Zoe Nauman’s The Dawning is an ambitious young adult portal fantasy built around faith, free will, and the seductive pull of power. In Amaris, the former celestial Arielle has sacrificed her wings and immortality to guide a collection of increasingly divided clans. Her frustration makes her vulnerable to Abaddon and the dark ruler Sephtis, who transform her into the formidable Sathariel. Meanwhile, a prophecy summons three wounded teenagers from Earth, Fatiha, Cosmo, and Jiyanu, whose blood may provide the key to containing her. It’s a large-scale story filled with dragons, underwater kingdoms, living trees, stone giants, magical gateways, and enough sacred objects to keep the heroes constantly moving.

I think the book’s most compelling idea is that Sathariel’s fall grows from recognizable emotions. Her resentment, loneliness, and desire to be appreciated give the temptation of darkness a personal foundation. The three Yasha reflect that emotional focus in different ways: Fatiha carries the pain of betrayal, Cosmo lives with grief and anxiety, and Jiyanu struggles with anger after witnessing terrible violence. Their experiences make the novel as interested in emotional recovery as it is in battles and prophecy. Nauman also creates some memorable settings, particularly Mariam’s ocean realm, the Vanavashtha forest, and the dragon riders’ mountain home. The multilingual names and spiritual traditions give Amaris a deliberately multicultural identity, while the scene in which leaders of several Earth religions unite against Sathariel makes the book’s message especially clear.

Readers of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time will recognize a similar blend of interdimensional adventure, spiritual symbolism, and young people confronting a darkness that thrives on fear and conformity. Like L’Engle, Nauman treats love as an active force. Her approach is broader and more ensemble-driven, moving among clan leaders, celestial beings, villains, and the three teenagers. That scope gives the story an epic quality, though it also means the opening half carries a substantial amount of mythology, prophecy, and explanation before the Yasha arrive. The prose favors vivid sensory description and states its moral ideas plainly, creating a style that feels accessible and earnest.

What I liked most was the novel’s belief that unity requires choice. The people of Amaris don’t overcome their differences because they suddenly agree on everything. They choose to cooperate because protecting one another matters more than preserving old divisions. The final confrontation gives that principle real emotional weight, and victory comes with a cost that keeps the conclusion from feeling too tidy. The Dawning is a sincere, imaginative fantasy about turning grief into purpose, resisting the appeal of control, and finding strength in people whose lives and beliefs differ from your own. It leaves Amaris secure for the moment, while giving the wider series plenty of magical and emotional territory to explore.

Pages: 313 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GX3CW7R2