The Forest King’s Daughter

Gr 6 Up–Young Cassia and Zeru sneak away from their respective homes into the forest, where they forge a friendship despite their conflicting backgrounds. When they seal their friendship with gifts, the trinket Zeru stole from his mother’s jewelry box turns out to be a powerful magic ring from the Ancients tied to a prophecy—and he’s given it to the enemy. Tensions boil over between the Sylvan of the Thirstwood and the Dracu of the underground Cryptlands when their parents arrive on the scene and declare war. Ten years later Cassia can barely activate the ring’s incredible power, disappointing her father and her people. An impulsive vow as a child means she can never take the ring off. When Zeru kidnaps her to reclaim the ring and his family’s honor, they discover she is bonded to it by more than just her word and form a tentative alliance to find answers, which turns into something more. Their friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope will appeal to many young teens, but more experienced readers will find themselves frustrated by the way their character arcs fail to fit together. Blake has delivered a fun and fast read that sets up interesting worldbuilding to be explored in the rest of the trilogy. Themes of fate, friendship, and power add layers to thin characterizations while the adventure pushes the story forward. Characters are fantasy races.