Blade of Secrets

I think it's one of my favorite Actually YA books I've read in a while. I still have things I didn't like but they're very minor and I can over look them. I lean more to a 4.5 star but I'll up it to 5 since I can't do halves and this book really does deserve a higher rating.

When I say actually YA, I mean it's appropriate for that age range, 12-17. There's romance but no spice (keep in mind I like, and usually prefer spice in books), and it felt like the characters were teenagers, not adults with their shit together.

The characters were good at what they do but not at everything which was refreshing in the YA genre (especially YA Fantasy) that tends to lead towards the narrative that the protagonist has to be a god at everything; they're only bad, or mildly sucky, at one thing to humanize and humble them to the reader, but even that is just something they'll master in time. They also aren't trying to run a kingdom or be married off to a prince, both of which I can appreciate. I won't speak on if the representation of anxiety/social anxiety is good or not, because even though I have it, it isn't to this extreme. so it's hard to know if this is what it's like for people with a much more severe case or if it's too exaggerated.

So pick it up if you like: YA Fantasy with romance (but don't want to read smut, or are okay with no smut), some blacksmithing, a soft magic system, a found family vibe, and traveling from place to place.