• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
FanFiAddict

FanFiAddict

A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.

  • Home
  • About
    • Reviewers
    • Review Policy
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Guest Posts
    • Lists
    • Neurodivergence in Fiction
    • Why You Should Read…
  • Reviews
    • Children’s / Middle Grade Books
    • Comics/Graphic Novels
    • Fantasy
      • Alt History
      • Coming of Age
      • Debut
      • Epic Fantasy
      • Fairy Tales
      • Grimdark
      • Heroic Fantasy
      • LitRPG
      • Paranormal Fantasy
      • Romantic Fantasy
      • Steampunk
      • Superheroes
      • Sword and Sorcery
      • Urban Fantasy
    • Historical Fiction
    • Horror
      • Debut
      • Demons
      • Ghosts
      • Gothic
      • Lovecraftian
      • Monsters
      • Occult
      • Psychological
      • Vampires
      • Werewolves
      • Witches
      • Zombies
    • Science Fiction
      • Aliens
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Alt History
      • Cyberpunk
      • Debut
      • Dystopian
      • Hard SciFi
      • Mechs/Robots
      • Military SF
      • Space Opera
      • Steampunk
      • Time Travel
    • Thriller
  • Interviews
    • Book Tube
    • Authorly Writing Advice
  • SFF Addicts Podcast
    • SFF Addicts Clips
    • SFF Addicts (Episode Archive)
  • TBRCon
    • TBRCon2022
    • TBRCon2023

Review: Dark Forge (Masters and Mages #2) by Miles Cameron

May 19, 2021 by David W Leave a Comment

Amazon
Goodreads
Audible
Barnes & Noble

Rating: 10/10

Synopsis

Some are warriors, some captains; others tend to the fallen or feed the living.

But on the magic-drenched battlefield, information is the lifeblood of victory, and Aranthur is about to discover that carrying messages, scouting the enemy, keeping his nerve, and passing on orders is more dangerous, and more essential, then an inexperienced soldier could imagine . . . especially when everything starts to go wrong.

Battle has been joined – on the field, in the magical sphere, and in the ever-shifting political arena . . .

Review

I so thoroughly enjoyed Cold Iron that I needed to immediately jump into book two, Dark Forge. I am so glad that I did because I loved this second entry as much as the first. Cameron was deliberate in taking his time building out the world, the characters and the storyline in book one. This second installment took a bit of a different approach with a much faster pace and plenty of action. It quickly grabbed my attention starting out with an intriguing, tension-filled first scene. Throughout the book you’ll find epic battles, interesting magic and great moments between the characters. And Cameron includes themes that are pertinent in today’s world. This book is another masterful work of high fantasy. Here are my highlights.

Writing/Plot

  • The writing feels so authentic
  • This entry was very fast-paced and filled with tension
  • Great technical details – I found myself looking up terminology and it was fun learning something new
  • Clearly Cameron did his research – it is evident in the weapons, the clothing and the dialogue
  • I did not want the story to end, but luckily we still have Bright Steel

Action scenes

  • Full of breath stealing battle sequences
  • The level of detail that goes into each fight scene is impressive – I often felt like I was physically there fighting alongside Aranthur
  • I loved the battle magic, which really complimented the incredible sword work

Worldbuilding

  • Awesome expansion of the world
  • Moved away from the academy setting and ventured into the hot desert with barren landscapes and ancient temples
  • I enjoyed the continued development of the various cultures represented in the series

Characters

  • Huge character development of Aranthur – gains in confidence, leadership, strength and magic abilities
  • Cameron did a great job expressing how difficult the battles were on the characters from a physical, mental and emotional standpoint
  • I continued to connect with the side cast, which continued to grow in this installment
  • Inoques is a really compelling and interesting new character

Dark Forge is a wonderful continuation of the Masters and Mages trilogy. It told an intriguing story while setting the reader up for a fantastic finish in the finale, Bright Steel. This series is quickly becoming a favorite. 

Filed Under: Reviews

About David W

Believer, Hubby, Girl Dad. Owner/CEO of FanFiAddict. Works a not so flashy day job in central Alabama. Furthest thing from a redneck and doesn’t say Roll Tide. Enjoys fantasy, science fiction, horror and thrillers but not much else (especially kissy kissy).

Other Reviews You Might Like

Review: The Mountain In The Sea by Ray Nayler

Team Review: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane ft. Krystle Matar & C.M. Caplan

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored By

Use Discount Code FANFI For 5% Off!

Follow FanFi!

Sign up for updates and get FREE stories from Michael R. Fletcher and Richard Ford!

What Would You Like To See?(Required)
Please select the type of content you want to receive from FanFi Addict. You can even mix and match if you want!

FFA Recommends

Get This Book
Get This Book
Get This Book
Get This Book

Recent Reviews

Recent Comments

  1. James on Review: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) by Steven EriksonMarch 25, 2023
  2. Adrian M. Gibson on Author Roundtable: Indie Marketing (with Kian N. Ardalan, Ryan Cahill, Aparna Verma & Gourav Mohanty)March 23, 2023
  3. zidane on Review: A Fractured Infinity by Nathan TavaresMarch 14, 2023
  4. Gary Weston on Bender’s Top 10 Fights in Fantasy BooksMarch 14, 2023
  5. David S on My Top 15 Favorite Male Anime Protagonists (So Far)March 13, 2023

Archive

Copyright © 2023 · Powered by ModFarm Sites · Log In