A Dawn of Onyx: The Sacred Stones Book 1

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I just really enjoyed this book! The heroine was my kind of sassy and learned to defend herself. Seriously, any book where the MC is relucant to learn to fight/develop powers/ be a Nesta IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE.

Here's the thing: if you like fantasies with contemporary-sounding, accessible dialogue and heroines that are basically just self-insert vehicles for moving the plot towards the villain-but-not-really love interest, this is going to be your jam. It's a very marketable jam and I'm jealous of the people who have a taste for it because they look like they're having fun when they read and squeal about these books with their friends. But I do not like the jam. But this one? Had me WHEEZING, CRYING, LAUGHING, HEARTTHROBBING! Featuring a unique world, hilarious character dynamics, and who doesn’t adore the grumpy x sunshine trope. the world-building i did have a few qualms with, but i have a feeling that's going to be rectified in the next book and i simply cannot wait! The twists at the end felt like they came outta nowhere because there were no hints or lead up. It left me feeling cheated. And the ones that I could guess were things you could find in a typical fae romance anyway.Kane placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned forward so that the water sprinkled along his hands and forearms, sparkling droplets like falling stars twinkling around us. A Dawn of Onyx is a solid NA Fantasy Romance debut and easy to devour in one-sitting for readers looking for an immersive fantasy romance. Moving on…. I wanted to make a point to really speak on the originality here. Yes, it’s true that this is an enemies-to-lovers, and yes it’s a “chosen one” fantasy story, and sure, some of the twists were arguably a little predictable. But Kate knew what her readers were looking for, and she gave it to them. This is not the type of originality I’m talking about. Instead, I wanted to talk about the settings and the mythology/lore of the story. For one, I found the idea of kingdoms named off of, and based upon, gems and stones to be really interesting. I was especially intrigued by the way that the kingdoms seemed to reflect the traits and even physical descriptions of the stones (gems? idk) in question. It was a great take on world building in my opinion. And then the mythology of the world. I found it really interesting that there was a unique blend of human versus fantastical. Unlike some stories where there may be two worlds or a veil of some sort, in this case, the humans learned about fae and creatures and such, but were so far removed from them, that they were taught about almost the way we are mythology. Like it was believed to exist, but there was not really concrete evidence to prove it. Idk, something about it really brought in my attention, and I found myself curious to learn more as the world was built up. I really liked Arwen even though she had a tendency to get herself in trouble by doing extremely stupid things. Honestly, sometimes I just covered my face with my hands and totally felt with Griffin. Who was an amazing and fun side-character by the way. He appeared to be extremely stoic and very annoyed not only by Arwen’s, but also by Kane’s behaviour but I still couldn’t help but love him. I dig myself a silent, broody and eye-twitching handsome side character every once in a while and Griffin certainly fit that bill. ;-)

Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. I was very kindly provided a copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The banter between the two characters was a delightful aspect of the book, often causing me to burst out laughing while reading. The characters are the best thing about this book, 5/10. Arwen is a very independent girl with a little more to her than the average person. Kane is the King and is alright, not a huge fan. Mari is the MAIN reason I gave the characters 5/10. Overall, I felt like the characters were awkward and just weird. There was just something missing between Arwen and Kane that made them awkward to read about. Not my favorite couple. I do feel like if they were written differently and had more time to create an actual relationship the reader could see, it would have been easier to get into.

Success!

And of course I want more of our two love birds and the plot. I think now that many of the secrets were revealed and the basics of the plot line are established, the reader will get more information and things will be put in a new context and make even more sense. I personally wasn’t surprised by any of the revelations and plot twists, but I’m sure there will be readers out there that won’t see it coming. I’m just very perceptive and love to read mysteries and break my head over things so I usually call out plot twists very easily and see them coming from a mile away. From Arwen’s perspective, Kane is a ruthless, broody, and violent man; and she constantly wants to run away from him (we all know she doesn’t really, but, you get the point). Meanwhile, on the other hand, it’s blatantly obvious to everyone except our FMC, that Kane was pretty much a victim of Insta Love. His who did this to you vibes were firing off within ten minutes of knowing her. Initially, I was worried about that. I was so sure that this was going to be another slow burn that was actually more like a wildfire, but I ended up being wrong, and I am so glad that I was. We aren’t thrusted into the world, but we’re immersed gently although steadily into the kingdoms and the main character's mind. It doesn’t feel as if we’re mere expectations, watching outside of the story, but essential elements living in it at the same time. We totally get the atmosphere and the crucial info with a few words. Arwen is such a lovable and relatable main character! She is strong, resilient, and driven, but also flawed and not amazingly good at everything she does as soon as she tries it. Overall, she felt very human and real. She is thrown into a new country with her enemies surrounding her, and she is obviously afraid, but that’s where her strength shows and her bravery shines. There was a time or two where she made choices or had reactions that annoyed me a little, mostly when she acted like a jealous teenager wanting to mark her territory with Kane, even though they were not involved romantically or physically together, but besides those few rare instances, she was amazing and I can’t wait to see more of her and see how she continues to grow and gain confidence in the next book.

The characters are well-written and aren’t decor but active elements in the plot. I think there wasn’t a single one that wasn’t riveting. I have many favorites, like Arwen, Mari, Leigh, Dagan or Griffin. Talking about Mari, she’s definitely an endearing one. I wished I had a best friend like her! I loved that she had an adventurous spirit in her (and quite a naughty mind, she was rooting hard for Arwen and Kane lol). She’s cute, bubbly and a good friend. We truly have an original, round character in here, a strong woman who’s brave while still being soft and feminine, a girl who loves deeply but is specially loyal to herself. The last chapter was devastating but incredible when it comes to Arwen’s mentality shift. i would say this was an extremely tropey read, but i'm not complaining bc it was exactly right for me atm and i. ATE IT ALL UP. i mean, just look at all these tropes:I firmly feel I need a friend like Mari. She is as fabulous as Arwen, Bubbly, curious, and so enthusiastic about everything. There’s a lot to love about her, and her friendship with Arwen is really special. Neither of them has ever really had friends, which makes their unexpected connection so lovely. And together, they are comical! I love how they tease each other and joke around. It felt very realistic, as did all of the characters. Griffin, They’re well-developed and interesting, and their personalities are all distinct and compelling. Of course, my favorite is the morally grey hunkalicious hottie, Kane. ANOTHER BOOK WHERE I definitely predicted most of the main twists but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment! Maybe I’ve just read too many books at this point so it takes a lot to surprise me, idk 🙈😅