Fantasy

Blade of Secrets

Blade of Secrets

  • Downloads：1487
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-06 07:51:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tricia Levenseller
  • ISBN：1250756804
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Katy ，

A solid 3。5 for me。 So close to a 4 but I wish the whole books would’ve been like the last few chapters。I had a hard time rating this one。 I loved the characters， I loved the writing。 But it just fell， flat。 I think I was expecting more story plot action movement so my bad。 Where it was more character driven and tiny plot。 I loved the type of magic in this one， I really wish we could’ve had way more and expand on it。 This is why I’m generally not a fan of standalone or small books。 I’m to needy。 A solid 3。5 for me。 So close to a 4 but I wish the whole books would’ve been like the last few chapters。I had a hard time rating this one。 I loved the characters， I loved the writing。 But it just fell， flat。 I think I was expecting more story plot action movement so my bad。 Where it was more character driven and tiny plot。 I loved the type of magic in this one， I really wish we could’ve had way more and expand on it。 This is why I’m generally not a fan of standalone or small books。 I’m to needy。The last 2-3 chapters though， 😲😬😱 totally set up for book two perfectly。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I only give this two or three stars。 The writing really wasn't very good， although I liked the concept of the book。 The protagonist has crippling social anxiety which just doesn't feel quite appropriate for this kind of story。 I like the idea of a protagonist with social anxiety but in this case it was a crippling social anxiety that I honestly don't think somebody would realistically be able to do the things that she did in the story。 Very teenagy characters who are supposed to be in their uppe I only give this two or three stars。 The writing really wasn't very good， although I liked the concept of the book。 The protagonist has crippling social anxiety which just doesn't feel quite appropriate for this kind of story。 I like the idea of a protagonist with social anxiety but in this case it was a crippling social anxiety that I honestly don't think somebody would realistically be able to do the things that she did in the story。 Very teenagy characters who are supposed to be in their upper teens and twenties。 。。。more

Alex ，

Wow， this really turned around in the end！ I wasn't so sure if I'd like this in the beginning， mostly because I wasn't a fan of Ziva。 As the story went on， though， I found myself liking Ziva and all the other characters more and more。 I loved the group dynamic; everyone worked so well together。 I also grew really attached to the group。 I was so scared at the end and all I could think was "no no no no"。 I don't know how the heck I'm supposed to wait a year for more！ Wow， this really turned around in the end！ I wasn't so sure if I'd like this in the beginning， mostly because I wasn't a fan of Ziva。 As the story went on， though， I found myself liking Ziva and all the other characters more and more。 I loved the group dynamic; everyone worked so well together。 I also grew really attached to the group。 I was so scared at the end and all I could think was "no no no no"。 I don't know how the heck I'm supposed to wait a year for more！ 。。。more

Kathreadya ，

Loved this fantasy YA from Tricia Levenseller！I've loved this author since I read The Shadows Between Us， so was super excited to pick up Blade of Secrets。 Magical weapons？ Yes， please！I loved Ziva， the main character， so much！ Her magical weapon making skills， her dedication to her sister Temra， and her honest struggles with anxiety made her a character you really root for。 I loved the team with forms with Ziva， Temra， Kellyn， and Petrik。 Levenseller makes each character unique and have their o Loved this fantasy YA from Tricia Levenseller！I've loved this author since I read The Shadows Between Us， so was super excited to pick up Blade of Secrets。 Magical weapons？ Yes， please！I loved Ziva， the main character， so much！ Her magical weapon making skills， her dedication to her sister Temra， and her honest struggles with anxiety made her a character you really root for。 I loved the team with forms with Ziva， Temra， Kellyn， and Petrik。 Levenseller makes each character unique and have their own motivations and desires。 The romance is slow burn， with excellent banter！ The ending felt a little rushed， but sets it up nicely for the next book in the series！ This book did start a bit slow， but once the quest really starts you get pulled in nicely。 Can't wait for book two with these amazing characters！！Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc。 。。。more

kai ，

Loved itCharacters: 9/10， I liked all of em except Temra。Story: 8/10， took a while to get good but once it did I was in for the ride。Enjoyment: 9/10， just like story took a while to get into it but after that it was good。

Katrin （Read With Katrin） ，

review soon

hope ，

4/5I loved Six of Crows。 Adored it。 It kickstarted my passion for YA Fantasy。 It made me blubber and fangirl and go absolutely nuts for like， months afterward。And it's not often I say this but:THIS IS SIX OF CROWS-ESQUE （but imagine a knockoff version）。WHICH IS STILL HIGH PRAISE。If you took Six of Crows， subtracted two main characters and a lot of interesting plot points， you'd get Blade of Secrets。I've read Tricia Levenseller before and while I have yet to give a book of hers the full five star 4/5I loved Six of Crows。 Adored it。 It kickstarted my passion for YA Fantasy。 It made me blubber and fangirl and go absolutely nuts for like， months afterward。And it's not often I say this but:THIS IS SIX OF CROWS-ESQUE （but imagine a knockoff version）。WHICH IS STILL HIGH PRAISE。If you took Six of Crows， subtracted two main characters and a lot of interesting plot points， you'd get Blade of Secrets。I've read Tricia Levenseller before and while I have yet to give a book of hers the full five stars， this one is pretty damn close。 I enjoyed The Shadows Between Us。 I generally have a favorable outlook on her writing。 And so， I picked this book up because I saw there was a gang。 And a quest。 A TEENAGE GANG AND A QUEST WITH MAGICAL OBJECTS。 HELLO， SIX OF CROWS VIBES。 I had to read。 It has been too long since a decent YA Fantasy like Six of Crows has come out。Blade of Secrets is about a bladesmith， Ziva， who is magical and creates cool nifty little magical weapons for all the land。 People love her。 They pay her a lot because she is ONE OF A KIND。 Magic used to be illegal in her kingdom， so most magic-users are dead。 Sad。 Anyway！ Ziva hates people （this is literally her favorite phrase） and she's a socially anxious little sweetheart who is constantly depending on her sunny and extroverted younger sister， who is also an absolute badass， Temra。 One day this badass FEMALE WARLORD， Kymora， comes to commission a blade from Ziva， and Ziva is like hey。 This is a pretty lit chick。 She's awesome。 She's badass。 She's a fricking WARLORD and she's admiring MY WORK。 So Ziva is fangirling for Kymora， who wants her to create the best sword Ziva has ever made。 Ziva does， it's this sword that can cut people without touching them， and oh， yeah， if it cuts you it instantly knows all your secrets。 BUT THEN SHE FINDS OUT KYMORA IS ACTUALLY A SECRET BADASS VILLAIN WHO WANTS TO you know RULE THE ENTIRE KINGDOM AND SLAY THE ROYAL FAMILY and use ZIVA TO DO SO。 （Personally， this doesn't seem so bad to me， Kymora is hella cool and would probably be an amazing queen， and doesn't seem like。。。the worst？ but the book must go on！） So Ziva in her noble little socially anxious conscience decides to， like any rational person， take the sword and RUNNNNN。 And along the way she and Temra pick up two other members of their unlikely little gang。 And so it goes。O。K。 This book is definitely a social anxiety rep。 At first， I was a bit skeptical because I thought it was going to be an 'I'm a girl who prefers inanimate objects to people and look at me I'm so quirky and iNTROVERTED and nOt like oTHER girls' type of character。 BUT ZIVA WAS NOT LIKE THAT。 Yes， she does say "I hate people" far too much but other than that I ended up actually really enjoying the social anxiety rep。 I thought it might turn into one of those 'SHE FALLS IN LOVE！！！ AND HER ANXIETY POOFS！' But it didn't， which I found very refreshing。I'll start off with what I don't like because surprisingly it is a shorter list than what I do like。The concept， albeit initially interesting， is simple and falls flat。 You don't get all of the intrigue and twists like you do in Six of Crows and the one twist there is， you end up seeing from miles away。 The plotline to be quite honest bored me， in fact， sometimes I even forgot the gang was running away from Kymora， my lovely cunning badass QUEEN （she deserved more book time）。 It quickly turns into we're running from the bad guys！ oh no！ quest type of story where we never actually elaborate on you know， why is Kymora so bad， and why is she so obsessed with this one magical sword that she needs it to take over the kingdom？？ A lot of plotholes。 Also， some of the plot points serve to literally just allow us to discover some more little traits about our protags。 （view spoiler）[Like there's a scene where they're attacked by wolves and you think oh hey yes， we're 30% in the novel， finally some engagement with the bad guys！ But no。 They're just some fucking wolves used to introduce the fact that HEY Temra， resident badass， is a really good swordswoman！ Also that whole subplot about finding her father's family was honestly a HUGE waste of time and later on was really irrelevant to the ending。 Like， okay they're magic-hating bastards who try and sacrifice Temra to their Goddess big deal， you feel betrayed because they initially liked you and you finally had a FAMILY！ And if Levenseller was really going to use that subplot to bring in feelings of betrayal and loss of familial ties to further deepen the emotional experience of our two favorite sisters Temra and Ziva， then yes by all means dedicate like the entire middle of your book to it。 But it doesn't really come up again。 In fact， Temra and Ziva just end up moving on and dismissing it themselves， despite their longing for a family for， oh I don't know， THEIR ENTIRE LIVES！！ It just never comes up or becomes relevant， and in the end， is just trivialized to a little obstacle that prevents Ziva and her love interest from coming together。 Levenseller doesn't even try to tie it into the big main plot with Kymora by even suggesting that oh， maybe the distant family that now hates them because of magic reported them to her and that's how she finds them！ Nope， Kymora just magically drops in and is like HA I FOUND YOU， no exposition needed。ANYWAY。（hide spoiler）]So yeah， the plot was just kind of all over the place， the subplots and key plot points never ended up tying in in that way where at the end you should be all OHHHH where it all clicks together but instead is just simplified to good guys running from bad guy （or in this case girl）。BUT THERE ARE GOOD THINGS。THE GANG。I adored the gang。 I loved them。 They reminded me of all the reasons why I loved Kaz and Inej and Jesper from Six of Crows。 Ziva， she's the main character， you gotta like her。 BUT IT'S THE INTERACTIONS WITH ALL THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GANG THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY GOLDEN。Petrik。 Petrik is my darling， my sweetie， along with Temra absolutely CARRIED this novel for me。 He's adorable， he's great， I take no suggestions。 Every time another character interacted with Petrik it was ABSOLUTELY LOVELY。 The amount of times I wrote I LOVE PETRIK while making notes on this book is astronomical。 （view spoiler）[ALSO THAT 'TWIST' AT THE END！！！ Of course， such a cutie would be related to Kymora our badass villain。 （hide spoiler）]I also love Temra。 Despite being side characters， they added so much depth to Ziva's evolution。 For me， the banter among the crew really is what kept me going， it all just flowed so well。That's what I've noticed Levenseller excels at。 Those character dynamics and dialogues， they just flow in a way that makes you want to hug the living shit out of them。AND I CAN'T FORGET ABOUT KELLYN。 Despite not being my favorite of all the male protags I've read， he's pretty great。 I like that he's soft。 Soft adorable golden retriever Kellyn。ALSO KYMORA。 SHE'S COOL AS FUCK MAN。 Like we don't hear much about her but you KNOW she's amazing。 Levenseller really outdid herself with these characters， even if I'd like to have seen some more exposition and non-stereotypical growth for all of them。BOTTOM LINE:So yes， in the end， I didn't read this book really for the plot or to find out the fate of the Blade of Secrets。 I read it for the gang， and their banter and interactions， which come to think of it is also a big reason I loved Six of Crows。SO despite not quite being the masterpiece that was Six of Crows， the vibes from this one are close enough that if you loved that book， you'll definitely enjoy this one。 ALL HOPE FOR YA FANTASY IS NOT LOST！ 。。。more

Evelyn ，

4。2🌟Though I'd have to say this book is not as entertaining as Tricia Levenseller's other books， it still had something to it that made me want to keep reading and god， I don't know how I'm gonna wait for a year to read the next book。 The first reason I loved this book is because of the social anxiety rep。 in FANTASY。 how often do you see that？ Ziva， the main character， has severe social anxiety and it was pretty relatable。 she has a very hard time talking to people other than her sister and dep 4。2🌟Though I'd have to say this book is not as entertaining as Tricia Levenseller's other books， it still had something to it that made me want to keep reading and god， I don't know how I'm gonna wait for a year to read the next book。 The first reason I loved this book is because of the social anxiety rep。 in FANTASY。 how often do you see that？ Ziva， the main character， has severe social anxiety and it was pretty relatable。 she has a very hard time talking to people other than her sister and depends on her to speak her mind for her。 As the book goes along， she comes into great dangers and sometimes she just has to get over her fear and it was wonderful to see！ Another thing， the sister bond！ I loved Ziva and Temra's relationship。 I mean how often do you see a healthy， strong sibling relationship in FANTASY？ I'd say pretty rarely。 And if course， it was very fast paced。 which I love。 The only thing I didn't LOVE was Ziva and her love interest's relationship towards the end。 I thought the slow burn was cute close to the start， but then once Ziva got close to him， everything went super fast it it felt like there wasnt enough development there even though it was slow burn。 Also it could be I just wasn't the biggest fan if Ziva's love interest。 Overall， great read and I can't wait till book 2 comes out。 。。。more

Amber Coulson ，

I ran through this book so quickly that I feel like I need to read it again but I could not put it down。 First of all， I love Tricia Levenseller so I don’t even know that I recall reading what the book was about when I requested a copy but I’ll give a quick run down here。 Two orphaned sisters live and work as a blade smith and apprentice。 The eldest sister is renowned for her craft （she makes bodes and imbues them with magic） and draws the attention of a war lord who commissions her to make a bl I ran through this book so quickly that I feel like I need to read it again but I could not put it down。 First of all， I love Tricia Levenseller so I don’t even know that I recall reading what the book was about when I requested a copy but I’ll give a quick run down here。 Two orphaned sisters live and work as a blade smith and apprentice。 The eldest sister is renowned for her craft （she makes bodes and imbues them with magic） and draws the attention of a war lord who commissions her to make a blade。 Once the blade is finished， the war lord rests it out and it is revealed through the power of the blade that the war lord wants to use the blade for evil （big shock， jk， she’s a woman war lord。 She didn’t get there by shaking hands）。 After finding this out she takes herself and her sister on the run but to survive they enlist the aide of a mercenary （apparently super tall and good looking） and the bring a long a scholar of magic they think may help them to destroy the blade。 I really like how the book not only discussed but showcased social anxiety。 Before there was a clinical term people would refer to those suffering with this condition as painfully shy， which woefully understates the gravity of the situation。 We see Ziva outgoing and confident when talking to her sister， but not even wanting to make eye contact one on one。 It has cut her off from making new friends， and forming relationships outside of her sister。 She is so talented as fiercely protective and I like that these characteristics are on full display。 As far as the storyline goes， it started slowly and I was sort of nervous。 As things went on I was so invested。 And the last few chapters！！！！ The plot twist！！！ I did not see that coming at all but did I enjoy it？ Yes！！ I will definitely be back for the second book。 。。。more

Me， My Shelf， & I ，

This was a delight。Honestly， that tagline was so promising and I was worried it would be over-selling the book （I'm terrible at tempering my expectations） but from the map to the foreword （"This one's for you， Dad。 Don't let it go to your head"）， I already knew this was a treat。Ziva has an all-too-relatable fear of people that's known to trigger anxiety/panic attacks。 Her younger sister has no such difficulties and handles all the people-ing in their life while Ziva can get down to what she's tr This was a delight。Honestly， that tagline was so promising and I was worried it would be over-selling the book （I'm terrible at tempering my expectations） but from the map to the foreword （"This one's for you， Dad。 Don't let it go to your head"）， I already knew this was a treat。Ziva has an all-too-relatable fear of people that's known to trigger anxiety/panic attacks。 Her younger sister has no such difficulties and handles all the people-ing in their life while Ziva can get down to what she's truly good at and enjoys: magical blacksmithing。 Her weapons can do numerous things， but one day the power of her blade goes maybe too far and nearly into the hands of the wrong person。Everything was adorable。 I really enjoyed the banter and blossoming romances， even though that's not my usual cup of tea。 The magic was fun and exciting， and I got hints at a greater world outside their travels。 The world-building， cities， and sense of place could've been stronger I guess？ But I had such a blast with this fantastically quick and fun read。 Very sweet， all the feels。 。。。more

Katherine Paschal ，

Ziva enjoys her small life， working in her forge creating magical weapons and taking care of her younger adventurous sister， liking that she can avoid most human interaction since her social anxiety is so limiting。 When she meets a very powerful warlord who wants her to make her a magical blade， Ziva is thrilled at the opportunity to prove her skills。 But soon she learns that not everything is as it seems and her life is about to be turned upside down。As per the usual， this author is able to mix Ziva enjoys her small life， working in her forge creating magical weapons and taking care of her younger adventurous sister， liking that she can avoid most human interaction since her social anxiety is so limiting。 When she meets a very powerful warlord who wants her to make her a magical blade， Ziva is thrilled at the opportunity to prove her skills。 But soon she learns that not everything is as it seems and her life is about to be turned upside down。As per the usual， this author is able to mix action， danger and romance into a cohesive package that is engaging， unique and fun。 This story was a little different from her previous books since the main character suffers from （at times debilitating） social anxiety- whereas basically all her other book MCs have been bursting with confidence and swagger， so this was a totally new type of read。 I have never experienced this condition personally so I can't speak to the realism of Ziva's attacks， but as a reader it felt very encompassing and debilitating， making for a very different kind of encounter for me to read about。So this is the first book in a series and you are being warned now。 The ending was terrible， a big hot mess that left a lot up in the air！ Yes， I said it- and now I will be waiting impatiently for the sequel to see how everything will play out （especially the fate of one of my favorite characters）。 。。。more

Noble ，

LOVED。 （as always- my last star is reserved for if its still a favorite after some time， since I'm still on a high from reading it。 but I cant imagine this wont make it。 it was truly great！）this book cured my reading slump。 i devoured it in a way that I haven't devoured a book in a long time （lmao literally since reading the shadows between us LOOL why am I like this。）loved all the characters， loved the POSITIVE representation of sisters， and the interpersonal relationships between any 2 charact LOVED。 （as always- my last star is reserved for if its still a favorite after some time， since I'm still on a high from reading it。 but I cant imagine this wont make it。 it was truly great！）this book cured my reading slump。 i devoured it in a way that I haven't devoured a book in a long time （lmao literally since reading the shadows between us LOOL why am I like this。）loved all the characters， loved the POSITIVE representation of sisters， and the interpersonal relationships between any 2 characters。 loved each of their arcs and storyline that kept my attention， which can be hard in a journey type story。the portrayal of our mcs social anxiety is spot on because its coming from a place of understanding and experience。 her thoughts are thoughts id have， which made the mc more relatable。i also appreciated how the main love interest is a redhead- not only because I love to see any redhead characters but also because last book redheads were looked down on and I was sad about it lol。 so this is redemptive。idk，I have nothing but good things to say about it！ and the ending was perfect！！ enough of a cliffhanger that you'll definitely want to read the next book， but not an agonizing cliffhanger。 it sets up the next book perfectly。 im so ready！！ 。。。more

Annabelle ，

I NEED the second book out like right now。 This is not fair whatsoever。 I need to know if Temra will be okay！ I need more Ziva and Kellyn！ And maybe even some useless information from Petrik。 I don’t want it to be over for now。 Ahhhhh。

Sarah {The Clever Reader} ，

So so good！ Now I need book two！！

Nashita ，

I neeeeeeedddddd this booookkkk asap ahhhhhhhhhhhhhI love the author ahhhhDaughter of Pirate king and the shadows between us are my fav bookssssssssssssI neeedddd this❤️❤️❤️❤️

These Violent Delights （Robin） ，

Honestly the relatability of Ziva （the main character） really won this book over for me。 I've never felt so represented in a book before。 The anxiety rep is really good in this， almost an exact mirror of my own。。。 of course I also suffer from Depression， Bipolar， and Borderline Personality Disorder along with a dash of PTSD sooooo I have a whole slew of other issues to， but the anxiety representation is pretty spot on。 Super excited for book 2！ Honestly the relatability of Ziva （the main character） really won this book over for me。 I've never felt so represented in a book before。 The anxiety rep is really good in this， almost an exact mirror of my own。。。 of course I also suffer from Depression， Bipolar， and Borderline Personality Disorder along with a dash of PTSD sooooo I have a whole slew of other issues to， but the anxiety representation is pretty spot on。 Super excited for book 2！ 。。。more

Haleyyy ，

4。5 starsOkay this was so fun。 I loved it！ It jumps straight into the story， doesn't get slow， and is a super quick read。 The slow burn is so goooood， their awkward encounters were EVERYTHING。 4。5 starsOkay this was so fun。 I loved it！ It jumps straight into the story， doesn't get slow， and is a super quick read。 The slow burn is so goooood， their awkward encounters were EVERYTHING。 。。。more

Emily ，

I have to say， overall， I really enjoyed this！ Was it a groundbreaking YA fantasy？ No。 Was I engaged with the plot， the world building and the characters？ Hell yes！Plus， I found the plot building and character development to be a lot stronger than The Shadows Between us （which I still enjoyed， so no shade here。 We love author growth）。 I think my favorite thing about this book， however， was the social anxiety representation （and that the time and care necessary was given to do it justice and not I have to say， overall， I really enjoyed this！ Was it a groundbreaking YA fantasy？ No。 Was I engaged with the plot， the world building and the characters？ Hell yes！Plus， I found the plot building and character development to be a lot stronger than The Shadows Between us （which I still enjoyed， so no shade here。 We love author growth）。 I think my favorite thing about this book， however， was the social anxiety representation （and that the time and care necessary was given to do it justice and not just throw it in as an afterthought）。 While I love a good stereotypical “strong YA heroine”， I think sometimes they become almost boring because of the lack of realism in dire situations。 I loved that the author demonstrated that a character can be strong and interesting and also struggle with her own anxiety。 Plus， I love a good “panic attack makes hero understand the heroine and a moment of empathy ensues and connects the two” scene/trope。 。。。more

Trina ，

dhdhdhdhdjd I binge read this in a frenzy and I am on the floor in awe。 I would die for the four main characters。 I am a husk， awaiting book 2。

Caro Acevedo ，

3 stars。I really did like this book。What the issue was？ I didn't like the main character at all。 Hear me out: It was not about the mental health rep because personally as someone who deals with anxiety on a daily basis， it felt pretty accurate most of the time and one of the few things I liked about Ziva because it made her more real。 Now， a bladesmith who does not wield the blades and has no clue how to defend herself at all just takes away so much value and quality from the story。 I thought， " 3 stars。I really did like this book。What the issue was？ I didn't like the main character at all。 Hear me out: It was not about the mental health rep because personally as someone who deals with anxiety on a daily basis， it felt pretty accurate most of the time and one of the few things I liked about Ziva because it made her more real。 Now， a bladesmith who does not wield the blades and has no clue how to defend herself at all just takes away so much value and quality from the story。 I thought， "Ok， so she has this amazing power and she is always controlling herself。 So， maybe under these circumstances she might peel off a layer and show some other skill， like an ability to fight or something" <--- that would have been a much better plot twist than the one we actually get almost at the end of the book。It was enjoyable don't misunderstand me， I had a good time and actually liked the other characters。 I have to say also that because of the many limitations our main character had， this book read a lot younger than I expected。I'm putting all my hopes for actual character development in book 2。 。。。more

kels ，

*4。5⭐️ i didn’t realise how badly i needed to feel seen in a book & to remind myself it’s not just me， until this one。

Kevin ，

Did not finish。Could also have been named， Teenage Angst: The Novel。 The main character literally has magical powers from all of her angst。 Of course， the main character is secretly beautiful despite being a wallflower。 And brilliant， despite no formal education。 And worldly， despite being a shut in。 The moment they introduced a twilight style lover interest that the main character was drawn to solely on physical attractiveness， I was out。However， the worst sin of this novel is that it tells rat Did not finish。Could also have been named， Teenage Angst: The Novel。 The main character literally has magical powers from all of her angst。 Of course， the main character is secretly beautiful despite being a wallflower。 And brilliant， despite no formal education。 And worldly， despite being a shut in。 The moment they introduced a twilight style lover interest that the main character was drawn to solely on physical attractiveness， I was out。However， the worst sin of this novel is that it tells rather than shows。 First person stories are tricky to tell， but they can never simply have the narrator/main character simply state how the audience should feel。 It's a cheap trick and it constantly pulled me out of the story。There are some decent ideas here， but I couldn't get by the clichés and writer's style。 There are many other YA novels that do what the author is trying to do more successfully。 。。。more

Brooke ，

The past two Tricia Levenseller books I've read are "The Shadows Between Us" and "Warrior of the Wild" and have just found that they don't suit my reading needs。 Which is fine and dandy， a little sad actually on my part because both books had so much promise on the back cover that I couldn't wait to dive down deep to read。 I found them to be a bit childish and lackluster for my taste and I know I stand nearly by myself in these thoughts。 So， when I read the blurb for "Blade of Secrets" and saw t The past two Tricia Levenseller books I've read are "The Shadows Between Us" and "Warrior of the Wild" and have just found that they don't suit my reading needs。 Which is fine and dandy， a little sad actually on my part because both books had so much promise on the back cover that I couldn't wait to dive down deep to read。 I found them to be a bit childish and lackluster for my taste and I know I stand nearly by myself in these thoughts。 So， when I read the blurb for "Blade of Secrets" and saw that beautiful， chef's kiss cover I got my hopes up and decided， why the hell not give Levenseller another go？ BoS had magical swords， sisters who love and fight for each other， adventure and the promise of a love interest？ WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE？？！ Blade of Secrets didn't quite do it for me， surprise， surprise。 The magical system didn't feel flushed out enough for a 300+ page book。 The main character Ziva has the power to insert magic into any weapon she makes on her forge。 Cool， right？ Very cool。 But， how does she have this magic？ Well through her mother， cool， cool， fine and dandy。 But， how did this magic come about？ Does anyone else have any magic？ Is there good and bad types of magic？ What makes this magic system different from any others？ We get some of these questions answered。。。yes， other people have magic I think we're told from a side character that people have affinities to earth， water， metals， animals， plants， etc。 etc。 There are good and bad magic users。 Heck， magic was forbidden for some time because it's big and bad and scary， and now it's okay to use in this timeframe for our MC。 I think what I struggled the most with is the "why" and "how come" not being explained even further for me。 And， maybe I missed the part where Levenseller said "And this is why main girl Ziva has magical powers" it could happen， I could have totally missed that crucial part in the story， but I don't think I did。 SO magical system gets a C- could everything be better explained in book 2？ Of course。 World building？ WHAT WORLD BUILDING？！ Again， this is book one and a little/a lot happens in book one so maybe world building wasn't that high on the scale？ In one scene our merry band of travelers are walking through the forest late at night and Ziva （MC） looks up at the sky and says something about there being "two moons" out tonight。 Two moons？ Two moons？ Why are there two moons in this world？ Two moons is pretty cool， but it was so nonchalant。 I wish there had been like a mini explanation behind it。 I don't need anything super scientific， but if you're going to point it out， blatantly point it out I want a reason。 Characters: Ziva， Main Girl， smithy， has crippling anxiety， doesn't like people （I can get behind that） super talented with her smithing capabilities， has magic。 Cannot fight worth a darn。 She was okay。 I feel like her character arc will develop much further with book two， as it should。 I couldn't relate to her， but I'm sure a lot of other readers will be able too。 Temra: Little sister， kinda annoying， has no magical powers but can handle a sword？ Towards the end of the book something happens to Temra and we as the reader are supposed to feel something towards this character and I think it's supposed to be a cliffhanger of sorts？ But it wasn't， for me， it wasn't。 Petrik or Patrick or Petrock: I'm not sure what he was supposed to do during this whole adventure， but it wasn't ever much。 If he was supposed to be the "guide" of sorts that helps lead our MC into more knowledge about her powers and yada yada yada Petrik-Patrick-Petrock didn't really do that。 He has a *le gasp* moment that wasn't that big of a moment。 It's "foreshadowed" his real part in all of this and it wasn't done that well。 Kellyn: Love interest。 Mercenary。 Reeeallllly tall young fellow。 Has red hair。 Likes shy， quiet girls。 The romance that "developed" I think was supposed to feel like a enemies to lovers type of romance but I didn't get that。 There wasn't enough angst， or dislike for it be enemies to lovers。 It felt like it all happened really quickly， even though the characters journey through the land for a couple months I think？ And then they stay at Kellyn's parents house for even longer？ I'm fuzzy on the timeline。 But， the romance was ehhh。 All in all， I'm a bit saddened。 I think I'll probably read book two， but as far as being knocked off my socks。 My socks are still on my feet。 。。。more

Nelson ，

I PREFER METAL TO PEOPLE， WHICH IS WHY THE FORGE IS MY SAFE SPACE。And there it is folks。 That one starting line to hook you in like a fish with bait。 Honestly， I hate how addictive Tricia's books are。 They give you no space。 NO SLEEP。 You can't help it until it's either done with you or you're done with it。BLADE OF SECRETS encompasses a whole lot of feels moments。 Relatable shits and bad boy-girl banter in all it's badassness。 The protagonist's （ZIVA） brilliant works make you cry with wishes tha I PREFER METAL TO PEOPLE， WHICH IS WHY THE FORGE IS MY SAFE SPACE。And there it is folks。 That one starting line to hook you in like a fish with bait。 Honestly， I hate how addictive Tricia's books are。 They give you no space。 NO SLEEP。 You can't help it until it's either done with you or you're done with it。BLADE OF SECRETS encompasses a whole lot of feels moments。 Relatable shits and bad boy-girl banter in all it's badassness。 The protagonist's （ZIVA） brilliant works make you cry with wishes that you could wield one even if you're as wretched as she is in weapon fights。 And her sisterly bond reminds me so much of my dogs and I。 "Yes it lovingly did"The romance is a wish come true。 I've always had a thing for naughty-witty romance from birth。I am currently battling cancer and I hope the next book comes out before I die。 。。。more

AziaMinor ，

Overall Rating : B+"Even at my worst， I can be strong。Okay so I was going to give this 3 stars but the second half drew me in。 I'm glad I stuck through it。I will say this was more contemporary than fantasy so people should be aware of that before you go in and I wished there was more world-building and explanation of the kingdom they lived in。 But like I said， you just have to stick with it。And I don't think I've ever related to a character as much as Ziva。 A really good representation on how so Overall Rating : B+"Even at my worst， I can be strong。Okay so I was going to give this 3 stars but the second half drew me in。 I'm glad I stuck through it。I will say this was more contemporary than fantasy so people should be aware of that before you go in and I wished there was more world-building and explanation of the kingdom they lived in。 But like I said， you just have to stick with it。And I don't think I've ever related to a character as much as Ziva。 A really good representation on how social anxiety affects people in every day life that struck me hard in some places。The ending left off of a MAJOR cliffhanger which I was not expecting at all so I will be eagerly awaiting the second book to come out ASAP 。。。more

Nancy ，

Tricia left you hanging in the end！ The first half was good but the last was AMAZING！！！ I truly enjoyed this book。

Graceley Knox ，

Please note there are mild spoilers through this review。 Stop reading now if you don’t want to know anything！ My full review can be found on The Nerd Daily， here: https://thenerddaily。com/review-blade。。。As a long time fan of Tricia Levenseller’s novels， and a survivor of the epic hangover that came with reading The Shadows Between Us， I knew going into Blade of Secrets that it would be another amazing read。 What I didn’t know was how much I needed this book in my life， and why every other person Please note there are mild spoilers through this review。 Stop reading now if you don’t want to know anything！ My full review can be found on The Nerd Daily， here: https://thenerddaily。com/review-blade。。。As a long time fan of Tricia Levenseller’s novels， and a survivor of the epic hangover that came with reading The Shadows Between Us， I knew going into Blade of Secrets that it would be another amazing read。 What I didn’t know was how much I needed this book in my life， and why every other person who has any hint of anxiety out there， should move this book to the top of their TBR， and meet Ziva and her ragtag gang of misfits， immediately！Social anxiety representation in a fantasy novel？ Oh， yes。In a young adult fantasy novel， no less？ Mmhmm， that’s right。Actual authentic depictions of what anxiety is like for the main character？Say what？ I KNOW！ FINALLY！After what feels like forever and a few too many days， the YA fantasy genre has caught up and entered the realm of mental illness representation in a main character with Ziva。 And by representation I don’t mean they skim over it， make light of it， or they suddenly lose all their fears midway through the book because someone made a snarky comment and they broke through their cocoon。I mean， we’re with Ziva through her panic attacks and insomnia and see first hand how her anxiety not only impacts her daily life， but how she’s able to work through it。 Not only that， but how she’s able to do something she loves， with the full support of her family。 Full stop they’re not trying to change her at all。 They accept her， no questions asked， no what ifs and I’ll be damned if it’s not one of the most refreshing family dynamics I’ve read in a book in a long while。 Temra， Ziva’s sister， who’s pretty much the exact opposite of her in every way， is able to relate to and help Ziva cope with her fears without treating Ziva as though she should be encased in bubble wrap。Does it seem like I’m stuck on this aspect of the book？ Yeah？ Well， good。 Because it’s about freakin’ time we get to see that mix of magic and panic tossed in with the typical fantasy tropes we all love so dearly。Speaking of those must haves in a fantasy novel… Blade of Secrets checked all the boxes I would expect a novel written by Levenseller to have with a reluctant heroine， witty banter between characters， a slow burn romance （not to mention that side romance that I can’t wait to see develop further in book two！）， and all the adventure and sword fights a reader could ask for， plus how cool is it that Ziva forges magical swords？ Can I have one too please？ Promise I won’t use it for evil。 。。。more

Joyousmoi ，

Absolutely relatable and engrossing！ Can't wait for the next one！ Absolutely relatable and engrossing！ Can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more

Georgia ，

One of my favorite reads of 2020 was The Shadows Between Us—which was my first time reading a Tricia Levenseller book—so I was very excited when I heard about Blade of Secrets！ And this book did not disappoint！Listen， I don’t know how Levenseller does it， but her ability to fit in so much in such short books is wildly impressive。 While Blade of Secrets is the first in a duology， it surprised me how much character development and action Levenseller managed to squeeze into the first book alone。 Wi One of my favorite reads of 2020 was The Shadows Between Us—which was my first time reading a Tricia Levenseller book—so I was very excited when I heard about Blade of Secrets！ And this book did not disappoint！Listen， I don’t know how Levenseller does it， but her ability to fit in so much in such short books is wildly impressive。 While Blade of Secrets is the first in a duology， it surprised me how much character development and action Levenseller managed to squeeze into the first book alone。 With Blade of Secrets， I especially enjoyed seeing how Ziva changed as a person， but also how the dynamic between Ziva and her sister Temra changed over time。 When the book starts， Ziva is both wildly co-dependent of Temra， but also steadfastly protective of her， which in and of itself is an interesting dynamic to navigate。 Temra， while equally protective and loving toward her sister， very evidently wants to branch out and find her own place in the world that isn’t necessarily by Ziva’s side， and this creates conflict between the two as it becomes more apparent to Ziva that what she wants isn’t what Temra wants。 Watching these sisters clash over their conflicting interests throughout the book， and seeing them learn to respect each other’s wishes and grow into themselves—Ziva especially—was such a realistic and gradual evolution， and I’m in awe of how well Levenseller made it work， especially for how short the book was。So， yes， I loved Ziva and Temra and exploring their relationship， but we can’t forget about Kellyn and Petrik。 I don’t want to spoil too much about these guys， but I have to give Levenseller kudos， once again， for writing such perfectly imperfect male leads！ On top of that， the banter between our four main characters was just too fun at times， and I found myself laughing out loud while reading。Now， we really need to spotlight the anxiety rep in this book because it is phenomenal， in my opinion。 I don’t know really anything about Levenseller and whether or not she herself experiences anxiety， nor is it my business to speculate whether that is the case， but if she doesn’t， I cannot applaud her enough on how accurately she depicts Ziva’s social anxiety， down to the smallest mannerisms。 At first， I even found it a bit difficult to fall into a steady pace with reading Blade of Secrets because being inside Ziva’s head was rather overwhelming with the rapidity of her thoughts and sensory overload she was constantly facing。 But truly， Levenseller did such a fantastic job at making Ziva’s anxiety feel real and consistent， and not just like a tacked-on personality trait for the sake of mental health representation， nor like a caricature depiction of anxiety。 Additionally， I cannot say enough how much I appreciated the fact that Levenseller was so careful about making sure Ziva’s love interest didn’t carry on the role of trying to “fix her”， and that he， rather， worked with her to understand her anxiety and help her in what ways he could while allowing her the space to figure things out for herself。 When it comes to mental health， it seems to be such an easy trap for authors to fall into where they want one character to “fix” the other character， and that is just so damaging and disappointing to see in portrayals of mental health。 Even though Blade of Secrets was only my second experience with a Tricia Levenseller book， I’m now， more than ever， thoroughly convinced I need to read more from her， and I’ll definitely be back for Master of Iron when that is eventually published！**Thank you to Fierce Reads for an eARC of this book！** 。。。more

Neve ，

Tricia Levenseller is an autobuy for me。 Shadows Between Us is one of my all time favorite books。 This book is probably my least favorite Levenseller book I have read so far。 This book has such an interesting premise。 It is so original and cool and interesting， and I just wish there was MORE of the magic in this book。 I was expecting more action， and sadly I was disappointed。 Ziva， the main character， suffers from social anxiety。 I have severe anxiety， I take medication， and I could relate to SO Tricia Levenseller is an autobuy for me。 Shadows Between Us is one of my all time favorite books。 This book is probably my least favorite Levenseller book I have read so far。 This book has such an interesting premise。 It is so original and cool and interesting， and I just wish there was MORE of the magic in this book。 I was expecting more action， and sadly I was disappointed。 Ziva， the main character， suffers from social anxiety。 I have severe anxiety， I take medication， and I could relate to SO MUCH of how Ziva was feeling。 With that being said， I live through anxiety。 I live it every day， and I have for as long as I can remember。 I don't want to read about it too。 I read for escapism and while I think the anxiety rep is great， I didn't enjoy reading it。 It was such a LARGE part of the book， that I felt taken out of the world multiple times。 This is most likely just a personal preference， but because I suffer from such severe anxiety， I don't want to read about a character who is also suffering from it。 I want to escape， not be reminded of it。 With that being said， I thought the anxiety that Ziva was suffering from was very accurate and relatable。 There were multiple times where she said things and I was like "yeah， I've felt that before。"The plot was mostly centered around the characters traveling。 I was bored at times， and wanted more。 I felt like the focus was on the relationship， but it was SUCH a slow burn that that also bored me。 I kept waiting for something to happen。 The "twists" that did happen were pretty predictable。 This book also reads very early YA。 With all that being said， I did enjoy this book - just not as much as I expected to。 I am looking forward to the next one！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blade of Secrets

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blade of Secrets&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blade of Secrets&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0