Hey ForeverBookers,
How are you all? I hope you’re well!
I’ve just finished “A Dawn Of Onyx” by Kate Golden and I LOVED it!
“A Dawn Of Onyx” follows our female main character, Arwen as she goes on an adventure to discover just who she is. What I loved most about “A Dawn Of Onyx” I think, was that the plot was focused around the romance more than anything else. I also loved how the story was told from first person perspective, as this is my preferred way to read. I like getting inside the FMC’s head.
5 Stars!
“A Dawn Of Onyx” starts with Arwen and her family in a rough situation. They’re a poor family that don’t really have much. The Lands of the Stones, where this novel is set is at war. I loved the setting and how there were different kingdoms based on different stones. Each kingdom has its own characteristics. The Garnet Kingdom, where Arwen and family live at the beginning of “A Dawn Of Onyx” are at war with the Onyx kingdom. Most of the novel takes place in the Onyx kingdom. Arwen’s mother is ill with an unknown illness. She’s been that way since Arwen was born. No one knows how to help her. Can Arwen save her mother? I’ll let you read for yourself! Arwen forgets to get mother’s medication when they escape the so say evil Onyx forces. She goes back to fetch it. She’s of course captured and taken to the Kingdom of Onyx! That’s just where the story starts…
“A Dawn Of Onyx” is a fantasy romance. The romantic parts were very good. I enjoyed them lots. There wasn’t any actual sex but there were nudity scenes and touching. I believe that in the sequel there’s actual spice!
I read “A Dawn Of Onyx” for a few readathons. They were:
Reading Rivalry - Eddie’s Guitar Solo - I interpret this as working on your own. Arwen needs to work on her own to work out what’s going on throughout the plot of “A Dawn Of Onyx.”
Always Fully Booked 2025 Reading Challenge - A time of day in the title - Dawn is the time of day!
Spoilers Below…
“Let my family go, and I’ll go with you willingly.”
Bert laughed and the gruesome noise rang through the night.
“Do I look scared of you putting up a fight? Just wait until the king sees you.” His wretched smile gleamed in the pinpricks of moonlight that filtered through the trees, exposing all his yellowed teeth. “Besides, I thought you didn’t know the kid.”
My stomach threatened to empty all over the ground.
“He’s my brother. But you have plenty of coin—how many healers? Willingly means I’ll help you. Heal you and your men. Can your stolen coin do that?”
This happens at the beginning of “A Dawn Of Onyx.” Arwen is begging the guards from the Onyx Kingdom that have come to take her brother, to forget taking her family above. Her brother, Ryder stole some special coins that the Onyx Kingdom want back! Ryder wants her to go with him, Leigh, her sister and their mother, of course but she does go to the Onyx kingdom as payment. She works in the infirmary there. From there the rest of the plot develops.
While in the dungeons as a prisoner when she first gets to the Onyx Kingdom, she talks to a mysterious man in the cells. This man is later revealed to be the King, King Kane of Onyx. She falls in love with King Kane almost straight away, but King Kane is keeping lots of secrets of his own. Arwen is really open with him so expects the same in return. Can she trust and rely on Kane? Or does he let her down? I’ll let you read for yourself!
I thought that there was great banter between Arwen and Kane. It’s obvious that Kane wants to protect Arwen from anything that will hurt her. We see this in, “Why are you staring at me?”
I looked away instantly. “I’m not.”
“It’s only fair. I’ve stared at you. Most of the time, I can’t seem to look at anything else.”
I turned to face him again and I found him looking right at me, just as he said. Like this, our faces were far too close together. I needed to pull away but felt inexplicably tied to his gaze. His restless eyes studied mine, slate gray on olive green, and my heart hammered in my chest.
His hand made its way to my face, carefully, as if not to spook me. He brushed a thumb against my cheek, and I let out an involuntary hum.
Kane’s expression shifted. I knew it was need in his eyes, and that they reflected the need in my own. I couldn’t deny it a minute longer. The attraction I felt for him was like a dull ache that never left me. I licked my bottom lip, in the hopes of conveying exactly what I wanted. Had I been a little braver—or had one more swig of wine—I might have just taken it for myself. But there was something about him that was still frightening, only maybe now for different reasons.” -250
The romance happens from when Arwen is hurt and has to be healed, I’d say. I would class this as instalove, so if that’s not for you maybe don’t read it but otherwise I highly recommend “A Dawn Of Onyx.”
There was a significant friendship for Arwen too. Mari is this friend. She helps Arwen find out things she didn’t know about. She’s also a witch it’s later revealed in the plot.
Another significant point is Arwen’s childhood crush betrays her! This shocked me but I’m pleased he turned out to be evil or not a good guy as we wouldn’t have gotten the latter Arwen/Kane scenes, so there’s a little love triangle but it doesn’t Really come to anything, at least in “A Dawn Of Onyx.”
Overall then, “A Dawn Of Onyx” had everything I love in a fantasy romance, from a doting MMC to an FMC with a mission. I loved reading from Arwen’s POV specifically. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to settle for less!
I think the next novel in the “Sacred Stones” series, “A Promise Of Peridot” will be centred around Arwen figuring out who or maybe what she is, as there are some surprising reveals in the last couple of chapters! I can’t wait to find out more…I’m going to read the sequel to this next because it works for another prompt for my Always Fully Booked Reading Challenge 2025 and I did loved this first instalment. I want to know what happens to Arwen and Kane and IF the secrets will be uncovered and just what the answers to Arwen’s questions are…
Comments
Post a Comment