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The World of Reforged #0.5
Crucible
MP3 CD Format
Prince Zavrius has spent his life in the shadow of his family's power, fifth in line to a throne he will never claim. While his eldest brother Theo schemes and the court buzzes with whispers of war, Zavrius is tasked with proving his worth by demonstrating swordsmanship at a royal ceremony--a skill he sorely lacks.
Enter Balen, a rising star in the Paladin Order, who stumbles upon Zavrius's struggles and offers to train him. Balen is everything Zavrius isn' disciplined, unflinching, and steadfastly loyal to his duty. But as the two spend stolen hours together, a bond begins to form--one that defies their stations and the chaos brewing around them.
Meanwhile, Zavrius's mother, Queen Arasne, hides a deadly illness, determined to maintain the fragile peace she's built. With nobles pushing for war and Theo's simmering hatred threatening to ignite, Zavrius finds himself drawn into the court's dangerous undercurrents. And through it all, his feelings for Balen deepen, even as he knows their love is doomed.
Set five years before the events of Reforged, Crucible is a sweeping tale of passion and heartbreak, tracing the forbidden love that would one day shape the fate of a kingdom.
Contains mature themes.
Prince Zavrius has spent his life in the shadow of his family's power, fifth in line to a throne he will never claim. While his eldest brother Theo schemes and the court buzzes with whispers of war, Zavrius is tasked with proving his worth by demonstrating swordsmanship at a royal ceremony--a skill he sorely lacks.
Enter Balen, a rising star in the Paladin Order, who stumbles upon Zavrius's struggles and offers to train him. Balen is everything Zavrius isn' disciplined, unflinching, and steadfastly loyal to his duty. But as the two spend stolen hours together, a bond begins to form--one that defies their stations and the chaos brewing around them.
Meanwhile, Zavrius's mother, Queen Arasne, hides a deadly illness, determined to maintain the fragile peace she's built. With nobles pushing for war and Theo's simmering hatred threatening to ignite, Zavrius finds himself drawn into the court's dangerous undercurrents. And through it all, his feelings for Balen deepen, even as he knows their love is doomed.
Set five years before the events of Reforged, Crucible is a sweeping tale of passion and heartbreak, tracing the forbidden love that would one day shape the fate of a kingdom.
Contains mature themes.
1 pages, MP3 CD
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Seth Haddon
7 books672 followersSeth Haddon is a queer Australian writer of fantasy. He is a video game designer and producer, has a degree in Ancient History, and previously worked with cats. Some of his previous adventures include exploring Pompeii with a famous archaeologist and being chased through a train station by a nun.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 25, 2025
This is so good as a standalone, but hits even harder when you’ve already read Reforged (on that note please excuse me as I head off to reread Reforged…)
March 28, 2026
Enjoyed this a lot, it worked really well as a prequel and introduction to Balen and Zavrius's story and I'm really keen to read Reformed and see their full story arc!
August 10, 2025
I was part of the Kickstarter campaign to bring this novel to physical form, and I'm glad I backed it. In general, the hardback copy with its illustrations is beautiful, the color scheme breathtaking, and over all it feels like a quality production. I have a few small quibbles about some printing errors, but that's par for the course for indies, I've found.
I know Haddon said he was finished with World of Reforged previously, but I think this book shows how much potential the world still has. I was glad to spend more time with Zavrius in particular and understand his motivations. I particularly enjoyed knowing this book would, by virtue of it being a prequel, have to have an unhappy ending. It was lovely to entertain a bittersweet chapter, knowing what would would come to pass in Reforged. My only small qualm would be that perhaps this should have been part of the original book. It did make me want to turn around and reread Reforged, and sad I won't really have time for that for awhile.
I think Haddon has greatly improved in describing the diversity of his characters in the world. In general it's been lovely to see his writing strengthen throughout these books.
I know Haddon said he was finished with World of Reforged previously, but I think this book shows how much potential the world still has. I was glad to spend more time with Zavrius in particular and understand his motivations. I particularly enjoyed knowing this book would, by virtue of it being a prequel, have to have an unhappy ending. It was lovely to entertain a bittersweet chapter, knowing what would would come to pass in Reforged. My only small qualm would be that perhaps this should have been part of the original book. It did make me want to turn around and reread Reforged, and sad I won't really have time for that for awhile.
I think Haddon has greatly improved in describing the diversity of his characters in the world. In general it's been lovely to see his writing strengthen throughout these books.
March 18, 2026
I had read Reforged, so it was very nice to know more about how Balen and Zavrius relationship.
The romance is tender but kind of realistic as well.
Other events than the romantic interactions happen during the book, which kept me interested for the entire reading.
Knight X Prince is a lovely trope. Too bad that there are few books exploring it.
The romance is tender but kind of realistic as well.
Other events than the romantic interactions happen during the book, which kept me interested for the entire reading.
Knight X Prince is a lovely trope. Too bad that there are few books exploring it.
June 1, 2025
“You came,” Balen said brightly. Zavrius was reminded of Balen repeating his words in the great hall. You came to get me? All surprised, inflection high. Now, those words again, said differently. Resonant, certain—not surprised Zavrius had shown up, but glad for it.
How could I stay away? Zavrius wanted to say. Don’t you feel it in your blood the same as me? The pull of ichor tugging my heart towards yours?
“Fourth and fifth.” Zavrius pointed to the ribs on either side of him. “You were very specific.”
“It’s where the heart would be,” Balen said as Zavrius jolted to a stop beside him. “Where you now stand.”
Reading Crucible felt like falling into young and naive love. Something of great softness, but a worry it would break. And then, it does.
In this prequel of Reforged, we meet Zavrius again as a young prince. While there is no worry of him being king, he has other political actions to worry about. His siblings have pushed him to the bottom of the food chain, no one at court takes him seriously, and his musical talent is not enough to convince others he has worth as royalty. But Zav doesn't care (or so he portrays) because he has his eyes on the young up-and-coming paladin, Balen of Westagar. When the two are pulled together to aid in Zav's sword training to prove himself as a Prince, they fall slowly but hard. Everything is telling them to be apart, but what is the worst that could happen?
The constant anticipation of what is to come keeps you going. Haddon expertly leads you to tenderness and heartache through his smooth prose, lush imagery, unique setting, and characters so alive they sit beside you as you read.
If you love knight x prince stories or queer fantasy do not hesitate. This is Haddon's best work yet, and he is only getting better.
How could I stay away? Zavrius wanted to say. Don’t you feel it in your blood the same as me? The pull of ichor tugging my heart towards yours?
“Fourth and fifth.” Zavrius pointed to the ribs on either side of him. “You were very specific.”
“It’s where the heart would be,” Balen said as Zavrius jolted to a stop beside him. “Where you now stand.”
Reading Crucible felt like falling into young and naive love. Something of great softness, but a worry it would break. And then, it does.
In this prequel of Reforged, we meet Zavrius again as a young prince. While there is no worry of him being king, he has other political actions to worry about. His siblings have pushed him to the bottom of the food chain, no one at court takes him seriously, and his musical talent is not enough to convince others he has worth as royalty. But Zav doesn't care (or so he portrays) because he has his eyes on the young up-and-coming paladin, Balen of Westagar. When the two are pulled together to aid in Zav's sword training to prove himself as a Prince, they fall slowly but hard. Everything is telling them to be apart, but what is the worst that could happen?
The constant anticipation of what is to come keeps you going. Haddon expertly leads you to tenderness and heartache through his smooth prose, lush imagery, unique setting, and characters so alive they sit beside you as you read.
If you love knight x prince stories or queer fantasy do not hesitate. This is Haddon's best work yet, and he is only getting better.
October 15, 2026
I was waiting for this book. After reading all The World of Reforged books I really wanted more of the prince and the paladin. But somehow I am disappointed.
This is not a bad book per se, it just doesn't "get" to me.
There is a sense of oppressivness and it's done well. The palace is a suffocating place for Zavrius, and I now clearly see why he is like he is in Reforged. So that's a good thing, what a prequel should do - establish the foundations and logical "whys". The world is shown how I like it, in a way I can really be there. No need for elaborate descriptions of that one flower that grew, but the whole thing is instantly before my eyes. Perhaps it's my perception as well, but I can't deny Seth can paint pictures with words.
Then why didn't this book quite make it for me? Well, first of all, there's so much internal monologue I felt like I was reading psychodrama. And while I do like it every once in a while, that was not what I expected. So much can be said with dialogues and gestures.
Then the whole thing with the romance. I get it. They're young. Bound by rules. Impossible love and all that. But it still feels flat if it is not the intimacy between them, which is actually really touching. I expected... not sure what I expected, it's not that their relationship is bad, but rather the way it is told kinda threw me off. The characters are shallow and rather simple, predictable, they lack any "edge", even a little, as they should have in an environment like this.
There are several editing mistakes and typos that stung my eyes. Some internal monologues are really naiive and cliche. But overall it's not entirely bad way to write a prequel, it just didn't quite rise to my expectations.
This is not a bad book per se, it just doesn't "get" to me.
There is a sense of oppressivness and it's done well. The palace is a suffocating place for Zavrius, and I now clearly see why he is like he is in Reforged. So that's a good thing, what a prequel should do - establish the foundations and logical "whys". The world is shown how I like it, in a way I can really be there. No need for elaborate descriptions of that one flower that grew, but the whole thing is instantly before my eyes. Perhaps it's my perception as well, but I can't deny Seth can paint pictures with words.
Then why didn't this book quite make it for me? Well, first of all, there's so much internal monologue I felt like I was reading psychodrama. And while I do like it every once in a while, that was not what I expected. So much can be said with dialogues and gestures.
Then the whole thing with the romance. I get it. They're young. Bound by rules. Impossible love and all that. But it still feels flat if it is not the intimacy between them, which is actually really touching. I expected... not sure what I expected, it's not that their relationship is bad, but rather the way it is told kinda threw me off. The characters are shallow and rather simple, predictable, they lack any "edge", even a little, as they should have in an environment like this.
There are several editing mistakes and typos that stung my eyes. Some internal monologues are really naiive and cliche. But overall it's not entirely bad way to write a prequel, it just didn't quite rise to my expectations.
November 7, 2026
★ Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Are There Gay People in this?*: ✅
Oh we're so back
I supported the kickstarter for this book but waited to read it until the audiobook was out cause I love Gary Furlong's narration, and I'm glad I did. I LOVED the narration for this book, especially since Furlong really leans into Zavrius's sass.
In my opinion, this is is exactly what I wanted from a prequel. It expands on Zavrius's background and motivations, and gives us a little bit more world lore. It didn't feel redundant (though admittedly it's been a while since I read from this world), and most importantly, it made me want to reread reforged.
Overall: Honestly, I might come back and give this 5 stars if I'm still thinking about it in a couple months cause I just had so much fun reading it. I adore Zavrius and loved getting to spend so much time in his mind.
Who I would recommend this to:
Will I be continuing the series?: ✅ (I know this is the most recent entry, but I still need to read reclaimed and this DID make me more inclined to do that soon)
* I count a book as including gay people if any of the main or secondary characters are implicitly or explicitly queer or trans. This does not necessarily mean the protagonist is queer or that there is a queer romance
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Are There Gay People in this?*: ✅
Oh we're so back
I supported the kickstarter for this book but waited to read it until the audiobook was out cause I love Gary Furlong's narration, and I'm glad I did. I LOVED the narration for this book, especially since Furlong really leans into Zavrius's sass.
In my opinion, this is is exactly what I wanted from a prequel. It expands on Zavrius's background and motivations, and gives us a little bit more world lore. It didn't feel redundant (though admittedly it's been a while since I read from this world), and most importantly, it made me want to reread reforged.
Overall: Honestly, I might come back and give this 5 stars if I'm still thinking about it in a couple months cause I just had so much fun reading it. I adore Zavrius and loved getting to spend so much time in his mind.
Who I would recommend this to:
Will I be continuing the series?: ✅ (I know this is the most recent entry, but I still need to read reclaimed and this DID make me more inclined to do that soon)
* I count a book as including gay people if any of the main or secondary characters are implicitly or explicitly queer or trans. This does not necessarily mean the protagonist is queer or that there is a queer romance
October 3, 2026
I started this series with Reborn, and I wanted to love this one too, but unfortunately it's a pointless prequel that adds very little in terms of deepening the world-building or developing the characters.
November 5, 2026
I am so excited that I was finally able to get around to reading this one after I was able to participate in the Kickstarter so long ago.
I will admit that reading this was hard for me from the very beginning because I kind of had an idea of how it would end because of where the first book in the series starts and I was not looking forward to that ending and I was certainly proven correct when I finally finished this book. If you haven't read the rest of the series, I feel like this book is a very good introduction to it and very interesting all the way around.
I personally really liked getting to see the younger parts of Balen & Zavrius' relationship when they were younger and what it was like between them and how it really started. It was so cute and I don't know how to explain it, but it just gave that feeling of 'ah, youth' to the story and I loved it. I also really liked getting a book from Zavrius' perspective now after already reading the Reforged, which was all in Balen's perspective. It just added depth not only to this story but also to Reforged without having to reread it. The spicy level was a level 3.
Overall, I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. It only lost half a star because I really was nervous about the ending because I'd already read Reforged.
I will admit that reading this was hard for me from the very beginning because I kind of had an idea of how it would end because of where the first book in the series starts and I was not looking forward to that ending and I was certainly proven correct when I finally finished this book. If you haven't read the rest of the series, I feel like this book is a very good introduction to it and very interesting all the way around.
I personally really liked getting to see the younger parts of Balen & Zavrius' relationship when they were younger and what it was like between them and how it really started. It was so cute and I don't know how to explain it, but it just gave that feeling of 'ah, youth' to the story and I loved it. I also really liked getting a book from Zavrius' perspective now after already reading the Reforged, which was all in Balen's perspective. It just added depth not only to this story but also to Reforged without having to reread it. The spicy level was a level 3.
Overall, I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. It only lost half a star because I really was nervous about the ending because I'd already read Reforged.
September 24, 2026
I’m not normally someone who thinks prequels need to justify their existence, but I think this one does. This was neither indulgent and joyful on the part of the relationship nor was it a helpful and interesting expansion of the universe. I’m not sure what it accomplishes as a prequel then, as the exploration of Zavrius felt lackluster and the story kind of reneged on a lot of what I liked about Reforged by trying to make the politics into something deeper than I think the series can reasonably hold. There were a lot of decisions that I felt weren’t aligned with how characters acted in Reforged, didn’t need to happen, or weren’t actually aligned with characters stated goals (Zavrius leaving the palace, Arasne requiring the demonstration, them meeting up in public). I think there was also a lot of moments where the politics of a situation were explicitly outlined for you, which made the attempt at a deeper exploration of political intrigue uninteresting.
I feel like my reaction is likely a lot of personal opinion. I do like the authors other writing, and I loved Reforged, so if you’re into the series I think this is worth checking out, but definitely a weak point for me.
I feel like my reaction is likely a lot of personal opinion. I do like the authors other writing, and I loved Reforged, so if you’re into the series I think this is worth checking out, but definitely a weak point for me.
October 23, 2026
I have very mixed feelings about this one.
On the one hand, I enjoyed seeing the interactions between Zav and his siblings, and their strained relationship - especially Theo. It was hinted at in Reforged, and I like that enough time and attention was given in this prequel. I also enjoyed the yearning and the pining, and being in Zav's head, it was a good and logical change of perspective.
On the other hand, I thought the pacing was weird and didn't entirely make sense. In Reforged, it feels like Zav and Balen were together for ages, which is not the impression I got here. The mother's illness also feels very random, there's a sense of drama and urgency that doesn't feel warranted. She's portrayed as being on her death bed, but there's years between Crucible and Reforged, so surely, it wasn't that dire? There's also a lot of repetition of inner thoughts from Zav that this book could have done without.
Altogether it wasn't bad at all - it was nice to dive deeper into the world, and see the 'before' of these characters, but it also feels like a missed opportunity for more lore and world building. It needed to be tightened a little bit more.
On the one hand, I enjoyed seeing the interactions between Zav and his siblings, and their strained relationship - especially Theo. It was hinted at in Reforged, and I like that enough time and attention was given in this prequel. I also enjoyed the yearning and the pining, and being in Zav's head, it was a good and logical change of perspective.
On the other hand, I thought the pacing was weird and didn't entirely make sense. In Reforged, it feels like Zav and Balen were together for ages, which is not the impression I got here. The mother's illness also feels very random, there's a sense of drama and urgency that doesn't feel warranted. She's portrayed as being on her death bed, but there's years between Crucible and Reforged, so surely, it wasn't that dire? There's also a lot of repetition of inner thoughts from Zav that this book could have done without.
Altogether it wasn't bad at all - it was nice to dive deeper into the world, and see the 'before' of these characters, but it also feels like a missed opportunity for more lore and world building. It needed to be tightened a little bit more.
September 26, 2025
Seeing how Balen and Zavrius became the characters they are in Reforged was lovely. They're curious about each other but also make stupid choices sometimes. Seeing their love bloom (and then fade, which, listen, is not a spoiler if you've read the actual first book) was sweet. It was also nice to see how Zavrius' family acted and talked to him, and how their hatred (or at least dislike, except from Arasne) was visible from the first pages.
Overall, Crucible sets up Reforged perfectly. I wish I had read Crucible first, and then the rest of the series, but there's always the possibility of rereading at least Reforged.
Overall, Crucible sets up Reforged perfectly. I wish I had read Crucible first, and then the rest of the series, but there's always the possibility of rereading at least Reforged.
November 8, 2025
Finding several editing formatting and errors was pretty frustrating, but I gave it a pass since I really enjoy Seth's writing, characters, and setting. For a low-stakes prequel where one is familiar with both characters and the world to come, i think the book was a pretty fun read. I liked the closer look at the family dynamics that would then set up the events in Reforged.
September 27, 2026
Definitely disappointing… I guess Seth isn’t the author for me?
The pacing wasn’t great. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
It’s been more than two years since I read Reforged, and it definitely showed while
Be aware going in that this ends not even in a cliffhanger, but a massive chasm in what feels like the middle of a scene.
This should be read imminently before reforged. I’ll started rereading it straight away, and noticed the two feel totally off, like there’s not perfectly matched as prequel sequel pare… hopefully I’ll get more behind the motivation behind the betrayal.
The pacing wasn’t great. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
It’s been more than two years since I read Reforged, and it definitely showed while
Be aware going in that this ends not even in a cliffhanger, but a massive chasm in what feels like the middle of a scene.
This should be read imminently before reforged. I’ll started rereading it straight away, and noticed the two feel totally off, like there’s not perfectly matched as prequel sequel pare… hopefully I’ll get more behind the motivation behind the betrayal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
I backed the kickstarter for this book and it was well worth it! The hardback is beautiful and art fits it all perfectly. I loved getting to see the start of Balen and Zavs story (def makes me want to read Reforged again).
Did Not Finish
September 25, 2026DNF’d at 11%
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