10 must-read SFF book releases to help you escape from reality this May
By Lacy Baugher
Forged in Fire and Stars – Andrea Robertson
The first installment in a new series from bestselling author Andrea Robertson is being touted as a mix between Game of Thrones and Sabba Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series, and let me tell you that’s kind of all I need to know to add it to my TBR pile for the month.
Forged and Fire and Stars follows the story of Ara, a girl destined to become a magical blacksmith known as the Loresmith, a legendary being who will restore and protect her kingdom. Of course, her journey to that destiny is hardly an easy one – plucked from her quiet life, she’ll be forced to undertake a perilous journey to access her powers and petition the gods themselvs.
So, you know, no big deal.
The official synopsis sounds sumptuous and exciting.
"Ara has always known about the legend of the Loresmith: the blacksmith who served alongside the kings and queens of every generation to protect the kingdom. It was her fate to inherit the title–though she never truly believed it would come to pass since the monarchy’s downfall years before. But when the lost Princess Nimhea and Prince Eamon steal Ara from her quiet life with a mission to retake the throne–and take her place as the Loresmith–her whole world turns upside down. Their journey will take Ara on a dangerous adventure to discover new truths about her family’s legacy, and even to face the gods themselves. And with a mysterious thief as an unexpected companion, Ara must use all her skills to figure out just who she can trust, and forge the right path forward–for herself, her kingdom, and her heart."
Forged in Fire and Stars is available on May 5.