A sophomore slump, if I’ve ever seen one.

While this Romantasy series is definitely more romance than fantasy, this installment left me wanting more on both fronts.

But I’m invested in our couple, so I’ll be finishing out the trilogy!

I enjoyed this book, but honestly it was a bit of a letdown compared to A Dawn Of Onyx. Onyx blew me away. Peridot was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was just lackluster. It drug a bit. I found it a bit predictable. Quite simply, it wasn’t memorable.
I haven’t lost faith in the series, though.
Kate Golden is a fantastic new author with a ton of promise and I’m excited to follow her journey.

Y'all put some RESPECT on my girl Kate Golden's name.

It is so easy to quickly judge someone by inexperience or from where they started. I have done it before. But, I am not pulling your leg when I tell you this book was better than half of the romanatsy books on the market.

Dawn of Onyx (book #1) was a good starter book to a romatasy series that keeps you intrigued, has lovable characters, and a cool gothic setting, with not too complicated of a magical system or hierarchy. Just the right amount. It fell a little flat at the end of the first book for me, but Promise of Peridot DELIVERED and made up for that.

Yes, romantasys are all starting to blend together at this point, but this one stood out to me. The plot and setting are so addicting (like I was reading at red lights & staying up very late), and the writing is well done, thought out, and deliberate. There was literally something happening one after another, but they all had their moment and their time and nothing felt rushed, and at the same time nothing felt too long. It was so satisfying. It rides the line perfectly between a classic romatasy book everyone can love with your favorite tropes, but also able to stand apart with its uniqueness and originality.

If you set aside your growing prejudices against romantasy books in general you can truly see how well written this was. Here is one quote that has weirdly stuck with me because I can picture it so vividly and I think it is a great example of what I am speaking about, "Purple shafts of sunset highlighted little floating specks of dust hovering in the room's still atmosphere and painted her angular face in warm contour."

These books are definitely a slow burn and that can sometimes lead to frustration because we readers just want the love interests to go to quick therapy and get it over with. And thank goodness the miscommunication trope wasn't used to keep the slow burn afloat. They vocally dueled it out when they weren't doing something and they both had their points and qualms. But the slow development between Arwen and Kane when they started to really understand each other and themselves was so soft and sweet. After so much angst and hardness between them, it filled my heart to see them show softness towards each other. 🥺

I am so excited to read the arc of the final installment, A Reign of Rose. I will keep y'all updated.

Until next time, xoxo,
Abigail

I am absolutely loving this series! The Sacred Stones series may very well send me into a slump!
I am frustrated with Arwen, her dismissal of her feelings of Kane while keeping her own secrets, but I'm hoping for a happily ever after for not only Kane and Arwen, but for all of the sweet members of their little group. I look forward to book 3, I have no doubt it will be yet another 5 star read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the digital review copy 💕

I absolutely devoured the first book and truly appreciated the world building and character development that Kate set us up with. Leading into this book, I felt like the story kind of dragged. It almost felt like nothing really happened until the very end which obviously leaves me salivating for book 3 but also not fulfilled, but I will say the fight in the rain scene sold me. I really enjoyed seeing Arwen and kanes relationship Throughout the book

I know that this was a book two in a series and therefore everything cannot be wrapped up or concluded easily. However, I was really disappointed with how the "couple" in this book never had their time. Not even for a little while. I needed more romance interactions considering this is a romantasy book. I loved book one and will continue with the series to see what happens, but this one was not my favorite.

I have thoroughly been enjoying this trilogy and recently got the third book ARC in NetGalley and cannot wait to read!! I loved BOOK 1 (A Dawn of Onyx), but this A Promise of Peridot truly kicked it up a notched!

I LOVE each character and the twist & turns they go through! I’m also a huge fan of enemies to lovers…so a trope with friends to lovers to enemies to lovers had me kicking my feet in the air!

This was so well done and the spicy scenes were *chefs kiss*!!

I think the overall structure of the story was there, the pacing was slow or overly focused on one place of situation was too long.

Plus I think there were some plot holes - how is it that Arwen can use her lighte without using her life force….yet never can?? It feels like a mistake and it took me out of the story many times.

The slow burn romance was there again (why??) but had a satisfying development.

I just didn’t enjoy this sequel as much as book 1.

It’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read! I really love storyline but in the end author lost me with that outrageous cliffhanger.

I am grateful that I was provided an eARC by publisher through NetGalley, this review is purely my own opinion.

We picked up everything from book 1! Arwen is facing every secret aftermath of book one’s cliffhanger. She was semi insufferable. I mean I understand it’s a big deal what she learned but as a sunshine hopeful character she became “omg poor me” and fully pity party on. She literally experienced so much grief and uncovered so much secrets but her pity party dragged 3/4 book. It was hard to read. Other than I love her character development and acceptance who she became in the end. She was incredible she did what she gotta do but she portrayed as such a powerful character but I didn’t see any power in that end. It was too damn easy in the end.

Kane agh I love Kane so much his character development also went from bloodthirsty king to someone else. I mean he maybe needed to be that King in this book because I was like Is Kane that much weak!? The power the author portrayed isn’t a matching with his actions or non actions. I don’t wanna read his grief in the next book because I was so sad about how he was struggling so much in the beginning of this book when it came to Arwen. I am so sad how we left him.

Mari and Griffin need to get their shit together already because wtf is going on with Griffin why is he so scared!? We gotta learn more about him! Honestly Mari’s journey is my favorite one because she actually moves through pretty challenging things without whining.

The overall pilot was alright I mean love triangle, unsuccessful attempts to get the object even if it served a purpose but it was lacking that anxiety for me. And then that prison!? C’mon Kane’s characteristics qualities suddenly gone lol

Reading about Lazarus is going to be uncomfortable he is disgusting idk how am I gonna handle his character 🤮

Overall it is fine! Pacing was so slow in the beginning then took over pretty quickly. I think author writes pretty well. Everything flows seemingly! But her characters power seems to be missing whole a lot.

Lthank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review

✨ ”a light like yours cannot be dampened by circumstance.”✨

I ran straight to this book after the first one🏃🏼‍♀️
This series has been so fun to read, and the ANGSTTTT in this book especially. 😚🤌🏼

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Books 1 & 2 have both been 5 stars for me and a huge gauge of that for me is if I think about the book when I’m not actively reading it and YES. I am. Its an action filled steamy romantasy 💕🔥
I would also like book 3 immediately.

Arwen has really grown on me because honestly I, too, have no idea what’s going on ever. And her freaking out and getting depressed about the prophecy is so real of her. 🤘🏼😔

152 days until a reign of rose!

Slooooow burn but honestly the payoff was worth it…..eventually. This was angsty and action-packed and the banter between Kane and Arwen was so good. I think this world is so interesting and book 2 was definitely even better than book 1.

The cliffhangers in this series are going to make me lose my mind 😅 (in a good way)

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for the review copy. Decision to read/review was my own. Opinion is my own.

I love this series. Kate keeps pulling me in. Can’t wait for the next one!! Book 1 left off horribly in the sense that I was an emotional mess. And this one was another emotional ride for me.

Watching the change/growth in the MMC and the ways Kane is now also my book husband.

The fast pace of this story kept me on my toes. I love that it picked right up where the first one left off. I don't want to give away spoilers, but if you love romantasy books, this series is a must. Also, that cliffhanger.......

Still delightful, although I must say the “push/pull” got a little eye-rolly halfway through. Once the MCs figured their shit out, it was fine. If I had a choice, I’d edit out approx 50% of both of their whining and this would get an extra star. Looking forward to the next one!

"Use me," he growled.

Spice: 🌶️

I knew the second book would be much better than the first one. The story showed so much promise regardless of its flaws. The author clearly refines her writing as she goes and this is shaping up to be an amazing story. I can't imagine how amazing A Reign of Rose might be. Sure, the romance is still pretty cringe, I did roll my eyes a bit, but it's also so sweet and wholesome. What I liked most, though, was how shocking the ending turned out to be. I did not see that coming. I am disturbed, anxious, and in desperate need of book 3.

Furthermore, Arwen becomes so much more interesting in this book. I appreciated the focus and effort the author put into her main character's arc. The depression representation alone was enough to make me like her in a way book 1 did not accomplish. She's still an oversharer at times, but her actions and words have a deeper meaning now. I just know her character development will reach epic proportions in book 3, especially after that ending. She's shaping up to be a total badass.

Moreover, Kane might remain your average, sexy male love interest, but getting his own point of view in this book made him much more likable, and gave his character the depth he deserved. He and Arwen have a pretty solid chemistry between them. I enjoyed their slow-burn romance, the tension, and, of course, the light smut. As I've already mentioned, they are often cringe, but it was more funny than annoying.

Lastly, my favorite secondary ship is Mari and Griffin. Their romance is the torturous kind of slow burn to the point where other characters in the book are begging them to get together already. It's hilarious. I also like their grumpy x sunshine energy a lot, where he is too uptight to admit his feelings to her (even though literally everyone knows and she is not in the mood to wait around for him, but also still does). I can't wait to see them as a couple at last. It'll be so awesome!!

Tropes:
• Fantasy Romance
• Enemies to Lovers
• Found Family
• Touch Her and Die

I kept an open mind while reading because Dawn of Onyx ends at a cliffhanger that really left Arwen in an emotional tailspin. I wanted to shake her so many times while reading this book but it was still really good. I liked the angsty romance though I really wished Kane wasn't so forgiving of everything Arwen puts him through. Then again he puts her through a lot in the first book. Without giving spoilers I would highly recommend reading the first book to understand the second because there is so much that would be missed.

"I will not let anything happen to you. Nothing, not even the good of all the realms combined, is worth the loss of you. We will find another way."

After the way that A Dawn of Onyx ended, I should have expected the emotional rollercoaster that was A Promise of Peridot. Kate Golden came for my throat with this one and I'm not going to lie, I cried a few times and wanted to throw my Kindle across the room even more times than that. I adore the way that she writes and how flawlessly everything flows together and I am both extremely excited and extremely nervous for the conclusion to the Sacred Stones trilogy, A Reign of Rose, but am thankful to Berkley Romance and Kate Golden for sending me an e-ARC so that I don't have to wait until October to find out what happens to all of these characters that I have come to love.

Arwen's character arc in this particular book broke me. That light that I loved so much in A Dawn of Onyx had been altered by all the information that had been piled on her at the end of the first book. A Promise of Peridot had a very bleak beginning. A lot of grief hung around and it made me so sad for not only Arwen, whose entire world and existence had been changed, but for all of those around her. And the fact that we also got Kane's point of view in this book made it even more heartbreaking.

Kane's point of view wrecked me. Despite all the events in the previous book and how things ended, he is still so in love with Arwen and his thoughts regarding her were literally devastating because he wanted so badly to be with her but circumstances and his actions made it essentially impossible for Arwen to look past and I don't even blame her. I did, however, really loveeeee the jealousy we got to see from Kane throughout this book because I love an MMC that is down bad and wants what he can't have. His claws really came out in this one, especially during and after they arrived at the Kingdom of Citrine.

The adventure that their group goes on to search for the sword was one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was jam-packed with the found family trope and full of action that left me excited for more. The pacing was utter perfection and despite being sad/frustrated with Kane and Arwen's lack of a relationship, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The ending, however, wrecked my life so I will be immediately diving into A Reign of Rose so that I can find out how everything ends. I highly recommend this romantasy trilogy. It's a wonderful romance with really amazing world-building and an action-packed plot that will leave you wanting more and more of it.

- enemies to lovers (for real this time)
- found family on an adventure
- jealous mmc
- pirates and treasure
- strip poker
- "touch her and die"
- painfully slow burn (but in a good way)
- dual pov

Absolutely loved this book! And I’m so glad it pushed me to read the first one! The plot, pace, and development in this book and unmatched. I wish I could’ve read it faster! Thank you for a chance to read this ARC

thanks so much to netgalley for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

i’m posting this fairly late because it did take me a bit to get into - this books pretty fast paced but i felt as though things weren’t as flushed out as they could’ve been and i kept getting frustrated. once we got into more of the storyline i stuck with it but again it seemed a little all over the place and just super quick. that’s totally fine though!!! it was a great follow up and easy read - just what i was in the mood for. the ending left me queasy and nervous for book 3 but that just means i’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for another arc!!!

“’You must know he’s madly in love with you, right?’ I had hoped as much, once. Wanted it to be true more than I wanted my heart to beat. But the energy between us, the jealousy and possessiveness, the constant poling, taunting, the push and pull- it wasn’t what I imagined love to look like. And truthfully, he had needed me to serve a purpose. That was what drew him to me. My life- my death, rather- was what he had always been after. Somewhere along the way he had become attracted to me, and then- “

Arwen Avondale is still reeling from the shocking news that she is the full-blooded Fae from the prophecy. Kane Ravenwood may have broken Arwen’s trust and faith in him by keeping the truth from her, but that doesn’t change the fact that he loves her. They know they need the Blade of the Sun from the prophecy to defeat Lazarus and his army and free the Fae from his wicked rule. Only Arwen’s death can accomplish this, but Kane searches for another way to save the love of his life from her prophetic end.

What a wild ride this book was! I ended up reading book one before I read this, and I promise that you need to read it to understand anything that is happening. I’m enjoying this series by Kate Golden. I appreciate all the world-building she has done to create this kingdom and the merry band of misfits she has thrown together to fight Lazarus and win this war. Griffin is stoic and quiet, loving Mari the witch from afar. Kane is cruel and possessive on the surface, but at his core, he is not a bad man. He has lost so much in this war with his father, and he is terrified that he will lose Arwen too. He keeps secrets to protect her, but Arwen is the least understanding heroine I’ve ever read. I’ve never thought Kane’s secrets were a way to hurt her but to shield someone that he loves very much from pain and suffering. She knows what is at stake in this war, but sometimes it feels like she wants to hurt Kane just out of spite, even knowing how much he has already suffered. Her reaction and treatment of him kept this from being a solid five-star read for me.

That end, though! How can she do this to us? I’m literally chomping at the bit to get book three already because I can’t believe it ended like that. Book three had better make up for all the pain that ending made me feel, and we better see Mari and Griffin and Arwen and Kane get a happily ever after, or I’ll probably sue to emotional distress. Fictional characters or not, my heart can’t take it.

If you’re a fan of fantasy books like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros or Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco then I think this will be right up your alley.

~ Michelle