Diamond & Dawn

Amber & Dusk #2

by Lyra Selene

Lyra Selene returns to the incandescent magic of Amber & Dusk in a second installment about the corrosions of even the most dazzling dreams, and the strength of hope amidst darkness.

Mirage, triumphant in her coup of the Amber Empire, returns to the palais prepared to take her place as Empress. With the support of her friends, Luca and Lullaby, and a tentative, blossoming romance with Sunder, Mirage is on the cusp of taking hold of everything she has wanted.

However, her place in the sun is not as sure as she expected; nor is it quite as bright as she imagined.

When the Empress Severine's body is recovered from the battle, she is not dead after all -- in a coma, she still represents a threat to Mirage's newfound power. Worse, a distant cousin, Gavin d'Ars, Duc de Douane, appears in court to challenge both women with his blood claim, and to propose a series of trials to determine the most deserving heir. In Mirage's fight to defend her vision for the empire, she begins to splinter all of her networks. Will the battle for control leave anyone untainted?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Fiction, Royalty

389 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. She grew up on a steady diet of mythology, folklore, and fantasy, and now writes tall tales of twisted magic, forbidden romance, and brooding landscapes.

Lyra lives in New England with her husband and daughter, in an antique farmhouse that probably isn’t haunted. She is the author of the young adult duology AMBER & DUSK. A FEATHER SO BLACK is her adult debut.

Twitter: @LyraSelene
Instagram: @lyraselene

Reviews

[Nastassja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Diamond and Dawn suffers from the second book syndrome. It lacks the depth and substance of the first part. Especially in the second half of the book, which was rushed and underdeveloped. A huge disappointment!

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Original review:

I don't know when and how, but I need this book in my life. You know the deal: take my money and probably my firstborn, but give me the story I am craving.

[ℓуηη_σƒ_νєℓαяιѕ]

Gorgeous cover! Can I have this now plz??? I really need to know that Sunder is ok <3 <3

[Lyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time an empress presided over her court while a girl with soaring dreams and uncompromising ambitions demanded a place to belong. She was so sure of what she deserved, never stopping to see the flaws in her dream of a perfect world. Never stopping to see the flaws in herself.

She broke the Amber Empire. Now she must try to remake it. And dreams can be strange, deceptive, impossible things—especially when you achieve them.

This book glitters darker than A&D. Its gilt hides tarnish, its ballgowns hide blades, its pleasures hide pain. But radiance can dazzle even in the darkest of places, if only you look.

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Diamond & Dawn is a story about innocence, about ruling, and power dynamics. If you were searching for the action and subterfuge you were used to from Amber & Dawn, then adjust your expectations. This sequel is equally satisfying even if it begins in a quieter fashion at the beginning. Mirage has to figure out how to be this new version of herself, the person who overthrew the Empress and the ruler of this new Empire.

What kind of ruler will she become? It's easy to envision what we want to do if we get the power, but it's much harder to follow through on our promises. What kind of person will we become? We can never go back to that innocence, the person we were before our decisions didn't weigh on our souls. Before the Empire and people's lives were not held in our hands.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Cindy ✩☽♔]

No release date but, but we do have a cover reveal. I'm somewhat surprised.

[Eileen (BookCatPin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start with Diamond & Dawn... I have very mixed feelings about this surprise sequel. While I loved seeing the characters again, this second book felt all over the place plot-wise.

I hate to say this but Diamond & Dawn wasn't a very engaging book. The plot was kind of messy and more often than not I found myself confused. The writing is still beautiful but I think the book lacked clarifications. Where there were some, they felt disconnected- pieces of information were just popping up left and right.

A redeeming part of the book was Mirage's incredible character growth. I particularly enjoyed watching her come to understand that she wasn't owed anything. Her belief in Amber & Dusk is shattered and in Diamond & Dawn she comes to realize that if she wanted something, she had to earn it. Her road to worthiness was full of obstacles and risks but she navigated them with courage and determination. I really applaud her for being able to make the tough calls and seeing them through.

In terms of romance, Diamond & Dawn had more of it than book one. Certain barrier(s) prevent Mirage and Sunder from really being together but that doesn't stop them from sharing some intensely emotional scenes. I very much enjoyed moments where they were vulnerable in each other's presence. Oh the bittersweet love~ I desperately wanted them to have their HEA.

Diamond & Dawn wasn't the perfect sequel I imagined but I was invested enough in the characters and romance to want to know their ending. The conclusion is one that I can accept so I would recommend giving Diamond & Dawn a shot if you loved Amber & Dusk.

[Stacia]

12/30/18: I just finished the first book... I NEED THIS LIKE. NOW.

Like.....
NOW.
Thanks. :)

1/30/19: WOW !!!! LOOK At that beautiful cover!! Love the red! And that diamond in the middle.... gorgeous!! CANNOT WAIT!

2/19/19: .....does that say 2020

[olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5; mixed feelings because i really disliked the start and mirage in general,,, she got better i guess. basically reading for sunder? i'm so so glad he got that ending,,
i will admit that there was some really exquisite imagery though

[Tayler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so mad. that lack luster ending :(

[Jennifer Speas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh please let there be a book 3 😭 I love these characters and this world!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The moon's light could unveil the beauty of the dark. But it could also show your soul strange, deceptive, impossible things."

I loved this book. I loved it just as much as Amber & Dusk, which is so rare for duologies that you love both books the same...
I had a small break between reading the two and found it hard to get back into the world again. It also didn't pick up right where things left off which made me a bit frustrated at first. But that all fell away as I got hooked in by the characters again and all of the lies and deceit, the longing, the twists and turns and magic. SO GOOD.

There were couple plot holes that I noticed but it didn't pull me out of the story so much that I couldn't still enjoy so much of it!

Basically every character is so morally grey and I loved it? I so wish we could have more of these characters and stories.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this series was the same type of book as incendiary. I wasn't planning on reading this one, but after I finished that, I needed to satisfy my trope craving, so I picked this up. Sped through it, skimmed a lot, but entertaining enough for me to finish

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please I need a third book ..... please

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd, and final, book in the Amber & Dusk duology. I purchased this book.

Story (4/5): This was a decent conclusion to the Amber & Dusk series but feels a bit unfinished to me. When I got to the end I kept thinking that maybe there were going to be more books, but it sounds like this is it for the series. The story starts out a bit slow but picks up a lot when we get to the contest between Gavin and Mirage. The whole story is focused around Mirage keeping her throne and trying to build a better Amber Empire.

Characters (4/5): While the characters are well done, none of them are very likable. I understand Mirage’s drive but think she’s pretty awful to even her best allies. She does grow and change throughout the story but I never engaged all that well with her. Sunder is by far my favorite character, but I felt like he was in the background more often than not and spent way too much time just doing whatever Mirage wanted.

Setting (4/5): The setting is very typical fantasy in style. The kingdoms are decently built out and the magic and history are well thought out.

Writing Style (4/5): This book is easy to read and flows well. The story is told completely from Mirage’s POV. I struggled a bit to remember where the story left off in book 1, it would have been nice to have a quick synopsis or just better reminders throughout the story to help the reader a bit.

Summary (4/5): Overall I am glad I read this and it was a decent conclusion to the series. This is a lot of intrigue and the interesting parts of the story (the search for the Relic and the contest) take a long time to get started. I also didn’t find the characters all that likable or engaging which made me enjoy this a bit less. This is a solid fantasy series and I would recommend if you like intriguing magic with lots of intrigue and politics.

[Mary]

I’d like to have a Sunder that calls me demoiselle :3

No rating for this since I skimmed after 20ish percent til the end.

I liked the lyrical writing and some characters were great like Sunder and Bane but the heroine was just not doing it for me.
I understand she’s a greatly flawed character with her own perks which I can’t remember what they were but they were there. However.......couldn’t she have been a bit smarter? A bit stronger?
I dunno, I’m probably used to pretty strong heroines like Aelin, Inej, Jude, etc., that I can’t help but dislike the ones that aren’t as strong.

I’m glad that at least Luca redeemed himself in the end. And we saw a certain someone again QvQ

*cough* Unpopular opinion(?): Sunder deserves someone better :>

Alright, I’m done lol

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I was going to continue with this series, but I decided to give it a shot. I was interested in the first book, but didn't love the MC, so I was hoping she would develop more in this book. She was pretty shallow in the first one. I was pleased to see she did grow in this one, and I thought the kingdom was better explained, too (why a new ruler was needed, etc). So I think I liked this one better than the second. Still, some of the language seemed a bit too flowery at times, and at others, I felt like she rushed through explanations of the actual plot. I did really like the Ordeals -it made the story much more interesting! I still feel like I can only give it three stars, maybe 3.5, but I'll probably keep an eye out for the next book.

[Stephanie *Spunky Avenger* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diamond and dawn was the second book of this amazing series. I just love this author and how she spins the tale and makes her feel like part of the story.
This book is a continuation of the first one and shows the trails, love and fear that our main character must face. She has overcome so much and has so far to go to go to see the dreams she has for her kingdom. I can't wait to see if there's a third book.

[Sophie Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 30%
I’m not in the mood for this right now. The magic has just gone ;-;

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things definitely picked up after a certain event occurred, so I would recommend patience when reading this book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy Diamond and Dawn but not as much as Amber and Dusk.

- I missed the court intrigue from book one.
- Mirage didn't bloom into the kick ass heroine I hoped she would be.
- The ending was disappointing. I would have loved a glimpse of Mirage’s progress re-building the city and the last moments between Mirage and Sunder I have no words (sad face). I was curious as well about the dark things Thibo had saw in the Dusklands and the darkness that was coming....

3.5 stars because I loved the first book so much. I'd read a sequel hopefully to see Mirage's character grow and I wouldn't mind some more Sunder who was my favourite character.

[Maddly Peculiar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I literally only bought this book to make sure one of the characters survived. And it wasn’t even the main character. I feel like Mirage made a lot of really snap decisions without any concern for the consequences of her actions. It’s just an okay series with very generic tropes but I would absolutely read another book because it’s almost like watching a very intricate car crash

[Mary Drover · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I tasted the words on my tongue–tasted the bright peaks and shadowed valleys of the memories behind him. Moments strung like jewels on a chain–a cold, handsome boy with anguish in his eyes and razors in his mouth–snow on my tongue and the chilly promise of something I hadn’t known I’d wanted–the burn of bright green liquor and pain-racked condemnation.” Look, the writing in this is gorgeous. It’s flowery and overdone and wonderful, and it’s what holds this together. I’m still as in love with the characters as I was before, and I would do just about anything to take away Sunder’s pain. But the plot is so bad. It jumps and sprints off in the weirdest ways, and I spent a solid 30 pages at the end really expecting a “and then she woke up” twist to happen because what was happening made absolutely no sense. It’s still predictable, which I actually like for this book, but the actual things that are happening predictably aren’t great. I love that this leans hard into tropes and celebrates how great they can be. I love that Selene just unabashedly went as hard as she could with this book. But my goodness. The plot in this is awful, and it really got to me at the end. I was mostly enjoying this up until about the 300 page mark, and then I just had to drag myself through the last 70 or so pages so I could call it done. I’m honestly so conflicted about this book. Huge parts of me loved it. But that ending was awful. I don’t know.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diamond & Dawn (Amber and Dusk #2) by Lyra Selene, 375 pages. Scholastic Press (Scholastic), 2019, $19.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content PG-13; Violence: PG-13;

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL.

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Mirage has successfully overthrown the Amber Empire and defeated her cruel sister. Mirage’s troubles are far from over. Her sister is not dead, but in a coma and still a threat to Mirage’s power. Another threat comes from a distant cousin, Gavin d’Ars, who appears at court and seems to draw people to him easily. As Mirage’s grip on power begins to slip she calls upon an ancient and deadly duel to secure her rule. Mirage’s quest for power could cost her those closest to her and her life.

While beautifully written, this book is grim. Violence is the norm and kids in their late teens shouldn’t be killing and using people so cruelly. I was excited to read the sequel to Amber and Dusk, but Mirage is such an unlikable character in this book it is hard to root for her. It’s also difficult to believe the citizens of the Amber Empire want to have anyone in her family rule, and what kind of taxes pay for all those parties and gowns? By the end, Mirage redeems herself a little, but there seems to be a new threat to the empire as the darkness seeps closer. So I’ll probably read the last book to see how it all works out. I just hope it’s not a complete bloodbath.

Michelle in the Middle
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Kimberlee Lamendola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I got an ARC from the author via a giveaway she did on her Instagram page and I’m so glad I got a copy early.

After all the action packed ending to Amber & Dusk, I was, for some reason, expecting an action packed beginning to Diamond & Dawn. That’s not necessarily what ended up happening (although you do find out quickly that Sunder is at least mostly okay...phew).

At first I was a little bummed there wasn’t a ton of action, but as I continued to read I became more and more intrigued. Watching Mirage try and figure out how to be empress and the rebuilding after a coop was something I found interesting. She broke it, now how is she going to fix it? There are so many books that focus on the overthrowing of a world or regime, but not as many that take a look at the “what now?”

When the plot picks up, it does so quickly and it was only my early morning alarm looming that had me putting the book down and not reading all night.

My heart just continuously ached for Sunder and Mirage. Sunder is hands down my favorite. I love his development from Amber & Dusk until now. Oleander’s as well. The “Suicide Twins” that only want to be loved. Heartbreaking. There were many points in this book that my heart hurt actually.

Part of the ending I figured would happen (aka about Severine having to have one last word), but I definitely did not seem a lot of it coming.

I definitely recommend reading this book. Hopefully you enjoy it too!

[Winterstar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The scenery is nicely described and there is some more world building although many terms remain left to the reader’s imagination as to what they mean which can make it hard to visualize. If you don’t know what a kefufopluff is, and it is not described in any meaningful way, then it’s hard to imagine. This is true for several terms in this book. Some of the descriptions, while fancy don’t make much sense. If I said someone ‘danced like fresh peach marmalade with a dash of white laced sugar’ it sounds pretty but basically doesn’t describe how the person danced. Reading some of the descriptions was like reading the above.

For most of it, fortunately the descriptions, setting, scenery and terms worked. It was slightly easier to sympathize with Sylvie this time around but not by much. She still was quite dense as a box of rocks when it came to most things. It was hard to believe she won some of the loyalties she did, being so young and obviously not uses to dealing with responsibility and consequences. One scene with the people makes one wonder why the crowd would put up the a pair of squabbling teenagers as their rulers. It’s rather hard to see why Sunder fell for her. Her relationship with Oleander is much more believable as the reader is able to watch it develop and grow.

For most of the book Mirage is overly obsessed with the people loving and wanting her. Considering she wants to be their ruler I didn’t see much of her actually really caring about them so it seemed it was back to the old sense of entitlement and birthright she was so obsessed with in the first book which made her so unsympathetic. At least partway through she does realize she should earn this love, which was a good start, but the way she went about it didn’t make much sense, as nothing she planned to do to prove herself had anything to do with the people’s welfare, but only furthered the basic idea of her entitlement.

It appears she does realize this at the very end, but it’s still questionable if she truly believes what she says in the end.

Again here as in the first book, the reader is treated to a plan that takes place backstage so there’s no clue where the characters are going or really what the plan is supposed to accomplish and why it would accomplish that end. The reader has a general idea of the ultimate goal since it’s been Sylvie’s goal since the first book. So again there’s no real sense of tension or expectation just mild curiosity as to what will happen next so there’s not a lot invested and the reader has no idea if something went according to plan or not unless it’s specifically mentioned.

The beginning of the book is also riddled with telling instead of showing. It’s almost like the author just wants the reader up to speed, but in doing so the chance to develop the characters is lost. Perhaps because Sylvie doesn’t change much through that time, it’s not bothered upon, but the other characters were actually growing and changing so it would have been nice to see that, even through Sylvie’s dull self-obsessed eyes.

Some loose ends are not cleared up either. Although in the first book much is made about the political and encroaching unrest, nothing much more is said of the threats against the empire in this book. The ending too implies a rather different immediate encroaching enemy than the first book. It’s almost as if the more immediate threat from the first book is just dropped. Also, Thibo’s disappearance from the first book isn’t really explained at the end- though considering the ending, it should’ve been. Instead it’s glossed over.

There were however some nice twists towards the end which were rather interesting, and I’m glad Luca’s motivation turned out as expected as otherwise it would have made him a disappointing character. Overall mostly the descriptions were good and the scene well set. While for the most part, Sylvie is rather unsympathetic the other characters are going forward of their own accord

[Kandi Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book kept surprising me!

I was very happy to be back in the world with some of my favorite characters. The angsty relationship between Mirage and Sunder definitely had me rooting for their relationship the entire way through the book. I hadn't read the first book in quite awhile and for some reason had a hard time remembering what role Thibo played in the first book. Oleander is a QUEEN. I love her so much.

The writing was gorgeous and flowery. The atmosphere of this book was again very well done. The author painted a picture of this gleaming castle/city and I was there for every royal second of it. However, I had a love/hate relationship with the use of the words ambric, kembric, and dristic. What do they mean? But I almost didn't mind them because I felt like the meaning of the words was left up to the reader's interpretation, which technically could make the story more magical..as long as you don't get caught up on not having technical definitions for the words. The words were definitely overused but I get it. Selene was trying to paint a consistent picture.

There was so much to the plot of this book and I enjoyed all of it with every kembric fiber of my being. There was an element of confusion for me because of the transition between the 3rd ordeal (mirage's dream) and them escaping the castle. It took me like 20 minutes to figure out if them fleeing was an actual thing that was happening. Once I figured it out though, I felt better.

In the first 250 pages of the book, I thought I had the entire plot figured out in my head. I WAS WRONG. Toward the end of the book the twists just kept coming and coming and I was there for it. What a job well done!

My favorite swoon-worthy quote: "if you wish to be the sun, you will rise in glory. If you wish to be the moon, you will set in perfect darkness & stars will shine in your eyes. Because I will always be the man-or the monster-who falls from the sky at the sight of you." -Sunder (my book boyfriend)

[CJBellita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugggghhhh my heart is entirely broken. I just can't take it.

I read the first book simply because I adored the cover of Diamond and Dawn and it was such a good decision. I'll admit that I struggled with the first book because I felt there were some crucial things missing in regards to Sylvie's character development. In reading this second book, I understand that it was entirely purposeful and also had meaning to me.

Once I began reading Diamond and Dawn, everything started making sense. Mirage was coming into her own, but learning life lessons the hard way. In other books, the story normally goes discovery of royalty, struggle with education to meet royal court requirements, conflict, continued education, and voila.... you have a royal worthy of the crown they didn't know they would inherit. But in this story, Mirage simply uses her life experiences, intuition, and very little education to EARN the crown and trust of her people.

I guess at this point, I'm just analyzing the last chapter over and over again, nursing heartbreak at the halfway happy ending...... and hope that there will be another book....."But I saw things in the Dusklands I can't explain. Would you believe me if I told you the darkness was coming?"

[G Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was okay.
The storyline was strong, if not rather overly-done, i.e. "rags to riches". The characters were not really that likeable though. Mirage was so self-centered and entitled. Even in the second book she felt her heritage gave her rights and only towards the very end of the second book did she realize that things had to be earned, be it love, power, trust, etc. And the rest of the characters were really underdeveloped. The Suicide twins could have really been more developed, especially since they played a major role in the story, as well as her best friend Lullaby.
The writing was quite purple with constant use of "ambric" and "disric", constantly describing the back-round or odors in overly pretentious descriptions, (btw: what DOES "ice" smell like? All the ice I ever smelled had no odor...WATER has no odor! But yet Sunder smelled of "ice"?) And speaking of ice, it was constantly used as a descriptor: "he smelled of ice", "ice ran down my spine", "the diamonds glittered like ice". Somebody REALLY likes ice for some reason!!
So overall this was a mediocre read. If you enjoy intrigue and can get past the purple writing style, you may find this an enjoyable summer read, but I personally cannot recommend it.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not as good as the first.
All that I hated about Mirage was front in center for most of this book. All of the court intrigue was also gone and never really came back. It was just Mirage making one bad choice after another. Sunder... my god poor Sunder! It was heart breaking and he deserved better! Lullaby story also bother me. She was really upset for no real reason for most of the book.
I was going to stop reading but I really hate dropping a book so I soldier on. Im glad I didnt. I liked the second half. It had all that was missing in the first half. It was enough to add one more star because it was mostly a 1-2 star book.
I did feel like the ending we needed more. We needed to see this dream of a better world come to life or not. I have the feeling the reason for this was to leave an opening for a possible book 3. Which I would probably read for poor Sunder! Im glad how Sunder and Mirage relationship was at the end even though some might not like it. I dont want to give it away so I leave it at that.

Over all, I would only recommend this book if you really liked the first one. It's a decent read but not as fun as the first book.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope this is not the year of “disappointing sequels to first books that I loved.”

I have two main problems with this book that I can’t really get around, so three stars it is. Neither of which are the horrible person protagonist (which I find very interesting) or the broody-broody love interest (which I find tolerable, if somewhat unrealistic as a character). It’s not the slow court-intrigue politics storyline (which I’m almost always a fan of) or even how borderline-absurdly rushed the last half of this book is because this duology probably should have been a trilogy.

1) Apparently, an entire war goes down “off-screen” between books? Which leaves me feeling like there’s a lot of character development (and a pretty significant relationship between secondary characters) that we miss and then things just kind of...pop out of nowhere. “Oh! But it happened during the coup!”

2) The primary antagonist’s personality seems to not be their own, but shifts wherever the author needs to advance the plot. Their actions at several points just...make no sense.