"Rise of the Dawnbringer"

 This was easily the best book I have read in the past two months!

 I loved almost everything about it and I HATE that I have to wait for the next book. This was everything I didn't know I needed in my next read. Adventure, slow-burn romance, magic, lies and deception, prophecies... I LOVED IT!

Princess Mara is approaching her 21st birthday and despite her reservations, she will most likely be  facing a marriage arranged by her uncle, the king. But the last thing Mara wants is the boredom of marriage. She longs for adventure and independence and to prove her worth to her Uncle and her kingdom. But no matter what she does, Mara cannot find a way to convince her uncle that she is strong enough to lead her kingdom on her own and protect them from the "darkness" outside their walls.

But Mara gets a bit more of an adventure than she was ready for when she is stolen from her room in the middle of the night by a group of Dreads... magic-wielders whose people are to blame for the darkness spreading across and corrupting their land. As Mara is whisked away through cursed forests and dangerous mountains passes far from her home, she begins to realize that her uncle has kept much from her about the world outside their kingdom gates. Revelations begin to come to light that shake the foundation of Mara's entire world. 

I easily read this book in less than a 24 hour time span. I just couldn't put it down. So often in fantasy books, I find myself comparing it to other plot lines from popular books, and I just couldn't do that with "Rise of the Dawbringer". The characters, the plot, the world building... it all had a freshness about it that made me fall in love with book.

I will 100% be reading the rest of this series and looking for more books by this author!!!

I only have two complaints about this book, and they are MINOR.

1. The journey from Mara's kingdom to the home of her kidnappers got a little repetitive by the time the third monster attacked their group. Monster attacked, Mara was protected by her kidnappers, they carried on. Monster attacked, Mara is saved by her kidnappers, they carried on. Definitely a minor criticism, but something that pulled me out of the story a bit. 

2. I NEEDED ONE MORE CHAPTER!!! The ending killed me! I need just ONE more chapter to show me what happened next! How am I supposed to wait until the next book?

BONUS: On the other hand, the bonus chapter at the end of the book from Cyfrin's perspective totally made up for my frustration with how the book ended. It was just what I needed.

Please read this book! You won't regret it!