I really enjoyed this book. In fact, the closer I got to the end, the more anxiety I had over having to wait for the next book in the series.

Fantasy is a tricky genre. It either works on all levels or falls flat. There really isn’t an in between. The Blacksmith Queen worked. A badass groups of strong, witty female leads who can hold their own in a fight. Queue the war monk sister and fighting cousin. Shapeshifting centaurs, I was shipping Caid and Keely from the beginning. A soft, empathetic,
Rough around the edges blackmsith who loves all creatures great and small (including demon wolves with eyes of fire). And a Sociopathic Narcissistic sister who wants only power at any cost. I found the story had a fresh spin on fantasy elements, while still keeping true to the nature of what a fantasy story is all about.

A few things that I really enjoyed were the fight at the farm, the Smythe family will stop at nothing to protect each other. The sex scene where she honestly tried to get her pants off with one hand and then she shuffled and wiggled to try and get them them off the rest of the way, not able to and having on leg still on at the ankle. That is the most realistic sex description I’ve heard. I also really liked how truly kind Keely is. She is always making every effort she can to alleviate pain and protect people/creatures, even though it sometimes doesn’t go exactly right she still does what she feels is right. And yet she can still dish out justice when she needs to.

My only issues would be a little more world building, and more Keran! At the beginning she’s an active participant, albeit a bit groggy, but as our journey progresses she becomes more drunk, more sleepy and less involved. She did show her A game at the end but I was really hoping for more of her throughout.

This is a great starter fantasy book. The language is more “current” be the characters are relatable. Can’t wait for the next book!