Black Dawn Review

Greetings readers!

First of all I would like to say that my March break is going great and that this is the third book I’ve finished! *Pats self on the back*

My last read was Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney. She reached out to me for a review and when I found out she was a Canadian indie author, I just had to say yes. Also, her book falls under the fantasy genre, so it’s a win-win situation pour moi!

Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney

via Goodreads

The end of an Empire, The rise of a Queen

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and upon Emory’s arrival she will discover she is the long lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.

With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.

Some things are better left in the shadows.

*I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

I was really excited going into this book and came out very satisfied. This was a great fantasy full of action, suspense and thrill. There were some things I stumbled on while reading, but overall this was a solid story. It was short, quick and I’m very excited for the sequel.

What I liked

Characters: There were a lot of great characters in this book. However, many of my favourites were side characters and not very focused on within this story. *I always fall for side characters…sigh*

Emory Fae was a great MC. She was strong, stubborn and willing to learn and discover as she navigated this world she was thrust back into, all of the sudden.  The only thing I that kind of irked me was her complete willingness to cooperate with these people who claimed to know her. Does she not have a sense of danger or insecurity? Yes, but only for two seconds.

Brokk Foster was not very present in the novel, despite being mentioned in the synopsis. His story is very much pushed to the side and overshadowed by Memphis. However, I thought he was sweet, caring, strong and his chapters gave me the most thrill towards the end of the novel.

Other characters, like Nyx and Bryd were great additions. Nyx was very hot-headed and sassy. She was a little too jealous and concerned with her faltering romance which kind of bothered me, but not too much. It added some great elements of drama!

Never A Dull Moment: Seriously this book just has thrill after thrill, twist after twist, jump after jump. At one point my heart was beating so fast that I had to take a mini pause and calm myself down. It’s a good pace, perhaps a little too fast at the beginning, but overall I was very much entertained.

That Cover: It is beautiful and glorious!!!!! Oh I just love it so much!

The Ending: Specifically the epilogue, was fantastic. The chapters that came before, held a lot of information. A lot of pieces of the puzzles were found while more went missing. I love the direction the story is taking. The epilogue opened so many possibilities, I cannot wait for to see what happens.

What I Disliked

The Romance: Let me just get this out of the way, quickly and civilized. Love triangle. Why does it have to be a love triangle? Kidding. IT’S A SQUARE! A LOVE SQUARE! I SUFFERED, A LOT! For three reasons:

1. I did not like DETESTED the guy who Emory had a grander relationship with, in this book. It might not be the final ship, but either way I did not like their romance at all.
2. The character actions revolved too much around this triangle/square thing.
3. My ship sank so fast and in the worst way possible. A little too cliche for me.

Lack of World Building: This is one of my biggest complaints. I honestly had no idea what the world Emory thrust into was like. It lacked a lot of descriptions. It needed to be further developed because at one point I was very confused. In this world there was technology *I think* but they also used swords and knives instead of guns/machinery. The Academy setting needed a little bit more description and detail put in it to clear up the haze I imagined the characters were in.

Memphis: 😷😷This doesn’t actually take points off the novel, I just need to express my disdain for this guy.😷😷 I LOATHE HIM! He is a manipulative, lying, selfish rat. He is a user and plays with the emotions of all the characters around him. I didn’t like him from the fourth or fifth chapter and wish him the worst.
Who knows, maybe my opinion about him will change. But for now, NOPE!😷😷

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Overall, it was a solid novel. There were great action scenes. At one point I was cringing so hard because one character had to severely mutilate another character to get access into an area. It’s fun and entertaining. It’s just a little fuzzy because the terrain and the world is not very detailed and you know, the romance.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Recommend?: Yes, for those of you looking for a quick, fast and entertaining fantastical read!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have ever been on the failing side of the ship. I have many times, I can console you!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz