Blade of Secrets

Tricia Levenseller

May 2021 · Bladesmith Book 1 · Macmillan Young Listeners · Narrated by Emily Ellet

About this audiobook

"Emily Ellet offers an unflinching and elegant performance of this audiobook...Ellet's vocal versatility and steady pace capture several characters seamlessly while guiding listeners through budding romance, anxiety attacks, and the steadfast strength of a character who proves herself even at her worst." -- AudioFile Magazine

In Blade of Secrets, the first audiobook in Tricia Levenseller's exciting new YA fantasy duology, a teenage blacksmith with social anxiety is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.

A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends

Ratings and reviews

Headlines: Unusual protagonist Anxiety representation I knew absolutely nothing about Blade of Secrets before I started it and so I was happy to be drawn into a tale with an unusual protagonist for fantasy. Ziva was a smithy with powers, unpredictable ones but she also had anxiety with a range of symptoms. I was all woah to seeing that in fantasy and in a good way. I really appreciated Ziva being a strong female but not diminished by her anxiety, she was still a strong and gifted character. The story centred on two sisters with virtually no other family but this tale brought a bit of a found-family trope which I liked. This troop of Temra, Kellyn (hellooo), Patrick and the Secret Eater were pretty interesting to read about. They went from smithy to on the run and I was here for the story developments. I am looking forward to book two. The narration was great, the different gendered dialogue worked well and felt convincing. The characterisation captured the colourful crew well.

Empowering read. I liked it. Reading Tricia Levenseller's books has never left me with dissatisfaction. In actuality, after reading this book and exactly the last page, I read it with just as much if not additional delight than in anticipation of. I flew into this book expecting a good read and girl did I get it. As you read this book you will get originality & dauntlessness, exploding with enchantment in addition to jeopardy. I've unquestionably fallen in love.

About the author

Tricia Levenseller, author of the Daughter of the Pirate King duology, Warrior of the Wild, and The Shadows Between Us, is from a small town in Oregon, but now lives next to the Rocky Mountains in Utah with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English language and editing, and she is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she's not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, and watching her favorite TV shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.