Priscilla is now training with the only other Hollow Warrior with her power. Arnold is quiet, almost sullen, and she thinks of him as a robot during their training. No matter how he tries not to show it, his frustration at her reluctance to let her power loose during training is obvious to her. She knows it’s strength, as it burns her under her skin, but she doesn’t yet trust herself.

Life in her new home base is lonely, as all the other trainees distrust her after her relationship with a Renegade. She is left alone to eat each meal, and has only Arnold to talk to. This is far from what she’d dreamed of as a trained Hollow Warrior of the Guild.

When an enemy attack hits the base, even more goes wrong and Priscilla decides she’s had enough of the base treatment of her. She knows she needs to prove herself to everyone around her, including her powerful grandmother Geema.

Her decision on how to do this also doesn’t go well, but while away from The Guild, she learns things about Geema’s past, and the past of The Guild that doesn’t sit right with her. These revelations change her entire life, but first she must fight with her awesome power to save her beloved Emerald City, her family, girlfriend and her entire world.

The sequel to We Who Hunt the Hollow, We Who Are Forged in Fire is a gripping read and even better. Priscilla is a likeable and relatable character with her feelings and fears alive on the page. We learn more about the history of her world and experience more heartbreak along with her.

The stakes are even higher in this sequel and the sacrifices huge, but this is also a coming of age for the girl who wishes nothing more than to follow all the women in her family to become accomplished Hollow Warriors.

I highly recommend this series, and wish I’d discovered it earlier. Step inside this world of women warriors. You won’t regret it. 

Author – Kate Murray

Age – 13+

(2023, Hardie Grant, NZ Author, Sequel, Series, Monsters, Strong women, Family, Relationships, Grief, Strength, Courage, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Action, Familiars, Animals, Friendship, Horror, Secret, Spy)