This had really good world immersion without it feeling like an info-dump. This managed to gradually draw you in and it was such an engaging well written read. My only negatives here were Arwen sometimes irritated me with her judgements of Kane and that this could still have been slow-burn but with maybe a few more romantic interactions added between Kane and Arwen. Other than that this was a great read and extremely impressive for a debut. When I opened this book, I had no idea I was going to fall head over heels in love with it, but that’s exactly what I did. It’s a fantastic romantasy with dynamic characters, immersive world-building, and a super swoon-worthy romance!

In the heart of Onyx's Army, she starts uncovering truths about the war, the Fae. After meeting their King, Kane Ravenwood, however, she finds it hard to get him out of her head. ― I must admit, I totally get it. The man's 🔥 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! A Dawn of Onyx is a solid NA Fantasy Romance debut and easy to devour in one-sitting for readers looking for an immersive fantasy romance. As this is romantasy, you’ll also have an attractive thief and a broody powerful king somehow sparing verbally with Arwen and that felt like heated foreplay to me! Thank you so much Kate Golden for an arc of your debut! I can’t wait to continue reading Arwen’s story. This book is out now!From Arwen’s perspective, Kane is a ruthless, broody, and violent man; and she constantly wants to run away from him (we all know she doesn’t really, but, you get the point). Meanwhile, on the other hand, it’s blatantly obvious to everyone except our FMC, that Kane was pretty much a victim of Insta Love. His who did this to you vibes were firing off within ten minutes of knowing her. Initially, I was worried about that. I was so sure that this was going to be another slow burn that was actually more like a wildfire, but I ended up being wrong, and I am so glad that I was.

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. I definitely recommend this for any fantasy romance reader who are looking for an entertaining and immersive fantasy romance with a sprinkle of spice. Kane by contrast was always willing to overlook Arwens many missteps even when they had a negative impact. The secrets he was keeping close that were eventually revealed I also think were justified and his reasonings behind them sound. Arwen played true to form though and once again was not willing to look beyond her own hurt and pain. I’m hoping going forward she grows some as a character and abandons this particular character trait, maybe she should take a leaf out of Kane's book. The twists at the end felt like they came outta nowhere because there were no hints or lead up. It left me feeling cheated. And the ones that I could guess were things you could find in a typical fae romance anyway. 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.

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the banter is what initially sold me with this book, bc honestly it is SOO good ngl. and the way i loved the dynamics between Arwen and Kane - i really did. i wouldn't say i loved Arwen in most part of the book - in truth, i found her to be extremely naive and stupid sometimes (no offence, little bird). but, i had to excuse that fact bc she hadn't truly been exposed to the real world all that much. i do think she's gonna become a lot more vengeful and badass in the next book and I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT for her to take revenge and kill people (or maybe i just want more killing people to happen in general). I love a good friendship in stories and I loved seeing Arwen banding with Mary, the keep’s librarian. Both had been friendless their whole lives and it was heartwarming and amusing to see these two go on risky shenanigans.