Forge and Shadow

Forge and Shadow by Alexander Dean pulled me in with Arden and Keera. When we first meet them, they’re already in love and planning their future together. Arden is a blacksmith, Keera is the innkeeper’s daughter, and they’re looking forward to getting married, owning their own forge, and eventually having children. I liked that we got to spend some time with them before everything changed. They already had a life together and dreams they were working toward, which made what happened next that much harder to read.

When tragedy strikes River’s Crest, Arden and Keera are separated, and the lives they’d planned together are suddenly gone. From there, we follow them as they try to find their way forward while dealing with grief, uncertainty, and everything they’ve lost. What made their separation especially heartbreaking was that they weren’t just grieving each other. They were grieving the future they’d planned together, too.

Some of the quieter moments were the ones that got to me the most. There are little reminders of the people and places they’ve lost, and I appreciated how those memories continued to affect them as the story went on. I especially liked that their grief wasn’t something they simply got over because they had other problems to deal with. It stayed with them, influencing their decisions and the way they looked at the world.

Keera was probably the character I connected with the quickest. She’s intelligent, curious, and willing to question what she’s told rather than accepting something simply because it comes from a church, a book, or someone in authority. I always appreciate a character who isn’t afraid to ask questions, especially when the answers make everyone else uncomfortable. As Keera begins learning more about the gods, souls, Light, Darkness, and Shadow, she starts questioning the history she’s grown up believing and how much of it she can actually trust.

What I especially liked was that her curiosity had a personal reason behind it. She isn’t simply looking for knowledge because she enjoys learning. She’s trying to make sense of everything that’s happened to her, and the answers she finds aren’t always what she expects. I enjoyed watching her change as she discovered more about the world and herself. She makes some choices I wasn’t entirely comfortable with, but I could understand how she got there. I don’t need to agree with every decision a character makes to appreciate their development, and Keera was a good example of that.

I also liked that the story doesn’t treat Light and Darkness as simple versions of good and evil. The more Keera learns, the more complicated everything becomes. Between the gods, religion, history, and the way different people have been taught to understand magic, there’s quite a bit to question. I enjoyed that because it made me wonder how much of what these characters believe is actually true and how much has been shaped by the people who had the power to tell the story.

And Keera has more than enough questions about her own family, too. I liked that there were little mysteries surrounding her past and certain things she’s carried with her for years. As she begins finding answers, those discoveries raise even more questions about who she is and what she might have inherited. Between that and everything she’s learning about Shadow, I’m really curious to see where her story goes.

Meanwhile, Arden is having an entirely different experience. After surviving River’s Crest, he discovers he has abilities he doesn’t understand and has to begin learning how to use them. I liked that discovering he had unusual powers didn’t suddenly make him an expert. He’s still Arden, and his experience as a blacksmith continues to influence how he approaches his training. He struggles, makes mistakes, and has to work at understanding what he’s capable of, which I appreciated.

I also really enjoyed Magnus. He becomes both a mentor and a friend to Arden, and their conversations brought some much-needed humor into a story that has quite a bit of grief. I liked their friendship and the way Magnus helped Arden without making everything easy for him. Arden also begins uncovering questions about his own family, so it isn’t just Keera who’s discovering that her history might be a little more complicated than she realized.

What interested me most was how their separate journeys started pulling them in different directions while still having so much in common. Both are grieving, both are discovering abilities they don’t fully understand, and both are beginning to question things about their families and the world around them. I liked seeing how their experiences were changing them, especially knowing how much they’d meant to each other before everything happened. There are also some interesting moments that made me wonder whether their connection might be something more than either of them realizes.

I enjoyed the world Alexander created, too. Andellian has several gods, different beliefs surrounding Light and Darkness, Grace, Shadow, paladins, supernatural creatures, magical objects, and quite a bit of history. There’s clearly been a lot of thought put into how everything connects, and I liked discovering more about it alongside the characters. I especially enjoyed the questions surrounding the gods and the different ways people understand their powers.

That said, the amount of information being introduced was probably my biggest struggle with the book. I enjoy detailed fantasy worlds, but there were times when I had to stop and remind myself which god we were talking about or where everyone currently was. I don’t think the world needs less detail, because much of it is interesting and important to the story. I just think a few more reminders along the way would have made everything easier to follow. And with so many places to keep track of, this is definitely a fantasy world that could use a map.

The pacing also slowed a little for me through the middle. Both Arden and Keera spend quite a bit of time learning about their abilities, and while I enjoyed their separate journeys, some of the training, traveling, and explanations started covering similar ground. I think tightening a few of those sections would have helped keep the story moving without losing anything important. I found myself much more interested in the moments when their discoveries changed something for them personally or forced them to make a difficult decision.

That’s really what kept this from being a five-star read for me. I didn’t need more characters, additional magic, or a bigger world. There was already plenty here to keep me interested. I just would have liked a little less repetition and a smoother balance between explaining the world and letting the characters experience it. The more personal moments were some of the strongest parts of the book for me, and I would have loved more of that natural storytelling throughout.

Things do pick up again toward the end, and I liked seeing how much both characters had grown since the beginning. Their experiences are taking them in very different directions, and neither has all the answers yet. I also appreciated that learning to use their abilities didn’t suddenly make everything easy for them. They still have plenty to figure out, and I’m interested in seeing how their choices affect what happens next.

As for the romance, Arden and Keera’s relationship is an important part of the story, but this isn’t a particularly spicy book. There’s affection, physical closeness, and intimacy between them, but no graphically described sex scenes. The focus is much more on their relationship, their grief, the magic, and the different paths they’re taking. I’m giving this one 1/5 Pepper.

Would I recommend Forge and Shadow? Absolutely! I think readers who enjoy epic fantasy with detailed worldbuilding, magic, gods, religious mysteries, family secrets, and characters discovering abilities they don’t fully understand will find plenty to enjoy here. There’s also an established romantic relationship at the heart of the story, although the romance isn’t particularly spicy. Just know that this is the beginning of a larger series, and there are still quite a few unanswered questions by the end.

My Final Verdict: I really enjoyed Forge and Shadow. Arden and Keera were the heart of this book for me, and I liked following their separate journeys as they dealt with everything they’d lost and began discovering more about themselves. I enjoyed the mysteries surrounding their families, the more complicated approach to Light and Darkness, and the way their abilities were developing. The amount of worldbuilding being introduced and some slower, slightly repetitive stretches through the middle kept it from earning five stars, but I finished genuinely invested in these characters and wanting to know what happens next.

And now comes my least favorite part of starting a new series: waiting for Book Two. Apparently, Alexander expects me and my inner BookDragon to sit patiently until Oaths and Sacrifice arrives so I can find out what happens next. We are not known for our patience.

Final Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) | Spice Rating: 🌶️ (1/5)

NOTE: This review reflects the digital ARC version provided to me as of September 12, 2026, and may not reflect any revisions, corrections, or updates made to subsequent editions.