Book Review: Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett

★★★★★

Synopsis: “They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. Now Kate lives as an outcast, a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. Only those most skilled in riding and bow hunting ride for the Relay; and only the fastest survive, for when dark falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. It’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight—the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart.

The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.”

I adored this book. From the beginning I was hooked, and I finished it in two days. Which is saying a lot, since I’m a slow reader and this book is 497 pages. The characters were likeable, the settings gave me Game of Thrones vibes (Why? Absolutely no clue), and the pacing of the story was admirable.

Specifically, there are two reasons why I’m giving Onyx & Ivory five stars.

1. There was actual history between the characters. Often in fantasy novels the main character goes off on an exciting adventure to places they’ve never been and meeting people they’ve never met. But in Onyx & Ivory, all the characters knew each other already. Kate and Corwin grew up together. I don’t have a problem with the ‘new-adventure-life’ style of stories, in fact, I’m obsessed with them, but this was very refreshing. (Minor Spoiler - skip ahead to no. 2 if you don’t want to read spoilers: I also enjoyed the fact that Kate had to return to Norgard, where she grew up, rather than a place she’s never been before.)

2. Horses. Having ridden horses a lot when I was young (and I still have an undeniable need to pet a horse whenever I see one), I’ve always felt fantasy books don’t give them enough attention, even though in 9 out of 10 books, they’re always there. Also, side note, Relay Rider is now what I aspire to be when I grow up.

The book is written from two different perspectives, which I’m normally not a huge fan of. I prefer it when I get to read the whole story from one character’s point of view. However, in this case, I quite liked it, as it basically allowed two main plotlines to develop, which is not something I’ve often read before.

The only downfall I could find in the story is the fact that I could guess some of the plot twists before they happened, but I don’t think it made it any less enjoyable.

In sum, I highly recommend this book for fans of young adult fantasy books. I read the ARC, but I’m definitely going out and buying the published book. (I’m dying to see the map!) Also, the sequel, Shadow & Flame, is now one of my most anticipated releases of 2019!

This review is based on an ARC, so there may have been some changes to the published version of the book

If you would like to buy your own copy of Onyx & Ivory, you can do so at Book Depository.*

*Please note that I'm a Book Depository affiliate, so I might make a small profit if you use the link above

I would like to thank Harper360 for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.