Forged Destiny by Ash Leigh

The second book in the Valiant series sees magic weirder, Elaine, once again happily working in her father’s bakery. When two women arrive looking for her help, it isn’t long before the evil king’s knights are once more knocking down the door, which is exactly the call to arms Elaine needs to leave her comfortable home and set out in search of the other people gifted with magic.

After the end of A Tale of Two, I was a bit disappointed to see Elaine back almost at square one. The first half of Forged Destiny repeats a lot of the beats of A Tale of Two, and I was frustrated that the changes so evident at the end of the first book had so little impact on the start of the second.

The story picked up considerably once Elaine went in search of others like her. As with the first book, I enjoyed the fairy tale inspiration behind each of the new characters. The king and queen are truly evil, and have harmed many lives with their wickedness.

The six magic users have different, yet complementary, powers and I look forward to reading about how they will use their gifts to overcome the tyrants who rule the kingdom.

I was glad Renard appeared, although a little disappointed that he was only seen in his human form. The talking fox was one of my favorite parts of the first book.

Interesting to note that Elaine’s childhood best friend, and first love, now has three women in love with him. That guy has got game!

Elaine continued to be a strong, moral character and I liked how she kept the peace among the other magic users. I look forward to continuing her adventures in the next book.

I award Forged Destiny…