Andrea Robertson (1)

If I have one complaint about this book, it would be that I don't want to wait for the next one. I want it yesterday. This is great YA fantasy. It has very intriguing protagonists, utterly evil opponents, twists, turns, narrow escapes, secrets and great gods. It satisfies the reader, but does leave then on pins and needles in terms of what's going to happen next. A very good choice for school and public libraries.

I have never before encountered a book with the main female protagonist as a blacksmith, or in this case a super powerful blacksmith called a loresmith. Ara is our lead character in this adventure and her decisions are interesting to follow. I liked learning more about blacksmithing, the author used descriptive words in a purposeful way there, and the diety setup is unexpectedly complex; sometimes the gods don't care what humans are doing and other times they are watching your every move. show more Sounds tricky.

I'd recommend this to someone looking for a fast read with a pretty steady cast of important characters. People occasionally get added to the adventure group, but primarily the group of four is solid. Only warning to potential readers - this book ends on a very steep cliffhanger. The second book, [b:Cast in Secrets and Shadow|55835486|Cast in Secrets and Shadow (Loresmith, #2)|Andrea Robertson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610383894l/55835486._SY75_.jpg|86690293], is expected to be published this summer, but I'm wanting to read it now. show less

A dark and action filled followup to the first book. It ends on a gut-punch that has me itching to see what comes next.