A Dawn with the Wolf Knight - Book review
A Dawn with the Wolf Knight is the fifth and final instalment of the Married to magic series, yet a complete, standalone novel (all books happen in the same universe). The Romantasy was written by Elise Kova and was published in 2024.
I am once more in awe of how well Elise is able to navigate through the eccentric magical world she has created and I am sad that it is already over. In a matter of weeks I read, no actually listened to all 5 books and none was like the other, yet all happened in the same Magic universe. That takes great plotting, research, and understanding of the different political systems within those realms.
I lent the GraphicAudio audiobook from my library through Libby and I can only say: Support your local libraries!
In the next sections I will dive into what A Dawn with the Wolf Knight is about, my thoughts, and my final verdict. In case there are any spoilers, you will be warned ahead so you’ll get to decide whether you’d like to continue reading this blog post or come back after you’ve read the book. ;)
You can also refer to my book rating guide that will be attached at the bottom.
The blurb
As one of the last surviving witches, Faelyn’s sole duty is to keep the protective barriers on the forests where the lykin roam—creatures who can shed flesh for fur—sparing nearby humans from their violent, beastly natures. When she has an unlikely encounter with the rare, primordial spirit of the moon, Faelyn finds herself not only the object of the Wolf King’s desire, but essential to his ability to keep his crown.
Taken to the magical land of Midscape, the Wolf King claims her as his bride to control the moon spirit’s magic that now resides within Faelyn. But Faelyn refuses to resign herself and the spirit Aurora to a life of servitude underneath the king’s cruel rule. Faelyn hatches a dangerous plan for them both to escape and help comes from an unlikely ally.
Evander is the king’s blisteringly handsome, loyal knight, right hand, and Faelyn’s sworn protector…on the outside. But appearances are not what they seem. He plots against the king’s brutality at every turn and helping Faelyn escape will serve these ends. But altruism for Faelyn and the trapped moon spirit isn’t his only motivation… Evander is hiding secrets, and they might change Faelyn’s life forever.
A desperate plot to escape. A brutal king. Ancient powers. And a sworn protector who can’t keep his hands off her… Will she be taken as the Wolf King’s bride? Or will she manage an escape that will free her heart and change her fate forever?
A Dawn with the Wolf Knight is a complete, *stand alone novel*. For readers who love romantasy novels with second-chance/long-lost love, life-changing female friendships, deep lore, forbidden romance, slow-burn, and a happily ever after.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book.
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214296371-a-dawn-with-the-wolf-knight )
Thoughts on the book
I found myself struggling with getting warm with the plot and could not quite connect with the characters throughout the whole story. Political systems have always been important in the Midscape world, albeit I found it mentioned a bit too much in this book. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to write each story as a standalone, without having to explain the magical world over and over again and still have it make sense to potential new readers to the series.
This is exactly why I have high respect for each and any author that manages to do that seamlessly without leaving big plot gaps, especially in the Fantasy genre.
Pacing and plot
This section will include spoilers of the book. You have been warned :)
I dove into the book without having read the blurb - I thought the cover already told me enough. Imagine my surprise at about 40% of the book when I did decide to read through what the book was about and found out that the love interest was Evander! That’s how little chemistry I felt between the main characters until they started kissing and more.
There were multiple times throughout the story where I had to rewind and listen once more because I started zoning out. This was the first time I thought the pacing of the story to be on the slower end. It started off slow, increased in speed and ended in a slower pace again. However, if you find yourself enjoying reading with added elaborate descriptions, this book will be the right pick for you!
The manipulative trait that was a part of the pack leader and his most loyal knights was an interesting and unique part of the story really made me question, how the author would resolve. The reveal of Evander being Liam, Faelyn’s past lover actually caught me off guard. Speaking of, the fact that our main character’s name was Faelyn, which to me sounded closed to “feline”, was a fun element, though I am not sure if done on purpose.
The romance between our main characters happens fast and did not stop from there on. Given that each story is a standalone, it made sense. But I missed the build up of their connection and therefore I was not a real fan of the pairing this time.
Characters and character development
This section will include spoilers of the book. You have been warned :)
Faelyn
Faelyn is a witch and I enjoyed listening to the dialogues she had with the spirits she encountered, the ways she asked for blessings upon entering the forest, her connection to Aurora, her bond to her grandmother’s spirits.
Either way, she was a horny witch (no, really). Conri - the story’s villain, had her wrapped around her finger and to be honest, for a short time I actually thought he would become her love interest. Their chemistry had as much potential as the one Faelyn had with Evander.
Though our MC (main character) gained more power and strength throughout the story, I thought her to be a bit naive. If someone was to burn down my Grandma’s house and kidnap a stranger, I may not have had the strength to go after vengeance. Especially not, if I was still grieving my dear Granny’s death from a year ago. But I digress.
Evander
Evander is a hot wolf man, morally grey, sworn to protect her pack leader’s future wife and - oh, yes: horny. What else is there to say about him? In the beginning of the story it is hard to see through his motives, whether or not he is one of the good or bad guys. Nevertheless he did what he could to protect those he loved.
I still found it baffling that he was Faelyn’s first love all along, yet she failed to recognise him and he failed to tell her in any other moment except for when he actually did. Perhaps the plot would have been cut by a third then. Evander was not badly written by any means, I just think that the circumstances and fact that Conri got the first kiss, made it difficult for me to see the tension between him and the witch.
Conri
Conri was the wicked pack leader and Wolf King whose dream was to rule the world, basically. With the added trait of oozing charm that could literally hypnotise and manipulate his prey, he became a versatile character I enjoyed disliking. Thus, Elisa Kova did a fantastic job with writing out his traits. When I try putting myself in Falyn’s shoes, experiencing Conri’s charm must have felt confusing and to be fair, I certainly would have had a hard time resisting him as well. Looking at it from the villain’s point of view though, he saw her as nothing more than an object to gain power, how cruel.
Memorable parts of the book
This section will include spoilers of the book. You have been warned :)
A reappearance of Lady Victoria and Kevin from A Duet with the Siren Duke
Faelyn’s first kiss with Evander
Faelyn’s kill of her nemesis
Verdict
2.5/5 stars
3/5 spice
Compared to the other books of the series, this was my least favorite, but closed the gap well to the beautiful Fantasy world that was created by Elise Kova.
Thank you for making it this far and reading through my review! I would love to read about your thoughts or feedback :)
Lead your dreams,
Soso
