I feel like I more enjoyed it because I enjoy the genre, not because of anything unique that the book offered me. While I did enjoy the world and the story, and felt invested until the very end, I canвЂ™t say that anything in particular makes this book stand out from the other Young Adult high fantasies IвЂ™ve read. IвЂ™m really not sure of what to make of Onyx and Ivory,В which makes for a hard review. Why did I want to read? I like high fantasy, and IвЂ™m always a fan of animal-related powers. And itвЂ™s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by nightdrakes in broad daylight-the only survivor her childhood friend, her first love, the boy she swore to forget, the boy who broke her heart. But itвЂ™s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. But Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. Now Kate lives as an outcast, clinging to the fringes of society as a member of the Relay, the imperial courier service. ItвЂ™s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king years ago. So all things considered, Onyx & Ivory deserves 4 stars.They call her Traitor Kate. It follows the established pattern and intermediate checkpoints of your average YA fantasy, which isnвЂ™t bad, but it doesnвЂ™t stand out either. It never got dull and gave me quite a few hours of entertainment. The plot twist near the end took me by surprise and makes me super excited about the sequel, but the rest of the story didnвЂ™t provide anything new. But while the story ticks all these boxes, it never really stands out. It has mystery, adventure, romance, two protagonists who are looking for their place in the world and friendship. Onyx & Ivory is a typical Young Adult fantasy.

The side characters on the other hand had some intriguing personalities, and IвЂ™m more interested in their (background) storiesвЂ¦ It feels like author Mindee Arnett didnвЂ™t want to take too many risks with her main characters. ItвЂ™s not that they were unlikeable or anything, they just didnвЂ™t make a lasting impression on me.

Both protagonists are okay, but they never really stand out. The story is told from both Kate and CorwinвЂ™s perspective, with alternating POVs. вЂњYou canвЂ™t let others define who you should beвЂќ I wouldnвЂ™t mind some more history though, but maybe that will be provided in the sequel? I sure hope so! We are thrown in the action pretty quickly, but still the world feels well developed. ThereвЂ™s enough action to keep it interesting, with several subplots and interesting side characters. Together they must fight new threat of nightdrakes that attack in the day.ДЄt 512 pages, this is a pretty big book and it might look intimidating at first. Only it happened in broad daylightвЂ¦ The only survivor is prince Corwin, a childhood friend who broke her heart. One day, she finds the remains of a caravan that was attacked by nightdrakes. But she also has a secret of her own: she is a wilder, a wielder of magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. She works for the Relay, delivering messages from one city to another. Kate has to live with the title of вЂњtraitorвЂќ after her father was executed for trying to assassinate the king. I immediately put this book at the top of my TBR and dove in with high expectations. Okay, IвЂ™ll be honest, I actually figured out this would be the featured book based on the description. Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett was one of my most anticipated releases of May, so finding it in my Fairyloot box was a fun surprise.

Onyx and ivory