Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely boy from underground. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket—or so he thought—because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the queen of the underground and the forest king declared war.
Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of enemies at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it’s only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest and underground folk alike grows in the shadows.
The Forest King’s Daughter is a captivating YA romantasy novel and the first book in the Thirstwood series. The book blends themes of forbidden love, feuding races, royal politics, and ancient mythology. Set in the enchanted Thirstwood forest, the story follows Cassia, a Sylvan princess, who feels trapped by duty and expectation. As a child, she formed a strong bond with Zeru, a Dracu warrior, despite the feuding between their people. Zeru gifted Cassia a magical ring, which Cassia later discovered could help annihilate Zeru’s enemy’s army. Now, years later, Cassia and Zeru cross paths once more under hostile circumstances. When they are forced into an uneasy alliance, they must navigate treacherous politics and dark magic for the sake of both their people.
This book has a wonderful cast of complex and interesting characters. The story is told from the 3rd person perspective of Cassia. She is an indecisive and sometimes infuriating character who’s very loyal to her family—her concern for her sisters’ welfare is always present, and her relationship with her father, the Forest King, is complicated. As the story unfolds and some of the King’s treachery is revealed, Cassia is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about him—even still, there are some compelling scenes between father and daughter that display a level of unconditional love present despite all the betrayals. It will be fascinating to see how the dynamics of this relationship develops in future books. Cassia’s character arc is especially pronounced in this story, as she grapples with her identity and the expectations imposed upon her and is forced to make high-stakes decisions for the greater good.
The storyline is mostly driven by the enemies-to-lovers trope between Cassia and Zeru. Their relationship evolves from secret childhood friends to sworn enemies to reluctant allies. Their eventual romance is a slow-burn development, fueled by forced proximity in their shared venture to stop the war between their families and defeat a common enemy. It may have been more intriguing to have written this story in the dual perspectives of Cassia and Zeru, to showcase both sides of the evolving relationship and to highlight each of their internal struggles with family loyalty.
The world-building in this book is highly imaginative, blending elements from Celtic, Greek, and Germanic mythologies to create a universe of unique creatures. The atmospheric settings, from the sentient forest to a cloud-bound castle, create a very immersive reading experience. There’s still plenty of potential for further world-building expansion—more elaboration on the intricacies of sentient forests and the King’s realm would be beneficial. A cool map of the fantasy world would also be helpful!
What stands out most in this book is the ethereal and whimsical writing style. The story has a slower start, but once Cassia and Zeru get reacquainted, the pacing improves. There are some sections in the middle that are repetitive and rely on convenient plot points to move the story forward. This book reads somewhat like a standalone, especially when reflecting back on the prologue and the satisfying conclusion. It is speculated that the next book will be told from the perspective of Cassia’s sister, so each book may read like its own standalone—a similar style to what’s expected for the widely popular Phantasma series!
In summary, The Forest King’s Daughter is a promising start to a new romantasy series. Fans of Blake’s popular Frostblood saga and readers who enjoy immersive fantasy romance, forbidden enemies to lovers, and mythology should add this book to their reading lists!
