A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden – The Sacred Stones Trilogy Hits Its Stride

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“I told you once there is power in harnessing your fear. There is also power in vulnerability. It is what makes us human, and gives us something worth fighting for. Sometimes, that is also something worth dying for.”

I’ll be honest, I teased this one in my A Dawn of Onyx review as an emotional gut punch with more spice and stronger character development. I wasn’t wrong. 

A Promise of Peridot, the second book in Kate Golden’s Sacred Stones trilogy, picks up right where the first left off and promptly proceeds to run at full speed and not stop. I went in knowing more was coming. Nor did I know what I was getting into.

I picked up this trilogy during a Barnes & Noble closing sale, the kind of impulse buy that feels completely justified in the moment. After finishing A Dawn of Onyx and rating it 3.5 stars, I was genuinely curious where this series would go. 

The answer? Louder, faster, and a whole lot more emotional.

Summary

A Promise of Peridot continues the story of Arwen, a healer navigating a world steeped in politics, magic, and slow-burning tension. 

After the events of the first book, the stakes have been raised considerably, alliances are tested, and loyalties are questioned. The relationship at the center of this story finally starts to pay off in all the right ways. 

Without giving anything away: if you thought the first book was building toward something, this is where you start to see what that something actually is.

What I Loved

Where A Dawn of Onyx felt like it was finding its footing. A Promise of Peridot hits the ground running, the plot ramps up quickly and there’s a real sense of urgency that carries you through the book. 

The slow burn from the first book also gets an appropriately spicy payoff here. It felt earned rather than forced; that’s exactly how you reward readers for sticking with a slow burn. 

Character development continues to be one of the strongest elements of this series, and what I appreciate most is how the growth feels cumulative rather than reset with each book. 

Getting to know the characters more deeply and watching their relationships evolve is genuinely satisfying. And the romantasy tropes, which felt a little overdone in A Dawn of Onyx, don’t wear out their welcome nearly as much here, they feel better integrated into the story rather than just checked off a list.

What Wasn’t My Favorite

Remember how I said the pacing was a double-edged sword? Here’s the other edge: the faster pace is exciting until it isn’t. 

At a certain point, the non-stop action started to feel relentless rather than thrilling. 

I actually found myself looking forward to slower chapters, moments to breathe, to just be with the characters without something catastrophic happening. 

The book is essentially one emotional high after another, and while I know that’s exactly what a lot of readers want, it can start to feel exhausting if you’re someone who likes to come up for air.

This book is an emotional roller coaster, and I mean that in the most literal sense. If you thrive on that, you will absolutely eat this up. 

But if you’re a mood reader who occasionally needs a calmer stretch before the next gut punch, just know that A Promise of Peridot does not really offer that. It is go, go, go, and emotionally relentless throughout.

Vibe Check

• Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Epic Fantasy
• Mood: Fast-paced, emotional, spicy, action-heavy, swoon-worthy
• Read if you love: Slow burn payoffs, morally complex characters, high-stakes fantasy, ACOTAR-style romantasy
• My rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
• Spice Meter: 2.5 out of 5 chili peppers

Would I Recommend It?

Yes! If you enjoyed A Dawn of Onyx and wanted more, keep going. 

This is not one of those series where you have to slog through a painful first book to be rewarded with a brilliant second (looking at you, A Court of Thorns and Roses). 

Both books are solid, but A Promise of Peridot is genuinely the stronger of the two. The series works especially well for mood readers and for anyone who loves romantasy and wants something immersive that doesn’t require you to think too hard. It’s the kind of series you can fall into.

Final Thoughts

I did enjoy this one more than the first, and I think that’s a promising sign for where the trilogy ends up. 

The Sacred Stones series is not doing anything wildly new within the romantasy genre, but it executes the familiar beats well — and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Strong characters, an earned slow burn payoff, and a plot that doesn’t let up.

Now I have to figure out when I’m picking up A Reign of Rose, because I definitely need to see how this ends. 

Have you read the Sacred Stones trilogy? Did A Promise of Peridot hit you as hard as I’m expecting it hit everyone else? Let’s talk about it.

Found this review first? Check out my thoughts on A Dawn of Onyx here!