The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch, 2)

The story picks up where the first book left off, delving deeper into the life of Tea (again -- pronounced Tee-uh), a bone witch with the ability to raise and control the dead. Her powers are well-established now and she's made quite a few enemies along the way. All of choices are leading her down a path to discover her past...the ol' "know your past to know your present." We still have the "bard" recording her story and honestly, his character is one of the most interesting (to me -- but I'm a story teller).

The "world-building" of the dark fantasy realm continues in book two with fancy halls and downright creepy forest landscapes. The tension is crafted in the setting, and that is not always an easy feat to achieve, but Chupeco's brings to life a vivid and intricate fantasy realm. Additionally, her gift in the narrative is describing magical rituals and their consequences, that while we know aren't real, Chupeco makes the story feel both fantastical and eerily believable.

Tea, in this second installment, undergoes significant change as she grapples with her powers and the moral dilemmas they present. Her internal struggle between darkness and light is expertly portrayed, a quality of writing that reminds me of Beautiful Creatures and the creation of the character Lena. (As I type this, I think I'll reread that series...it was also fantastic!)

One of the novel's strengths is its focus on themes such as identity, power, and the consequences of one's actions. As a YA novel, all of these intense emotions are on the surface of every teen (and adult sometimes) and Chupeco delves into the complexities of choices, blurring the lines between hero and villain, and forcing readers to question the nature of morality in a world where magic and political ambitions collide (I'm not sure she isn't writing truth at this point anyway...have ya looked around lately???)

The Heart Forger is an engrossing read, but you really need familiarity with The Bone Witch before diving into the second book. It picks up right where it left off an assumes the reader understands its predecessor.

This pissed me off so much (in a good way) and I'm jumping straight to the last book. I love how they have both POVs' timeline I feel like im sitting right next to the bard listening to the story and going along with Tea through her journey.

Continued story of a bone witch, her troubles and love. Betrayal will be the death and revelation for her to move ahead

This one had me so excited for Kalen and Tea!!