Forged by Magic
by Jenna Wolfhart
Summary
A heartwarming, feel-good fantasy romance…with a helping of spice and only a pinch of danger.
Trapped in a tower by the emperor who conquered her homeland, Daella yearns for an escape. But as one of the few half-orcs left in the world, she knows she’ll never be free, much less find her own happily ever after.
Destiny takes an unexpected turn when the emperor offers her a deal. To earn her freedom, she must journey to the mysterious Isles of Fable and track down wielders of outlawed dragon magic. Eager to seize her chance, Daella agrees.
When a brutal storm tosses her ship off course, she washes up on the wrong island—right at the feet of Rivelin, a gruff but handsome elven blacksmith, who seems more likely to stab her than help her. To her surprise, he offers her shelter until the next ship passes through in six weeks’ time.
Daella soon realizes he’s hiding something big. It could be the very magic she’s been tasked to hunt down—the key to her long-awaited freedom. But as they bicker over the flames of his forge, her heart kindles with something she’s never felt before.
When his secrets finally come to light, Daella must decide what’s more her freedom from the wicked crown or the desires of her heart.
My Review
Stopped reading around the 15% mark.
1 star based on the portion I read.
I didn’t finish this one, and honestly, the writing was the main reason why. It came across as very immature, almost like it was written at a high school level, which made it hard for me to take the story seriously or get immersed in the world.
The book fell flat for me because it felt less like a cohesive story and more like a checklist of trendy tropes. Instead of those elements feeling naturally woven into the narrative, they came across as forced, which made the reading experience feel shallow and formulaic.
It’s a shame, because the cover is adorable and the overall premise had real potential. On paper, this should have been right up my alley since it hits a lot of the things I usually enjoy in fantasy. Unfortunately, the pacing was all over the place, and the execution didn’t live up to the promise. This ended up being a disappointing DNF for me.