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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC and I loved it! It has beautiful world building, a different portrayal of magic, court politics, some romance, trials, and a found family.
It took a little bit for me to get used to the world building and remember which name went to which deity/house. But once I did that, things came easier to me. I found myself rereading a couple of pages here and there to confirm details.
The ending though!! Oh my goodness I was not prepared. I had some feelings going into it and while some were confirmed, others left me with my jaw dropped. I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series.
It took a little bit for me to get used to the world building and remember which name went to which deity/house. But once I did that, things came easier to me. I found myself rereading a couple of pages here and there to confirm details.
The ending though!! Oh my goodness I was not prepared. I had some feelings going into it and while some were confirmed, others left me with my jaw dropped. I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
You can find this review of The Forgotten Dawn on my blog, Heart's Content!
A big big shout out and thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of her debut romantasy in exchange for an honest review!
A big big shout out and thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of her debut romantasy in exchange for an honest review!
The thing with romantasy is that it has my soul. Hook, line and sinker. There’s no other genre out that that speaks to my heart as well as romantasy does. It’s a choice-less choice; I’m both helpless and intentional in picking it. That’s the best way I can describe my experience with romantasy.
Laura A Blake’s debut romantasy, The Forgotten Dawn is quite frankly one such choice. (I swear I’m going to stop saying choice. That was the last one, promise.)
Once I stepped into the world Blake had created I couldn’t step out until the book ended. Which is such a wonderful experience to have when a book is as thick as TFD was. “I like big books and I cannot lie!”
I usually start with a fairly predictable set of aspects to speak about in every review. But this time, I’m starting with my absolute favourite aspect of this book. The platonic relationships. The book introduces some primary relationships the protagonist has with the people around her almost as soon as the book begins. The fact that these relationships sustain throughout the book with the same level of importance they had when they began, is my favourite favourite part of this book. The secondary and tertiary characters were not props for the plot, but were a large part of the plot. The relationships the protagonist has when the book begins and those that she builds as the book progresses, both have all the room and time to explore, establish and develop. I love love loved all the platonic friendships, moments and the importance they were given. They were my absolute favourite aspect about this book.
Another aspect of the story that I’m going to slot under relationships was that finally finally, despite there being a competition, we see that the characters are not particularly interested in bringing the others down and more often than not develop a fond bond with one another and even with their mentors. Despite the tense undercurrent of politics and danger that slowly begins to reveal itself, the focus is so much more on the budding relationships and how much of respect they’re given.
There was an interesting pace to this book (I’m really winging it with the order of mentions in this review) with regard to how it was written. Yes, there are competitions and high stakes the protagonist was pit against, however, a large part of competitions are situated around the first perhaps 35-40% of the book. After that, the book takes its time to develop, introduce the world at leisure and allow us to remember and relate to the many characters, ideas and rules that were introduced thus far in the story. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction it took and enjoyed the change in pace and scene.
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The world-building in this book initially happens nearly all together and at once. The characters are introduced swiftly one after another with the competitions following immediately after. I will admit that yes, it does take a bit to place everything and everyone. But I’d like to draw attention to the fact that this book has easily four hundred more pages to go. The author uses those four hundred pages wisely. Once all the characters and basic rules of the world are introduced, she lets the information simmer in her readers’ minds. She then begins to expand upon each character, rule and plot thread slowly. Surprisingly, despite the fact that this should typically change the pace of the story, it never does. The book remains as revetting—perhaps even more—than it was the first thirty to forty percent. Did I mention how much I loved the second half of the book? Because I did. I do. Loved it. Loved it.
I finally arrive to the aspect of this book that holds the true essence of The Forgotten Dawn: the writing. The absolute heart of TFD is chiseled, word by precious word, by Blake’s writing. I have never before experienced a book that intrigued me, captured my attention, kept my interest through every single word even in scenes that don’t seem to have any immediate urgency. I was rooted. Absolutely immersed. This is not to say that mysterious things were not happening or that subtle tensions were not rising, or stakes were not increasing; because they were. They absolutely were. However, the author still manages to capture you in the softer moments of the story; in the subtler emotions of the characters. It’s been a long time since I read a book where the male interest was not cruel. Somehow it’s become a pattern of sorts, to make the character harder, harsher and thus their evolution into their softer selves interesting, however Blake took a very different, more heart moving route. She chose to showcase vulnerability and kindness and I enjoyed those moments between the protagonists so so much.
I will say it’s been a long time that I haven’t been, one, annoyed when the main character didn’t ask questions and two, surprised by a plot twist. Both happened in TFD! I do think I’d like to slide this little experience under writing as well, simply because there was honestly no other reason I could have overlooked some of the moments where we’re left with more questions than answers (because of course, as readers we’re ever curious and never patient) and having missed such a simple but fantastic plot twist. I think with the former, I genuinely trusted the author with the journey she was taking us on and with the latter… that’s how lost in the moment I was that I never considered a ploy hidden beneath the surface I was so enamoured by.
The plot in this book is just beginning, my friends. It’s unique, unpredictable and so engaging! I think it has all the potential required for it to be something great. But I’m not going to say more so that you can find out for yourselves what’s going to happen.
Five thousand stars. Seven million stars. The book deserves it all. The Forgotten Dawn has everything I love in any kind of book: magic, mayhem, bonding, mystery, romance, tension, ensemble cast, betrayal and secrets!
Do check trigger warnings as always! Happy happy reading!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story just came out of nowhere to blow me away. It has everything I could want from a good fantasy romance and yet still feels utterly unique:
Immaculate world building? ✔️
Unique Magic System? ✔️
A Capable, Take No Shit FMC? ✔️
The Best Found Family? ✔️
Court Intrigue? ✔️
Broody Shadow Daddy? ✔️
Secrets within Secrets? ✔️
This definitely is more of a slow burn kind of story, but we do get a couple delicious scenes for our patience.
It took me a minute to really vibe with the flow of the story and understand the characters, yet I was hooked from start. We get a lot of character development, I’m I am certain there are TONS of hints/foreshadowing hidden. Throughout the story. After the ending, I’m interested in going back through to highlight and see if I can pick up on more of them.
If nothing else, know that this book will keep you on your toes and leave you with even more questions at the end. I pretty much need to get my hands on book 2 ASAP.
I went into The Forgotten Dawn with such high hopes, the synopsis sounded like something I'd love since games and trials are one of my favourite tropes to read about. But unfortunately, the story just didn’t click for me the way I’d hoped it would. I'm sad about it.
The biggest issue for me was the writing itself in terms of the structural aspect (there are a few typos though). There were so many moments where things were mentioned but never explained, and other times where something important felt like it was completely skipped over like a lot of her training for the trials was just avoided, even though she's not suppose to be skilled at all, it would have been nice to read about. Also the trials are suppose to be deadly, but no one died lmao?? Then there was repetition, like the same sentence popping up again in the next paragraph or chapter with slightly different wording. If it not's repetition then it's overly flowery and descriptive writing.. coming from someone who loves flowery writing, every single thing needed an "as if..". It kept pulling me out of the story, it was almost exhausting to stay engaged.
Character-wise, I struggled to connect. The friendships that were supposedly built during the selection process felt rushed and unearned. We’re told the main character is an outcast, but she suddenly clicks with others without much effort or depth. And the romance? Way too fast, with no real buildup or chemistry. I kept waiting for a moment that would make it make sense, but it never came.
The pacing didn’t help either. The first half dragged, especially between elimination rounds, where we could’ve gotten character development but didn’t. The second half had more action, but by then, I was already struggling to stay engaged. The ending does try to set up something bigger so I did like it, but a bunch of threads from earlier were left hanging.
To be fair, there are some really cool ideas here. The courts and the selection process had potential, and I can see what the author was going for. But it all felt underdeveloped so I still think the concept has promise, and I’m curious to see how the author grows in future books. But this one just wasn’t for me.
The biggest issue for me was the writing itself in terms of the structural aspect (there are a few typos though). There were so many moments where things were mentioned but never explained, and other times where something important felt like it was completely skipped over like a lot of her training for the trials was just avoided, even though she's not suppose to be skilled at all, it would have been nice to read about. Also the trials are suppose to be deadly, but no one died lmao?? Then there was repetition, like the same sentence popping up again in the next paragraph or chapter with slightly different wording. If it not's repetition then it's overly flowery and descriptive writing.. coming from someone who loves flowery writing, every single thing needed an "as if..". It kept pulling me out of the story, it was almost exhausting to stay engaged.
Character-wise, I struggled to connect. The friendships that were supposedly built during the selection process felt rushed and unearned. We’re told the main character is an outcast, but she suddenly clicks with others without much effort or depth. And the romance? Way too fast, with no real buildup or chemistry. I kept waiting for a moment that would make it make sense, but it never came.
The pacing didn’t help either. The first half dragged, especially between elimination rounds, where we could’ve gotten character development but didn’t. The second half had more action, but by then, I was already struggling to stay engaged. The ending does try to set up something bigger so I did like it, but a bunch of threads from earlier were left hanging.
To be fair, there are some really cool ideas here. The courts and the selection process had potential, and I can see what the author was going for. But it all felt underdeveloped so I still think the concept has promise, and I’m curious to see how the author grows in future books. But this one just wasn’t for me.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Nothing substantial happened in this book until 97%. Rarely do I spend most of my time skimming through pointless text that doesn’t lend itself to character development or plot, but this book was brimming with it. The bones of the plot have such potential, but this is a 524-page setup for a second book that will include the actual plot. There is too much focus on trivial gatherings to eat and not enough foundation for the Primals and Brida’s heritage. I foresee the next book being much better. This was just so hard to sift through.
I received an ARC for this book.
I received an ARC for this book.
This turned out to be the quick & addicting read I'd been hoping for!
It took me a few chapters to get a feel for the characters and the world, but my interest was piqued from the very beginning. And once I hit the half-way point, there was no putting it down and I read the second half in one sitting.
The story had a reminiscent and familiar vibe to it, while also very much being its own thing. I really liked how the author put her own spin on tropes common in the romantasy genre. It was fun to step into a world with fae and court politics again, and get a fresh take on it. Having read quite a few books from this genre made parts of the story predictable, however, there were still enough surprises that kept me on my toes throughout.
In some places, I found myself wanting just a tiny bit more: more from the trials, more depth to the word building, and also more of a build-up between the 2 main characters. But these are minor gripes considering my overall enjoyment. The more I read, the more I got sucked into the book and I'm sure book 2 will only continue to drag me in deeper. Also, side note: I switched to the audiobook as soon as it was available and I highly recommend going that route. The different narrators just add another level of immersion!
The Forgotten Dawn is a great debut and an absorbing first book in what promises to be an exciting new romantasy series! I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, especially after THAT ending!!
It took me a few chapters to get a feel for the characters and the world, but my interest was piqued from the very beginning. And once I hit the half-way point, there was no putting it down and I read the second half in one sitting.
The story had a reminiscent and familiar vibe to it, while also very much being its own thing. I really liked how the author put her own spin on tropes common in the romantasy genre. It was fun to step into a world with fae and court politics again, and get a fresh take on it. Having read quite a few books from this genre made parts of the story predictable, however, there were still enough surprises that kept me on my toes throughout.
In some places, I found myself wanting just a tiny bit more: more from the trials, more depth to the word building, and also more of a build-up between the 2 main characters. But these are minor gripes considering my overall enjoyment. The more I read, the more I got sucked into the book and I'm sure book 2 will only continue to drag me in deeper. Also, side note: I switched to the audiobook as soon as it was available and I highly recommend going that route. The different narrators just add another level of immersion!
The Forgotten Dawn is a great debut and an absorbing first book in what promises to be an exciting new romantasy series! I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, especially after THAT ending!!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What an outstanding debut. From the detailed world-building and the easily pictured backgrounds. Brida is a great FMC and the greatest friend. Her and Kaidan’s relationship is so beautiful. This book was very slow but the characters were entertaining enough to keep me interested. It picked up once the trials started but I was definitely expecting more from the “ruthless trials” It felt like it was cut short and went a different direction. A character that I grew attached to is Alvar he’s the absolute sweetest and I am glad we got this view of the princes. Overall the characters alone are worth picking up this book. That cliffhanger ending made me sick to my stomach 😩so now I need part two immediately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent