Not a fanIn theory, I thought this could be fun, but in execution, I didn't enjoy it very much at all. It's a beautiful book though and I'm sure someone else out there will enjoy it more than me.
Review 1 of 3
Arcana Academy (2025)
Others: Negative A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King. Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy. Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time. In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be. Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?
- ISBN:
- 9781399728881
- Length:
- 574 pages
Genres: fantasy
Lists: …
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Katabasis
R. F. Kuang
2025 · 560 pages · 9 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveCatabase, nom féminin, du grec ancien katábasis : descente du héros aux Enfers. Alice Law a tout donné pour réussir : son énergie, son temps et sa santé mentale. Doctorante en magie analytique à Cambridge, son unique objectif est d'être titularisée et légitimer ainsi son talent de magicienne. Seul obstacle dans son parcours, son directeur de thèse, l'éminent Jacob Grimes, meurt dans un accident aux circonstances douteuses. De ce postulat découle une solution logique : Alice doit descendre en Enfer retrouver celui dont son destin dépend. Mais elle n'est pas seule à entreprendre ce voyage. Son plus grand rival, Peter Murdoch, le génie flegmatique, décide de l'accompagner dans sa descente. Alliés de longue date ou concurrents en puissance, les deux étudiants devront mettre de côté leurs différends s'ils veulent venir à bout des Huit Cours de l'Enfer. Car en ce lieu hanté par les Ombres, les secrets des uns deviennent les hymnes de douleur des autres. Traduit de l'anglais par Michel Pagel Praises : “Riche en allusions et en illusions, Kuang crée une aventure pleine d'esprit, sanglante et poignante qui met à mal les dangers et les structures de pouvoir du monde universitaire, sans jamais perdre de vue ce qui se cache derrière la fragilité du cœur humain.” Leigh Bardugo, autrice de La Neuvième Maison et du Grishaverse “Une histoire captivante et poignante qui m'a tenue en haleine jusqu'à la dernière page, Katabasis de R. F. Kuang est plus qu'un roman à savourer. Ce livre est une expérience. J'envie ceux qui vont le lire pour la première fois.” Rebecca Ross, autrice de Divines Rivalités
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What made the match, strongest first
Also fantasy52%On 5+ of the same listsPersonalize your recommendations48%The Raven Scholar
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What made the match, strongest first
On 3 of the same lists71%Also fantasy27%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations2%The Knight and the Moth
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Others: Leaning positiveSybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams. Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.
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Others: Mostly positiveAfter nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust. Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him. Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.
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Others: NeutralA Curse Carved in Bone" is a Norse-inspired fantasy romance sequel where Freya, a shield maiden, discovers she's the vessel of two goddesses, Hlin and Hel, and must break a curse that will lead to war. She seeks answers from the seer who foretold her destiny, even allying with her sworn enemy's king, Bjorn, to do so. Freya's path is complicated by her growing desire for Bjorn, and the potential for betrayal and a looming war. She must decide whether to become the "curse that destroys them" or the "shield that protects her people," as she navigates a world of prophecy, magic, and destin
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Not a fan