I’ve been looking forward to this one all year! An Arcane Inheritance brings us back to schools, secrets, and some spice! This was everything that I wanted and such a great way to end the year. Keep reading this book review of An Arcane Inheritance for my full thoughts.
Summary
Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.
Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.
Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Get in, we’re going to dark academia. An Arcane Inheritance explores the ghost of a school. It’s present in the hallways, of everyone who has succumbed to ambition, of the privilege suffusing the silence, but it’s also in everyone who was downtrodden and sacrificed to get there. An Arcane Inheritance examines it all in a fantasy setting. What begins as an intense rivalry, a game of wits and cleverness, evolves into a quest to uncover the foundations of these halls. With more than meets the eye, including messages to herself, An Arcane Inheritance never lets us off the hook. It’s full of sacrifices which are always deemed ‘necessary’ and are steeped in blood and condescension.
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Sometimes, justice looked like vengeance. Sometimes, violence called for violence. Sometimes, rage was power.
I enjoyed the way Cole weaves a story of secrets, privilege, and power. It crescendos as Cole chips away at the granite and marble statues. We can never be sure who is on our side and there’s something lurking out of the corner of our eyes. I enjoyed the mystery of An Arcane Inheritance and how it examines what these institutions demand of us and make of us. How privilege, power, and ‘education’ can masquerade. While the majority of An Arcane Inheritance was a bit more character based and mystery based then strictly action, the ending surely makes up for it. Find An Arcane Inheritance on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.