The Blacksmith Queen by G.A Aiken
What an enjoyable romp through the fantastical world of the Blacksmith queen. The book grabbed me and held me hostage from the opening pages where a king has died, and his offspring are murdering each other for his crown.
The story quickly moves to the forest where the Smythe family is feeling the repercussions of the king’s death. The Smythe family is gloriously filled with strong, courageous, brutal women to revel in combat (most often with each other). Soon we learn that Beatrix, one of the sisters, has been prophesized by witches to be the next queen. This prophecy puts her and the entire family at risk from the remaining competing royals.
I have a penchant for strong female characters. Rarely have I come across a character like our main character, Keeley. With a body honed by “womaning” a forge Keeley not only has the physical strength to fight any man or beast, she also has unwavering courage that holds fast no matter the circumstance.
With a fast-paced plot, a nice bit of gore, hilariously funny characters and just a smidge of sex, this novel was the perfect read at the end of my summer. I laughed aloud innumerable times (a couple of times in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, which garnered me many a stare). And yay! There are several more Aikian novels out there for me to read!
The Blacksmith Queen comes out August 27, 2019
Ink And Spine 