Book Review: The Forged Empire by Samantha Gillespie

Reviewed by Gabriella Harrison

A grieving queen learns that ruling a kingdom means facing herself as much as her enemies.

The Forged Empire, the third installment in Samantha Gillespie’s The Kingdom Within trilogy, opens in a place that feels safe, even cozy. Meredith is in the palace bakehouse, and for a few pages, there’s the illusion of calm. But that calm doesn’t hold for long. Grief, still fresh from earlier books, begins to settle in again, and what looks like a quiet start quickly becomes something heavier and harder to carry.

Meredith is still mourning. That sadness doesn’t flood the story, but it stays close. It’s felt in her hesitation, her inner monologues, and the way she navigates even small decisions. At one point, she admits, “I know strength is expected of me, and I’m trying…but no matter how hard I fight, every choice I make brings more pain.”

That kind of emotional weight shapes the rhythm of the book. It’s steady and patient, giving Meredith the time to figure things out without rushing her past the things she’s lost.

She’s not just grieving, though. She’s leading—while learning how to. The empire is fracturing, and Meredith’s role as a ruler isn’t something she can ease into. Political threats mount. Trust wavers. Every decision she makes feels like it could split something open. Her relationship with Ethan, her husband and co-leader, doesn’t offer an escape, either. It’s strong, but it isn’t idealized. He’s efficient. Calm. Sometimes that’s comforting. Other times, it stings. “Watching him handle the situation so efficiently makes my inadequacies feel all the more glaring,” Meredith reflects. “Where I flounder, he thrives.”

One of the most tender parts of the novel is her strained friendship with Heloise. They’re both grieving, but they don’t show it the same way. Heloise lashes out. Meredith pulls inward. Their early conversation in a courtyard begins sharp and defensive, but their scenes grow into something quieter and sadder. There’s a shared ache there, even when they can’t say it aloud.

The narrative doesn’t stay rooted in Meredith’s world. When the point of view shifts to Connor (Meredith’s former lover), the tone changes too. His chapters are rougher, more immediate, less about reflection, more about survival. There’s a scene that sums it up well: “Every step is a gamble, the ground littered with shattered weapons, broken shields, and bodies that no longer rise.” That contrast helps. Just as the palace starts to feel like a pressure cooker of alliances and quiet grief, Connor’s chapters cut in with grit and urgency. While the key secondary characters (Krea and Heloise) shape the story through their friction with Meredith, others like the court advisors or staff are lightly sketched. Additionally, while the reflective tone is thoughtful, it sometimes slows the story’s momentum.

Beyond its immersive worldbuilding, The Forged Empire tells a story that is more interested in how people carry their choices than in just what those choices are. It is endearing how Meredith doesn’t pretend to have everything figured out. We see her stumble, question herself, and grow in ways that feel earned rather than rushed.

Samantha Gillespie’s The Forged Empire is an emotionally rich story that centers around a crumbling empire and those who must shoulder the demands of leadership amid rising tension and threats of war to ensure its survival.

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