Forest of the Morning: The Complete Trilogy by Emmylou Kotzé

The Forest of the Morning trilogy is a multi-POV epic fantasy (320,000 words total) with five main characters: the runaway prince and secret sorcerer Fish, his best friend and fellow assassin Nico, the Mage-Gifted ranger Albryan, the farmgirl Velda, and the villain's ruthless yet tormented daughter Dannine.

This is an omnibus ebook of all three books in one file. The content of this book is exactly the same as this bundle but as a convenient single file.

This series features two romantic relationships: Albryan (m) and Velda (f), who are drawn together after facing mortal danger; and Nico (m) and Fish (m), who start out as best friends and navigate their way through a tangled slow-burn until they're finally ready to confess their budding feelings in the most beautiful natural forest setting possible.

This series features the following representation for the main characters: mental health (Albryan), gay & demisexual (Fish), bisexual (Nico), and asexual (Dannine).

Nineteen years ago, the world was upended when the blood sorcerer Arran Sylvaissen invaded Vailana and sent the Mage-Gifted into exile, slavery or death.

Now, Arran's dark goals are finally within his reach. His war against the Forest of the Morning, last refuge of the Mage-Gifted, will soon be decided. Capturing and corrupting a young mage-soldier, Albryan Lana, is a tiny detail in Arran's grand plan. But when Albryan escapes and flees to the Svanlyn mountains, what he finds there promises to alter the course of the war and even the destiny of the entire continent.

High in the reaches of those mountains, Velda Davidz mourns her lost family, completely unaware that she possesses an unheard-of ability to undo magic. Now, as she prepares to leave the simple life she has known behind, the past beckons for her in the form of a strangely familiar face she glimpses only in dreams.

In a city of thieves and Guildmasters, the assassin Nico Klavbert and his beloved partner Fish are about to take on the job that will change their lives forever. Journeying into the high mountains on the heels of a slave caravan, they are caught by a shadowy figure from Fish's past. With all Fish's secrets now laid bare, Nico is forced to confront his budding romantic feelings towards this young man who has been his best friend in all the world.

Release date: 8 June 2026

Other formats:

Amazon paperbacks and Kindle

Be Aware:

Forest of the Morning is an epic fantasy narrative intended for mature audiences (over 16s).

This series is moderately “spicy” and includes at least one consensual intimate scene per book (couples are m/m and m/f).

Multiple characters in this series are explicitly queer, including two main POV characters.

The heavy themes of this series are not intended for titillation or “set dressing,” but are explored through the eyes of the survivors. Intense content is intended to underline the seriousness of these topics.

Topics discussed or depicted in this series include: genocide, slavery, wrongful imprisonment and abduction, fantasy racism, incest, child abuse and grooming, death of endangered animals, war, torture especially of POWs, rape (of men as well as marginalized genders), exploration of personal and generational trauma, grief and mourning, depression and suicide, plague, pregnancy and complications thereof, death of children and infants, injury and wound care, coma, medical body horror, in-world homophobia and misogyny, and romance which may or may not end happily.