A review by juanat77
A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to read a Romantasy with less raciness compared to others. I received a YA recommendation of The Sacred Stones Trilogy. I went through the first book pretty quickly. 

Fast paced. Enemies to lovers. Magic. Fae. Secrets. Sassy banter. Dragons. 

In the midst of a war, a young healer (Arwen) exchanges her life to protect her brother’s. She is to work as a healer for the rest of her life at the Kingdom of Onyx. As you can imagine she connects with the ruthless King though not easily. Arwen is a very believable character. Besides showing her bravery she also shows her fear. She makes mistakes. In the beginning she is pretty naive but as the war progresses her character strengthens. Physically and emotionally. 

The world building was crafted really well. The author did a phenomenal job of explaining the history of the fae and the how the magical system worked. 

Btw—I did not see the twist coming at the end of book one. Love how it was handled. It’s set up very well for the sequel. 

I’m surprised this book isn’t talked about more!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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