Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett Published by Balzer + Bray on May 15th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads
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, clinging to the fringes of society as 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 has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. And 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 received a copy of this book from the publisher. This does not influence my thoughts on this review or this book.
I was pitched this book at an event with HarperCollins Canada and considering the fact that I loved Arnett’s The Nightmare Affair, I was really excited to read Onyx & Ivory when I learned that the romance was a “second chances” one. Unfortunately, Onyx & Ivory wasn’t as captivating as I hoped.
Kate Brighton has been nicknamed “Traitor Kate” when she was exiled from the royal court as a result of her father’s attempt to assassinate the high king. Now she works as part of the imperial courier service, braving safety to deliver important packages. At night, dangerous creatures roam the land but once the creatures seem to develop an immunity to sunlight, Kate and the high prince Corwin must team up to stop the creatures… all while battling their own rekindled feelings for each other.
Despite the intriguing premise, I felt that Onyx & Ivory was such a slow read and despite the premise, I was not captivated enough to keep wanting to read. The 512 pages seemed really long to me and to be honest, I only finished it because the romance is a “second chances” trope which is one of my favourites but even then, I was not as interested in reading.
I think readers who are used to slow and well-built fantasy reads would like this but as more of a contemporary reader who is character-driven, this wasn’t my favourite book.
