Cahra is such an interesting FMC in this YA fantasy that she is compelling to watch. Her journey throughout the book from blacksmith to going on this adventure is a very interesting plot to follow along with her interactions with the other characters and MMC.

Although the plot of the story was good, I did find that the romance just seemed to kick off from nowhere. One minute there was nothing and then it was instant love before any of the emotional build up I enjoy.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and if you’re looking for a strong female lead with character development and don’t mind instant love in a YA novel, this is definitely worth a read!

Ooooh, I have mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the world (even though I found myself wishing there was more worldbuilding) and found the FMC, Cahra, likeable. The romance between Cahra and Terryl felt insta-lusty which I'm not a big fan of, but honestly didn't mind in this instance. It DID throw me for a loop, however, when she decided she had feelings for another character at the end. I needed more between the characters for that "relationship" to be believable (she literally had more chemistry with Raiden!) especially when it was being set up for her to end up with Terryl for the majority of the book. Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by Amy de la Force is so good I couldn't put it down for a second. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't stop reading it. I read it in 16 hours! It's so good.

Cahra was such a tough and compelling female protagonist, and her journey from having nothing—growing up poor and alone on the streets—to becoming a blacksmith’s apprentice was already an epic arc. But then she takes it even further, setting off on a quest to help save the world and rescue her love interest, Thierre. That alone made this book an exciting and adventurous read!

While the journey was fun, the romance took center stage more than I expected. I appreciated that the characters didn’t fall into an instant-love trope, but at the same time, their romance didn’t have much build-up—it felt like they were in love before they even shared a single kiss, which was a bit disappointing. A little more development in their relationship would have made the emotional moments even stronger.

That said, if you're looking for a young adult fantasy with a strong heroine, an engaging adventure, and a heartfelt love story, A Kiss of Hammer and Steel is definitely worth a read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

Although I could have used a bit more world building, I was enjoying the pacing and the story progression as Cahra learned more on her journey. I liked seeing the blossoming relationship between her and Terryl.

Putting the next bit under spoilers.
<spoiler>The end is where it fell apart for me. The story had been setting up the beginnings of a relationship between Cahra and Terryl but (at least to me) it felt very sudden that Cahra had feelings for Hael? Like actual feelings and not just thinking he was attractive.</spoiler>

I devoured this book. Easy to follow and loved the FMC Cahra. Really enjoyed the story and can't wait to continue this series. Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for ARC.