Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing a trilogy finale, Forged for Royalty by Andrew Knighton. I liked Forged for Destiny and Forged for Prophecy well enough, but they weren’t new favorites or anything. As such, I was somewhat hesitant going into this one but decided to pick up an ARC for the sake of completion. Did I love this finale more than the first two installments? Read on to find out!

In the final book of Andrew Knighton’s epic trilogy, the war for Estia has begun – and the fate of its people hang in the balance. Prince Raul Warborn has led his rebellion to the brink of victory. His army has doubled, with new allies and old magic joining the fight. But the path to freedom has never been easy. In the wake of every success, betrayal follows. The nobles of Estia’s past question Raul’s authority and his right to lead. Loyal rebels clash with new supporters. And while Raul struggles to keep the rebellion from sudden collapse, the Dunholmi forces are gathering in the shadows. The fate of Estia will be decided one way or another, with a king emerging victorious. And Prince Raul is determined to be that king, no matter what it takes. After all, this is his destiny.

***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.***

Forged for Royalty was such a fantastic conclusion to this trilogy! It was my favorite book of the three by far and had so many of the things I’d hoped to see in the second book. Better late than never, I guess. The plot, the politics, and the character growth were all on point. I’m so glad that I decided to pick this one up and see how the story of Raul Warborn came to its conclusion.

The plot of Forged for Royalty was engaging and exciting. The war was on and had raged for quite some time by the point this story picks up. The rebels had made so much headway and become a functioning unit with plenty of successes under their belt. The story contained many exhilarating battles and face-offs between major characters, which were fun to read. More than a few moments had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things would turn out. Needless to say, I really enjoyed all of the action in this one.

I was pleasantly surprised by all of the political maneuvering in Forged for Royalty, as well. I’d wanted more of the politics of building a rebellion in Forged for Prophecy. So, I was really happy to get a good dose of it in this installment of the story. Raul struggled to bring the commoner force of the rebels he’d forged together with the reinforcements provided by the old nobles. The nobles wanted to be in charge and return things to the status quo. Whereas the commoners wanted to see a more egalitarian and democratic future for the country. The differences in opinion led to some huge rifts, both personal and political, and I really liked seeing how Raul came into his own and led by example, even with so much turned against him and the divisions threatening to destroy everything he’d built.

One of the things I’ve loved most about this series was its characters. They all felt so genuine and had such interesting journeys. I particularly enjoyed the found family of people from so many different backgrounds, which grew quite a bit in this book to include many new faces to the rebellion. The relationship between Raul and his adopted father remained the beating heart of this series in Forged for Royalty. I just adored how ride or die Valens was for his son. They had a beautiful relationship, and I was happy to see him stick by Raul and do his best to keep Raul’s best interests at heart alongside his love for his country.

All in all, Forged for Royalty was a solid conclusion to the series and a much better time for me than the first two books. The political tension, action-heavy battles, and found family vibes all came together into such a special ending. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on Forged for Royalty by Andrew Knighton. Have you been reading this series? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!