Publication: 12th October 2023 – Jo Fletcher Books
Captured by the king of darkness, she was forced to find the light within.
Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.
Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning-and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.
But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.
To make it out of enemy territory, she’ll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and deadly beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life-and hopefully, her heart.
A Dawn of Onyx is yet another brilliant debut fantasy that I had the pleasure to read lately.
There are kingdoms at war, magic, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that I really enjoyed. Arwen’s magical abilities allow her to heal everyone in a few minutes, except her chronically ill mother. And as the war between her kingdom and the ruthless Onyx king perseveres, Arwen fears for the life of her brother and his best friend on the front line. But, an unexpected turn of events forces her to make a deal with the enemies to protect her family, so she is taken to Onyx to work as a healer. While she tries to find a way out, Arwen discovers that the truth about the war is much more complex and darker than she thought and that maybe she can’t really trust anyone, not even the man she’s been falling in love with.
I had so much fun reading A Dawn of Onyx. I liked the characters, starting from the protagonist Arwen who, even though at times was a bit naive, I found strong and quite resourceful, determined to protect her family, even at the cost of her life and I enjoyed how her relationship with her broody and evasive love interest develops, with lots of banter and chemistry.
There are also an intriguing world-building, twists, magical creatures, loyalties tested and secrets revealed, with an ending that promises more exciting things to come in the sequel.
A huge thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Kate Golden lives in Los Angeles where she works full time in the film industry developing stories with screenwriters and filmmakers. A Dawn of Onyx is her debut novel, and the first in the Sacred Stones trilogy. In her free time she is an avid book reader, movie fanatic, and functioning puzzle addict. An embarrassing LA cliché, she likes to hike, brunch, and go to the flea market with her fiancé and her puppy.
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