A review by theladysparks
A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

4.0

 

Arwen had never seen herself as courageous, yet she sacrifices everything to protect her brother. Captured by the continent's most fearsome realm, she is forced to utilize her unique magical talents to mend the warriors of the ruthless Onyx King.

Venturing alone into the sinister forests that surround the castle is a risk Arwen isn’t willing to take alone, so she tries to convince a fellow captive to help free her. This ally, however, is as exasperating as he is shrewd and in the Onyx Kingdom, placing trust in anyone is a gamble she may not be able to afford to take.

Escaping from the kingdom requires Arwen to outwit treacherous nobles, confront dark sorcery, and survive encounters with menacing creatures. However, within Arwen stirs a mighty force, unawakened but ready to be ignited. Should she manage to unleash this inner strength, she might not only flee with her life but also, perhaps, preserve her heart intact.

"Whether you know it or not, Arwen, there is a wild strength inside of you. You don't need Ryder, or Dagan, or me, or anyone else to take care of you. Remember that. You are enough."

Shout out to Kate Golden and A Dawn of Onyx for pulling me out of a two-month-long reading slump because I am back baby, and am heavily in my romantasy era. This was a phenomenal start to this trilogy. I found myself unable to put it down and devoured it only to immediately dive into the next book.

Arwen is a twenty-year-old woman from a small village in the Amber Kingdom where she lives with her mother, sister, and brother. From the get-go, there is a war going on and her brother hasn't been heard from in a very long time but Arwen refuses to give up hope while working as a healer within her village. One night, her brother shows up and Arwen's entire world is changed in an instant, taken by the Onyx Kingdom in exchange for her brother and family's freedom. As a captive in the Onyx Kingdom, the King keeps her to use as his own healer within his keep.

I really love characters like Arwen. She is optimistic even in the darkest of times and just feels like a ray of light and hope. Her archetype of a character might actually be one of my favorites so she is very near and dear to my heart. I love that no matter what is going on, she doesn't just roll over and give up but instead keeps fighting or looking on the bright side of things.

The introduction between King Kane Ravenwood and Arwen was probably one of my favorite parts. I felt like it was the perfect little introduction and I love how everything folded out from there on. The entire world-building aspect of this book was really cool and I like how we got to see from Arwen's POV as her own views on the Onyx Kingdom changed while she resided within it. I loved how Kane & Arwen's relationship panned out over the course of this book and how delicious all of the twists and turns were for this book.

Overall this book is full of characters that I love and with a really solid world-building aspect that unraveled beautifully with a story full of twists and unexpected turns that will leave you wanting to devour it in a single sitting just to find out what is going to happen next!

- captive romance
- "who did this to you"
- spooky gothic castle
- enemies to lovers
- trapped in a wine cellar together
- slow burn
- ruthless king & sweet healer
- dragons, witches, and fae