Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1)

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
1.4

Language

1.6/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

0.2/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

0.4/10

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

4.8/10

Potentially Intense Themes

0.2/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1)

Tricia Levenseller

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.

A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she’s ever made.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Levenseller’s books tend to be some of my faves. Her writing is easy to read with good flow and action throughout. This one didn’t disappoint!

I’m used to strong, confident heroines in YA fantasy books. This was not the case. Ziva is a blacksmith with magical talent, big biceps and serious anxiety. While I loved that anxiety was brought in and focused on, it was almost a bit too much. Ziva’s anxiety was almost debilitating and she was constantly accommodating to it. I found myself wanting her to break free and be strong, but I know anxiety doesn’t work that way. I was torn with her character because I understood her, but as a book character, I wanted her to achieve more.  Her sister was actually the character that most authors write about. I find it intriguing and admirable and frustrating that Levenseller chose Ziva as the POV and not her sister.

It’s full of excitement and twists at the end and a great villain named Kymora. She has to be great if she has my name in her name right?  I loved the magicked weapons and the unpredictability they brought.

Levenseller left this on a huge cliffhanger! It’s one of those cliffhangers that is frustrating and annoying so you throw your book and yell but you preorder book 2!

Content Summary: Minimal language, minimal intimacy (kissing and necking), violence with a few gory details but still overall less than I expected.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. I always feel so lucky when I get a book from an author I already love!

The book releases May 4, 2021.

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 6

S***- 1

A**-

B****-

D***- 8

Bas****- 1

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**-

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Goddesses (a curse)

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A woman sips wine. 

A man is drunk in a tavern. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*Very minimal LGBTQ+ aspects included* 

Two men are married. 

A man kisses a young woman passionately. He nibbles and kisses her neck. This goes on for quite some time. They kiss and neck regularly. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A mother and father are previously murdered. 

Two men fight with fists. One hits the other unconscious. 

A young woman is bound and gagged. A woman holds a knife to her neck. A young woman knocks out the woman. A young man hits three men with a staff then a man knocks them out. Many throw rocks at 4 people, injuring them. 

A young woman is dragged by her hair. Four people fight with swords. A man cuts off an arm then stabs their heart. Another is stabbed and killed.

A young woman stabs a soldier. A man stabs a soldier. Again. He cuts off an arm and stabs another. He cuts down many men. One he splits in half. Blood sprays as a man’s neck artery is cut. A young woman “finishes “ a woman. 

Four people are beaten and grabbed then shackled. One loses consciousness. 

Two soldiers are killed with swords. 

A man is shot through the gut with a spear and dies. 

A young man fights soldiers with a metal staff. A young woman hits a man in the head with a hammer. She gets nauseous at the sound. A young woman fights with a pitchfork, stabbing soldiers. A man kills many with his sword. They continue to fight many with their weapons. One is taken, bound and beaten. Another screams as she’s stabbed. “Blood spills everywhere.” They fight. A bone crunches, a head is hit and falls. This person is bound and taken prisoner. 

A person is held down while wounds are cauterized, then passes out. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A pack of wolves attack a group of people. They fight with torches and swords. One wolf leaps on a young woman, clawing her. 

**Any quotes from the book are taken from the advance copy and therefore may not be fully accurate or correctly compare to the final copy of the book.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

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