Forging Silver into Stars

Gr 9 Up–This spinoff of the “Cursebreakers” series is the first in a trilogy set four years later, introducing new characters and bringing back old favorites in the Royal Courts of the Allied Nations of Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. Callyn lost her parents to magic and is trying to take care of her little sister by living up to their memory and maintaining the family bakery. Callyn’s best friend, Jax, works with his father as a blacksmith, believing he is cursed with “misfortune” as his drunk father often tells him. One of Jax’s misfortunes resulted in a crushed foot, so he relies on crutches to get around. The pair are struggling to get by when the tax collector threatens their homes and livelihood unless they pay their steep taxes. Against his better judgment, Jax agrees to hold papers for the Truthbringers, a group who claim to be in support of Queen Lia Maria, but against her husband King Grey who they mistrust for having magic. Tycho, first introduced in “Cursebreakers,” is now the King’s Courier, on the surface delivering important messages, but beyond that looking into plots against the King. Main characters are presumed white with several across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. The creation of original characters will help introduce new readers to this world, although reading the previous series will help to flesh out background of well-known characters.