Title: Carving Shadows Into GoldAuthor: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Forging Silver Into Stars #2
Pages: 496
Publication Date: Jan. 28, 2025
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Synopsis:
The King’s Courier Tycho has made a treacherous bargain. Now beholden to the magical scraver who saved King Gray’s life, one false move could end everything.
Jax escaped his life in Briarlock and traveled with Tycho to Emberfall. But life outside his small village brings unexpected challenges–and unlikely adversaries.
After years of hating the royal family and their magic, Callyn never expected to be at the Queen’s side, with magic on her fingertips. But at the royal court, she can’t trust anyone–including the man she thought she loved.
Cast apart, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn must learn to wield the magic that is dividing their kingdom. As the magical scravers attack from the north and the king’s rivals gain strength, time is running out.
War is looming. Love is tested. And magic could be the only answer. . .
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Carvinfg Shadows into Gold is the second book in the Forging Silver into Stars series by Brigid Kemmerer. Picking up right where the first book left off, the story is an entertaining mix of mystery, political intrigue, and complex characters.
Like the first book, the story’s strengths are the writing, the characters, the relationships, and the world-building. The author has a way of sucking you right into the story with an immersive writing style that flows so well. I love when stories come to life in my mind, and Kemmerer always does that for me. This is a vast world, and that’s really explored in this series, especially since so many characters go in different directions. I like that the story is told from multiple points of view because there is so much going on, and the plot has so many layers. Seeing things from multiple perspectives shapes the characters and also shows how complex the politics and lives of the people who are affected by them are.
Many relationships and characters are put to the test, and there are a couple of fractured relationships that broke my heart a little bit. There are also a few super intense scenes that challenge Callyn, Jax, Tycho, Grey, and others in gut-wrenching ways. My word! My heart was in my mouth in a couple of scenes!
I love that the story explores all kinds of relationships, from committed marriages to new love to friendships and even contemptuous ones. The characters and relationships are all complex and layered, and it’s so intriguing to see how they change and reshape.
The story did feel a bit slow at times, but it was still so well-written and intriguing that even the slower parts kept my interest. I definitely want to continue the series because I am emotionally invested in these characters, and I need to know what their futures hold. lol
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
“You’re worth the risk.”
It’s an intense look. A burning look, both protective and vengeful. No one has ever looked at me like that, and it steals my breath. He told me not to pick a fight, but that look in his eyes could start a war.
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of dark and alluring YA novels like A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Defy the Night, and Letters to the Lost. A full time writer, Brigid lives in the Baltimore area with her family. When she’s not writing or being a mom, you can usually find her with her hands wrapped around a barbell.
I really enjoyed Forging Silver into Stars and I’m glad that this next book is just as good.