The fourth book in The Forged and the Fallen series moves along to resolve one of the two major conflicts, though it ends up still leaving some loose threads for a fifth book.

At the end of the third book, a small group around Cyran has moved on to pursue the Harrowed, masses of undead elves, in hopes of stopping them and stealing or destroying an artifact that gives them a way to sever the bonds between humans and dragons. But it quickly becomes clear that things won’t be easy.

Thus, the group splits again to deal with individual parts of their objectives. Jaslin and some other survivors of the final battle at the end of the third book pursue the undead elves in hopes of finding and taking control of the relic, which forces them to progress through forgotten places to not be spotted – as doing so would likely mean they’d be turned into the same monstrosities. And while finding it won’t be as hard, the trouble will be obtaining the relic alive, and more so to escape with it.

Sirra, meanwhile, investigates old prophecies about the relic’s origin, taking her on a journey to long-abandoned temples where she has to pass several challenges – both of strength and wit.

Cyran, meanwhile, continues to free dragons and build his own legion, though it quickly turns out that without gear and riders, it won’t be able to make a difference. And, worse, many of the dragons are sick, and no one knows how to cure them. His search for warriors and healers gets him stuck in a political game between the thieves he joined out of necessity and a guild of merchants. And, through some connections, also the King he once served.

The guild of dragon thieves also faces some inner turmoil, which is displayed through several scenes focusing on Pravon, the thief who sees a chance to fulfill his own ambitions. As a result, it leads to situations where some characters might end up on the same side despite conflicting interests – as the undead elves mass for a final attack on the capital, it’s clear that it will take a lot to defend the town.

This part seemed a bit strange to me – all those factions in the kingdom caring more about who ends up on top but not caring nearly enough about the world-ending threat getting closer.

Unsurprisingly, this brings a lot of the characters together for a massive battle – and while the plot line of the undead elves is resolved, the ending makes it clear that the various surviving human groups are in for a lot of trouble and the story isn’t over yet.

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Read date: 21.6.-6.7.2026
Published: 24.4.2026
Goodreads/Amazon rating: 4,6/4,5
My rating: 80%
Length: 534 pages
My highlights – none shared this time

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The book stays true to the spirit of the series, though there are things that led to a lower rating. First, for a fourth book, the first half has a bit too slow pacing, and Sirra’s challenges often made it harder for me to follow. I guess it was a goal – she does end up losing track of time and space, but so did I as a reader. But, with how much is at stake, it felt a bit off.