Arwen Valondale has been taken prisoner in an effort to save her brother’s life from ending at the hands of the Onyx King. She’s taken prisoner in his kingdom, but plotting her escape certainly won’t be easy. She’s surrounded by woods that hide sinister deeds and her only hope might be a fellow prisoner. However, this mysterious man seems to take great pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears. Trust is not something she will be able to afford if she is to make it out of the Onyx Kingdom in one piece, especially as she realises that she holds a spark of power that could change everything.
At the start of this book, there were really strong Beauty and the Beast vibes, but A Dawn of Onyx becomes its own dark and seductive enemies to lovers story that is rife with tension. Arwen has a fire to her that not many heroines have, and is determined to forge ahead with or without a partner by her side. I will admit that this book has quite a few tropes that may be hit or miss for some readers, but they were a hit for me as this entire book was devoured during a plane ride. This is the type of book you read when you’re wanting to stay within the same realm of romantasy books you’ve loved, but aren’t ready to try something new.
My initial thoughts as I started to read this book were curiosity. Kate Golden managed to build a beautifully dangerous world where Arwen is constantly in some danger or another. She’s easy to connect with and I enjoyed seeing her character development throughout the book. She doesn’t always make the best calls in terms of judgment, but she does have a good heart. She’s tenacious and determined and somewhat impulsive, especially when it comes to her family. Combined with a gift for healing, it ends up spelling trouble more often than not. She ends up making a friend along the way in Mari, who I absolutely enjoyed reading about. They leaned into the poor decisions together, so there is that. Then there is Arwen’s relationship development with the love interest, which certainly have readers at the edge of their seat.
Slowburn is the name of the game in this book, which tends to be one of my least favourite tropes in romance…but only because I am one impatient reader! However, A Dawn of Onyx managed to develop an incredible romantic simmer in this book that will leave you wishing there were more pages. There’s also quite a bit of learning between the two love interests that I feel were necessary. Both Arwen and Kane have to learn to trust, but also, allow one another to be taken care of. The banter between them doesn’t feel forced and I relished every scene the two shared, even when there was conflict, which of course there is! They are enemies after all, and everyone is keeping secrets. However, another plus is that there is a secondary romantic plot happening in tandem with our main characters and I am here for it!
What I loved most of all about this book was that it kept me guessing. Each time I thought that I had the plot nailed down, a twist would arise that would remind me that not everything is as it seemed. The ending of the book is a bit of a cliffhanger, so of course I am dying to read the next installment of the book. While the world building is simple, there is so much that is waiting to be explored and developed by Golden. I am so excited to see what is going to come next for Arwen, Kane, and the rest of what have become a cast of beloved characters to me. I encourage you to add it to your TBR, especially if you’re a fan of fae, romantasy, and slowburn romance.
A Dawn of Onyx is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Captured by a king of darkness. 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 dangerous 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.
