I'm still actively mad at this book and it's been a few days since I finished reading it. Readers, the trickery is real.
Or, I'm just thick headed and get too hopeful about a book turning around... or just improving.
An amazon summary, "“At once fresh, at once classic, Onyx and Ivory is a page-turning blend of monsters, magic, and romance.” —Susan Dennard, New York Times bestselling author of Truthwitch
Acclaimed author Mindee Arnett thrusts readers into a beautiful, dangerous, and magical world in this stunningly epic and romantic fantasy for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah Raasch.
They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime.
Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.
And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death.
With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
This was an impulse pick up. Saw the description on amazon, the cover was gorgeous (I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but it reminded me SO MUCH of Finnikin of the Rock series which I reviewed HERE (shameless plug)), and I was having a case of the GIMMES. So I picked it up.
First mistake.
Then I started reading about how Kate was part of the royal courier service (this world's USPS), she was recognized, and now she's called Traitor Kate because her father tried to kill the high king of Rime. Then one of the high king's sons, Corwin, winds up in her city because of a tour, and locks eyes with Kate, and they knew each other during their childhood since they were both raised in the palace. Then it turns out the book is written from Kate's perspective and Corwin's perspective so the next chapter is all about Corwin and his royal angst but he can't take his eyes off of Kate who he hasn't seen in years. So it was a kind of slow, kind of off-kilter start, but there were interesting world element introduced. There are creatures called nightdrakes that are like murderous gargoyles that only attack at night, BUT there are people called Magists who wield magic to make ward stones that protect from the nightdrakes. There are other people who wield magic that are called Wilders, and who knows what the difference between the two kinds of magic are, but they're just different. Cool? ....not really, but whatever. Ignoring this one weird hiccup.
Second mistake.
There's like a thing that happens in the city (that I'm not going into because we'll be here forever), but it spurs Corwin to return home to find out what's happening as a whole country. Along the way home, their party get attacked by nightdrakes who can move around in the daylight (dun dun dunnnnnnn). So no one is prepared for them and they get pretty wrecked. Like Corwin gets bit by one, stabs it, it falls on top of him, and the poison from the bite starts making him a little bonkers. Then Kate rides up and is like Whattttttttt's going onnnnnnn? Sees these daytime nightdrakes (which she immediately calls daydrakes and the world just runs with it), and then shoots them with a revolver to save Corwin (oh yeah, she has a friend who is also a wilder and has made a revolver. She has another friend that happens to know the correct ratio for gunpowder to work within the revolver. CONVENIENT OR LAZY WRITING, YOU DECIDE), and drags Corwin to a safe house. Legitimately, I probably should have called it a day on this book at this point, but I didn't. Because I was still curious about these drakes, what was up with the magic, and Corwin/Kate have started to show the incredibly bad romance that's getting to be like a nasty car crash and you just can't look away.
Third mistake.
LONG STORY SHORT. I finished reading the book. We're LUNGING INTO SPOILER LAND, because I have NEEDS.
There's like a big boss fight at the end essentially where it becomes Wilders vs Magists. When the two magics meet, they literally cancel each other out. WHAT THE CRAP IS THAT. >_> There's also a Magist big boss who, through a bunch of backstory that doesn't make sense, unleash this crazy magic on the Wilders. BUT, Corwin! Who is an heir to the throne and has the mark of the Uror because previous book reasons, raises his marked hand and cancels out the big boss magic?! And Corwin has shown NO signs of magic before. WHAT IS IN THE WHAT WHAT.
The book devolved into creating a ton of different plot points, trying to string them altogether by distracting you with new plot points, and kind of getting back to previous plot points but not really?! AND the writing style had so much tell, not show style to it. AND AND they had some of the weirdest, most stilted dialogue I've read in a book in a while. AND AND AND there was hardly any world building, like I have no idea if these people even have running water or electricity, but you know they have revolvers so that's something? AND AND AND AND ...they somehow hooked me enough to finish reading the book. BUT it's definitely going to have a sequel (BOO. YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST FINISHED THE TRIALS).
ARGH. JUST LOTS OF ARGH.
....
Happy reading.
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