Quick Take
- Narration: Will M. Watt brings warm, sardonic energy to Orion’s fae perspective and handles the gruff alpha dynamic with Miko competently, though the stilted dialogue noted by reviewers occasionally surfaces.
- Themes: found family, sunshine/grumpy romance, post-apocalyptic survival
- Mood: Action-charged and flirtatious, with zombie hordes and slow-burn tension in equal measure
- Verdict: A fun, irreverent MM fantasy romance that leans hard into its grumpy-sunshine premise and mostly delivers, though the pacing in the first two-thirds tests patience.
I picked up Curse of Dawn on a Thursday evening when I wanted something that would carry me through the weekend without demanding too much from me intellectually. What I got instead was Orion, a sunshine fae stranded on a zombie-ravaged Earth since Dawn, a virus that activates at first light and turns anyone with human blood into the walking dead, wrecked London two years ago. The premise is clever: the apocalypse has already happened, the survivors are mostly supernatural, and the humans are the zombies now. That inversion set me up for something genuinely fresh.
Richard Amos builds this world with a confident hand. Orion travels with a virtual pet that never needs its batteries changed, which is a detail so specific and absurd that it stuck with me long after I finished listening. When the grumpy alpha werewolf Miko Reyes arrives, complete with muscles for days and a pack of survivors depending on him, the stage is set for exactly the kind of enemies-to-lovers slow burn that MM fantasy romance readers come for.
Our Take on Curse of Dawn
The concept earns genuine points for originality. Positioning a fae outsider as the POV character, someone who does not fully understand Earth, does not belong to Miko's pack, and views the apocalypse with a kind of bewildered tourist energy, gives Amos a vehicle for both humor and pathos. Orion's voice is the engine that drives this audiobook, and Will M. Watt leans into the light, self-deprecating quality of the character with evident enjoyment. The zombie mythology, rooted in the Dawn virus's strict solar trigger, gives the world a ticking-clock logic that the action sequences use well.
Why Listen to Curse of Dawn
If you are already a fan of Richard Amos, the reviews make clear this is a return to form. One longtime reader described it as an absolute delight and praised the diversity of supernatural creatures, from blood mages to vampires alongside the werewolves and fae. Another listener who came back to reread after the full trilogy was published called the worldbuilding and characters worthy of a second visit. The found-family structure that gradually forms around Miko's pack gives the book emotional stakes beyond the romance, and Orion's fish-out-of-water predicament keeps even the slower passages from going completely flat. Watt maintains a register through all of it that keeps the audio genuinely pleasurable to inhabit.
What to Watch For in Curse of Dawn
The pacing is the honest caveat here. A reviewer with a thoughtful four-star take flagged that the first seventy percent of the runtime involves the two protagonists repeatedly hashing out the same anxieties and spending page time in each other's heads rather than advancing the plot. That assessment rings true with the audio format, where meandering internal monologue is especially exposed. Watt's performance keeps things from stalling entirely, but if you are the kind of listener who needs consistent forward motion, the back third, which another reviewer described as back-to-back action and plot twists, will feel like a long wait. Miko also drew some criticism for coming across as emotionally inconsistent in his earlier chapters.
Who Should Listen to Curse of Dawn
This audiobook works best for listeners already committed to the MM paranormal romance or MM urban fantasy space who enjoy a grumpy-sunshine dynamic wrapped in post-apocalyptic stakes. It is the first book in a completed trilogy, so the story does not resolve here, and the publisher confirms it is not a standalone. Readers who bounced off stilted dialogue in other romantasy titles may find the same issue surfacing here. Listeners who prefer their action front-loaded will want to manage expectations for the first half. For everyone else, especially those who enjoy found family arcs and a fae protagonist with genuine comic timing, this is a solid series opener worth the investment in the full trilogy. Given that all three books are now available, the commitment to the series is known upfront, and that makes the slower early pacing easier to accept when you know the payoff is waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Curse of Dawn work as a standalone audiobook, or do I need to commit to the whole trilogy?
It is not a standalone. The first book sets up the relationship and the central conflict around ending the Dawn curse but does not resolve either fully. The trilogy is complete, so you can dive in knowing all three books are available.
How explicit is the MM romance content in this audiobook?
The romance in book one is primarily slow-burn attraction rather than explicit content. Reviewers describe it as hot and tension-filled but the physical relationship develops gradually across the series.
Is Will M. Watt's narration a good fit for Orion's fae voice?
Generally yes. Watt captures the sunshine, self-deprecating quality of Orion well, and handles the contrast with Miko's gruff alpha energy competently. The occasional stilted dialogue in the source text surfaces in the audio, but it is not a performance issue.
How does the zombie apocalypse mechanic in Curse of Dawn differ from standard zombie fiction?
The Dawn virus activates only at first light, turning anyone with human blood into zombies each morning. This means supernatural characters, fae, werewolves, vampires, are the primary survivors, and humans are effectively the monsters. The inversion gives the worldbuilding a distinctive angle.
