In Darkness Forged

Night Elves of Abreia, Book 1

By: Kenley Davidson

Narrated by: Vanessa Moyen, Tim Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

In a land of darkness and deadly adversaries, he might just be the deadliest one of all.

Burdened by a debt she can never hope to repay, Aislin is sent by her cruel lord to the mysterious land of Dunmaren, where she must beg the night elves for a single favor. The shapeshifters demand a steep price, but Aislin will do anything to save her family—even travel alone into a nightmare forest filled with monsters.

Except she isn't quite alone...

Talyn's magic is as deadly as his blades, but he lives only for his chance at revenge. Betrayed and imprisoned by his night elf kin, his only hope of freedom is to serve as guide and bodyguard to a human woman foolish enough to enter the perilous depths of the Darkspring.

Talyn wants nothing to do with a weak and useless human. In Dunmaren, only the strong survive, and soft things are easily broken. But Aislin defies his expectations at every turn, and what he once believed to be weakness might just prove the key to their survival.

In the shadows beneath the earth, an unlikely bond is forged between the renegade night elf and the fiercely determined human. Few ever return from the depths, and it will take more than stubbornness and steel to defeat the enemy that awaits them at the very heart of the Darkspring.

In Darkness Forged is a standalone night elf romance with a sweet, slow-burn love story and a happily-ever-after ending. If you loved A Deal With the Elf King or The Bridge Kingdom, don’t miss this swoon-worthy tale of sacrifice, redemption, and revenge.

©2023 Kenley Davidson (P)2023 Podium Audio

4.5 stars

*Spoilers*



I had previously read the book when it first came out and really enjoyed it. I really liked Cuan, Aislan, Tal, and all of the other characters. I am interested to see where their story is headed next, but I am also curious to see what Rhone's story entails as he reminded me a bit of a pirate but on land and not at sea - or something like a robinhood type of character. I am hoping Tal and Aislan will someday meet the other characters from the main story, as I love crossovers between series where familiar characters - or character's we've previously been in their POV - meet each other. I thought Aislan was a very wise and insightful as a character. I had a sneaking suspicion after Tal mentioned what a moon stone was, so it was interesting to see the end result of her mission. I felt a bit bad for Sedric, but I am glad he is taking things into his own hands by the end and changing things for the better. I thought Cuan was very cute and I loved how loyal he was to Tal and Aislan. I was surprised that Tal and Aislan were suddenly married at the end of the book and I have no idea how much time had passed between the epilogue and the chapter before it. It seemed like it was several months, becuase if I recall correctly, she had went out on her mission in the summer or fall, and spring seemed to have just begun in the epilogue. In a way, I kind of wish there was more with the epilogue, as it did end before Tal and Aislan were apparently going to go on another journey to save her father - which I have a feeling Tal was about to ask that he would like to travel with her again at some point before he was cut off, as I can see him wanting a little bit of a break from being in one place for so long and wanting more alone time with Aislan (and Cuan), but I'm not 100% sure about that, as I am sure he'd be anywhere Aislan was and would be happy. So I wasn't exactly satisified with the epilogue and with how the book ended, but it did give way to the possibility of a sequel or they will appear again in another book.

*Narration*
I thought the narration was done very well and I enjoyed it immensly. It definitely heightened my enjoyment of the book even more. I thought both narrators fit the characters really well and they did a wonderful job. This was a first for me to hear a book narrated by Tim Campbell, and I thought he fit Tal's character really well. He did a nice job voicing Aislan as well.

Intensly fun adventure

3.75 Stars

Overall Rating ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Humor ★★★
Characters & Character Development ★★★★
Narration ★★★★★

Story: I enjoyed the story and the adventures.

Narration: I always love this female narrator. She's a favorite. I enjoyed the male narrator as well. I may listen to more by him.

Great read!

Loved the story and characters! The female lead was strong, but still feminine, and the male lead was a fantastic leader and great masculine role.

Fun clean fantasy romance!

Fun clean fantasy romance! Narration is good and story is well paced, lots of action if you like that!

Great, clean adventure

Very entertaining, lots of action. I feel like it didnt take long for the main characters to fall in love but with an initial spark of attraction and bonding over surviving together, it’s believable. I wish it was longer or part of a series

Epic fantasy

Enjoyed the book, it was a little too slow for me, but the world building was nice, the characters begin to take a nice shape, and I appreciate not being left hung, will look for other books even though this can be a standalone loved the female narration. Picked this boook because of her, the make narrator was not bad, but think this book would have been fine with just one e narrator!