Forged by Magic

3.75 stars. Cute story, easy read, I liked the couple. My biggest problem was that there was too much miscommunication and mistrust between the love interests. Yes they're enemies at first, but they are being paranoid of each other's actions well into their “lovers” phase and that didn't make sense to me. At the smallest problem all the trust they built would just get thrown out the window. meanwhile someone off page would have to tell them “hey have you thought it might be X or Y?” And then they solve the problem together. It took me so long to read because all the miscommunication twists were annoying me so it gets a lower star rating for that.

With you, I would dance until the world ends.

Forged by Magic delivers on everything you'd expect from a cozy fantasy: a trope-filled romance, a high fantasy setting and a low-stakes plot. I loved getting sucked into this world, but I also had a few too many criticisms for it to land as a solid four star read.

♡ The Setting Fantasy media often leans into the brutality of their pseudo-medieval settings, so it was refreshing to read a story set somewhere that values peace and prosperity over all. There's still violence and theft, but the way its treated by the characters made for a unique dynamic. I saw someone tag this as a “small town romance,” and I couldn't agree more — Hearthaven was giving me major Stars Hollow vibes with all the little merchants and townsfolk meddling and gossiping. Jenna Wolfhart includes so many fun world building details about Hearthaven that it starts to feel like its own character in the best way.

♡ The Trials I'm usually not a big fan of the trials/competition trope because I've seen it done so much, but Jenna Wolfhart offers a unique take on it. I loved watching the townsfolk find ways to sabotage without outright breaking the rules of their community. I loved that you see the effects of past competitions in the story, both positive and negative. My one criticism is that I wish the challenges were a bit more varied — if I recall, three of the challenges asked contestants to make something out of or using a certain element. The sculpture out of fire, the cupcakes out of earth, etc. I was expecting a big twist every time they announced the next trial, but instead it felt a little repetitive.

♡ Genre I love a story that blends genres, but this book more so flip-flopped between genres. It fits a lot of conventions of both high fantasy and cozy fantasy. The story is mostly focused on a small competition in a remote village: a small scope that matches cozy fantasy. But there are moving pieces in the larger world, one that crosses oceans and divides kingdoms: a larger scope that matches high fantasy. Even though the book feels low stakes, there's actually a lot at risk in this story — Daella's safety, the future of the island, political alliances and more. So is this a low-stakes cozy mystery, or is it a high-stakes, life and death adventure? It's both. Whether or not this is a good or bad thing comes down to your personal preferences. For me, it felt like the author wasn't sure what kind of book they wanted to write, which takes me into my next point:

♡ The Ending At the end of this book, the characters still have a lot to accomplish and it seems like the book is about to become a duology. You think that Daella and Rivelin are about to sail across the sea to retrieve an ancient book, bond to a dragon and maybe even defeat an evil king while they're at it — but you soon find out that all that plot nonsense has been wrapped up off screen and we're good now~! Instead of stretching that potential plot into a sequel, the author rushes the ending and ties it up in the neatest bow you've ever seen. In my opinion, this book should have either 1) been made into a duology to fully explore the story or 2) had a smaller scale to begin with.

⁺˚⋆｡°✩ Overall Thoughts✩°｡⋆˚⁺

For me, a four star is a book that I'm going to revisit over time. I don't see myself revisiting Forged by Magic, but I do see myself revisiting its world through the rest of the series. I'm being picky and putting it at 3.75 stars — the book itself wasn't a four for me, but I love the world so much that I want to continue exploring the series. At the time of writing this review, I'm actually halfway through the sequel and enjoying it a lot more than the first.

If you're looking for a fantasy as cozy as a dragon snuggled by a hearth, look no further than Forged by Magic. While I have criticisms with some elements of this book, it's also a super relaxing read that I would recommend to those getting into cozy fantasy.