Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Forged for Prophecy by Andrew Knighton. The first book in this series, Forged for Destiny, was enjoyable but didn’t really wow me. So, I’ve been curious to see where the sequel would take the story and to see if the series could become a new favorite. Did this follow up become a new favorite? Read on to find out all of my thoughts!

In this thrilling sequel to the magical and mystifying Forged for Destiny, Raul has a choice: embrace his fake destiny as the savior king or send his people on a path to certain doom. 

Cursed with the knowledge that his destiny as the hero of Estis is a lie, Raul still tries his best to lead a small rebellion. But after several defeats in battle, low morale, and people leaving left and right, he’s almost ready to give up his claim to throne and let what’s left of his rebellion fend for themselves.

Just when he’s about to reveal the lie that began everything, Raul’s mother returns to the rebel camp with stories of an ancient dagger that could return hope to their cause. And the prophecies show that if they manage to find it, the tides of war would turn in their favor. It’s too good of a chance to pass up, and Raul leaves with only Valens, Prisca, and Yasmi in tow to search the mountains for the dagger that could save them.

After all, prophecies are never wrong…

***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I was so ready to love Forged for Prophecy, especially upon reading the first few chapters. Raul was struggling to lead the nascent rebellion as it tried to coalesce into something formidable despite some demoralizing defeats. I was ready to tuck into an interesting story about him learning to inspire his people while also dealing with the messy politics and logistics of keeping the rebellion alive. Then the rug got pulled out from under me, and the story went in a completely different direction that was far less compelling.

Don’t get me wrong. Quest stories are often fun, and I don’t necessarily hate them. Forged for Prophecy actually did a solid job with it, too. The new lands explored were interesting, and the pace was steady enough to keep me engaged. The change just felt really abrupt. One second the rebellion is starting to disintegrate around them, and the next second most of the leaders just up and run off after some obscure magical item. I honestly don’t think anything beyond the core of their movement would have survived that abdication of leadership. Then Raul inspiring people outside of his land while on the journey felt like the laziest possible way to resolve the numbers problem of the rebellion.

Despite not loving the plot of Forged for Prophecy, I did still really like the characters. Each of them had compelling arcs across this journey. Valens was probably my favorite again. He struggled to regain a sense of purpose after his defeat in the first book, and I really felt his struggle to adjust come through in the writing. Yasmi also had a fascinating story, though. She began to lose, or find, herself in the masks she put on and had to figure out how to accept and harness the power of those new parts of herself without being overcome by them. All in all, I enjoyed spending time with the people in this story even when I’m not necessarily loving the story itself. lol.

As for the ending of Forged for Prophecy, it was a bit underwhelming. The villain spent most of the story chasing the group of rebellion leaders. When he finally caught up to them, the fight was less than thrilling. Then when Raul and company returned to the rebellion, they quickly began capturing forts and made plans to crown him king. It all just felt unearned. However, the ending did set up what will likely be an interesting showdown for the next book. So, I’ll probably read it just to see where the characters end up.

Overall, I didn’t love Forged for Prophecy. The plot went in directions that felt uninspired and lazy. What could have been an interesting character study on the complexities of being a leader while building a struggling rebellion turned into a run of the mill quest story. I am still very attached to these characters, though. Enough so that I’ll be reading the next book. Therefore, I rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Forged for Prophecy by Andrew Knighton. Have you been reading this series? Does it sound like something you’d pick up? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!