Summary:
A prophecy of death. A weapon of hope. A sacrifice of love.
Arwen Valondale is sailing for the mysterious Kingdom of Citrine after the battle of Siren’s Bay. Reeling from shocking revelations and her newfound powers, Arwen directs all of her pain and rage toward the man who betrayed her: King Kane Ravenwood.
Kane’s presence is unavoidable as he travels with Arwen and her friends to seek the Blade of the Sun, a legendary weapon inextricably tied to her fate and the future of the realm. Even an uneasy truce proves difficult as Arwen fights against her unresolved feelings for Kane, who is willing to become darkness itself to protect her.
As Arwen faces creatures, foes, and magic beyond her wildest imaginings, she must discover the secrets of her past to defeat the monstrous Fae king Lazarus. But finding the light within might mean the death of her and everyone she loves.
My Thoughts:
A Promise of Peridot is an excellent second installment of the Sacred Stones Trilogy by Kate Golden.
It has action, love, lust, hope, despair, sacrifice, selfishness, betrayal, joy, trust, and so much more.
We pick up right where we left off in A Dawn of Onyx, with them traveling to the kingdom of Citrine to escape Lazarus’ army and try to gather forces to eventually fight him. Arwen hates Kane, Arwen is devastated and grieving, and we get to see so much of that deep dark sadness and hopelessness inside her.
I personally love reading about a character’s dark times. It makes them more real, and you can really see how they think and feel inside when they are suffering. We all have coping mechanisms we turn to, and Arwen is no different.
This gave the perfect opportunity for the found family/ friends to come in play and help lift her up as well as process everything happening without giving up. I really loved Mari, Kane, and Griffin being there for her in their own ways. Even Fedrik – while new, he wants to help her not be so sad.
The other thing I loved was how the romance took a back seat in the first bit of the book. It makes sense, she just lost her mom, she learned something life changing, and she feels betrayed by the man she is romantic with; in what world would she just go back to bed with Kane in this situation? It is perfectly reasonable and I actually liked spending time with Arwen figuring herself out again.
I will say that I love Kane, and I was so happy to get some Kane POV chapters! I like how he has his tough, mean, dark side, and also his vulnerable, emotional, loving side with Arwen. He gets jealous seeing her spend time with Fedrik (who wouldn’t), and tries to take care of her when she wants to suffer on her own.
The one thing I didn’t love was the introduction of Fedrik as a love interest – I liked him and his involvement in the group/book, but I just didn’t want Arwen to like anyone but Kane! Kane is just perfection and while everything with Fedrik was written so well, I just love Kane!
I am agonizing over the ending and need the third book immediately! October feels so far away!
Overall, A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden is a wonderful read and such a great second novel in the Sacred Stones trilogy! I recommend this book and series to anyone who loves fantasy enemies to lovers, slow burn, depictions of depression and coping, and found family/friendships.
Worthy of a re-read.
See what other books I think are worthy of a re-read here.
Read my review of book 1, A Dawn of Onyx, here! Stay tuned for my review of book 3, A Reign of Rose, releasing October 8th 2024.
