A Dawn of Onyx

By: Kate Golden

Narrated by: Ruby Cherise, Will Damron

A 2023 Romantasy Goodreads Choice Award Nominee!

The breakout TikTok fantasy romance, now with special bonus material!

Captured by the king of darkness, she was forced to find the light within.

Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.

Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning—and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.

But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.

To make it out of enemy territory, she'll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and deadly beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life—and hopefully, her heart.

Critic reviews

"A Dawn of Onyx is such an enthralling read, with a top tier enemies-to-lovers storyline that absolutely sparkles. There's so much delicious romantic tension and fun banter, as well as an intriguing fantasy world and magic galore, it's truly a feast for a reader's heart. Fans of Sarah J. Mass and Tahereh Mafi will love it. I loved it, and I can't wait to delve into the next book in the series. Kate Golden has taken her place on my list of must-read authors."—India Holton, international bestselling author of The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

“A Dawn of Onyx is an electrifying start to a thrilling new romantasy series that is magical, filled with delicious tension, and left me desperate for the next installment!”—Lana Ferguson, national bestselling author of The Nanny

“A Dawn of Onyx is fun romantasy deliciousness, complete with magic, Fae, dragons, empire-shaking secrets, and a sultry, wicked king. Arwen is an appealing heroine—determined, optimistic, and empathetic, she struggles between her longing for home and the desire to spread her wings and learn more about the world. Her interactions with Kane are spiced with tension and banter, and I can't wait to see more of this combustible pairing in the next books.”—Sarah Hawley, author of A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

Quite good!

I will be reading this series moving forward, this first book was awesome! It was a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-again-kind-of, morally grey male love interest, a young girl trying her best and not knowing her own power (literally and figuratively), funny and charming side characters- it’s got it all! I wish the male narrator had been the voice of Kane all along, though. The bonus piece at the end with the male voice really made his character come alive. Very nice pacing and world building as well. And of course- there’s a dragon so I’m already in! Looking forward to the next book!

Great series start

I really really enjoyed this narration. The story itself was captivating on its own, but the narrator brought so much life to both the story and characters. I was so invested in this story and cannot wait to continue/finish this series

Great!

It was a great book! Love all the characters. The narrator did a great job.

a favorite romantic fantasy

the performance is excellent and there isn't a lull or dull moment to be found. thoroughly enjoyable.

Amazing story

I loved this story and it wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be.