The second book in The Forged And The Fallen series brings a lot of twists and some answers to the myriad of questions raised by the first book, and shows that it can be very tricky to start a series with a complex plot – but once you get far enough, it’s easier to continue.

The events of the first book ended in a spot that granted both sides a short reprieve – but not more than that. Treachery is already afoot, and the main characters on both sides can’t exactly wait. Just as the first book, this one is focused on four characters, though their paths cross much more often than in the first book.

Pravon the dragon thief and the group around him still get relatively low screen time, and seem to serve mostly to provide additional information on the Murgare side of things, at least those happening too far from Sirra the dragon queen, and gives some extra insight into the story, but this small group feels mostly a backdrop even if they could contribute a fair amount given the information they know.

Sirra returns home, and finds that things aren’t exactly in the best shape – the deceased king’s brother has taken the throne, under the guise of being a regent to the king’s daughter, and seems to be way too eager a warmonger. Given that his screen time isn’t as major, this leaves a lot of room for speculation about his motives. Sirra still hopes to convince Cyran to join her side of the cause, but as with the first book, it doesn’t seem like she is in the slightest interested in what kind of person Cyran is inside, and thus doesn’t realize that luring him with sheer power isn’t going to bear any fruit. Which, for someone with her power and experience, is quite a major oversight.

Cyran took a daring trip to investigate the rumors around the old forest coming alive, and ventures to also scout the other side of the border, which doesn’t go that well. He meets someone who was present during the initial incident at the beginning of the first book, and learns some details that could uncover some questionable parts of the assassinations, but doesn’t get much space for that. Which is a pity, because both he and Sirra seem to want the best for their people, and they might’ve had a better chance to achieve that if they actually took a moment to combine their knowledge and investigate instead of constantly being at odds with each other. Which is easier to say as a reader than it would be to do in reality when it seems that war is inevitable and sharing any vital knowledge might lead to trouble.

Cyran’s sister gets more involved with the court as a handmaiden and actually gets the closest to learning what’s behind the assassinations. She tries to investigate, but isn’t given that much time, and only makes some discoveries towards the end of the book.

The finale puts all characters in one place for a massive battle for the capital city. This shows that both sides have warmongers in their highest places and that things are nowhere sorted out, as an enemy more ancient comes seeking revenge.

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Read date: 13.-24.3.2026
Published: 30.5.2023
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,59/4,7
My rating: 90%
Length: 592 pages (Kindle edition)
My highlights

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As mentioned before, this book answers some questions raised by the first book, and with the story being more advanced, it’s easier to read as the reader has some idea of the wider picture. Thus, I’m going with a higher rating for book two than I did for book one, and I’m definitely going to read the third book in the series.