valany's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cassreadsforever's review against another edition
2.0
Overall rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Blurb in my words: Arwen trades the rest of her life for her brother, who committed a crime against the kingdom hers is at war with. The evil Onyx King finds interest in her mysterious healing powers that may be more unique than she knows.
My review: The plot starts off with a bang and is fastpaced. I was super excited for the first half. You get all the questions about this world and how it will be built. You meet many new characters so quickly.
My criticisms: When I start pulling out the criticism, I wonder if I should have rated this lower than 2.75 stars... While I enjoyed the first 45%, it got badly so quickly around the halfway mark. I think I started to notice how flat the characters were and how predictable the plot became. When most of the characters talked, it felt SO unnatural. The side characters were written as if they were chess pieces who weren't even real people. DON'T NAME THE MC A NAME THAT SAYS PLOT-TWIST!
If you liked the following, you will probably like this book:
Will I finish the series? Maybe... If I hear the second one is incredibly improved from this.
Does it deserves the hype via those videos on Tiktok?: No... Sadly :(
Elements/Tropes:
- Fae
- Insta-love
- Who Did This to You
- Only One Horse
- Disguised Royal
Blurb in my words: Arwen trades the rest of her life for her brother, who committed a crime against the kingdom hers is at war with. The evil Onyx King finds interest in her mysterious healing powers that may be more unique than she knows.
My review: The plot starts off with a bang and is fastpaced. I was super excited for the first half. You get all the questions about this world and how it will be built. You meet many new characters so quickly.
My criticisms: When I start pulling out the criticism, I wonder if I should have rated this lower than 2.75 stars... While I enjoyed the first 45%, it got badly so quickly around the halfway mark. I think I started to notice how flat the characters were and how predictable the plot became. When most of the characters talked, it felt SO unnatural. The side characters were written as if they were chess pieces who weren't even real people. DON'T NAME THE MC A NAME THAT SAYS PLOT-TWIST!
If you liked the following, you will probably like this book:
Will I finish the series? Maybe... If I hear the second one is incredibly improved from this.
Does it deserves the hype via those videos on Tiktok?: No... Sadly :(
Elements/Tropes:
- Fae
- Insta-love
- Who Did This to You
- Only One Horse
- Disguised Royal
taylor_chapman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
ps_racheljean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hladelano's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kmacgahan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ashley_a_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
priesty23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 stars
As a mood reader, I was craving a good ol' fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, court drama, 'who did this to you' vibes with a broody morally grey love interest... and this book gave me all that and more. A Dawn of Onyx is a NA fantasy romance and the author's debut. Perfect for fans of fantasy romance who are looking for a fun enemies to lovers (captive/captor) storyline. The main characters have some great banter, a witty and caring FMC paired with the love interest who was real charming with a teasing nature which had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet.
I really enjoyed the side characters and desperately want more of them in a future book. It's always great to be made to care for the main character's other friendships and relationships rather than only between the main character and love interest. I thought the world building was interesting, but hope that the author delves into this a bit more in the future as it did feel a little lacking at times.
Overall I found this book addictive and I loved every second of reading it, it was well written and the story was nice and easy to follow. It is certainly a strong contender within the genre! I am excited to see where the series goes and am impatiently waiting for the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
As a mood reader, I was craving a good ol' fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, court drama, 'who did this to you' vibes with a broody morally grey love interest... and this book gave me all that and more. A Dawn of Onyx is a NA fantasy romance and the author's debut. Perfect for fans of fantasy romance who are looking for a fun enemies to lovers (captive/captor) storyline. The main characters have some great banter, a witty and caring FMC paired with the love interest who was real charming with a teasing nature which had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet.
I really enjoyed the side characters and desperately want more of them in a future book. It's always great to be made to care for the main character's other friendships and relationships rather than only between the main character and love interest. I thought the world building was interesting, but hope that the author delves into this a bit more in the future as it did feel a little lacking at times.
Overall I found this book addictive and I loved every second of reading it, it was well written and the story was nice and easy to follow. It is certainly a strong contender within the genre! I am excited to see where the series goes and am impatiently waiting for the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
sarah3492's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5