From the Bookshelf of Challenge Corner…

Forging Silver into Stars (Forging Silver into Stars, #1)

Brigid Kemmerer

Start date: July 1, 2022

Finish date: July 31, 2022

Discussion: Book of the Month

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 7 topics — 756 comments total

Book of the Month

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Previous BOTMs
By Felicia · 11 posts · 732 views

last updated Dec 27, 2024 06:25AM

* BOTM Polls!
By Alaina · 24 posts · 217 views

last updated Sep 19, 2025 07:58AM

showing 10 of 24 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 03, 2023 Alicia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: witches-sorcerers-mages, i-got-bored, lgbtqia, pre-orders, fantasy, disability-or-physical-ailments, finally-read-it, i-don-t-get-it, pride-month, audiobook

Best things first: I loved Nora. The chatty younger sister gave this book much needed brevity, and the audio for her was on point.
The sexual tension building in the MM developing relationship. Those two were all sweet touches and lingering glances and hot brushes of skin.
Now for the rest. This one dragggggged. It’s very hot and cold, back and forth, which effectively means they have the same internal conversations and awkward encounters a dozen times before anything progresses. And it’s not al Best things first: I loved Nora. The chatty younger sister gave this book much needed brevity, and the audio for her was on point.
The sexual tension building in the MM developing relationship. Those two were all sweet touches and lingering glances and hot brushes of skin.
Now for the rest. This one dragggggged. It’s very hot and cold, back and forth, which effectively means they have the same internal conversations and awkward encounters a dozen times before anything progresses. And it’s not altogether enjoyable to listen for hours as everyone they love turns against them and all the characters are constantly at each other, especially when it’s all for stupid stuff that CaN bE sOlVeD wItH a SiNgLe HoNeSt CoNvErSaTiOn. Which seems really lazy, because there’s no real conflict beyond miscommunication, and if everyone just laid out their cards all would be well. It was actually painful getting to Callyn’s romance angle, because you could feel it coming, but surely not, they wouldn’t go that far and make such a terrible decision, but they do indeed go too far and make all the terrible decisions. Honestly, nobody could be as stupid as all these people are. The banter and tension with the other two almost makes up for it, but there’s so many things that go too far for a realistic relationship to take place for me. I have lines, and it crosses them and expects me to still root for them. If you’ve cut the other person’s neck on a blade while threatening them, I won’t be happy when it’s all forgiven because they kiss really well. And this happens with both couples! At least come up with a new way for me to hate them, but honestly a lot of this book was really repetitive. There’s only so long you can have the entire world turn against them and turn on each other and betray their friends, and this book went so far beyond those limits. Grey was a complete turn around with zero redeeming qualities. He deserved to be stabbed many, many times.
I don’t think it works well as a standalone outside of Cursebreakers. I’ve read the series (admittedly a while back and I have inevitably forgotten things) but there were points where I didn’t know what they were on about either.
There is a lot of politics and court gossip in play in this story, and it’s quite gory. There is sexual content on the page, but it’s more implied than explicit (as in, ‘he delves his hand beneath my shorts, my breath coming in pants as I fracture’ type thing. Not a direct quote, but that’s the general essence of the more intimate scenes. Just better written). There’s a lot of action at the end, but I was so sick to death of everyone being stupid by that point and I was just glad it was over. Which sucks, because I’ve read all of her books and I genuinely thought I would love this, instead of just getting through it. ...more

1 like · Like · see review