Review: The Blacksmith Queen

The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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 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.

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