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.
-Goodreads
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I’ve said it before in a Tricia Levenseller review, and I’ll say it again – her books are ALWAYS one sitting reads for me. Once I’ve picked up one of her books, I can’t put it down until I’ve finished it. I think it has something to do with her writing style. It just keeps me turning pages and I’ve yet to find a book by her that I didn’t just absolutely devour.
It was so refreshing to see anxiety well represented in Ziva. I loved her character and found her endlessly relatable. Tricia Levenseller did an incredible job of expressing Ziva’s feelings and anxiety in her narration without making the book feel to heavy on inner monologues. I also couldn’t get enough of her relationship with her sister. Their strong bond was part of what made this book so special.
The secondary characters are all lovable and flawed, and the found family aspect of the book may have been my favorite part of the entire story. I’m beyond excited to see how their group dynamic changes with the new revelations that came to light at the end of this book and definitely look forward to reading book two! What a way to end a book!
As The Book Ends 
This sounds like a really fantastic read and I love the cover.
Great review, thanks so much for sharing it!
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