🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley and Quercus Audio for approving me for an ARC of this book.

Read this if you love:

🔥Slow Burn Romance
☠️Touch Her and Die Energy
💗Morally Grey MMC
🤫Hidden Identity
🪄Magical Creatures

This was an enjoyable listen that made me keen to find out what happens next. My only gripe was that the main characters annoyed me at times. It felt a little more YA than New Adult. Nevertheless, I still had fun and look forward to the next book in the series!

Special mention to my fellow buddy reader @bex_boys_and_books. Love our chats as always!

This book was ok. There were bits I liked, and it’s a good premise, but I just couldn’t understand why the MMC and FMC liked each other. Sure they’re hot but ‘I’d let my kingdom burn for you’ implies that either character has some depth to them. I didn’t see it.

And the ending… why did 100 things suddenly happen at once, why did the dragon transform, why did people suddenly develop crazy powers?! Sorry no.

Solid 3/5. I can see other people loving it but I didn’t vibe with it.

*Thank you to Kate Golden, The Daisy Press, and NetGalley for providing a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.”


I find myself interested in kingdoms/worlds inspired by objects or seasons. The Sister’s Solstice series for the four seasons, ACOTAR for courts inspired again by seasons and celestial, and now kingdoms inspired by gemstones. A Dawn of Onyx was fantastic if you like books similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses or Throne of Glass, and/or fantasy books with themed courts/kingdoms. My enjoyment of this book slowly crept up on me the further I got in.


What I liked:
The audiobook narration was smooth and easy to listen through. The narration was enjoyable, and the influxes and increasing speed with the descriptions, characters' thoughts, and action scenes made me feel like I could imagine the scene and see through the character's eyes. The flow of the narrator helped speed the book up (I did not realize it was 400+ pages). I usually read at 2.5 speed, and I could still clearly hear the narrator and it surprisingly didn't affect the flow of the book like some other audiobooks I’ve tried to speed up. Sometimes I did wish that the narrator changed her tone for different scenes though. From chapter to chapter, it was a good listening experience with no critical issues. I would recommend the audiobook for this novel.
The plot was predictable at times, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It gripped me further the more we learned about the different territories and the plot twists that were being revealed. The plot twists were great and made the characters stand out.
The main female character, Arwen, was relatable. She felt human, she was flawed. Arwen makes the same mistakes but beats herself up for it, knowing she should not fall who she falls for but does, trying to help, etc. Also, I just love the name Arwen so I’m biased.
Enemies to lovers were done decently, I kind of expected it though when the love interest was introduced. The tension though was extremely well developed.
The side characters had depth and weren’t just there to push the plot forward.
Not too much sexual content to take away from the book.


I honestly want to know what happens next ASAP. I’ll happily give this 5 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a romantic fantasy with enemies to lovers, touch her and I'll unalive you energy, secret prophecies and hidden identities.

It has all the great tropes and plot devices that I enjoy in romantic fantasy stories, with great world building and sets the scene really well without dumping loads of information on you right off the bat.

I sometimes found the main character a little annoying and shallow, but this felt quite accurate to her age and naivety. I loved how fleshed out the side characters were, they had depth and not just used to serve the plot.

Kane was everything I love in an MMC and I can't wait for book two to see where the story leads!

The narrator did an excellent job, I really enjoyed listening to the story and would definitely recommend the audiobook. Kane's little bonus content at the end was also brilliant and I hope this means we get more of his POV in book two!

Set in a world divided into the names of precious gems, Arwen is a healer from the region of Amber with a gift to mend those in her care with some unknown magical skill. After her brother returns unexpectedly from war, she is pushed into trading places for him in captivity and ends up moving to the Onyx Kingdom. There's nothing original or shocking in this book but I really enjoyed it! The main character is likeable and the decisions she makes (that of course place herself at risk) are based on understandable reasons such as attempting to protect her family. It was similar to other books centring around fae love interests but it was an engaging read that didn't require too much deep thinking to understand the story. I thought the narration was really good for this, it made it very easy to relate to Arwen and hearing her inner thoughts seemed natural.

A great start to what is going to be an epic tale. I loved this romantasy and cannot wait to read more!

Loved it! Enemies to lovers, slow burn romance...the chemistry between Arwen and Kane was just perfect and I enjoyed every moment of their banter. The narrators really brought their voices to life, definitely will be picking up the audiobook again.

Special thanks to Quercus Audio, Jo Fletcher books and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I I just reviewed A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden. #ADawnofOnyx #NetGalley

NetGalley kindly allowed me to review the audiobook of A Dawn Of Onyx by Kate Golden, and here’s what I thought.

I went into this completely blind, and found that I was enveloped in the story very quickly. Arwyn is a healer who doesn’t know how/why she has the ability to heal via magic, her country is at war and after her brother was drafted, she hasn’t seen him or heard from him for over a year, until one day he returns home, with a bag of stolen coins that belong to a ruthless king, the story develops from this point and is full of action, twists and turns.

This slow burn, Enemies to lovers, fae fantasy/shifter romance is not at all what I expected and the narrator really made the whole story come alive. I felt connected to the characters and the intonations portrayed convincing emotions throughout. I particularly liked the bonus chapter from the MMC’s perspective.

I will be carrying on this series and looking forward to listening/reading more of Kate Goldens works

Enjoyed the storyline and the characters, world building and the romance of course.
I can’t wait to see where the story continues

The audio was great, I flew through it and don’t get lost.

I was so excited to receive this as an audio ARC!! The narrators was perfect for this story, and their voices brought a whole other dimension to the story. It felt just as if someone were whispering a gorgeous fairytale of Onyx Kingdom. Arwen and Kane are definitely one of the couples who have stolen a little piece of my heart for their own. Arwen is one of those strong, take-care-of-myself protagonists we all love to see fall in love with someone who is willing to take care of her while respecting her, and Kane is THAT broody, grumbly character who reluctantly lets himself fall. They bring out each other so beautifully, and I just cannot wait for the sequel to dive right back in again. That ending… thank you to Quercus Audio and Netgalley for the ARC!

Oh my gosh, Kate! The way this left me so heartbroken...how dare you!

A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden is the first in her Sacred Stones series. Arwen is a healer in the kingdom of Amber but her kingdom is in the midst of a war against the kingdom of Onyx. Her mother is ailing and her brother is off fighting in the war. When her brother returns unexpectedly and loaded down with stolen coin they must flee to a safer kingdom. Arwen is captured by Onyx soldiers and becomes a prisoner of Onyx and the supposed wicked King Ravenwood makes her become the official healer of Shadowhold, an outpost of Onyx. King Kane Ravenwood has a reputation of being this wicked and ruthless man and Arwen hates him on site but can't deny his handsomeness or the way he gives in to her demands so easily and doesn't seem so ruthless after all.

The chemistry between Kane and Arwen was delicious, he's very much into her and does anything for her while still antagonizing her a bit to keep her on her toes. There's lots of secrets between them and while that's not great for a relationship it definitely makes for a great story. I like how Arwen was this meek and scared girl but slowly opens up and grows into herself and becomes braver and stronger throughout the story. The found family aspect with Mira and Griffin and Dagon was lovely too. (There's something going on with Mira and Griffin I can FEEL it!).

The pacing of this book was good, not too fast and no dragging in the middle. I thought the first couple of chapters were a bit wordy with descriptors but you get pulled into the story quickly enough. I found myself yelling at Arwen a few times for being stubborn and sometimes so stupid but I still ended up loving her. The reason for the war is not really explained very well so hopefully we get more on that in the sequel. We are left with a major cliffhanger and my heart aches for how things are left between our couple, waiting until April for the sequel is going to be torture!

I was blessed with an audio ARC of this book and it was very enjoyable. The narrator, Ruby Cherise, did a lovely job! Her voice is pleasant and she had great pacing and her inflections were spot on. There's a nice little surprise of a Kane POV at the very end and it's narrated by Joe Arden. I loved this! I felt he fit Kane's voice perfectly. I hope we get more of a dual narration in the sequel!

A Dawn of Onyx was a fantastic romantasy novel which you will just eat up if you like books like The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent or The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. It's enemies to lovers with SOME spice, like maybe 1 pepper worth, but the author has stated there will be more in the second book. There's found family, he fell first and the oh so delicious "Who hurt you?" I'd definitely recommend you give it a go!

Thank you so much to Quercus Audio for providing me with an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review!

O... M... Dragon....❤️❤️❤️

I was in serious doubt about this one, I usually don't read Fae books, I thought I might like it but I wasn't sure and then I started it and was still unsure but then there was this gorgeous dragon and I was HOOKED! It has an amazing combination of tropes with different kind's of magic and fantasy woven in to it, I couldn't put it down!

We get:
- Slow burn enemies to lovers
- A growling "Who did this to you"
- Abuse
- One awkward horse ride and a Romantic run and Sexy swim.
- Dark, Secretive & handsome anti-hero
- Fae
- FMC has magical healing powers
- Strong family ties
- Mysteries
- DRAGONS
- And a whole lot of questions in the end.....

We follow the story of Arwen, a young woman who hides the fact that she can heal almost any ailment with her magical touch, except for her mothers.... Who is terribly ill.
When their family goes on the run, Arwen gets captured by Onyx men. They bring her to the Keep and there she learns there is so much she doesn't know or understands. She make's friends, falls in love, gets beaten up, almost dies, gets betrayed and learns of her ancestry. There is so much happening in this book and it will leave you with more questions and a longing for the second book.
The banter is incredible and the chemistry between Arwen and Kane is on point. The same can be said about the banter and probably blossoming romance between Griffin and Mari.

A good start - with the main character trading herself for her brother’s debt and her healing powers - unfortunately didn’t maintain throughout the book. The characters were predictable and one dimensional. The description relied too heavily on forced similes and the world creation didn’t build convincingly.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrator was easy to listen to and had a nice soothing voice. The storyline was fast paced and full of twists. I really like the characters, they were well written and interesting! The romance between
Arwen and Kane was a nice slow burn with lots of chemistry. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher/author for accepting my request to read and review a copy of A Dawn of Onyx!

This book was one I had heard so so so much hype for. All the FBAA girlies were callin it a new #1 - the new OTP - and I was SO EXCITED

And yet, 40% into this book I had absolutely zero desire to keep reading.

This book was straight up a carbon copy of like 3 other NA fantasy romance books/series, in terms of plot. In terms of world building…. Sorry..: where was the world building?

I am always HERE for a spicy enemies to lovers but I was beyond BORED reading these two characters interact. There was ZERROOOO chemistry or intrigue. Actually, I felt more chemistry between myself and the decision DNF than I did with these characters. WHERE IS THE PIZZAZ?? WHERE IS THE SWOON??

I keep finding books of this genre to be so disappointing and unoriginal lately and as awful as it sounds this was no exception.

While I appreciate that smutty fantasy has become so much bigger, I wish that more time and effort was being taken to create works that are enticing and engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Audio for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect for fans of Gild and ACOTAR, this trope-filled fae fantasy is beautifully written. The audiobook narrator did a beautiful job of bringing the characters to life, and I'm already itching for the next one!

It's an easy read and transports you to a world of shapeshifting fae, warring countries and prophecies. Sure, I may have rolled my eyes a few times at the protagonist, but I'm here for the development arc of her character.

Fingers crossed the next one comes out soon! I need more of this in my life.

✨️ this audiobook also included a bonus chapter from the King's POV, and I loved it!

⚔️ 4/5
🌶 2/5

Tropes include:
⭐️ slow burn
⭐️ "who did this to you"
⭐️ enemies to lovers

⚠️ CWs: physical abuse as a child, attempted SA.

I'm glad I listened to the audio for Dawn of Onyx. The narrator was good & I felt the story flowed nicely. I was a little disappointed with the first half of the book as not a lot happens after the initial setup, but because it was audio, I didn't feel like I was wading through it. However, once you hit the halfway mark things change & the story ups its pace.

The concept behind this one isn't new, we have all the to be expected romantasy tropes: enemies to lovers, miscommunication, secrets etc, & the obvious characters: MMC dark & misunderstood, MMCs best friend with dry humour, supporting the FMCs desire to learn to fight, FMC meek & powerless to sword welding badass, FMCs best friend is bookish & previously lonely with power of her own. However, it is entertaining, there were elements I didn't guess & I was left wanting to read the next one - I need answers.

4⭐️ thank you NETGalley for the chance to listen to the audiobook of A Dawn of Onyx. This books was very entertaining from very early on. The plot was interesting and kept me wanting to know what happens next. The tension and banter was very good between the main characters. The male main character is total touch her and you d*e! The ending was very good and has me excited for the release of book 2!

A fantasy tale with twists and turns! I enjoyed the storyline although it is a storyline that can be quite common in romantic fantasies with the will they/ won't they between the main characters, it still brought its own unique qualities. Awren is a likable character even if slightly timid in the beginning I love how throughout the story you see her gain her confidence. What would a romance plot be without a dark, brooding gorgeous mmc, especially when they use the "who did this to you" line! I really liked this book and the mix of emotions you go through while working through the story. I also enjoyed the couple of bonus chapters on the audiobook giving part of the story from the mmc's perspective and the sneak peek into book 2. I'm looking forward to the second book to see how this story ends.

This YA and up fantasy audio book is entertaining and good fun for listening/reading fans of this sort of fairytale/frenemies style fantasy. I’m sure you will, as I did, enjoy spending time with the characters in the story. The book is part one in a series. I’m waiting patiently for the next instalment. Thank you to Quercus Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.