Onyx & Ivory: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy of Forbidden Magic and Deadly Dragons

The E-ARC was provided by Edelweiss. But the cover was so cool that I also bought it. This book started off with a Scorpio Races feel. A girl and her horse, and a fiery heart. I was drawn in right away. Since Scorpio Races is one of my all-time favorite books in the world, I was so sucked in, and I could not put the book down. This book is told in two POV's, Kate and Corwin. Let's start with Kate. She is a nineteen-year-old Relay rider (basically a mailman on horseback) who is also a wilder, able to influence animals. Not only that, she is the daughter of a man who tried to kill the king of Rime. People call her Traitor Kate. But for all she's been through, she has developed a thick skin. She loves horses and is pretty good with a bow. Then there's Corwin. He's the second born son of the king and child-hood friend of Kate before she was exiled and her father put to death. It's by chance that their paths cross some three years later while Corwin is investigating a rise in Nightdrake (lizard-like creatures) attacks. Kate saves Corwin, and their lives begin to change. Corwin hires Bonner, Kate's friend, to make revolvers. The thing is, Bonner is also a wilder and being a wilder is pretty much illegal and will get you a death sentence. But the deal is too good for Kate, Bonner, and their friend Signe and they all start new lives at the royal palace. Things become complicated when Kate begins a mission of finding out what really happened the day her father attacked the king. She knows her father was a dedicated and honorable man and that he wouldn't have done such a thing without being compromised. Meanwhile, the nightdrakes have become daydrakes, and the whole land is going crazy. Corwin is up to start three trials to take the crown from his brother, Edwin and his relationship with Kate becomes more and more complicated. Pretty much, this book was magical in every way. The writing was superb and never-mind that world-building. Holy cow. This is a book to learn from. I was a tad POed at Corwin at one point, but he sort of redeemed himself. The side characters were great and sometimes more interesting than the main characters. If you can ignore the tropes (secrets abilities, royal rivalries), you'll love this book. I, for one, didn't mind them at all. All in all, I loved this book, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Wow, I like this more than I initially thought I would! The main two PoV Kate and Corwin have a cute, long romantic, yet tension filled history. Though, I do think some of their past transgressions were over-stated multiple times to the point of annoyance. The characters themselves followed the predetermined patterns of a newer generation ya novel ie. Heroine find out the magnitude of her skills and abilities and gets in trouble. Of course she now knows and is determined to help herself out of whatever tricky situation she finds herself in even while saving her love interested in turn. I really enjoy the world building (fairly intricate for a YA fantasy novel), the overall mystery plot and magical system that intertwines with so many other small elements—including the political aspects. In fact, one of the book's assets is Mindee Arnett writing style; it's rich, fluid, descriptive and evokes a variety of emotions, while she manages to make you see the landscapes and the characters through her eyes. She demands your attention, and she gets it. I consider this a rather calm, slow burn type of novel, with a few excitable action scenes thrown in from time to time. And while this book has a somewhat slow start, I still feel as though it was a refreshing fantasy book. I look forward to the sequel!

This book was amazing it was everything I love in fantasy like this. I loved the characters so much especially Kate and Corwin I loved the romance and how they were able to reconnect even with their shared past falling out. I loved Kate for her strength in more ways than one and for loyalty for all she loves. I loved Corwin for his belief in Kate and how she helped him realize so many things like what he really wants both out of life and for all of his people to live freely without fear. I also loved many of the other characters they made the story so much better. I loved the plot it starts off after something terrible happened she works with horses something else terrible happens and Kate saves the prince Corwin so they get closer again things are found out I am looking forward to where the story goes from here.

Onyx & Ivory has been an absolute pleasure to read, the type of book that is all encompassing and keeps me saying "1 more chapter". For me it's always a joy to discover the wonderful work that authors have on offer. I do wish it was available in Kindle Unlimited.

Loved this book, some great, believable characters and a plot that races along but doesn't feel rushed. I'm sure that there will be many more stories set in Rime with the quality of this title. I certainly hope so as I really feel like it is a living, breathing world that I am eager to immerse myself in again.

This is a great and straightforward read :) easy to follow, And good for young teen readers.

immer wieder!

i loved it from the start til the end, super recommend it