The Blacksmith Queen

Think Stardust (old King dies and his sons fight each other to secure the throne) meets LoTR (elves and dwarves and a quest) with G.A. Aiken's customary bawdy humour and you've got yourself another winner! Keeley Smythe comes from a long line of Blacksmith women. One of numerous children she runs the smithy like clockwork and looks after her siblings. She may have the strength of a man twice her size but she is kind and gentle with children and animals, no matter if the wolves she befriends have fire burning in their eyes and are most likely demonspawn. When witches prophesise that her younger sister will be Queen, Keeley has her doubts but immediately offers to escort her to the witches to get the prophecy confirmed. Joined by her crazy family and a group of battle centaurs she will need all her powers of persuasion to forge alliances and keep her family safe. When I first started reading this I couldn't get into the book, maybe because I found Keeley too similar to Annwyl at first - incredibly strong fearless woman able to defeat impossible odds etc. I put it aside and started reading it again on an international flight and just ripped through it. Loved everything about it. Loved Keeley, loved her sisters, loved her cousin, loved the centaurs, loved the deliciously evil princes. Only downside, I'd just really got into the book when it ended. In fact I kept pressing the next page button on my Kindle fruitlessly several times before I realised that was the end of the book (see international flight above). So this is very much "to be continued …" I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN is the first instalment in G.A. Aiken’s THE SCARRED EARTH fantasy saga set in the world of Dragon King series. This is blacksmith Keeley Smythe, and Amichai warrior of the Scarred Earth Clan, Caid’s story line Told from several third person perspectives including Caid and Keeley THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN follows Keeley Smythe as she is tasked with protecting her sister Beatrix, the prophesized queen but a task that sees Keeley fighting for her life. In an effort to take down the newly crowned king, Keeley must side with a group of mountain warriors that are so much more than they appear to be. Enter Caid, an Amichai warrior, and the man with whom Keeley will fall in love. What ensues is a cross country journey as Keeley and her ‘army’ must fight off marauding armies, dragons, elves, witches and dwarves, in an attempt to stop the destruction of villages, and annihilation of thousands of people. Keeley Smythe comes from a long line of female blacksmiths-powerful, strong and talented females who know a thing or two about killing and fighting but not all of Keeley’s sisters are wanna-be blacksmiths, in fact one or two have ‘chosen’ to venture down a differing path, setting their sights on something more. With the recent death of the Old King, anarchy has ensued and Keeley must fight to protect the people she loves. Meeting Caid, one of the Amichai warriors finds our heroine siding with a people she had only heard about through mythology and tales. Caid and his family are a magical people but it is their ability to ‘shift’ that makes them powerful and fierce in the eyes of the enemy. If you are a fan of the author’s Dragonkin series you will recognize many similarities and plot structures including the squabbling and battle-raged siblings, War monk, centaurs, mythological gods and powerful demon dogs, as well as he appearance of a dragon who spews lava to destroy those trying to take him down. There are a couple of references to the aforementioned series including the barbarians, the Dragon Queen, and of course the Mad Queen, herself. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and crazy secondary and supporting characters including Keeley’s twelve siblings and numerous cousins, uncles and extended family; the Amichai warriors of varying species, as well as the rather barbaric and power hungry royal family. The requisite evil has many faces. THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN is a complex and detailed story that introduces a vast array of characters. Aiken’s trademark humor, sarcasm and snark is liberally sprinkled throughout the story but to a lesser degree than her other series. The relationship between Keeley and Caid is slow to develop, and the romance is limited but such is the nature of many fantasy story lines. The back and forth banter between siblings if oft-times crazy and disturbing but in the end, they will always protect the people they love.

That was just awesome! There was so much going on in this book to set up this world, and these characters, and all the dynamics. But it was all laid out methodically, and built on each step, that it was easy to keep things straight. So much wonderment, and so much violence, and so much laughter. It was easy to be on the side of good, and despise the side of evil, and to see the gray from the people and creatures in-between Humans, and centaurs, and dwarves, and elves, and wolves, and witches, oh my! This was a wonderful story, and I can’t wait for more 😊