Dawning

by Helen Mathey-Horn

The Kingdom of Gengria has been without an acknowledged leader since the Heredi’sdeath eighteen years earlier. The Heredi’s mate had been pregnant when she also disappeared, but her bloody body had been found rent asunder, apparently by wild beast. Since that time no one with the necessary rose birthmark, the sign of the Heredi, had been found, so Lord Taseln ruled as Regent until the next Heredi should appear.Presently, two young lords, of the northern area where the former ruler had disappeared, find a girl in a village. She is of the correct age, with the right coloring and more importantly the correct birthmark. But the villagers claim she had just appeared and only she knows where she has been for the last eighteen years. As for the girl, she declines to explain having been warned that the humans would not believe or understand the truth.The country is dissolving into regionalism. It will be up to Dawning to find a way to take control of her destiny and rule the fracturing world she finds. And perhaps expose the murderer of her parents. What kind of Heredi will she be? Dawning must navigate the treacherous world of humans and hopefully find her mate in the process.

259 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2019

Reviews

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Mathey-Horn builds an interesting fantasy world filled with intrigue in Dawning! When the Heredi’s kingdom is left without a leader, it begins to fall into decay. Eighteen years later, young Dawning may be able to change that, but only if she can pick through her tangled past and navigate the perils of the world. I enjoyed the well-wrapped intrigue of the world and Dawning’s path of discovery. Check this one out if you’re looking for a fantasy with a nonhuman main character!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dawning by Helen Mathey-Horn is an intriguing coming of age fantasy novel with a riveting start.

Dawning is driven to leave her wild foster family in search of a mate. In her initial forays into civilised society, she is naive and must learn almost everything from scratch. She is taken in by a local village woman and wins the protection of two noble brothers, will hiding her abilities to weave dreams, giving her powers of knowledge and influence over other people.

When the brothers discover she is the long-lost Heredi, ruler of the land, she reacts to the political machinations of her enemies and their attempts to sideline, Evan, (one of the brothers and her chosen protector). The story takes a number of twists and turns which kept me interested and reading despite some roughness in the story-telling. At times, I felt we were often told things before they happened and switches between of point of view were often sudden and jarring. Yet, I connected with Dawning and Evan and appreciated the real dangers and Machiavellian villains they faced, especially as the action escalated into a heart-stopping climax. A good introduction to Helen Mathey-Horn's world of dream-weavers.