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atrailofpages's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book! I mean any book with Fae I will read and I really enjoyed this one!
In this book, we follow Sapphira who lives in a post apocalyptic world and is traveling with her friend Tor to a safe haven for humans. When she reaches this safe haven, turns out, it's run by the Fae. And it also turns out she is the one to release their princess from her onyx tomb to save everyone. No pressure right?! So, she begins training with Rune to free the princess, and learns a lot about the Fae, and begins to question a lot the things she learns about the Fae and the entombed princess.
I really liked Sapphira! My favorite thing about her is when she reaches the safe haven, instead of freaking out about her situation, she is curious and wants to know more and asks questions. I just cannot stand when characters tend to just freak out and panic first before getting more info first, just creates unnecessary drama in my opinion. Plus, I just think, if I were in Sapphira's position, I would be curious as to why Tor dragged me here and told me it was run by humans, not Fae. I would want to know more about the Fae, not panic. So, I appreciate her as a character, she just accepted where she ended up and her current situation, and even her new role as the savior for the Fae to release the entombed princess. She of course did not just sit there and accept her situation(well I mean she basically did), but she also took the time to learn more about the Fae, the princess, and her new role.
I also enjoyed the story. I mean from the beginning, you're just wondering where we are going, why is Sapphira so special, why is she the one to save the princess. I mean we are in the same position as Sapphira, we do not have the full picture, and I loved that! Not knowing what is going on, and learning at the same pace as Sapphira. There is also a potential love triangle, which I'm not a fan of, but I did love the romance in this one, and can hardly wait to continue this series to read more about Sapphira and the romance that is developing! Thank you to the author for a free digital copy to read!
In this book, we follow Sapphira who lives in a post apocalyptic world and is traveling with her friend Tor to a safe haven for humans. When she reaches this safe haven, turns out, it's run by the Fae. And it also turns out she is the one to release their princess from her onyx tomb to save everyone. No pressure right?! So, she begins training with Rune to free the princess, and learns a lot about the Fae, and begins to question a lot the things she learns about the Fae and the entombed princess.
I really liked Sapphira! My favorite thing about her is when she reaches the safe haven, instead of freaking out about her situation, she is curious and wants to know more and asks questions. I just cannot stand when characters tend to just freak out and panic first before getting more info first, just creates unnecessary drama in my opinion. Plus, I just think, if I were in Sapphira's position, I would be curious as to why Tor dragged me here and told me it was run by humans, not Fae. I would want to know more about the Fae, not panic. So, I appreciate her as a character, she just accepted where she ended up and her current situation, and even her new role as the savior for the Fae to release the entombed princess. She of course did not just sit there and accept her situation(well I mean she basically did), but she also took the time to learn more about the Fae, the princess, and her new role.
I also enjoyed the story. I mean from the beginning, you're just wondering where we are going, why is Sapphira so special, why is she the one to save the princess. I mean we are in the same position as Sapphira, we do not have the full picture, and I loved that! Not knowing what is going on, and learning at the same pace as Sapphira. There is also a potential love triangle, which I'm not a fan of, but I did love the romance in this one, and can hardly wait to continue this series to read more about Sapphira and the romance that is developing! Thank you to the author for a free digital copy to read!
emesa's review
4.0
This was a quick read, I thought the world building was really nice and I liked the characters a lot. Can't wait to read the next one
teddyb89's review
3.0
A solid three star. Plot had some good moments but, writing is so patchy that I feel I have missed parts of the story?
Considering book two...
Considering book two...
kclines19's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
curls's review
Not gonna rate this one because I made it to about 30% and then skimmed some and skipped to the ending. It’s a dystopian with fae, fated mates, lost princes, and love triangles.
I really had hopes with the premise but I couldn’t get into the writing style. It was short and choppy and didn’t hold my attention.
I really had hopes with the premise but I couldn’t get into the writing style. It was short and choppy and didn’t hold my attention.
anasatticbookblog's review
4.0
A Secret In Onyx by Jessica Florence
Book One in a Trilogy. Post-apocalyptic Fantasy.
I’m not normally a fantasy reader, Sure, I have read a few (The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning…OMG), and there have been fae as side characters or mentions in other paranormal books that I have read, but it’s not my regular read. However, I kept seeing Jessica Florence on social media saying this was her favorite book she has written. Since I was looking for something different to get me out of this pandemic book funk, I bought A Secret in Onyx by Jessica Florence.
The reason why I am telling you my history is so you know that I don’t really have any comparison. I don’t quite know what is “standard” in fae world and what is Jessica’s unique spin. Either way, I loved it. The creativity it takes to set up a whole new world really showcased this author’s imagination and I am glad I got to witness it.
A Secret in Onyx takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are few and far between and there are these evil Dramens (I think they’re like zombies) that try to kill any human they see. Sapphira and her boyfriend Tor are traveling across the country to a place that Tor knows is safe, but they get separated and Sapphira finds it on her own. To her surprise, the stories Tor had been telling her about the Fae realm weren't just fairytales, this was the safe place Tor was bringing her to. When the world fell, so did their magic, but Sapphira just may be the one to help them get it back.
I love Jessica’s take on the fae. The fae “cores” are from nature and each fae has personalities that reflect that. Royalty has gem cores. The librarian (I loved her) has an owl core.
We have a little love quadrangle (though one of them is locked away in onyx), so it’s more of a triangle. There was a lot of dangerous excitement, some romance, and even dragons in this story and it kept me glued to the pages. A Secret in Onyx is book #1 in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read more!
Likes:
- •A unique combination of post-apocalyptic and fantasy.
- •Kept me glued to the pages needing to figure out what was going on.
- •It was sexy and exciting.
- •Jessica’s fae “cores”.
- •I really loved all the characters.
- •It took me out of my ‘pandemic head’ and brought me to another realm for a little while.
- •Left me dying for the next.
Dislikes:
- •I feel like I needed a lot more information on what actually happened to the world and what exactly the Dramens are and how they get like that.
- •I kind of forgot about Tor because I didn’t get a chance to get attached to him.
- •There was a bit too much telling but not showing.
The Down and Dirty:
I am hooked. Jessica Florence has me totally engrossed in a post-apocalyptic fantasy—two genres that I rarely read, and I am waiting like crazy for the next. Reading this was kind of a reset for me and it got me back into picking up books again. Her unique take on the fae was creative, and there were so many other creatures in both the fae and human realm that I look forward to reading more about. If you like fantasy or dystopian romance you should absolutely try A Secret in Onyx. Hell, even if they aren't your regular genres, now is a great time to change!
Rating: 4 Stars 3.5 Heat
Purchase A Secret in Onyx by Jessica Florence
amy_sutt's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Excellent world building. The post-apocalyptic world and the escape from the rabid human-like creatures who had taken over the territory of the US leads Sapphira to run for safe haven. What she doesn't know is that safe haven is filled with fae and she is responsible for saving a sleeping princess and restoring magic to the fae realm. There is romance and great plot and I was immediately pulled in from the beginning to the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Kidnapping and Rape
the triggers mainly happen off page and in the past. Our FMC is faced with her abuser a couple of times and threats are made; there are clashes in the human world which result in violence and injuryelizabethkg's review
1.0
This was rough. I could barely get past the writing. The main character’s voice was not relatable.
jkreie75's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! The story was great- I couldn’t put it down! I loved Sapphira’s development as a character. And brooding Rune has officially stolen a piece of my heart.