I’m very glad I was able to return back to the Five Queendoms in this sequel by G.R. Macallister. In Arca we join right where we left off, greeting many of the characters we left behind in Scorpica and are introduced to many others. Continue reading down below to get my take on this continuation of the Five Queendoms series.
Summary
The Drought of Girls has ended, but the rift it broke open between the Queendoms is not so easily healed. Political tensions roil the senate of Paxim, where Queen Heliane vows to make her son Paulus the nation’s first ruling King or die trying. Scorpican troops amass on the border of Arca, ready to attack. And within Arca itself, its young, unready queen finds her court a nest of vipers and her dreams besieged by a mysterious figure with unknown intentions.
As iron and magic clash on the battlefield and powerful women scheme behind the scenes, danger and violence abound. Can anyone stop chaos from ripping the Queendoms apart?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Pacing and Plot
Arca is a honking book. So was Scorpica. Even though it was such a long book, it was really well-paced. Sometimes when I read longer books (and more surprisingly some shorter books) there are periods where things seem to drag on. There are some slight time jumps, especially in the beginning for new characters that we learn their backstory, but overall it stays within the time frame once the story really gets going.
World-building
The Five Queendoms series just is such a large world is easy to feel overwhelmed with just how big it is. Macallister does a great job of slowly increasing and increasing this world so that you do not feel that overwhelm. In Arca, we learn more about the gods, more about different types of magic, more about socio-political strategies and issues across the kingdoms. There is so much we now know, but also so much more than can be built upon. Even though there is room for growth, I have not felt as though I am missing something to fully grasp the book.
Overall
I really enjoyed reading Arca. I will admit, it had been a while since I’d read Scorpica and I did not remember much of the plot or the characters. Without needing to read a synopsis I was back into the world and things were coming back to me. I think that is a sign of a well-written series; even though both are larger books, I could fall back into the world with ease. If you read Scorpica, I can easily recommend you pick up Arca.
Find Arca on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository