Review--Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole

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

When the battle is done . . .
The Emperor unleashes hell and annihilates an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind--but Circe strikes 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?

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

BE FOREWARNED! There are SPOILERS from previous books in this review!! If you haven’t read Dead of Winter yet, then be aware that there are SPOILERS pertaining it in this review!!

OH. MY. GOD. That was my reaction after finishing Kresley Cole’s Arcana Rising!! It was a phenomenal read! This series…this series has had me hooked so deeply ever since the first book. Never has a series kept me so gripped! Yes, I’ve loved many a read, but there’s something totally and inexplicably different about Kresley’s The Arcana Chronicles. And I must say I love it soooo very much!

Evie is in state of turmoil! Having witnessed Jack’s death she can’t function. Her goal is to find Tess and make her take her back in time to rescue him. But naturally, things go awry from the get-go. Separated from Aric within moments of the start of the novel, Evie is on a mission and she will do everything possible to succeed. She must bring Jack back, she must tell him yes and give him the ribbon…the one that signifies her choice that she wants him. And it’s during this mission that she meets a new Arcana player, Sol.

If you’ve read Day Zero, you’ll already know a bit about him. He’s the Sun card basically and can harness powers of the sun. Plus he has control over Baggers and his two lovers are baggers as well, but they are more special to him. Evie enlists or forces him to help her get back to Fort Arcana where Tess is.

It’s so hard to describe the high points of this story without getting into too many details. Evie has a plan, but naturally, there’s going to be more to it than that! Never fear, Evie will not be solo in this book. We get some reconnections and we also get a point of view of another character who shall remain nameless. They—improper English to save you from spoilers—don’t get many chapters but even some was enough! There’s lots going on even where Evie isn’t at the moment. And soon the goal becomes KILL THE EMPEROR!!!

I was surprised to see that that confrontation didn’t quite make it to the pages. There was some buildup to it, in a sense, but I definitely see it playing a larger part in the next story! And there will be more! HUZZAH!!

Now romance! Because it HAS to be discussed! Never has a love triangle ever had me SO conflicted before. Generally I pick my team…sometimes I’m right, other times I’m wrong, and a few times I am so very, very wrong (but we won’t discuss that! Lol!), but with this series, I’ve yet to pick my team! I have literally gone back and forth in every book! Book 1= Jack, Book 2= Aric, Book 3= I’m SO CONFLICTED! LITERALLY CHANGING MY MIND EVERY COUPLE OF PAGES! Book 4 has me on one side, but for reasons I can’t discuss! And really, you can probably guess who it is, but I will remain vague! And I will say that there is plenty of smexy moments in this one! Some that has my toes curling and thinking WOW! This is definitely for a more mature YA crowd, so be advised of that if you want to recommend to teens!

I will admit that the action was a little slow in this one, but the TENSION more than makes up for it! Evie is first racing against the clock to find Tess and have her go back in time to rescue Jack and the sooner she gets there, the better the odds. Then there’s just more tension between Evie and Aric for if you recall, she was choosing Jack at the end of Dead of Winter. So he’s hurt and not feeling the friendly vibes with her when she’s wanting to be pals again. That kind of had me wanting to give her a knock on the noggin. And of course the sexual tension between them still remains because even when Aric is mad at her, he still loves her. So yes, this book basically held me gripped from the beginning and wouldn’t let go until its end. Then it left me in agony because I NEED TO KNOW MORE NOW!!! Agh!!

Another bit of a bombshell was the lack of involvement Evie's grandmother had. It was such a big goal of Evie to get to her grandmother and when Aric delivers her to Evie, it was kind of just poof'! And then Evie rarely spent time with her. I just thought she would play a good role in the story for Evie, in helping her. Her character was kind of surprising too. I didn't really care for her, but in a way that's kudos to Kresley on how she wrote her! And that's all I'll say about that!

Needless to say that this one ended with a pretty hefty cliffhanger. I mean it was BIG! Not only the shocking bomb drop that was given at the end, but also a teeny piece that connected to it! And then there’s still tons of unresolved issues regarding many players! So much we don’t know and then I started furiously clicking my kindle expecting to see more pages of awesome story, but it was THE END!! The most tragic words to read (even figuratively) mid series!! And sometimes even in the last book, but that can sometimes yield to a happy smile…this was no such scenario though because this series is not over yet…thank goodness!

The Arcana Chronicles is one intense and enthralling series! It’s so remarkable that my heart pretty much races the entire time I am reading it! It’s DEEP! It’s beautiful! It’s engaging and thrilling, and romantic, and sad, and oh god, there are not enough words for me to describe this series! It leaves me speechless as well as breathless! The next book cannot come out soon enough, that’s all I have to say! LOL! So yes, if you’re looking for that Paranormal (ish) YA read I would SO recommend this series because while not paranormal in the traditional sense, it’s still got that dark magic vibe and of course dystopian apocalyptic. And even now, as I try to end this review with a nice catchy word of praise, I remain speechless because there just aren’t enough words! Well done, Kresley, well done!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars