Scan barcode
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
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
sweejy's review
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Cute, and the mystery element did have me stressin at the end. But it was almost a lil too much drama/conflict for "cozy fantasy" plot for me lol. I've read other cozy fantasy that were more satisfying. Aside from that, I did like the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence, Blood, and Cursing
bellebookcorner's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
If you're looking for a simple cozy fantasy story with tropes like grumpy x sunshine, found family and enemies to lovers then you might want to pick this one up!
The world building is fascinating with a big world where there's a hidden magical island and several different creatures living together like Orcs, humans, dragons and elves which fantasy lovers would be thrilled to read about like myself.
This story has a dual POV from these two main characters which is a great touch to get to know the characters where they have their own agendas and see how they grow throughout the story.
The slow burn romance between Rivelin and Daella is delightful. I absolutely love the high tension and bantering between them which eventually leads to the spicy moments which is worth the wait.
However, as much as I like the people on the island and Riveliin (MMC) they were too quick to judge Daella (FMC) just because she was an outsider which really annoyed me sometimes.
Moreover, Daella kinda forgives too easy... I was hoping to see Rivelin grovelled his way back to Daella a little bit harder.
Nonetheless, this book was a heart-warming and enjoyable story with easy to read writing style, badass FMC and other elements inside which fantasy romance readers would love.
The ending also got wrapped up nicely and I'm looking forward to read the next book from this series!
The world building is fascinating with a big world where there's a hidden magical island and several different creatures living together like Orcs, humans, dragons and elves which fantasy lovers would be thrilled to read about like myself.
This story has a dual POV from these two main characters which is a great touch to get to know the characters where they have their own agendas and see how they grow throughout the story.
The slow burn romance between Rivelin and Daella is delightful. I absolutely love the high tension and bantering between them which eventually leads to the spicy moments which is worth the wait.
However, as much as I like the people on the island and Riveliin (MMC) they were too quick to judge Daella (FMC) just because she was an outsider which really annoyed me sometimes.
Moreover, Daella kinda forgives too easy... I was hoping to see Rivelin grovelled his way back to Daella a little bit harder.
Nonetheless, this book was a heart-warming and enjoyable story with easy to read writing style, badass FMC and other elements inside which fantasy romance readers would love.
The ending also got wrapped up nicely and I'm looking forward to read the next book from this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, War, and Cursing
Minor: Sexual harassment, Murder, and Blood
renpuspita's review
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The author said that Forged by Magic can be categorized into cozy fantasy that will left reader in warm and fuzzy feeling. However, after I finish reading, this book is not too cozy imho, more like the usual fantasy romance that I'd read although with much simpler world building, smaller setting (a little island) and low to medium stakes. It did have some warm moments, found family trope, and grumpy x (almost) sunshine pairing between Rivelin, a grumpy elf blacksmith with violence past and Daella, a reluctant half-orc mercenary. The fantasy setting feel like mix-mash of fantasy creatures. From elf, orc, demon, faeries, ice giants. Plus point, there's DRAGON. Dragons is always my catnips and I liked that the dragons also play important roles in the story. Although, the simple world building kinda have its drawback. See, the setting is just in one island, while the map show a world that seems complex. Also there's no more explanation behind Daella's half orc background. There's no description from what side she inherited her human side, since she's pretty much an orc and I believe her late mother were also orc. So maybe, her father was human? Sadly this tidbits didn't explained thoroughly.
There's also steamy sex scenes, so if you like your romance to be steamy or spicy, this might be up to your alley. But, if you prefer fade to black, maybe just skip it. This book is also pretty low in angst and the misunderstanding trope to add more drama is still bearable. Both parties are guilty since at first their relationship start by mistrusting each other so the misunderstanding after both realized their own feeling is kinda a given. The romance is pretty okay and I did enjoy reading how love blossom between Daella and Rivelin; that from his description alone, I suspect Wolfhart get his inspiration from Geralt of Rivera. Silver hair with huge and tall appearance. I just hope authors stop to write first PoV from both male and female, just focused to one side or maybe write it all from 3rd PoV. This is just a matter of my preference of course.
Forged by Magic is pretty much stand-alone although part of series. It's also the first book I read by Jenna Wolfhart and I looking forward to read more story from the Fables Island.
There's also steamy sex scenes, so if you like your romance to be steamy or spicy, this might be up to your alley. But, if you prefer fade to black, maybe just skip it. This book is also pretty low in angst and the misunderstanding trope to add more drama is still bearable. Both parties are guilty since at first their relationship start by mistrusting each other so the misunderstanding after both realized their own feeling is kinda a given. The romance is pretty okay and I did enjoy reading how love blossom between Daella and Rivelin; that from his description alone, I suspect Wolfhart get his inspiration from Geralt of Rivera. Silver hair with huge and tall appearance. I just hope authors stop to write first PoV from both male and female, just focused to one side or maybe write it all from 3rd PoV. This is just a matter of my preference of course.
Forged by Magic is pretty much stand-alone although part of series. It's also the first book I read by Jenna Wolfhart and I looking forward to read more story from the Fables Island.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Blood
crinkledmochi's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
It was a cute cozy read but everything gets resolved very quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
More...