A Dawn of Onyx

A Dawn of Onyx is the first installment in The Sacred Stones trilogy and follows the journey of Arwen, a kind-hearted healer who eventually discovers that she is one of the last full-blooded Fae in existence. The first novel in the series bears the responsibility of establishing the key aspects of Golden’s world-building, and to this end, Arwen’s first-person perspective organically introduces points of geography, as well as the political, cultural, and magical undercurrents that drive the dynamics of these intertwined kingdoms. The war-torn continent consists of the Kingdom of Amber, Onyx Kingdom, the Peridot Provinces, the Opal Territories, Quartz of Rose, the Kingdom of Amber, Garnet Kingdom, and the Pearl Mountains. Amber is known for its harvests, while Garnet Kingdom is rich with coin and jewels, and the Pearl Mountains boast ancient scrolls and world-renowned scholars. The Opal Territories are known for their distilleries and untouched land, and the Peridot Providences contain coves with hidden treasures.

As Arwen learns more about the social and political nuances that dominate her world, her own biases and misconceptions have a powerful effect on the rhythm of the story. For example, at the beginning of the novel, it is not clear how the war between the Kingdom of Amber and the Onyx Kingdom first began.