. Cozy vibes, lighthearted but still had a very nice plot and some stakes.
Wonderful read. I'll be picking up the second book as soon as it comes out.
This was such a pleasure to read. Cozy vibes, lighthearted but still had a very nice plot and some stakes.
Wonderful read. I'll be picking up the second book as soon as it comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, War, Grief, and Confinement
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
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