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seraphjewel 's review for:
Blade of Secrets
by Tricia Levenseller
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.
I was really curious when I saw that the MC was going to have anxiety issues, and before I go into the negatives I need to praise that representation right away. It was written so well. All of her insecurities and doubts and the inner thoughts she was experiencing felt so real. I loved the description of the panic attack and how clear they are that this isn't something you can really fix or rationalize.
As always, I deal with the negatives first so I end on a positive note. There aren't too many in this book. I think maybe the pacing got a little repetitive after a while. The characters would go to a location, they'd encounter some conflict, usually some misunderstanding between them occurred, and they would move on to a new location and repeat. It's very lucky that the characters all talked to each other in a fairly believable way and I liked following them on this journey, because that formula would've gotten old super fast otherwise. I still wish there was some variety but it wasn't too bad thanks to the character interactions.
Also, there is a section at the beginning of the story that doesn't feel like it has any purpose whatsoever. I'm not saying the incident wasn't believable or wasn't well-written, I just don't see why it was included in the story. If it was taken out, absolutely nothing would've been lost. Unless the characters introduced in that bit come back, there was no reason for the scenes to exist.
I do wish this wasn't told in first person, because it did feel like sometimes there had to be some writing gymnastics to excuse why the narrator would be listening in on certain conversations. Especially if this MC is supposed to have social anxiety and prefers being alone or with just her sister. I think the narrative could have still shown the thoughts, feelings, and reactions while being in third person.
I always have to talk about the romance a little. This one was built up at a decent pace. Maybe the attraction still felt a little too sudden-- especially as the very first time the character was attracted to someone in eighteen years-- but the relationship built up well over time. Did it need to be in the story? No. Would much change if it was taken out? No. But it was a little better than most YA romances.
I already mentioned the anxiety written well, and the way the characters interacted was good, too. I especially loved the dynamic between the sisters. The way they talked to each other felt so genuine. I always look for that kind of thing when siblings are included in a story. I also think the world-building is off to a good start. I want to know more about how this world operates from the little snippets we've been given.
At first I wasn't entirely thrilled with the addition of magic to this story. I still think it would've been cool if the MC was just a regular swordsmith without magic to help her along. But I did like the way her magic worked, and the solution with the sword was very intriguing. I think maybe there was some unnecessary sequel baiting, but I'll still read the sequel when it comes out. I am curious where the story might be going next.
A very intriguing start with some good characters and a world I want to learn more about!
I was really curious when I saw that the MC was going to have anxiety issues, and before I go into the negatives I need to praise that representation right away. It was written so well. All of her insecurities and doubts and the inner thoughts she was experiencing felt so real. I loved the description of the panic attack and how clear they are that this isn't something you can really fix or rationalize.
As always, I deal with the negatives first so I end on a positive note. There aren't too many in this book. I think maybe the pacing got a little repetitive after a while. The characters would go to a location, they'd encounter some conflict, usually some misunderstanding between them occurred, and they would move on to a new location and repeat. It's very lucky that the characters all talked to each other in a fairly believable way and I liked following them on this journey, because that formula would've gotten old super fast otherwise. I still wish there was some variety but it wasn't too bad thanks to the character interactions.
Also, there is a section at the beginning of the story that doesn't feel like it has any purpose whatsoever. I'm not saying the incident wasn't believable or wasn't well-written, I just don't see why it was included in the story. If it was taken out, absolutely nothing would've been lost. Unless the characters introduced in that bit come back, there was no reason for the scenes to exist.
I do wish this wasn't told in first person, because it did feel like sometimes there had to be some writing gymnastics to excuse why the narrator would be listening in on certain conversations. Especially if this MC is supposed to have social anxiety and prefers being alone or with just her sister. I think the narrative could have still shown the thoughts, feelings, and reactions while being in third person.
I always have to talk about the romance a little. This one was built up at a decent pace. Maybe the attraction still felt a little too sudden-- especially as the very first time the character was attracted to someone in eighteen years-- but the relationship built up well over time. Did it need to be in the story? No. Would much change if it was taken out? No. But it was a little better than most YA romances.
I already mentioned the anxiety written well, and the way the characters interacted was good, too. I especially loved the dynamic between the sisters. The way they talked to each other felt so genuine. I always look for that kind of thing when siblings are included in a story. I also think the world-building is off to a good start. I want to know more about how this world operates from the little snippets we've been given.
At first I wasn't entirely thrilled with the addition of magic to this story. I still think it would've been cool if the MC was just a regular swordsmith without magic to help her along. But I did like the way her magic worked, and the solution with the sword was very intriguing. I think maybe there was some unnecessary sequel baiting, but I'll still read the sequel when it comes out. I am curious where the story might be going next.
A very intriguing start with some good characters and a world I want to learn more about!