Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver Into Stars Book 1

When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . .

Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won’t save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can't pay what they owe.

Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has returned to Syhl Shallow -- in the form of a magesmith who's now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it.

When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious -- even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It’s a risk they’re both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King’s Courier, the man who’s been tasked with discovering who’s conspiring against the throne.

Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic . . . where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58484077-forging-silver-into-stars?ref=bk_bet_out

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Book one of the sequel series to the Cursebreaker Trilogy and it was absolutely amazing! It has to be my favorite of that world and the story has only just begun. I will say, if you haven't read the Cursebreaker trilogy before, do it. Things will make a lot more sense. You could read this without it, but you'll get spoilers of the previous series and also you just get so much better of an understanding of the world and why things are the way they are. So it has been four years since the last book ended and a lot has changed. There is more peace between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow since Lia Mara and Grey married. However, there are still so many in Syhl Shallow who do not like that their queen married the magesmith Emberfall King. And rebellion is on the horizon. This story follows Tycho (who was in the previous series and who was 15 but is now 19), Jax, and Callyn. Tycho has been fulfilling his role as a messenger between Grey and Rhen and has enjoyed the freedom to travel. However, as many have pointed out to him, he may be using that freedom to distance himself from others he doesn't consider family. He has closed himself off for the most part but finds himself changing a bit when he mets Jax. Jax and Callyn are best friends who have been through a lot. Callyn has lost her parents to the war and rebellions and is trying to keep her bakery afloat to take care of her younger sister, Nora. And Jax is a blacksmith with an abusive and drunk father and has lost his foot in an accident when he was young. He is also struggling to keep the forge open when he realizes that all the money they have made, his father has taken to support his drinking. And unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures when they are asked to hold on to messages that may or may not be against the king and queen in exchange for silver. Callyn and Jax struggle to stay out of trouble and to determine who is in the right when it comes to their people. And when they cross paths with Tycho, they soon realize they may be in the middle of something bigger than anything they imagined.

I loved this story and couldn't put it down! I was so glad that Tycho was finally getting a book and a love interest! Him and Jax are adorable together and it is only just the beginning for them. The story as a whole was great. It keeps you on your toes and constantly guessing. You can see both sides of the rebellion, though if you loved the previous books you are constantly on the side of our beloved heroes. However, seeing Callyn and Jax not knowing what our other heroes know and what they have witnessed, it is no wonder the people are split on magic and no magic. Jax and Callyn were fantastic additions to the story as well. We see many old faces and so many new ones. I'm so glad to be back in this world and that there are more books to come! We had one plot resolved in this book, but there is still plenty of story left to tell. I can't wait to see where these characters and this world take us.