A Dawn of Onyx: The Sacred Stones Book 1

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My only real complaint is Arwen. She’s naive and reads really young for a new adult romantasy. Some of her decisions made me want to head bang the wall. But with the epic ending, I can see how there’s so much room for character development. By the last chapter, she’s already changing into what I can guess is a total bad ass. So patience I have.

As the story progresses, new threats emerge and the war escalates, Arwen finds herself right in the middle of it all. I think what made this book so entertaining to me are the characters. Arwen Lily Valondale is a healer from a small village in the Amber Kingdom. The continent named Evendell worship the nine Holy Gemstones and consist of kingdoms named after the holy stones such as Kingdom of Garnet, the Pearl Mountains, the Opal territories, the Peridot Provines, and the most ruthless of them all—the Onyx Kingdom. 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.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 writing in ‘A Dawn of Onyx’ is a fun mix of ACOTAR style world-building, but with it’s own flair. I could feel myself inside the gothic castle library and in the foggy forests. I absolutely loved the atmosphere created!

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 🙈😅 In an attempt to save her brother who was gone for a year to fight in the war against the Kingdom of Onyx but abandoned his battalion to flee which in turn led Onyx's soldiers to their doors, Arwen hides him from them and offers her services as a Healer to heal one of their own, but instead she is taken to Shadowhold, the Onyx King's army stronghold, and is held as prisoner.

There were some things that didn't make sense, like 1. How did Arwen's abilities remain hidden for so long when she displayed her powers in a daily basis to heal people, even if she lived in a small village? 2. Kane is a infamous womanizer that never falls in love, but he ends up falling for Arwen too swiftly(? Somewhat a coming-of-age tale, but some things may be more suitable to adult readers, including child abuse and s3xual assault. Love the elements of personal sacrifice without martyrdom. Too often, we read characters like that!!! Arwen was such a contradiction on the one hand I loved how loyal she was to those she considered her own but I also thought she then made rash thoughtless decisions in the moment without much thought to the consequences and when it came to Kane she could also be quite prejudiced and very blinkered. She definitely seemed to hold him to a different standard than everyone else and she wasn’t willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Elara was such a breath of fresh air-- funny, honest, and powerful. Enzo has my heart forever (smug and sarcastic is already a dream combo, but with a heart of gold? Sold.) This started off decently, I enjoyed Arwens character (at first), I liked where the story was going- exchanging herself for her brothers debt, her healing abilities, her exchanges with the ‘strange prisoner’, even the small plot twist with said prisoner, which was predictable, but I moved on. Kane, the king, is burdened with the responsibility of leading an entire kingdom, with the weight of its fate resting on his shoulders. Despite his position of power, he's tormented by an unknown past and is fighting a battle shrouded in secrecy. With a multitude of secrets hidden behind his enigmatic demeanor, Kane is a complex character that's difficult to read. Despite this, he's a great man who possesses a soft spot for the main protagonist, demonstrating a protective nature and genuine care for her well-being. Throughout the story, he constantly encourages her, urging her to develop her strength and hone her skills so she can better protect herself. I loved the romance in this book. It’s a slow burn full of sexual tension and sassy banter. I do love the “captive in the enemy hold” trope because it often goes hand in hand with a hate-to-love romance, but too often it ends up with insta-love, but not in this book! What would have made it even better would have been a dual point of view. I was dying to know what was going on in Kane’s head, but at the same time, us not knowing allowed the author to give Kane a hidden agenda that wasn’t revealed until the end.

but I honestly didn’t anticipate enjoying A Dawn of Onyx this much! Highly recommended, and I simply cannot WAIT for the rest of this trilogy. An extra half a star just for how much fun this was! Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy provided (x2!!). About an hour after that, my herbs had been sorted not only by color and place of origin, but also by how handsome I thought they would be as boys—cardamom clearly took the win there—and my boredom had become excruciating.” SO FAR, KANE IS not my favorite love interest. It’s hard for me to say exactly what it is… I think it’s that I couldn’t understand why he fell so hard for Arwen, other than he thought she was hot. Idk. I did love how flirtatious he was and there was definitely a lot of sexual tension between them, so I definitely still enjoyed the romance overall 🥰 It wasn’t really steamy but I have high hopes for the next books 🤞🤞 The enemies-to-lovers romance between Arwen and Kane is EVERYTHING. Like EVERYTHING. I adore them so much! The sexual tension, the chemistry, THE BANTER!! Arwen and Kane have a complicated relationship filled with conflicted and confused emotions, and there are a lot of secrets between them. Their conversations – the way they flirt and tease each other, their more tender moments, the way he listens to her – it’s nuanced and layered and so fascinating to see this couple slowly let their guard down with each other. This is definitely a pair that should not care for each other, yet they are inexplicably drawn to each other over and over again. Every interaction adds to the slow-building swoon-tasticness! By the end of the story, we will have an emboldened Arwen, trusting in her abilities. She’s been put to the test and came victorious. I do appreciate a good character growth. From mouse to warrior.

Honestly my favorite part was most definitely the ending, because I think Arwen made the best choices, they felt thought out, consistent with her character, and definitely created all the intrigue necessary to have book two be a highly anticipated sequel. Avid Beta readers are not your editor or proof reader and don't expect them to do the grunt work. That's up to you. But they could have spotted a few fleas BEFORE you released the book and helped strengthen your story. First and foremost, I want to make clear that I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to have this review sooner, but better late than never, am I right? (and yes, I just added subrattings because why not) The pace, 3/10. There were times during this book I was completely captivated, while others I just wanted the book to be done. Overall, I just wish the book was written differently. Better words that are said between characters, more of a relationship building between characters (I did feel OFTEN that things just were changed between Arwen and Kane), and just more insight to the world and other characters that just disappeared at the end.BONUS: Was I entertained, and therefore, can Kate be considered successful in her endeavor to charm a reader and gain a new supporter? Yes. + .5 stars. The banter between the two characters was a delightful aspect of the book, often causing me to burst out laughing while reading. It’s everything I love about Romantasy but the story was too rushed. I would have loved to have more world building, character building and a slower burn. Well I liked her at least. She is a healer and that means that she is selfless with an inner strength. Owning a strange healing power that she never could explain, Arwen finds joy and relief in healing others and preparing potions. Arwen is also curious, willing to learn about medicine, plants and history. 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.