The Forgotten Dawn (Shattered Sky Saga #1) by Laura A Blake - slow Fae fantasy / Books Teacup and Reviews

The Forgotten Dawn is a slow Fae fantasy with interesting world and political intrigue but it hits its stride in the second half.

The Forgotten Dawn

The Forgotten Dawn (Shattered Sky Saga #1) by Laura A Blake

Publication Date : June 5, 2025

Read Date : August 1, 2025

Genre : Fantasy

Pages : 524

Source : Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis

Where lies are currency, the price of truth is blood.

Brida Larrow has no right to be among the Fae Courts, but she’s willing to risk everything to save her dying father. Armed with a forged invitation and a fierce determination, she enters the treacherous Fae Trials, a deadly contest crafted to break even the strongest Fae. One misstep, and the truth of her identity could be her undoing—and cost her the cure she so desperately needs.

With enemies around every corner, Brida must rely on her wits and cunning to survive. But when Dainan, the enigmatic Prince of Shadows, takes notice of her, the stakes grow even higher. Betrothed to her most dangerous rival and a master of secrets himself, Dainan sees through her every deception. His dark allure stirs something within her, sparking a forbidden attraction that could either ruin her or become her greatest weapon.

Caught in a web of deception and desire, Brida walks a fine line between ambition and survival. In a world where alliances shift like shadows and betrayal is the currency of the Courts, she must find the strength to face not only the ruthless Trials but also the dangerous emotions Dainan awakens. One wrong move could doom her to failure—or reveal a side of herself she never knew existed.

The Forgotten Dawn is the spellbinding first book in The Shattered Sky Saga, an epic fantasy romance series brimming with rich world-building, slow burn chemistry, and pulse-pounding action. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Review

The Forgotten Dawn is a slow-burn Fae fantasy that, while beautifully imagined, takes its sweet sloth time to get to the point. The story follows Brida, a human girl living in a Fae world, where humans and Fae coexist—kind of.

Her hometown, Escalia, treats her like garbage because of her hair color (more on that later). Her father is deathly ill, and the only shot she sees at saving him is through “The Courting” in Azmeer—an elite competition where selected candidates gain magic and a place in one of the four powerful Fae courts. The catch? Brida didn’t get an invite. So, she fakes one and sneaks her way in.

What starts as a desperate attempt to find magic for healing becomes a much bigger mess involving courtly politics, ancient myths, enemies-to-something-maybe-more with the broody Prince of Shadows (Dainan), sweet moments with wind-walker Marsh, and a love triangle that honestly no one asked for. The Forgotten Dawn is all about trials, betrayals, friendships, shadowy secrets—and a protagonist who spends 50% of the book being anxious and confused.

Let’s get something straight, I didn’t like the first half of this book. And here’s why but before that here is something about world you need to know.

The world was created by the Primals (think gods), who disappeared after a big ol’ war. What’s left behind are four courts: Court of Whispers, Court of Reflection, Court of Shadows, and the Eternal Court. The King—Elidas—rules over them all after uniting Fae and humans. The annual Courting gives candidates (mostly those who comes from Fae lineage) a chance to join a court and gain power. Humans? Rarely chosen, but not impossible.

The King has three sons:

Alvar (eldest and actually decent)
Rai (middle child with questionable character)
Dainan (youngest and brooding™️)

The first half of The Forgotten Dawn is slooooow. We live in Brida’s head. A lot. She’s kind, respectful, and obsessed with books, but I have no clue what exactly are her skills. She’s constantly anxious, scared, and unsure of literally everything. I wanted to root for her, but she gave me nothing solid.

She’s ostracized in Escalia for her hair—dark red, a symbol of the Court of Shadows. It makes zero sense that this alone is enough for people to hate her, but okay, I’ll play along. In Azmeer, it becomes her ‘wow’ trait. Of course.

She has her best friend Kadian, who seems like a possible love interest at first… nope, brother-zoned, with her in Azmeer but also meets people who becomes her friends -Marsh (wind walker, interested in her from day one, feels too intense too fast); Lil (her family have high position in Court of Reflection and warns her off the princes); And there is twins, Oz and Tamra, their family is in Eternal Court. And of course, she meets Prince Dainan and is immediately drawn to him but tries to stay away (because warnings).

Marsh saw through her fake invitation and still allows her in Azmeer in the beginning of the book. Ever since he tried to befriend her.. there should be warning bell ringing but nope they share secrets because he helps her and kiss. A week later at the party with drugs that reveal your deepest desires, Brida kisses Dainan. In front of everyone. Including Marsh. And that started whole complex drama.

Well, things keep happening along:

Lil is taken away by her awful uncle for political reasons
Kadian’s health declines (because love sickness? it’s obvious he shares deeper connection with Lil)
As training part Brida chooses Court of Shadows
Marsh ghosts Brida after the Dainan incident (understandable)
A mysterious mist knocks Kadian out cold—coma mode
Alvar turns out to be a gem (finally, a character I loved)

All these time competition is going on and Brida is coming up victorious so far.

All this happens by the halfway mark, and I still didn’t know what the core plot was supposed to be. Stakes felt low, characters were pulling in random directions, and the love triangle was… meh. Marsh, in particular, felt like a filler to create unnecessary tension.

But things finally pick up in Second Half.

Brida realizes her feelings for Dainan are stronger than she thought. Just as she’s figuring that out, BAM—engagement announcements:

Prince Rai is marrying Lil
Dainan is engaged to Iona, the classic redheaded mean girl

Oh, and Brida is now working under Alvar, helping plan Dainan’s engagement. talk about self-torture. Meanwhile, the coma Kadian wakes up. He has no memory of anything and is totally fine with Lil marrying Rai (umm… okay?). Then the spirit Brida made a deal with earlier returns—surprise, it’s one of the missing Primals. It warns her of an incoming war but I’m not really sure about its intention.

Things get even wilder with plot twist at the engagement party. I had already guessed who was behind it all, and it frustrated me that the characters didn’t. But watching Dainan and Brida’s bond grow, and Alvar stepping up to hold everything together was satisfying.

The final trial of Courting (Oh yes, it’s still there) scene was tense and well done. I loved what Alvar and Dainan did for Brida. Honestly, I’d read an entire spin-off about those two.

The last 10%? Utter chaos—in the best possible way.

Brida finally learns the truth about her mother (total game changer), and just when you think the story has hit peak drama, the wedding descends into a full-on bloodbath. Brida is in serious danger, Marsh’s presence in the story finally made sense, and just as things are finally heating up, the book ends… I was literally screaming!

I’d slogged through the slow start, waited patiently for things to pick up—and right when it gets good, around page 350, with all the twists and turns flying at me—I get slapped with a CLIFFHANGER FROM HELL. If I hadn’t been reading on my iPad, I would’ve thrown the book across the room. It took everything in me not to message the author and ask, “WHERE IS BOOK TWO?!”

Yes, this review’s got a fair amount of grumbling about the first half. But by the end? I was totally hooked. The world is fascinating (when it gets the attention it deserves), the lore is compelling, and the political drama building after that major plot twist is amazing. I just wish we didn’t have to wade through all the angsty monologues and triangle drama to get there.

Now that Brida’s real identity is out, I need to see what she’ll do with it. Fingers crossed the sequel brings more magic, more politics, more action—and a whole lot less emotional dithering. If that happens, I’m all in.

Overall, The Forgotten Dawn is a slow Fae fantasy with interesting world and political intrigue but it hits its stride in the second half. The first half is heavy on characters, inner monologue, light on stakes, and tangled in a love triangle that feels more distracting than romantic.