Then you have other characters like Dagar and Griffin that seemed to be vital people, and could have improved some scenes, that just were not used. They had some funny moments and lines that made me want to know more about them, but I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see a whole lot of them with Arwen or Kane. Even Mari. Kane Ravenwood. Kane motherfreaking Ravenwood. How to describe this hothead manipulative powerful man with a good sense of humor and a killer crooked grin?

Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the official group for requesting additions or updates to the catalog, including: I gotta confess guys, it has been A MINUTE since I read something not pure smut and a new author worthy of 4 stars. 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.I just read {A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden} in a matter of hours. I have to recommend it to everyone, it’s book 1 in a trilogy. 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.

The dialogue between Arwen and Kane felt really cheesy and unnatural. They had no spark and I don't know what they saw in each other. I really wasn't convinced of their chemistry. 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. I must confess that I guessed (part of)the truth about Arwen pretty early on. Probably as I read many fantasy. But we are still left with questions at the end of the story. I guess for book two now. But… I have a theory 😉 You aren’t mine. You don’t belong to me. You can spend your time with whoever you please. All I hope is that they treat you with the respect you deserve, and I will try every single day not to think of ripping out their still beating hearts.”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. Kane didn’t even wait for me to finish. He stalked over to Halden, eerily calm. “You love this woman?” Halden looked right at me with fervor. “More than anything.” Bleeding. Stones. Kane nodded curtly. “Good.” Then he looked to the soldiers behind Halden, “Kill him.” I liked Kane as a character he was surprisingly level-headed and protective when it came to Arwen. I initially thought this was going to have a much darker vibe mostly because of the beginning scenes but the building bond between these two was actually very sweet and Kane was patience personified when it came to Arwen's many mistakes. Arwen and Kane's first encounter was pretty unconventional, but the tension was there from the beginning and you can only imagine how it escalated when they were forced to be in close proximity to each other. Princess Amelia strolled inside and sat down on the bed. I scrambled to politely sit beside her, then tried to bow. It wasn’t pretty. She gave me a pitying glance. “No need for… whatever that is. I brought you clothes for tonight’s dinner.”

One of my favorite parts of this book is that even though there's a mystery… I never felt like I wasn’t being given enough information! The absolute audacity of some authors to keep us in suspenseful purgatory for too many installments in a series is truly appalling. Kate Golden does an incredible job at dropping tidbits along the way to keep readers interested. overall, this is a very decent first installment and has me excited to discover how the story will continue. 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. I absolutely loved this story. With lies, betrayal, political intrigue, magic, and more, it is a brilliant epic romantasy and one I would highly recommend. Special thanks to the author for sending me a copy of the book. I loved it so much, I plan to buy a physical copy for my bookshelf. Whether you know it or not, Arwen, there is a wild strength inside of you. You don’t need Ryder or Daga, or me, or anyone else to take care of you. Remember that. You are enough. 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.

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. 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.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. This was a fantastic beginning to what looks to be a very engaging and well written fantasy romance. The world building with this one was beyond excellent and was very well done add in the fact that this is a debut author well I’m excited now to see how this author evolves further. Mari is also a great secondary character who had a use besides supporting the main character in her quest. She is fiery and bubbly, and I really loved her too. Overall, the characters were all well developed and fleshed out, and the author did a great job with the dynamics and the relationships developing in this book, but she also left room for more relationship-building and more character development in the next book. Griffin is also a secondary character that intrigued me, and I am curious to see more of him and his grumpy behavior with Arwen. This said, I can’t wait to read book two and I hope Arwen as well as Kane will grow even more and have great character arcs. They already started to change and I’m convinced they’ll continue to do so in the sequel. Moreover, there is a lot of potential in this story and I’m so curious what Kate will do with it. Considering the ending everything is possible and I really like this! So many ways and possibilities in which the story and its characters could go and develop! ;-) All told, I had a blast reading “A Dawn of Onyx” and if you like a smug alpha male that is soft for his love interest and a strong heroine that fights him tooth-and-nail before she allows herself to fall for him, this book definitely will be for you. ;-)