A Secret in Onyx by Jessica Florence Book Review

A Secret In Onyx by Jessica Florence

Book One in a Trilogy. Post-apocalyptic Fantasy.

I’m not normally a fantasy reader, Sure, I have read a few (The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning…OMG), and there have been fae as side characters or mentions in other paranormal books that I have read, but it’s not my regular read. However, I kept seeing Jessica Florence on social media saying this was her favorite book she has written. Since I was looking for something different to get me out of this pandemic book funk, I bought A Secret in Onyx by Jessica Florence.

The reason why I am telling you my history is so you know that I don’t really have any comparison. I don’t quite know what is “standard” in fae world and what is Jessica’s unique spin. Either way, I loved it. The creativity it takes to set up a whole new world really showcased this author’s imagination and I am glad I got to witness it.

A Secret in Onyx takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are few and far between and there are these evil Dramens (I think they’re like zombies) that try to kill any human they see. Sapphira and her boyfriend Tor are traveling across the country to a place that Tor knows is safe, but they get separated and Sapphira finds it on her own. To her surprise, the stories Tor had been telling her about the Fae realm weren’t just fairytales, this was the safe place Tor was bringing her to. When the world fell, so did their magic, but Sapphira just may be the one to help them get it back.

I love Jessica’s take on the fae. The fae “cores” are from nature and each fae has personalities that reflect that. Royalty has gem cores. The librarian (I loved her) has an owl core.

We have a little love quadrangle (though one of them is locked away in onyx), so it’s more of a triangle. There was a lot of dangerous excitement, some romance, and even dragons in this story and it kept me glued to the pages. A Secret in Onyx is book #1 in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read more!

Likes:

A unique combination of post-apocalyptic and fantasy.
Kept me glued to the pages needing to figure out what was going on.
It was sexy and exciting.
Jessica’s fae “cores”.
I really loved all the characters.
It took me out of my ‘pandemic head’ and brought me to another realm for a little while.
Left me dying for the next.

Dislikes:

I feel like I needed a lot more information on what actually happened to the world and what exactly the Dramens are and how they get like that.
I kind of forgot about Tor because I didn’t get a chance to get attached to him.
There was a bit too much telling but not showing.

The Down and Dirty:

I am hooked. Jessica Florence has me totally engrossed in a post-apocalyptic fantasy—two genres that I rarely read, and I am waiting like crazy for the next. Reading this was kind of a reset for me and it got me back into picking up books again. Her unique take on the fae was creative, and there were so many other creatures in both the fae and human realm that I look forward to reading more about. If you like fantasy or dystopian romance you should absolutely try A Secret in Onyx. Hell, even if they aren’t your regular genres, now is a great time to change!