Fire Heart

Fire Heart #1

by Joyce Chng

Wehia t’Doniyat, the eldest daughter of a knifesmith’s holding that specializes in ornamental daggers, wishes with all her heart to make a longsword like the one created by her great-grandmother. She journeys to the City of Swords to be apprenticed under her kinswoman, Hadana t’Tolani, the head of a powerful swordsmith holding. Among strangers and missing her family, Wehia must learn to curb her impatient and reckless nature to endure the hardships that come with being a swordmaker’s apprentice. But despite making a true friend at the holding and being accepted by Hadana, Wehia’s impulsiveness threatens to destroy her dreams of Fire Heart, the sword that sings to her.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Queer, Fiction

Paperback

First published May 28, 2022

About the author

Joyce Chng (also spelled Ch’ng) lives in Singapore. They write science fiction and fantasy as well as YA and MG. Their short stories have appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, The Future Fire and Multispecies Cities. Dragon Dancer (Lantana Publishing) is Joyce’s first picture book, celebrating dragon dancing and Lunar New Year; it was followed by Oyster Girl (Pepper Dog Press), a tribute to their grandmother and the hawker heritage in Singapore. For YA readers, Fire Heart is a fantasy book about swords and coming-of-age. They also write books for adults as J. Chng and urban fantasy as J. Damask. You can find Joyce at their website, or on X and Bluesky at @jolantru.

Reviews

[Aisvarya (Semi-hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Thanks to Snowy Wings Publishing for the Arc through NetGalley.

We follow Wehia, the 17 year old girl of a minor swordsmith holding who wishes to make a longsword of her own. So she moves to the city to apprentice under Hadana, her aunt who has major connections with the royal family and many aristocrats. The story focuses on Wehia's journey in making her own sword, while also coming out of her sheltered life and realising that the real world and life are more scarier than she imagined.

Wehia has always been an impulsive and headstrong kid, so it's difficult for her to adjust to the new place, and to endure months of intense training. She already knows the basics of swordmaking as she grew up in a swordsmith holding but Hadana wouldn't take it into consideration, she puts Wehia through a lot of physical labour for months before accepting her as an apprentice. Even though it's arduous, Wehia perseveres with the training as she's focused on her goal of crafting her own sword, Fireheart.  It was heartwarming to see her find a new family in Hadana's holding, and also find love and companionship through Geri💜

The sword making craft is matrilineal, and is passed down to the daughters and nieces, and not the sons. I found this to be very fascinating as the women had so much love and warmth among themselves. They devote their whole lives to learning and perfecting the art, while also training in fighting with swords which lends them greater strength that can take any man down. The bond they share through the art - sitting together and singing songs, making meals and encouraging one another was amazing to witness. Not gonna lie, the food they make had me super hungry, and I'd love to try morani stew, moon cookies, and sookee if I can!!!🤤

The conflict between the border people and the Blood was only hinted in this first book, and I'm intrigued to see it in more detail in the sequel. There definitely seems to be a problem that hasn't been resolved for years, and I can't wait to read it. Overall, a wonderful coming of age YA fantasy!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, engaging story with a Wehia being a relatable and strong main character! Fire Heart absolutely captured me in the City with excellent world building. Wehia is stubborn, impatient, and an impeccably strong which immediately makes her a great main character. With all the worry, and pressure on her shoulders she is set on doing what is right, and following her heart. Fire Heart also explores LGBTQ+ relationships as the main character is in a relationship with a woman. It is so refreshing to see a sapphic relationship being so prominent in a fantasy book. The interactions between Wehia and Geri are extremely wholesome and I adore their dynamic. I am so excited to see how Wehia develops as a character even more in the next book!

[Maeve Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Fire Heart is a well-written middle grade novel with unique worldbuilding centered almost entirely on swordmaking. I found the lore to be fascinating, honestly more so than other adult fantasy novels I've recently read, and there's nothing that the gays love more than women swordfighting. Though I am far older than the middle grade reading age range these days, it's uplifting to see positive LGBTQ+ stories being shared more frequently, given that these types of novels didn't exist when I was growing up. I'll emphasize again that despite Fire Heart being targeted towards younger readers, the worldbuilding rivals that of adult fantasy, albeit slightly less convoluted.

All that being said, overall this novel, while enjoyable in moments, did not come together as seamlessly as I had hoped. Fire Heart is a quick read, and I felt that the fast pace often left me desiring more. There were not a lot of slower moments where we really got to sit with the characters and their emotions. I found myself longing often for more character introspection, and for this reason, the character development is not as complex as I had hoped. I value a good balance of plot and character development in the books I read, and Fire Heart leans much more plot-heavy to my dismay.

I also was slightly off-put by the vaguely incestuous relationship in this novel. Yes, characters point out at multiple times that Wehia and Geri are so far removed from the family tree that they're practically unrelated at this point, but nevertheless, I wish the lore had been rewritten so that the two didn't have to be related at all. I definitely think there was a more creative way to establish their relationship without having them be related.

Overall, Fire Heart was a quick and somewhat entertaining read, but I believe its fast paced worked against it, preventing the exploration of crucial character development and deeper themes.

[Kaa]

A decent start to a MG/YA fantasy. I think I would have really enjoyed this when I was younger, and I liked but didn't love it as an adult. The world-building is interesting, although I wish it had been expanded upon a little more. The romance is pretty sweet and I liked the mentor relationships that started to develop for Wehia. The pacing of the story seemed a little off, and to me didn't really feel like a full story arc. It's also short enough that it might have been better to have combined it with the second book as a stand-alone novel, rather than a duology. That's personal preference, though, and the second book is out soon so I can see where Wehia's journey takes her next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

[Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fire heart is about a girl who wants to make a sword, so she seeks an apprenticeship with her aunt in the city. The book ends with her setting off to investigate the cause of social unrest after having made her sword. The body of the book consists of random meanderings whose purpose is to her reckless and impatient nature.

The book is very female dominated. Everyone in the forge is female, and only women are allowed to be swordsmiths due to it being a sacred right. The main deity is the Sword Goddess. While I appreciated the strong prominence of women and reading about a matriarchal, female-centric society, I think that the way it was written was a bit overdone to the point of something like reverse sexism. There are no men present in the forge, only women. Husbands and sons live separately somewhere else from the women in the forge, and we do not get to see them in this book. Having no daughters is seen as a sign of shame, and sons are sent to live away from the forge.

It is actually an interesting thought experiment, to read about such an overpoweringly female-centric society. But my conclusion after reading is that just like with a patriarchal society, reading about this matriarchal society felt a bit backwards in thinking; and I don't think it brought much value to the conversation about gender equality after its initial proposal.

For the female society that was created however, my criticism is that I found it unrealistic for women to be forced into arranged marriages. I think that for such a matriarchal society, the issues surrounding women would have to be slightly different or should be at least explored in a different manner.

I think the reason why the world created didn't work well for me was that the author wanted to write about female representation and empowerment, but they also wanted to address women's issues, which ironically made it a matriarchal society that was still written from the context of the patriarchy.

There is also an weird fixation on lineages and bloodlines in the book that gave off elitist and purist vibes.

The story was very centered around the main character, Wehia. The story is told from her point of view, and events are driven based on her wants and desires. Wehia has no friends back home, preferring to keep company with her ore dogs, which highlights just how much the book revolves just around Wehia. She makes only one "very close friend", Geri, at her Aunt's swordsmith holding. Although Geri is the closest to Wehia, the next most important character in the book is actually Wehia's Aunt Hadana who is both mentor and adversary to Wehia.

This book could possibly be LGBT. Geri is strongly hinted as a love interest, although this book refers to her only as "a friend". Unfortunately Geri has absolutely no personality nor thought of her own. The greatest depth to her person is her interest and specialization in daggers. Geri is a blank canvas who's purpose is to provide Wehia with encouragement and support, and to serve as the author's mouthpiece to provide exposition and explain things to Wehia. It is therefore a bit awkward to me how quickly Wehia and Geri take to each other and become fast friends, as there is not much dialogue or interaction to show their chemistry.

Geri reminds me of being the female "lead" in a macho action movie, who is only really there as a love interest, which I think is a bit antithesis to the author's message of feminism. It is a bit curious to me how although the author clearly wants to promote feminism, they also write about some pretty patriarchal stuff, only that they replaced the man with a woman.

The positives of this book for me were the beautiful descriptions of the swords. The food described also sounded delicious, although I also felt it was mentioned a little too much. I actually also liked the last few chapters. While the conflict in much of the story felt very contrived and juvenile, the trouble with the sword at the end was engaging. I only wish the story had the same standard throughout the book, since it is clear that Joyce is able to write about interesting conflict. I was also intrigued to see how the author planned to address the issue of social inequality, although what was written so far about it wasn't inspiring. I also confess that I was about the give up on the book when Wehia went to challenge Lord Vess, because of how immature and stupid that felt, and I was very shook that the next chapter was kind of able to redeem itself by writing something decently level headed and realistic. Also, Lord Vess, a man, was written as kind hearted and honorable, so at least the book wasn't totally all "man bad, woman good". There was also a bit in the book about self care and calming down when overwhelmed, which was nice although also a bit out of place when thinking about the broader themes of the book.

I think the issues tackled in the book are admirable, but overall the pacing and execution were lacking. Although the last few chapters changed my opinion of the author (for the better), in truth, this does not feel like a complete story. I think a tighter storyline (writing about the border people investigation, which I feel is actually the main plot of the story, rather than swordmaking) would have fixed a lot of problems in the book just by having more content to choose from, which would also help to tone down on some of the overdone ideas.

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the character focus and small stakes approach gradually turning into a bigger plot we shall visit in book 2. Lovely read

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Arisha (Free Palestine 🇵🇸) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

FireHeart was incredibly underwhelming. While the story and world were intriguing, they were very underdeveloped. A lot of things were underdeveloped actually, the characters, the romance, almost everything you can think of. The pacing felt incredibly off. The writing style was formal yet simple which ended up being an odd combination. I’d be willing to read some of the authors future works but for her skills now and for this series, I don’t think I’ll be continuing with her books.

[Blanche Maze · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing story but something was lacking

- I would like to thank Netgalley for the eARC -

BOOK 1/2 in the FIRE HEART duology
Wehia is the daughter of a knifesmith, but she wants to make a longsword, like her great-grandmother before her. For that, she has to go to the City of Swords and become a swordsmith apprentice for Hadana. Being away from her family is hard, but Wehia is determined to meet her goals, even if her impulsivenes and impatience could threaten her dreams.

I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy this book, simply that it felt unfinished. It was a short book, easy to read and to understand, however, I couldn't really figure out where the story was going for the entirety of it, and it was a bit confusing. I felt like the characters, although interesting and fleshed-out, lacked goals and direction in the plot, and I couldn't quite get attached to their story of where we were going, like there weren't a lot of stakes that could have made the book more gripping and interesting. The romance, however, was quite sweet and beautiful, which I enjoyed, and the worldbuilding was interesting, although I wish it had been more developped in the book. All in all, it could have been a very interesting story, but some things were lacking to make it really gripping.

I won't necessarily recommend this book unless you don't mind stories that stay on the surface.

"She was strong. Like her great-grandmother. She could do it."

TW: battle

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wehia is the daughter of established forge, but all her family makes her knives and daggers, Wehia however wants nothing more than to make a true sword. After pestering her mother, she finally her mother finally relents and sends Wehia to her distance cousins forge in the city. Here, Hadana t'Tolani will teach her niece that forging a sword is much more than putting some pieces together.

Fire Heart was a wonderful coming of age book, mixing hard life lessons, self discovery, and the confusion born by societal othering of people can lead too. Wehia is a wonderful character because even though she is completely headstrong, it is fairly obvious that she understands herself on a level you simply don't see in YA novels. Yes, Wehia has internal conflicts and she does make several reckless decisions but in the long run I can't see her going back on those decisions nor truly regretting them, only maybe that she should have given others the benefit of the doubt.

The side characters are fantastic as well, truly all of them. Hanada is my favorite. You just rarely see a character in her position in a YA novel willing to admit their own mistakes. Chng could have chosen to make Hanada a very cookie-cutter older female character that becomes a part of the problem, and I appreciate that they opted not to.

Add in this persecution of the border people, and quite frankly, you have a compelling coming of age story in a world that unfortunately mirrors our own currently with ICE Raids and those with the most wealth controlling everything.

I am definitely looking forward to book 2!l

[Lyssa Chiavari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be able to read FIRE HEART twice: Once in its original form, from Scholastic Asia, and then the updated international release from Snowy Wings Publishing, which restores the book's original LGBT content. FIRE HEART is a wonderful story about a headstrong girl who longs to become a swordsmith like her great-grandmother. Along the way, she must confront the societal injustices of her world and learn to tame her own stubbornness before it becomes her undoing. The fantasy world the book is set in was richly imagined and deeply thought out on every level, including clan systems, castes, religion, feast days, politics and more. Geri, Wehia's fellow clanswoman and eventual amal—promised one—provides a steadying influence on Wehia's rash impulsiveness, forming a strong and sweet partnership. FIRE HEART is a lower YA/upper MG title perfect for readers age 10-14.

[Victoria Janssen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fire Heart by Joyce Ch'ng is a book about Sword Lesbians who make swords! The protagonist goes to the city to become an apprentice and learn to make swords, which she does, after being alternately frustrated and dutiful about the effort required. She makes a friend who becomes a sweetheart, and is beginning to wonder more about the politics of her world, that include people who live on the border and cause trouble; however, the book ends before she (and we) achieve any insight into the border people and their problems. So I enjoyed the soothing "learning to do something" portion but was ultimately frustrated when I felt the story did not advance sufficiently to feel complete. I think this duology ought to have been one book.

[Kes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple book about a girl who wants to forge a longsword. We can see the outside world intruding (mentions of war) but the focus is on her life learning how to become a sword smith.

I liked the world building - women are sword smiths; it’s matrilineal. There are mentions of men, but it is female focused. Family is an important unit of society.

Writing wise, the language is simple - and somehow that lends beauty to the story.

3.5/5 stars

[E.D.E. Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much.Like a forgesmith, Chng starts simple and then layers, hammers, and finesses. I'll be thinking for a long time about the sweetness of the story - and the self-examination its metaphors offer - a lot. Our forges and entanglements, and how we manage them.

I hope that it is published again globally, and that there is a continuation.

[chrissyskindle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately fell flat for me. World building was there, but the writing made it difficult to read. So many sentences with exclamation marks etc, couldn't maintain a consistent tone in reading to maintain the world building/plot. I think with some proper editing, this story would read very well.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written story by a new author for me. Wehia wants to make a long sword and goes to train. Will her character learn to fit in and accomplish her mission. Absolutely fantastic.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a promising start, felt very slow. Points for being sapphic and femme-centric.