A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones Book 1)

Off Service Book Recs

A prophecy, a dark king, and the girl in the middle of it all

"A life for a life, and small-town oldest sister Arwen Valondale finds herself a prisoner in enemy territory. When her brother steals gold from soldiers of the vicious Onyx Kingdom, Arwen offers to use her rare healing abilities to save one of their soldiers when they come to collect on his debt. Alone and despairing, an encounter with a handsome, if infuriating prisoner may give her the chance to flee and find her family. Facing vicious rulers, dark magic, and beasts beyond comprehension, Arwen flourishes in the Onyx kingdom and begins to craft her escape. There is something afoot in the kingdom, however, and bringing secrets - including her own - into the light may cost Arwen her life - and her heart. This was one of the first romantasy books that got me back into the genre, and I daresay it still holds up as a great romp - there's chosen ones, dark and brooding strangers, magical flourishes, hidden kingdoms, nothing-is-as-it-seems vibes, fun and spunky family AND found family, the author ripping your heart out, secrets on secrets, sizzling tension and sizzling reading (it IS romantasy, after all), comfort care, getting locked in a wine closet, side-eying characters who definitely don't hate each other, prophecy, and wanting to rattle the teeth of your idiot brother. I love the tongue-in-cheek moments Arwen has with herself and like that she manages to keep an upbeat attitude in the face of despair and revelation, and can't wait to see what havoc she'll wreak in Peridot! ["

Show more

March 3, 2025 Verified Purchase

Hana

easy, fun fantasy romance read

"this was such a fun time. A Dawn of Onyx was a classic fantasy romance, nothing too complicated in the plot or characters or anything, nothing super unique; just a quick, heartfelt romantasy. I thought a few times that it is a really great starter fantasy romance. you’ve got your FMC with mysterious powers, the evil, shadowy king who may or may not be who you think he is, a secret prophecy, dragons, and tension you could cut with a knife. all the elements fantasy romance readers will eat up with a spoon ❤️ I can’t say too much about the MMC without spoilers but I really liked him. & I’m always a sucker for the “soft/healer” FMC so this was really a hit for me. it didn’t try to do too much, it just let itself breathe and take its time & not be something it wasn’t, & that made it shine for me personally. there’s almost nothing worse than a book trying too hard to be something it’s not. I do wish we’d been able to get the MMC’s POV; I feel like it would’ve made it much better. hopefully in the next books 🤞But I had no complaints, really. I’d recommend it to fantasy romance readers who know their tropes & what they like, & those new to fantasy romance to get a feel for what they can expect. 🌹high fantasy romance 🖤DRAGONS 🌹healing magic 🖤Shadow Daddy 🌹past abuse resulting in anxiety 🖤soft FMC 🌹there’s only one horse 🖤there’s a fine line between hate & attraction 🌹the Fae 🖤simple, straight forward writing style 🌹first person, single POV 🖤flirty banter 🌹misunderstood hero 🖤“I hate him but he’s just too pretty” 🌹surprisingly possessive FMC 🖤”who did this to you?” ["

Show more

March 9, 2025 Verified Purchase

Skylar Phaup

4/5

"Wow, okay, Kate Golden — you’ve done it. A Dawn of Onyx was the best ride I’ve been on since ACOTAR. Evendell is a world stitched together from the finest threads of every romantasy lover’s dream — familiar tropes and beloved elements woven into something utterly fresh and mesmerizing. I’ve been deep in a reading slump lately, searching for a story that could remind me why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. Then I stumbled upon this gem — and suddenly, I was hooked again. It’s not just the lush world-building, or the intoxicating blend of fae magic, witchcraft, and mythical creatures. It’s not just the plot twists, the prophecies, the deception. It’s not even just how hard you root for Arwen (even when she’s being a little stubborn) — or the tall, broody male lead we all saw coming but still fell for anyway. Maybe it’s the combination of all of it — the alchemy of a perfect romantasy. Bottom line: this is hands down the best book I’ve read in ages. If you’ve been waiting for your next magical obsession — this is it. ["

Show more

November 6, 2025 Verified Purchase

TP

Unfortunately Didn't Love It

"I wanted to love it so badly. I actually really enjoyed the author's writing; yes, it is simple but fast-paced and easily digestible. Plot was so fun! I loved the softer FMC. Arwen was sweet and I connected with her more than the "badass" heroines we see often in romantasy. However... the MMC felt very surface level and their love felt... lackluster? Banter was cringey and I didn't really buy their "connection." This book was fun, but I am not invested in the characters and their world to continue on with the series. This is a great book if it's your introduction to fantasy, but if you're looking for deeply layered world building or character depth, you won't find it here. ["

Show more

April 23, 2026 Verified Purchase

Katherine

This is your perfect slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy!

"What a fantastic book this is! I can’t believe I had not read it before now, and I wish I had read it sooner! A Dawn of Onyx is a really great book, full of magic, sacrifice, enemies to lovers tension, friendship, personal growth, and so much more. I loved our main character, Arwen. She is caring and strong, stubborn, eager to learn things, and willing to do anything to save her family. Arwen can heal others, and devotes her life to saving others. She doesn’t feel as loved and strong as her brother, but as we go on in the book, we get to witness her growing into herself. One of my favorite things is watching our FMC grow into herself and her confidence, and become the woman she is meant to be. Our MMC, Kane, is soooo perfect as the MMC. A shadow daddy wicked king, he is as dark and devious as everyone says… or is he? I loved getting to know him more throughout the book and from Arwen’s perspective. Their budding attraction? AMAZING. Kate Golden knows how to write a slow burn with a ton of banter. It was perfection, and I was eagerly devouring their relationship as it began to grow. I also loved all our other characters as they came into play! The world building in A Dawn of Onyx was 10/10. I felt as though I was plopped right into the world and story. The details describing everything, the background info, it was all perfect! There was so much character development, a lot of plot, and the story was truly so good. This is your perfect slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy! It doesn’t have a lot of spice, but the spice that is there is great. I enjoy a good spicy book, but I felt like this was really well done and did not need more than it had! Overall, A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden was fantastic and enjoyable, and I am so excited to read book 2! I recommenced it to anyone who likes a slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy. ["

Show more

April 3, 2024 Verified Purchase