Can you imagine a world without light? Dawn, a new release by Camille Peters, explores that very idea. Yes, the picture was half monochrome and half color. Curious? Let’s talk about the third book in the Enchanted Kingdom Chronicles. Is it as enchanting as the other two?
Inspired by “Hades and Persephone”
King Ciaran, ruler of the doomed throne of Lumeria, has spent his entire life searching for a way to escape the eternal night cursing his land—a place where the light doesn’t shine, and the hope of spring is but a distant dream. No matter his desperation, he would rather live forever in darkness than taint his soul with the solution foretold: claiming the daughter of the Enchantress who first doomed the land as his stolen bride.
When his brother takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the woman destined to restore the light, the last thing Ciaran wants is to trap Aurora in his world of shadows…yet the curse will spread should she try to leave. In her hopes that her sacrifice can pay penance for the devastation her mother caused and free the kingdom, Aurora agrees to a marriage of convenience with the dark king.
Their arrangement begins without love or any hope of happiness…until Aurora discovers her dormant powers to create the light the doomed kingdom has all but forgotten, a light that grows the deeper the love between her and the cursed king becomes. But the darkness is gradually growing stronger; soon it will be too powerful for Aurora’s budding powers. If it succeeds in claiming her, the curse will not only extinguish the light…but Aurora and King Ciaran’s love forever.
Treasure Maps
Dawn is mainly set in a world with no light. Not even candles can be lit; the land is cursed with eternal darkness. This concept was fascinating and a great way to connect to the inspiration fairy tale with Hades and the Underworld. This was truly well done, with every concept explained and described so that the reader was able to picture each important scene.
The only issue I struggled with was the dialogue. There were very few “casual moments” in the story; every piece of dialogue was long and weighty. It made it difficult to stop for a moment and catch my breath in between the chapters of the story, because it felt like everything being said was absolutely essential to the core storyline. I would have liked some more day-to-day life moments shared between the two main characters. Still, it did mean I finished reading this story very quickly. The plot was easily developed, and the reader instantly understood the goals of the two characters.
The king, Ciaran, was an interesting character. He showed an internal struggle constantly, always fighting himself on whether or not to do what was right for his people versus what was right morally. His foil was the other main character, Aurora. Every decision she makes appears to be in black and white from her viewpoint, which contrasts the two and creates good tension for the story. The little shadow pet, Glimmer, was absolutely adorable and made great comic relief throughout Dawn.
Poisoned Apples:
This book has no innuendo, and mild fantasy violence. L1 profanity.
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
Although Dawn has no direct spiritual references, the story is completely lined with Biblical lessons and ideas. The entire plot centers around finding light in darkness. The two main characters both have to learn how to discover hope, even when all hope is lost. John 1:5 says this: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” There is always hope and light to be found, no matter how dark the night gets.
The Frog Prince
I really enjoyed this retelling. It had the uniqueness of Greek tragedy while still encompassing the classic Grimm fairy tale feeling on every page. Although some of the dialogue was heavy and lengthier than normal for this kind of book, Dawn had a great message and makes for a fun read for a stormy night.
Special thanks to Camille Peters for the ARC copy. All opinions are my own. You can buy Dawn here.
𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒