Name: soph <33's review of Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett
Item: Onyx and Ivory
Rating: 4
Author: soph <33

Mindee Arnett

Onyx and Ivory

Hannah DCamp

“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.

Onyx & Ivory

soph <33

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻.”

——————

Actual rating: 4.25 ⭐️ 

I just wanted to say that: Kate. Corwin. Signe. Dal. That’s all that needs to be said really—just kidding. Although it took me a while to read (given I’m in the middle of exams currently) I loved the story and I struggled to predict what was going to happen next because it felt like each possibility was likely. I will say it was a bit slow for me around the later-middle but that ending really picked things up. Can’t wait to read the next one!

If you like political intrigue, magic, evil dragons, and are a horse girl (gender neutral) at heart, this is the book for you.

Kate Brighton, traitor by proxy due to her father's attempt to kill the high king of Rime, has managed to make a living for herself as a rider for the 

 Relay after leaving the capital. Kate has had time to deal with the betrayal from her best friend, Prince Corwin Tormane, who condemned her father to death. That is, until his caravan is attacked by daydrakes (dragons that come out in the daytime), leaving him the sole survivor. Now, Kate and Corwin have to work together to find the source of these attacks, all the while Kate is hiding her wilder powers from Corwin--powers that mean torture and death if she's discovered.

Kate can do no wrong, I support her in everything she does. She's a queen who deserves the world and no less.

Corwin, on the other hand. If I ever see him, it's on sight. This man really said "Best I can do is paramour" when Kate told him she wanted a relationship. And then had the 

 to get mad when Kate asked if he would be alright with her having other lovers since she'd be the other woman in that relationship. His only saving grace was allowing her to yell at him at the end, but Kate didn't take it. If she won't, I will. Sure, he comes around later, but homeboy was more focused on following what he had been told and ignoring everyone who cared about him to realize that he had more power than he thought. Anyway, I would've liked to see more diversity in terms of characters--the world building was so detailed (I'm still wrapping my head around it) and yet a lot of the people look the same/similar?

I thought the magic system was interesting, if not a little basic.

I will also not get over Dal's real name being Dallin and then his brothers are Robert, Lucas, and Matthew.

I overall really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the sequel!:)

Holly

If you like political intrigue, magic, evil dragons, and are a horse girl (gender neutral) at heart, this is the book for you.
Kate Brighton, traitor by proxy due to her father's attempt to kill the high king of Rime, has managed to make a living for herself as a rider for the Pony Express Relay after leaving the capital. Kate has had time to deal with the betrayal from her best friend, Prince Corwin Tormane, who condemned her father to death. That is, until his caravan is attacked by daydrakes (dragons that come out in the daytime), leaving him the sole survivor. Now, Kate and Corwin have to work together to find the source of these attacks, all the while Kate is hiding her wilder powers from Corwin--powers that mean torture and death if she's discovered.

Kate can do no wrong, I support her in everything she does. She's a queen who deserves the world and no less.
Corwin, on the other hand. If I ever see him, it's on sight. This man really said "Best I can do is paramour" when Kate told him she wanted a relationship. And then had the audacity to get mad when Kate asked if he would be alright with her having other lovers since she'd be the other woman in that relationship. His only saving grace was allowing her to yell at him at the end, but Kate didn't take it. If she won't, I will. Sure, he comes around later, but homeboy was more focused on following what he had been told and ignoring everyone who cared about him to realize that he had more power than he thought. Anyway, I would've liked to see more diversity in terms of characters--the world building was so detailed (I'm still wrapping my head around it) and yet a lot of the people look the same/similar?
I thought the magic system was interesting, if not a little basic.
I will also not get over Dal's real name being Dallin and then his brothers are Robert, Lucas, and Matthew.
I overall really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the sequel!:)

Holy moly!!!! This book kept me on my toes. Beautifully written, the way the magic works in the story is different to what I’ve read about before. Creatures, an heir, a traitor, a creator, a savior, everything you could ask for! I loved it!!!

Pamela Fitzhugh 

It’s taken me a while to read this book. Every time I got about a 1/3 of the way through I could never finish it, but I’m glad I finally did. Definitely a great start to a duology and I’m excited to see what the next book has in store.

Savannah Winchell

Onyx and Ivory bymindee Arnett
2⭐️ 
- DNF @ 20%
- I really wanted to like this
- so fucking boring even though exciting things were happening
- could tell I wouldn’t like the romance
- cool concept tho
- tbh not my kind of characters
- didn’t feel that special

Regan O’Neill

I loved this book! It was filled with wonderous magic and well-written action scenes. This is one of my favorite fantasy novels I've read this year.

Shelby Hemmerlin 

This book was amazing, I am not usually for fantasy but man this book was good.

I loved the world. I loved the suspense. I loved the way things got messed up and how they got out of that situation. I loved the ending. AND I LOVED DALLIN. 
At first the story was boring to be honest but after a few chapters, I couldn’t put it down. The writer wrote so many important scenes in a few sentences which made me mad and I can’t say this book was worth it but still I really liked this book.

Sheila Goicea

I received an ARC of this book via Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this influence my rating and review of this book.



Review to come!

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Megan Lapides

I literally remember nothing about this book.

laura

I wanted to adore this book and it just did not happen. I really oveall did enjoy the characters and found the world building to be so compelling but the pacing of this book just did not wow me and it was very slow and did not capture my attention as much as i wanted it to. I still am intrigued to see what happens next. I just struggled with the pacing overall. I also found the side characters to be be super fun. I will def keep reading it eventually.

Alice

Dana Musser

Sans

Flaws (very minor ones in my opinion) aside, this book gave me just about everything I want in a YA fantasy. I can’t wait for the next book. Too tired to write a better review.

Manon van Heumen

This was great! I always love stories set in kingdoms, and this was once again a great story!

Ashlee

This is one of those books that leaves you with the question: why didn’t I read this sooner!?

Onyx & Ivory is a truly stunning story that captivated me from the moment Kate and her steed Pip were introduced. Mindee Arnett has created a fascinating and complex world with the Kingdom of Rime, it’s history rich and it’s people full of passion for their causes.

I loved the representations of friendship, love and family we see in this story, for there are many forms present - each one driving the characters toward a precipice of discovery that cannot be unlearned. 

Not only is this a story about Kate Brighton – Traitor Kate – it is also the story of Corwin Tormane, the Errant Prince of Rime who disappeared for two years after Kate’s father betrayed the throne. Where was he all that time and who is he now?

Kate herself, rider with the Relay (think: Pony Express), wields forbidden wilder magic and must keep is concealed from most around her, for its discovery means her death. The stakes become even more dire when her and her companions are offered a place back amongst the court, an opportunity she seizes, hoping it will bring her the answer of why her father attempted to kill his king and friend.

This story encompasses powerful and dangerous magic, dragon-like creatures called drakes, courtly intrigue, well built friendships, faithful horses and compelling romance. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something that is both traditional fantasy but also something new entirely! I absolutely loved it and was sucked in the moment I started it. The audiobook is also fantastic, narrated by veteran voice actor Khristine Hvam (known for Daughter of Smoke & Bone and the Country Saga). 

Can’t wait for the next!

Kate Miller

Lisa Beasley

I enjoyed this a lot. It had a few cliches but overall it felt fresh and definitely had a few surprises. I loved the supporting characters almost as much as the main ones and am looking forward to the next book already.

Hannah DCamp &
Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

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