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A Speck of Darkness #2
A Speck of Dawn:
A speck of Darkness is enough to destroy an entire world.
Six months have passed since Cassandra, and her friends faced the Shadow World in a brutal battle. While everything seemed to return to normal, something changed. Too many unanswered questions plague Cassandra, and she struggles to imagine a life without her family. Searching for answers, Cas seems to spiral further and further away from the normal life she longed for when she awakens powers that are far beyond hers and has to face the biggest decision yet. Is it worth staying to fight for the people she loves or would fleeing ensure the survival of the Magical and Human World?
Six months have passed since Cassandra, and her friends faced the Shadow World in a brutal battle. While everything seemed to return to normal, something changed. Too many unanswered questions plague Cassandra, and she struggles to imagine a life without her family. Searching for answers, Cas seems to spiral further and further away from the normal life she longed for when she awakens powers that are far beyond hers and has to face the biggest decision yet. Is it worth staying to fight for the people she loves or would fleeing ensure the survival of the Magical and Human World?
332 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
75 people want to read
About the author
C.K. Franziska
13 books201 followersC.K. Franziska is the author of the finished A Speck of Darkness Series, The Crymzon Chronicles, Wish for it Duet, and the Veil of Fire Series. She is the wife of a traveler, as well as the mother of two mini versions of herself and way too many pets. In her spare time, she is also a photographer, traveler, full-time entertainer, and animal lover. She does her best writing at night, at the beach listening to the waves, or while camping. C.K. loves to play make-believe, transporting readers to a place where heroes must step out of the seemingly endless cycle of family curses, where magic is as beautiful and untamable as we think, and where every person deserves to be celebrated.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 19, 2022
Short review:
A Speck of Dawn is the sequel to A Speck of Darkness, a duology series by C.K. Franziska. It’s a high school fantasy novel that flies by as you read it. At first, I wanted to lower my rating because of how quickly the book transpired. I then realized that the book only went fast because of how good it was. When I was done, I found myself wanting more.
Fantasy, a constant stream of new information, realistic feelings that relate to the situations in the book and life, and an unpredictable storyline make for a wonderful read. As a 29 year old with chronic illness, I didn’t expect to relate to Cassandra. I recommend this duology to those of high school age and up.
Longer review:
It’s been about 7 years since I picked up a book and was able to read it within one sitting. All of that changed within the hours that I picked up this series. I read both the first book, A Speck of Darkness, and now this second, A Speck of Dawn within two days; each book requiring merely one day to complete. After years of struggling to read anything for fun, I was truly in awe.
Kudos to C.K. Fransizka for bringing me back into the world of reading.
Cassandra is new to the magic world, so the book is set up in a way that allows the reader to experience the world of magic through a newbie’s eyes. Both Cassandra and the reader are able to experience magic for the first time, together.
Cassandra also deals with many hardships in the book. I related to her specifically because her fight alludes to struggling in life. I chose to relate her feelings to depression and chronic illness. The following are some parts of the book that I found to be good:
Cassandra deals with her issues alone, at first. I related because I, too, tend to isolate myself when I have anxious thoughts on my mind.
Cassandra finally decides to fight her issues on her own terms, when she finally decides she’s ready. It’s hard to come out of depression without the agreement with oneself to finally decide that you’re ready to. I love that this book illustrates how to potentially move forward despite tough feelings.
I love that there’s also a mention of an anchor point. Even in the world of magic, it’s helpful to have at least one person there to help calm you down and bring you back down to reality. I hope that more people can learn to rely on others with their emotions because of this.
The biggest thing for me was the line “People living their lives while you healed from a trauma.” I can wholeheartedly say that I understand that sentence and that I am currently living it. Though I'm not as prompt with my healing, I hope to take some of Cassandra’s life lessons and adopt them into my own life. Whomever says that fiction cannot help you learn and grow is wrong.
The book allows the readers to also grow with the characters. We also learn to accept others despite not enjoying their presence before. Learning about people can help you understand and accept them. I appreciate being able to do that within a novel.
Bonus: For the readers my age or older, I suggest opening your eyes to Orion. He’s what I expect from eye candy in a novel.
I certainly hope that you can take the time out of your days to purchase this book for a loved one or yourself. The story is refreshing and completely and immediately whisked me away from my daily realities. It’s the holidays now and we all deserve a vacation. Best of luck reading!
A Speck of Dawn is the sequel to A Speck of Darkness, a duology series by C.K. Franziska. It’s a high school fantasy novel that flies by as you read it. At first, I wanted to lower my rating because of how quickly the book transpired. I then realized that the book only went fast because of how good it was. When I was done, I found myself wanting more.
Fantasy, a constant stream of new information, realistic feelings that relate to the situations in the book and life, and an unpredictable storyline make for a wonderful read. As a 29 year old with chronic illness, I didn’t expect to relate to Cassandra. I recommend this duology to those of high school age and up.
Longer review:
It’s been about 7 years since I picked up a book and was able to read it within one sitting. All of that changed within the hours that I picked up this series. I read both the first book, A Speck of Darkness, and now this second, A Speck of Dawn within two days; each book requiring merely one day to complete. After years of struggling to read anything for fun, I was truly in awe.
Kudos to C.K. Fransizka for bringing me back into the world of reading.
Cassandra is new to the magic world, so the book is set up in a way that allows the reader to experience the world of magic through a newbie’s eyes. Both Cassandra and the reader are able to experience magic for the first time, together.
Cassandra also deals with many hardships in the book. I related to her specifically because her fight alludes to struggling in life. I chose to relate her feelings to depression and chronic illness. The following are some parts of the book that I found to be good:
Cassandra deals with her issues alone, at first. I related because I, too, tend to isolate myself when I have anxious thoughts on my mind.
Cassandra finally decides to fight her issues on her own terms, when she finally decides she’s ready. It’s hard to come out of depression without the agreement with oneself to finally decide that you’re ready to. I love that this book illustrates how to potentially move forward despite tough feelings.
I love that there’s also a mention of an anchor point. Even in the world of magic, it’s helpful to have at least one person there to help calm you down and bring you back down to reality. I hope that more people can learn to rely on others with their emotions because of this.
The biggest thing for me was the line “People living their lives while you healed from a trauma.” I can wholeheartedly say that I understand that sentence and that I am currently living it. Though I'm not as prompt with my healing, I hope to take some of Cassandra’s life lessons and adopt them into my own life. Whomever says that fiction cannot help you learn and grow is wrong.
The book allows the readers to also grow with the characters. We also learn to accept others despite not enjoying their presence before. Learning about people can help you understand and accept them. I appreciate being able to do that within a novel.
Bonus: For the readers my age or older, I suggest opening your eyes to Orion. He’s what I expect from eye candy in a novel.
I certainly hope that you can take the time out of your days to purchase this book for a loved one or yourself. The story is refreshing and completely and immediately whisked me away from my daily realities. It’s the holidays now and we all deserve a vacation. Best of luck reading!
January 2, 2023
Good YA read
This was a nice quick read with action and movement at every turn. I'll continue with the next book to see what happens next! A prequel is desperately needed to answer some lingering questions. I'm excited for the future of this author and can't wait to read more of their work.
This was a nice quick read with action and movement at every turn. I'll continue with the next book to see what happens next! A prequel is desperately needed to answer some lingering questions. I'm excited for the future of this author and can't wait to read more of their work.
January 3, 2023
Book 2 of 2 of the Speak of Darkness Duology. A fast-paced, young-adult fantasy novel revolving around protagonist, Cassandra.
This duology had me glued to my kindle. The world building was amazing and C.K.'s writing had scene after scene unfolding in my mind-cinema. Highly recommend this series!
This duology had me glued to my kindle. The world building was amazing and C.K.'s writing had scene after scene unfolding in my mind-cinema. Highly recommend this series!
November 26, 2022
This book felt like Cas was reawakening and learning that things are not solved simply by hiding away and working solely on your own. Her new family dynamic is still fresh to her and things have really moved on without her while she was being secluded. When she started to accept her fate and the things that happened, everything seemed to just start going wrong. She denied a part of herself and refused to listen. That mistake almost cost her her world, and her family. This story just kept building and then everything toppled down and back up again in such an exciting and page turning cycle!
November 26, 2022
Wow!
This book not only ties into the first book flawlessly. The ending is just impeccable. Lots of twists and turns and if you think you have figuered out the ending. You are very wrong. I could not have pictured the ending the way it happened. And it was the best ending ever! Must read!
This book not only ties into the first book flawlessly. The ending is just impeccable. Lots of twists and turns and if you think you have figuered out the ending. You are very wrong. I could not have pictured the ending the way it happened. And it was the best ending ever! Must read!
January 26, 2023
I loved this series and hope there is more to come. There's only one complaint I have about the entire series: there needs to be other phrases besides " (blank) my pores." I know it's because Cas turns into a Lynx but it was overused and made me feel icky 😆
February 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me captivated from beginning to end.
Book 2 picks up a few months after book 1 ended. I fell in love with the characters in book 1, but love them even more now. The kids in this series have been through so much, but seeing them rise to the challenges they face is awe inspiring. You see the characters grow and mature as the story progresses.
This is a great YA series. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
Book 2 picks up a few months after book 1 ended. I fell in love with the characters in book 1, but love them even more now. The kids in this series have been through so much, but seeing them rise to the challenges they face is awe inspiring. You see the characters grow and mature as the story progresses.
This is a great YA series. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews