Review Detail

What I like: Ziva and her sister are a loving pair who work well together and understand their relationship. Temra, even though her younger sister, does a fantastic job of helping her anxiety-ridden sister navigate life. Ziva doesn’t communicate well with people, has high anxiety around numerous ones, and loves working alone in her forge making magical weapons. Ziva stands out as a unique character. Rarely does the hero or main character have these traits; they are known to be bold and strong and converse with others naturally. Ziva is a great character to connect with, and the author shows excellent rep for those who have these traits to see a female character navigate the world and grow as a character.
What I wanted more of: I wanted to see Ziva get the chance to make more weapons and use the special gun she forms to discover more secrets about the people she encounters. I did think that the fitting nod to the sword in the stone part of the story was a fantastic way to deal with such a dangerous weapon.
Final Verdict: Blade of Secrets is a solid start to this duology. We are given the foundation of the magic in the world and the main characters and learn who is on our characters' side and who shouldn’t be trusted.