CARVING SHADOWS INTO GOLD

Following a royal kidnapping and amid widespread fear of magic, the tenuous alliance between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow is tested by violent attacks on both sides of the border.

In this sequel to 2022’s Forging Silver Into Stars, the three narrators are separated, and the stakes are even higher. Callyn, now a lady-in-waiting at the Crystal Palace, gradually embraces her own newly discovered abilities in secret. She reluctantly becomes the queen’s liaison to the arrogant Lord Alek, her one-time lover whose loyalty to the queen is matched only by his hatred of magic. Jax, a skilled archer and blacksmith, hoped his new job at Ironrose Castle would deepen his discreet romance with King’s Courier Tycho, but he finds himself alone and dependent on the few Emberish speakers after Tycho’s duties force his return to Syhl Shallow. Tycho, whose magic has been flaring due to past traumas, struggles to regulate his emotions—and his power—under the guidance of the scraver Nakiis, a magical winged being whose harrowing past helps explain why scravers are leaving the ice forests of Iishellasa to attack humans. Kemmerer thoughtfully structures each protagonist’s narrative arc, balancing plot-driving action with the exploration of resonant questions of loyalty, trust, and forgiveness that deftly model the often-uncomfortable process of reevaluating core beliefs when presented with new perspectives. Main characters read white; Jax walks with crutches before he’s fitted for a prosthetic foot.

Action-packed yet intimate; sets the stage for a truly epic next installment.