Synopsis:
Where lies are currency, the price of truth is blood.
Brida Larrow has no right to be among the Fae Courts, but she’s willing to risk everything to save her dying father. Armed with a forged invitation and a fierce determination, she enters the treacherous Fae Trials, a deadly contest crafted to break even the strongest Fae. One misstep, and the truth of her identity could be her undoing—and cost her the cure she so desperately needs.
With enemies around every corner, Brida must rely on her wits and cunning to survive. But when Dainan, the enigmatic Prince of Shadows, takes notice of her, the stakes grow even higher. Betrothed to her most dangerous rival and a master of secrets himself, Dainan sees through her every deception. His dark allure stirs something within her, sparking a forbidden attraction that could either ruin her or become her greatest weapon.
Caught in a web of deception and desire, Brida walks a fine line between ambition and survival. In a world where alliances shift like shadows and betrayal is the currency of the Courts, she must find the strength to face not only the ruthless Trials but also the dangerous emotions Dainan awakens. One wrong move could doom her to failure—or reveal a side of herself she never knew existed.
The Forgotten Dawn is the spellbinding first book in The Shattered Sky Saga, an epic fantasy romance series brimming with rich world-building, slow burn chemistry, and pulse-pounding action. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Review:
*I read this book as a judge for Fanfiaddict for SPFBO XI. These are my personal thoughts and do not represent the thoughts of the whole team!*
Courtly intrigue, trials, romantic tension, oh my! The Forgotten Dawn is compulsively readable,
I was excited about this one and made sure it was on my SPFBO docket, mainly because my friend Esmay Rosalyne shouts about this book all the time. Also, the cover is awesome!
I ended up buddy reading this with my wife and we both really enjoyed it. We had a mini bookclub meeting about it and discussed all our theories!
The Forgotten Dawn by Laura A. Blake is a romantic fantasy that really hits the beats romance readers expect while also hitting all the epic fantasy moments as well.
We follow Brida, a young woman who wants nothing more than to save her sick father. She lies about having an invitation to the Courting, a yearly event where the Fae courts bring in prospective members and put them through trials to see if they have what it takes to join one of the four courts. For Brida, she doesn’t really care about the courts or her own ambition, she just wants to find a way to heal her father–and the fae might have a way. Brida is joined at the Courting by her best friend Kadian, as well as a group of other hopefuls.
Brida is relatable, bookish, and more interested in reading and researching than saving the world or becoming a hero. She’s an easy character to root for, and the supporting cast–especially Kaidan, Lil, and Alvar–are simply awesome.
There’s romance, definitely, but the friendships are where this book shines. I could read an entire book of Kaidan and Lil bantering–and I’m hearing they’re both POV characters in book two, which I’m excited for! The relationships between characters are well-rounded, complex, and full of heart–Blake writes friendship incredibly well.
The romance didn’t quite hit as hard for me. Dainan is a wielder of shadows and has the dark and brooding down pat, though he’s also a reader, can cook, and has a softer side. He’s perfectly fine, but I liked his brother Alvar a lot better. There was another possible romantic option that was fine as well, but I was much more interested in Brida and her friends.
The worldbuilding is incredibly cool and so well done. The four courts all have different types of magic and Azmeer, the central city of the Fae is so cool. Like, I want to visit! I felt like Blake did a fantastic job putting the world’s history, lore, religion, societies, and cities together. Some of my favorite scenes were just Brida and company exploring Azmeer, spending time together, and chatting. It was a great bit of character work in between the bigger conflicts.
In terms of the pacing, things take a bit to get going, but once Brida gets to the Fae realm, things start moving and the book gets really good. Both my wife and I binged the second half of the book–staying up way too late!
If I had to complain about anything, I did sometimes feel like the trials lacked the extra conflict of being deadly–sure, failing the trials means leaving the fae courts behind, but the characters were never in more danger than that. However, there’s danger galore as the book goes on–and based on the INSANE ending of book one, book two will have even more.
Overall, this is a really strong debut novel and the beginning of what I think will be a fantastic trilogy. I can’t wait for more!
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