A Dawn of Onyx

As a citizen of the kingdom of Amber, Arwen Valondale is the protagonist and sole point-of-view character of the novel. Although she initially believes that the king of Onyx, Kane Ravenwood, is nothing more than a greedy, bloodthirsty, and immoral ruler, she eventually grows to love him when she gets to know him better. She begins as a loyal citizen of the Kingdom of Amber and a strong believer in King Gareth’s generosity and moral compass, but as she learns more about the origin of the war between Amber and Onyx and comes to understand some of the political machinations occurring beyond the public eye, her loyalties begin to shift toward the Onyx Kingdom.

Arwen has never hidden her unique healing ability, which manifests in a show of pure light but simultaneously exhausts her. However, she has never advertised her skills either because she knows of no one else with the same magic. Arwen has always known that she is not a witch; although witches can “do endless magic with the right grimoires and tutelage,” Arwen’s own abilities “fizzle out if worked too hard, leaving [her] depleted” (4)—sometimes for days, depending on the intensity of her efforts.