An engaging YA fantasy.
WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT
Hopes. Dreams. And literal nightmares out to kill a young boy.
Gray Lexly, son of a candlemaker, wants to escape his life of old-world technologies and study at the prestigious Astra Academy, a school for arcanists—those who can wield magic. But Gray has a major problem. Every night, as he sleeps, he’s visited by monsters. When they injure Gray in his dreams, he wakes with the same wounds in real life…
On the night Gray might finally die in his nightmares, he is saved by the kind and mysterious Professor Helmith, a powerful arcanist. She offers to protect Gray and invites him to attend Astra Academy.
Before that can happen, Gray must bond with a mystical creature to become an arcanist himself. Will he bond with a unicorn? A pegasus? A kitsune? Whatever he bonds with will determine his magical abilities, so he must choose wisely.
And when trouble finds Professor Helmith, Gray must become powerful enough to help her and fend off the terrible nightmares, before it’s too late…
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
The Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall is an engaging, fast-paced young adult fantasy. Stovall has painted a gripping world of Astra Academy where students train to be arcanists-people who can weield magic.
To become an arcanist, a person has to bond with a mystical creature. Here too, Stovall crafted numerous mystical creatures which were fun to read about.
I had previously read the first book in the Frith Chronicles series by the same author featuring the same world. I had a blast of time reading that book so, I seized the opportunity to read The Academy Arcanist.
However, I regret to say I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other book. I felt as if the protagonist’s emotions were not delved into deeply. Further, he would overcome any and all situations, including the life-threatening ones. With zero training, he could do things which trained people had difficulty in accomplishing.
Overall, it was an engaging read.
BOOK DETAILS
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Magic || Pages: 446 || Published on 23rd August 2022
Many thanks to The Write Reads for inviting me to this blog tour. Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary digital copy. It does not affect my opinion on the book at all.
AUTHOR BIO
Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.
Author Link(s): Website || Twitter
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