Will Wight gives us an amazing read in Soulsmith. Wight’s brand of fantasy is heavy on magic, giving us an intricate and fascinating magic system with plenty of depth. He also gives us a coming-of-age hero’s journey. All of this is set in a well-developed non-western secondary world. It’s so much fun to read, and for fans of hard magic systems it’ll really hit the spot.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of magic in fantasy. On this front Will Wight delivers so well. Magic plays an incredibly integral role to the plot of Soulsmith. Lindon, our MC, continues his journey—which began in Unsouled—to become a better, more powerful sacred artist. One of the things I really appreciated about this sequel is that Wight didn’t rush things. It would have been easy to see an explosion of power for Lindon, but he continues to struggle as a comparative weakling. This gives us plenty of glimpses into Lindon’s character and it’s wonderful to see his development and growth. Even more, however, is the growth we get to see from Yerin. In fact, if anything has drastically improved from the first book in this series, I would say it is the characterization of secondary characters. Lindon has always been interesting. Wight is now building an entire cast of interesting characters and I can’t wait to see where they go and how they develop in the rest of this series. Any time you can give me intricate, interesting magic and a cast of fascinating, developing characters I’m all in. Wight has done that in spades here, and set it all in a unique world. One aspect of the world building I enjoy is how so much revolves around honor. Often fantasy worlds tend to take a guilt/innocence view of the world, much like the majority of western society. To see a tale told in a world that focuses much more on honor/shame is wonderful.

I don’t have much to criticize with this book. Almost everything worked for me. There were a few moments, particularly toward the beginning of the book, where the action slowed down a little. These didn’t last very long, however. I also felt that the book may have lacked a little bit of a plot unto itself. It is obviously a middle book of a series. These are all very minor criticisms and they did not significantly impact my enjoyment.

Will Wight’s second book in his Cradle series is excellent fun, heavy on magic, and begins introducing a wider cast of characters that I’m sure will play a larger role as the series progresses. It’s well done all-around and a wonderful read for those who thoroughly enjoy hard magic systems. 4.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing