Review: Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole

Title: Arcana Rising

Author: Kresley Cole

Series: The Arcana Chronicles #4

Publisher: Valkyrie Press

Publication date: August 15th 2016

Format: Kindle 

Genre: YA | Fantasy | Dystopia

Goodreads

Losses mount and deadly new threats converge in this next action-packed tale of the Arcana Chronicles by #1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole. 


When the battle is done . . . 

The Emperor unleashed hell and annihilated an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind--but Circe struck back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies. 


And all hope is lost . . . 

With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other her worst nightmare. 


Vengeance becomes everything. 

To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future--and her chilling past--will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before?

My thoughts:

That ending. Whaaaaaat. I’m just blown away right now. 

 

 

I was scared I would be disappointed with this book considering so much has happened over the series so far. I just couldn’t imagine much more happening. But no, stuff happened. Stuff happened and it blew my mind.

This book was a perfect blend of character and plot development. While not as much happened in term of the fight between the Arcana, new alliances were formed in unexpected ways and a lot was revealed about the characters.

I do have to mention that I’m so glad I read Day Zero before this. It made such a big difference to the story to know what went on with each character before they made an appearance in Arcana Rising. Some new characters made an appearance and it was so much less confusing having already read their situation.

I am a little disappointed that Cole didn’t reveal a secret that I’m sure a lot of readers are wondering about…Jack. I need to know! I’m so much more excited for the next book because of Jack. I need to know what his deal is. I won’t say anymore for fear of spoilers but there are so many questions after reading this. I need my answers.

Also, this book ends on a cliffhanger. Guys, I think Evie has issues. I’m so intrigued as to what’s happened with her. It’s so weird - I was reading just assuming Evie was her usual self and then just BAM - nope turns out everything has just been turned on its head.

I honestly have no idea where this series is going to go from here. I love it.

My rating: 10/10 

Kresley Cole:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Day Zero by Kresley Cole

Title: Day Zero

Author: Kresley Cole 

Series: The Arcana Chronicles #3.5

Publisher: Valkyrie Press

Publication date: August 1st 2016

Format: Kindle | 174 pages

Genre: YA | Fantasy | Paranormal

Goodreads

Arcana means secrets, and these Arcana Chronicles short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole are filled with them. Experience firsthand the beginning of the end and behold the apocalypse through the eyes of characters you only thought you knew. 

Ashes to ashes . . .

Evie Greene’s story of the Flash is just one of many. All over the world, those connected in some way to the lethal Arcana game—like Death, Jack, and Fortune—must first survive a horrifying night of blood and screams. 

We all fall down.

Some will have to grapple with new powers; all will be damned to a hellish new existence of plague, brutality, desolation, and cannibalism. Find out who they lost, why they endure, and what they sacrificed in order to live past Day Zero. . . .

My thoughts:

I’m a serious fan of the Arcana Chronicles. Like big time, jump around when I find out another book is coming out, hold my breath when a character is in danger until I almost pass out kind of fan. Love these books.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, when I saw that Day Zero was going to give us a little bit of an insight into each Arcana’s Flash story I got really excited. 

For those not familiar with this series, the Flash is what Cole called the event that ultimately led to an apocalypse type environment. Fire raining down, oceans drying up, disease spreading like wildfire - you get the drill. Each of the characters in this series has their own story and it was, in part, why I liked them so much.

Before I even fully get into this novella I loved getting to know more about the main players. There are so many characters at play in this series that it’s amazing how all of them are so essential. I love most of these characters for one reason or another so to find out more about them and to have them be made even more three dimensional was brilliant. 

Since this is a novella it makes for a really quick but interesting read for fans of the series. There are some characters included that we hardly know anything about, but now I know I won’t be able to read the next book without some heartstrings being tugged at.

My favourite story was The World’s experience. Also known as Tess, she came across as kind of a weakling in the last book even though her powers are not to be laughed at. She didn’t have much control over anything but also, she didn’t have much of a presence in the story apart from one instance. I love Tess. Oh my God I’m already dreading what’s going to happen to her. She’s so sweet.

Joules ( The Tower) and Finn ( The Magician ) were both big surprises. Where Tess proved her strength, Finn and Joules came across as so much more sensitive than before. The emotion that came from both of those characters really touched me. Both of them are putting up a huge front and it’s amazing.

The only criticism I have is that I wanted something a little different from Evie’s perspective. Instead it was a recap of how the Flash went down in Poison Princess and while it was nice to think back and realise how much things have changed in a few books, I would have liked something different.

For fans of this series, I definitely recommend you read this novella. It will definitely change how you see the characters. For those of you who haven’t picked up this series yet, please do it’s brilliant.

My rating: 9/10 

Kresley Cole:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter