I received a finished review copy of The Path To Dawn for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Opal is a young girl living in Dewdrop, a bustling suburb southeast of New York in The Path To Dawn. Life is a constant struggle for her, until she befriends newcomer, Hope Adaire. With the girls’ friendship slowly beginning to grow, Opal’s life begins to change in mysterious ways, as the secrets of Hope’s enigmatic life begins to unfold.

In the process of taking new paths and unveiling truths, a new world is discovered and with it, the discovery of a Gift a power that can make Opal stronger than she ever imagined. Yet with every truth, lies must be shattered. Now, when Dewdrop and the new world is threatened, this temperamental teen with too much emotional baggage, must learn how to control her Gift, and protect everyone living in her world and the new one—or face the consequences of unmasked truths.

The Path to Dawn is a coming-of-age story geared towards young adults and teens. It is a story that should make one question the power of truth and lies.

I started talking to author Miri Castor in August, and between one thing and another, I just got around to reading this book at the beginning of October. I loved the cover of this when Miri sent it to me, and the premise was really intriguing to me. The Path to Dawn was independently published.

I took some pictures of it, I picked it up and carried it around for a while in my purse, but a slump got in the way and I didn’t want to start a book that I was excited about when I was so down about reading it. So when I finally read it, it clicked for me and left me wanting more.

Opal took a little bit of getting used to for me – she has a really strange attitude towards her parents that isn’t explained for a long time in the book, and her relationship with her sister felt almost realistic. I really enjoyed Aaron as a character, but I didn’t ever quite understand why Opal had quit talking to him, what made him want to start talking to her again, etc. It was weird and interesting. I’m interested to see how her parents play into the next novel.

The magic system was really intriguing. I liked the Athrenians and I can’t wait to learn more about them in later books, like Hope in Nautical Dusk. I’m guessing by that title that Evron and Jermaine will play larger parts in the story, given their talents with water, but we’ll have to see!

From author Miri Castor about Hope in Nautical Dusk… “For Hope in Nautical Dusk, you can look forward to a deeper exploration of the alternate world Athre. There will be more insight on Opal’s powers, their history, and how they come into play in Opal’s relationships and the conflicts of the story. Expect new, diverse characters with interesting powers, and a lot more action. Hope in Nautical Dusk will uphold a temporal theme as well as themes of hope, and love in all its forms.”

The Path to Dawn was a four star read for me. It had a lot of great elements, and it pulled together really well, but I wanted just a little bit more from it emotionally. You can pick up The Path to Dawn through Indiebound, Amazon, Book Depo and B&N in paperback or ebook format.

Miri Castor is the author of the Opal Charm series. She spent many recesses in middle school writing fantasy stories, The Path to Dawn being one of many. She has written for Black Girl Magic Literary Magazine and was featured as a Spotlight New Author in January 2016.

She attends graduate school on the East Coast and aims to receive her PhD in biochemistry. Meanwhile, Miri is working on her second novel and more urban fantasy series for the future. When she’s not being an introverted bookworm or purifying proteins, she plays video games, attends music concerts, and takes stroll through the City. You can find out more about Miri and her future books at her website!

Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.