Forging The Blade

by Arwen Falvey

Avalia is the most lethal assassin in the world, but when she runs afoul of a fire-starting terrorist she finds herself charged with a terrible crime. Through luck, skill, and the help of her innate empathic abilities she has weathered many a storm, but this might be the biggest yet. Dragged before The Court of The Regents, the highest court in the land, she must recount her life story to convince the elemental regents of her innocence. Will her tale save her life? Or is this the end of her story?

Genres: Fantasy

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2025

About the author

Arwen Falvey is an author, artist, and generally unhinged person who enjoys all things magical, mystical, dark, weird, and whimsical. With over 40 years of creative writing under her belt, including an article for The CBC and her debut novel, Swinging on Gates, she has a long, ink-stained history of creativity and escapism. Her experiences with queerness, disability, otherness, abuse, trauma, mental illness, and chosen family inform her work, offering a unique perspective on universal struggles. She lives on the South Shore of Nova Scotia with her daughter and three cats who enjoy it when she makes them battle tanks out of cardboard boxes. Her work can be found at www.arwenfalvey.com.

Reviews

[lupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and StoryOrigin for this review copy!

I really like the world the author has created here. The premise is that after some sort of natural disaster, a significant portion of Earth's human population has been changed and gained "powers." The powers range from more physical (eg pyrokinesis) to more mental/emotional (eg magical empath abilities), but some groups of humans see any sort of power as unnatural and an abomination. "Mutants" are often ostracized, especially by those in power. The story of how Ava grows up and is taken in by kind people, finds a family in other children like her, has fair and just caretakers who are also kind... all of this is very sweet but it feels unrealistic to me. This may be just what someone needs but it doesn't feel very realistic at this point, and I guess I didn't realize that was something I needed right now. Even though Ava has many disadvantages in life and experiences many pitfalls along the way, I don't feel like she's "succeeding against the odds" because of the kindness and justice of many figures of power in her life (teachers, governmental figures, etc). I would never fault anyone for enjoying this sort of book, but I need something a bit grittier right now. That said, I would love to live in this world or even in a world where this feels more realistic. This would certainly be a wonderful book for a teen or older child!

[readerari_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review of Forging the Blade
Release date: 25 June 2025

3/5 ⭐️

I found this book very unique. The entire book I was taken back to history and then to the present, a back and forth to reveal the history. The story revolved around a trial in front of the different realms which were unique and offered different worlds and experiences.

The pacing was constant throughout the book, I was taken seamlessly between time and the events that happened. The book focused on world building and I can see it playing into the next book(s) in the trilogy.

The vocabulary was rich, the author wrote beautifully and it was easy to grasp what was being described.

Thank you to the author, Arwen Falvey, for gifting me this eARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Aislinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! Made me laugh, made me cry, it was brilliant!

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a mastery of the unusual, strange and fascinating. The plot, characters, worldbuilding and language is complex, detailed and captivating.
Ava is loveable and her story is inspiring, heartwrenching and beautiful.
The book is written in a rich vocabulary that envokes the detailed and complicated world the story is set in.
The plot itself is unique and the world was as much a character as the actual people. While obviously based on different countries and continents in our world, the world is infused with layers of fantasy, magic and post-apocalypse science fiction, to create a colourful,well rounded world full of people of different types.
I loved the representations of disability and difference. And even the way hate and harrassment were depicted felt teue and believable. The acceptance of the Cirque made me feel welcomed as the reader.
The plot is designed around a court room and I felt as if I was in the audience, whilst also being privy to Ava's thoughts. The plot was cleverly written to combine current procedings with memories of Ava's upbringing, that slowly brought two strands of the story together.
My only small criticism in the book was that some descriptions of side characters felt repetitive; many of the women were small and beautiful. However, it is a small thing overall, and most other descriptions were detailed and varied.
I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2.

I read this book as an ARC but all views are my own.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Assassin Coming of Age Tale

A clever and comprehensive novel following Avalia as she traverses the world to become a deadly Blade, but more so an empathic soul. Discover a fantastic world, intriguing characters, and on-the-edge action mixed with the warmth of a found family.

I was invested in Ava's journey throughout. Highly recommended!