If you read my status updates, then you know that I absolutely hated this book in the beginning. The characters were numerous, and they were all crazy and unlikable in their own weird way. Luckily, they ended up growing on me and now I find myself enamored of all the kickass women in this book (except for one bitch who shall remain nameless). Keeley is a badass blacksmith with a big, loving family who have been blacksmiths and/or farmers for years. When it is prophesized that one of her younger sisters will be Queen after the Old King dies, Keeley and several Amichai warriors, embark on a mission to protect her sister from the Old King’s sons who will do anything to claim the throne for themselves.

The Blacksmith Queen is the first book in a brand-new fantasy series by G.A. Aiken. The book starts off with a bang – it is a funny and fast-paced fantasy, with a loud and boisterous cast of characters that you can’t help but love and cheer for. The world building was well-done – it didn’t feel like an information overload, nor was it lacking in any way. Everything was well-balanced, but bear in mind that the romance definitely takes a backseat and that it is more of a slow-burn. For those who’ve never G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston before: this book is really gory with lots of graphic violent scenes. There’s also a looooot of swearing. If that’s not something you like reading, then this book is not for you.

I’m so excited to see where this series goes! Keeley’s story has only just started and there is so much more left for her to do. This is going to be such an awesome series!

5 Hearts, RECOMMENDED READ
SJ, Romance Junkies


G.A. Aiken is known for her quirky, funny, biting dragon romances that all began with DRAGON ACTUALLY (an awesome read). Now Aiken is back with a fantastic new fantasy romance involving magic, villainous royals, and prophecy. THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN is nonstop humor, action, and adventure with a romance woven into the story following a female blacksmith and her prophesied sister.

Aiken writes about strong women and loves bashing stereotypes. THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN is no exception as the heroine, Keeley, bests enemies with her brawny strength and deep loyalty to friends and family. She is a heroine to root for, and when the enemy reveals itself, the reader is left reeling along with Keeley.

But Keeley's not alone. Amichai warriors have come to help Keeley protect her family. Warrior Caid, in particular, seems more than interested in keeping her safe. The Amichai are fierce and different than the average, everyday soldier. Then too there's Keeley's holy sister, a nun who is a lot more than she seems. The banter between sisters is fantastic and only adds to the humor of the story. There's also mention of a "mad queen" far away for fans of Aiken's dragon books. (I would love to know if this book will tie in to the dragon series.)

The world building is perfect, with a medieval feel that's mixed with contemporary sentiment. Family never goes out of style, and this is Keeley's story. She's the center around which this amazing book revolves. It's a must-read for the protagonist alone, but the layered descriptions and characterizations truly round out a terrific fantasy romance.

THE BLACKSMITH QUEEN is a must-read. If you want a story about fierce heroines, evil enemies, and deserving heroes, don't miss Aiken's newest book. It's a definite keeper.

Recommended Read

I had a really hard time staying invested in this book. The prologue was the best part, the writing in the rest of the book was, strange.

The writing felt choppy, for lack of a better word. The voices of all the characters were more or less the same. The dialog felt kind of disjointed at times.
The plot is very simple, and the characters are as well.

This book was just not for me.

I'm a big fan of the dragon series and was interested in this because it is in the same world, although with different characters.

The title does give away the direction of the plot but it took a bit to get there. The BBW heroine is charmingly optimistic and friendly while also a raging protector that lets the gore fly. She loves her prolific family and animals. Her love interest was perfect for her.

The part with the dragon was hilarious. It was refreshing to find out about other fantasy races besides them. I do look forward to the next book.

The constant bickering got old though.

Mature content, profanity, sexual content

I received a free ARC from Netgalley,

In this new fantasy book series, we get to see the rise of a new queen, who happens to be a blacksmith. However, the rise to the throne isn’t always easy, and along the way we get to meet centaurs, dwarves, elves, barbarians, dragons, and more.

Thoughts:
“The great king had barely taken his last breath before one brother took the head of another.”

There is a humorous tone about this book that is very engaging. In the very first sentence of the prologue the action takes off, followed by several pages of brother against brother action. Most of the brothers have earned a title for themselves, not Duke, Earl, etc. Instead, the titles are something that is more aligned with their character and not necessarily titles that most of us want to achieve in life, such as Straton the Devourer. When all is said and done only a few brothers remain, the army loyalties have split, and it has been prophesied that instead of a King, there will be a Queen.

What I loved was how fast the book flew by while reading it. This stems from two main things the author did really well – had a good story that is well plotted out and interesting characters. Very interesting characters. The characters, and there are several, are quite entertaining. Some are a bit over-the-top, but all have a purpose and are typically very loyal to each other, even when there very words and actions differ with this opinion.

One thing to note when determining whether to read this book or not is that the story does include crude behavior and foul language, which I found unnecessary. But that is my own personal reading taste and may not be yours.

Rating: 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC!
Wow this was a super quick read for me! As in, I started it earlier today, read off and on, and just finished it. I couldn’t believe I had gotten to the end. It’s been ages since I’ve read a book so quickly.
I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It’s an interesting combination of fantasy, one that I usually never read: centaurs, witches, dwarves, dragons, oh my!
The characters and how they interacted with each other were very entertaining (the sibling antics!) and the conflict was well thought out and still has much to go before it’s resolved in ways of a series.
It is also very gory and laden with swear words and extreme violence. In the prologue the brothers were killing each other and random people begging for their lives and beheadings and it gives you a pretty good idea early on what the book is going to be like. I, naturally, don’t mind at all but even I had been shocked.
I definitely will look forward to reading the next book.

*happy sigh* I devoured this book. I was a little skeptical in the prologue, but we hit chapter 1 running and I was SOLD on this book. (Not that I had any doubt - I've read this author's Call of Crows series and loved it.) This story is grounded in fantasy (the Old King is dead and now there's a power struggle with new and unexpected factions), but with family at its heart. Keeley, a blacksmith who loves animals, is our main character. She's amazing. Caring, strong, a fighter, and kind to all creatures including demon wolves with fire for eyes...

The cast of characters is memorable - I especially loved Keeley's parents and her sister, Gemma. The book doesn't waste time meandering. It's pretty much action all the time. Definitely an adventure story, with romantic elements. As the first book in the series, we don't get resolution to the over arching storyline, but we do get left in a place that makes sense - no cliff hangers, here!

There's a lot of violence in the book (I flinched at what Quinn did when we first meet the character), and there's a lot of cussing, for those who don't care for that. Specifically, c*nt and b*tch are used by many characters - often during the continual bickering between siblings, but often with malice behind it. It seems authentic to the characters, though, and not done for shock. But FYI if that's an issue for you.

I am super looking forward to seeing where this will lead in subsequent books.

The first installment of this trilogy, I immediately became immersed in this fantasy world which was story filled advertising of good versus evil, epic battles, heartwarming romance and characters that kick some major ass. I will notate that it did start start slow which almost prompted me to drop the series but I persevered and was immensely become fascinated by Keeley journey to becoming the Queen. "The Blacksmith Queen" was an overall enjoyable read and I look forward to future editions of this fantasy series.

This fantasy/adventure tale has battles , humor , good versus evil , and packages that all up in a raucous, wild tale with fantastic creatures, a powerful female lead and a mystery buried within. Lovers of fantasy will find this book appealing.

This was my first G.A. Aiken book but will definitely not be my last. The first in a trilogy, The Blacksmith Queen sucked me in from the first psge and I didn't put it down until there were no pages left to turn. Looking forward to book #2!

I was excited to hear that G.A. Aiken had a new series available. Once again this author doesn't disappoint. For those that are familiar with previous books from the Aiken, the backdrop for the series will seem familiar, but instead of dragon shifters, the part of the world revolves around Centaurs. This book isn't for the faint at heart, but if you love books that feature strong women, alpha males, action fight scenes and lots of humor, you'll love the Blacksmith Queen.

Can't wait to read the next installment.

If you weren't sure whether you needs a riotously funny, ridiculously quirky, sexy story about a family of brawling, swearing, ballsy, bad ass babes, umm, yes you do. You really do. Our heroine, Keeley, the titular Blacksmith Queen is definitely no lady, but she does not give a ****. She's too busy being the eldest of 12 crazy siblings, running the best blacksmith shop in the whole Hill Country, hanging out with Demon Wolves, and beating up bullies with her favourite hammer. Then there's a bunch of ***hole Princes, and a **** prophecy that she really does NOT have time for. She may however make time for a sexy centaur warrior.....
The Old King is dead. Long Live the Blacksmith Queen!

4.5 ridiculously funny, sexy stars.

n.b. Not for the easily offended!

Keeley is a blacksmith and loves what she does.  She comes from a long line of female blacksmiths and doesn’t plan on ever doing anything else. She has a large loving family and loves taking care of them as well.  When she finds out that her bookish (and she feels, not too smart) younger sister, Beatrix, is prophesied to be the next Queen, Keeley is a little skeptical, but totally supports her sister.  When one of the sons of the recently deceased king shows up to execute Beatrix (they want no one on the throne but themselves), Keeley protects the family, along with her War Monk sister, Gemma, and four Centaurs called the Amichai that show up to protect Beatrix as well.

Keeley and Gemma get their family to safety after being attacked, and then make their way to the Witches of Amhuinn to verify with their seer that Beatrix is in fact the true prophesied queen.  When their Seer stands before Beatrix she states that yes, Beatrix will be queen, but then she points to Keeley and states, and so will she.   Beatrix isn’t happy about this additional prophesy at all.  She takes off and no one knows where she goes after trying to take matters with Keeley into her own hands.  After the witches stronghold is attacked, an injured Keeley is taken to the Amichai’s homeland to heal.

Keeley doesn’t want to be queen but after much deliberation and arguing she finally resigns herself to the fact that this is what needs to happen to save their lands.  She then heads out to drum up an army.

This book was a good one.  Set in Aiken’s Dragon Kin world yet far removed from the dragons.  In fact Keeley had only heard rumors about dragons being real.  I liked the characters and the beginning of what I hope will end up being a fantastic series.

I liked Keeley a lot despite the fact that she was rude at times and completely vicious when it came to fighting.  Despite that she was a pretty darned happy person and liked to smile.  People would underestimate her because she was a blacksmith and a fighter, thinking she was dumb, but she was actually quite brilliant. 

During the course of the book Keeley starts falling for one of the centaurs named Caid.  He falls for her too and endures endless teasing from his siblings.  It’s hilarious.  While they “get together” in this book there’s only a tad bit of what would be considered romance.  Neither Caid nor Keeley are the romantic type so take that into consideration. 

Overall I liked the story.  There was quite a bit of action in the book (read: fight scenes) but it worked for what the characters were trying to accomplish.  The Dragon Kin series books were definitely romance, with each book having its own hero and heroine – which was what I was expecting with this book.  Despite my disappointment in not getting a true romance, I thought it was good.  This book ended without a conclusion, so we’ll have to wait until the series continues before I can find out what happens to Keeley as queen and with her and Caid. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/the-blacksmith-queen-by-g-a-aiken/)

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library paranormal romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn

Relationship dynamics: The Buff Blacksmith (h) / The High-born Centaur Warrior (H)

Sexual content: A smidge; “on-screen” and explicit

Triggers: Violent death, gore, brutality, excessive vulgar/offensive language, and off-screen rape (implied)

Grammar/Editing: Aside from a couple of spacing issues and typos, this was a clean ARC.

Review: Aiken has created a fairly fast-paced story set in a rather brutal fantasy realm peopled by a wide variety of fantasy favourites, such as dwarfs, elves, centaurs and dragons, as well as more unique creatures such as demon wolves with fire in their eyes. The world building is sufficient for the story with a great deal of detail about smaller locales, but without sweeping descriptions of landscapes that one often finds in fantasy on this scale. It will be interesting to see whether these broader descriptions will appear in subsequent books in the series.

Keeley and Caid’s relationship develops slowly out of respect and (mostly) good-natured bantering into friendship and then into an understated love. The romance was not really central to the plot, so this story might not be to every romance reader’s taste. That being said, fantasy readers should be enthused about a truly strong heroine – the author does something very unique in this novel by focusing on Keeley’s strength, skills, and personality before her looks. Caid is more traditionally described (i.e. personality and looks are described at the same time) and his personality sees far more development than Keeley’s does. However, as this is the first book in the series and Keeley will continue to be the heroine of the subsequent books, I suspect much of her development will happen later. The majority of the human female supporting characters are very loud, brash, and opinionated and I found that, with minor alterations, many of these characters could really just be the same person. They are all blood relations, however, so perhaps it’s not so surprising. The male human characters are slightly better differentiated and fairly entertaining. The centaurs have the most distinct personalities and I look forward to reading more about them in subsequent books. The villains in this series (and there are many) are bloodthirsty to the extreme and are quite terrifying in their remorselessness. It will be interesting to see how Keeley deals with each of them in the subsequent books.

Metalwork version: Skillfully wrought in iron, but not without character flaws, this brashly jeweled piece is sure to bring the bearer back for more.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I expected. Main character's sister is destined to be queen. Main character protects her sister. This sounds simple until you find out that most of the characters are badass and crazy. Main character, Keely, loves all animals. Even the ones from hell. She's extremely loyal to her family, who are all lovable crazy and violent. I'm not sure how much I should describe what happens because there is so much that you don't see coming. I was glued to this book and then felt sad when it was over. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

My only complaint, and why I deducted one star, is that I didn't like the sexist crude language. Cunt, a word I detest anyway, and bitch are the only swear words used. There was no variations that involve men. It felt very unbalanced.

I’ve read GA Aiken before, and while this has the expected strong women, violence, discombobulating dialogue, and humor, it’s definitely lacking romance. There’s a few pages at 87% in where a romantic subplot looks like it’s developing, and then nothing.

As usual, readers unfamiliar with Aiken’s voice may struggle with it. It’s outlandish and over the top in every way, and the plot doesn’t have a neat ending. It’s a nice first book for a fantasy series, but those looking for romance will be disappointed.

This was a really fun read! I hadn't read anything by this author before but it definitely won't be my last. This is a great beginning to a new series and can't wait to read more!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was totally my jam! What a fun book. I just recently learned that G.A. Aiken is another penname for Shelly Laurenston, so I was thrilled to dive into this book.

It had everything I know this author provides. Her specialty in that quirky sense of humor she has, as well as an entertaining cast of characters and storyline.

You are getting quite the variety of characters in this book. Just in book one there were witches, Centaurs, Dwarves, dragons, elves, demon wolves and more. I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg in this series.

The Blacksmith Queen is pretty brutal and bloody, what with a war for the Kingdom going on but I have to admit, a lot of that battling was more humorous because of the way this author writes.

This is not a standalone series but doesn't end on a huge cliffhanger, more of a stop to breathe moment. I had a lot of fun reading book one and I can't wait for the rest of the series!

Where has this author been all my life??? This was so deliciously dark and twisted, one amazing, hysterical ride from start to finish.

The old king is dead. His sons start fighting for the throne. But then they hear a farmer's daughter is prophesied to become the next queen - and so is her blacksmith sister. What follows is a wild and brutal battle for the throne - alliances are formed, trusts broken, and only one can have the throne...

I adored both the strong (slightly crazy) heroines at the center of the story and the lovely (slightly crazy) guys who fall -and I'm guessing will fall- for them. It was really awesome to have truly strong, female characters in the center of a story who have an actual bond and can co-exist without the usually cliché backstabbing. The bickering between the characters was hilarious, and the snark and sarcasm is just my kind of humor. I especially loved that whenever someone started wallowing in self pity (something I just loathe), someone else would stand up to them and tell them to stop being such a baby. I cannot say how much I enjoyed that, it was such a nice change!

I liked that for the most part, this was a really dark and bloody fantasy novel, and the romance happened gradually and didn't overshadow the actual plot. There was one sex scene towards the end, and it felt natural in the small break the characters got.

But, if you have a problem with over-the-top characters (i.e. parents pulling their grown up children by their hair, name-calling, shouting, and insults thrown around all day), this might not be the book for you. If you get squeamish at characters being torn in half by dragons and spitting out limbs, proceed with caution.

I can't wait for the next book in what promises to be an awesome series!!!!

G.A. Aiken shifts away from dragons and brings us a the story of a new queen to be. When the old king dies and his sons quickly try to dispatch one another, a prophecy emerges of a commoners who will be queen. If you're looking for serious Game of Thrones style fantasy you won't find that here. What you will get if ridiculous humor, over the top violence, and strong women with a focuses on family. I adore G.A. Aiken's writing and while this book is not quite as strong as her Dragon Kin series, I read The Blacksmith Queen in one day. I'm excited to see what happens to Keeley and her family next,