Review--The Dark Calling by Kresley Cole

New intrigues, adventures, and stunning revelations fill the penultimate installment of #1 New York Times best-selling author Kresley Cole’s electrifying Arcana Chronicles.

In a world teetering on the edge . . .
When Evie receives life-changing—and possibly game-changing—news, she has trouble believing it. Why doesn’t she feel any different? Is it possible someone she trusts might be lying?


With enemies at every turn . . .
Tensions seethe inside the castle of lost time as Evie starts to doubt her own sanity. Answers can be found outside their stronghold, but will Death help her find them—or prevent her from learning the truth about her future and Jack’s possible survival?


Darkness beckons.
A mysterious, sinister power begins to affect the Arcana in its path. Forced out into the wasteland alone, Evie must depend on unexpected allies. But as a battle with Richter looms, can her new alliance defeat the Dark Calling before hell reigns on earth?

Never has a series kept me so gripped, so suspended in the ecosphere as Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles! It’s the end of the world as we know it and a war is still to come. The long game between all the Arcana is still at play, but the end is near, very near. The Dark Calling is the latest thrilling installment in this extraordinary series that has captured my heart since day one, or day zero, lol! Every book has kept me so thoroughly engrossed with the story and characters I can never get enough of it! The pages just fly by and I find myself always wanting more because this series is just that incredibly awesome!

Evie and Aric have just come to a startling revelation, Evie is pregnant! What’s more, Paul, Aric’s medic and friend, most likely lied to Evie when he gave her a contraceptive shot as she wasn’t wanting to bring a child into this world anytime soon. Evie is convinced Paul is up to something, that he is an enemy who must be punished, but Aric is reluctant to kill off one of his few companions. Evie even begins to question her own sanity over events and other things and she isn’t sure who she can trust, herself included. But then, all doubts are cast aside as the unidentified card is finally revealed. Paul is the Hanged Man.

Part of Paul’s powers is being able to reverse other player’s tarot cards, making them become the opposite of who they are. For some reason, Evie is unaffected by his powers, but Aric and Lark are not and when Paul comes into his powers, Evie finds herself alone with no friends on her side. She manages to escape Paul’s sphere of power with the help from Joules and Kentarch.

If you’re wanting to dive into a series that’s packed with action, this is it! While the action may not be all battling and journeying, there’s always something going on in this series. Every moment has a powerful impact to the situation at hand. There’s always a goal or destination in mind for the characters and they strive to get to it at any means, and of course along the way shenanigans happen!

There’s an added kind of tension for Evie’s predicament this time around, for she’s pregnant. The danger just got more real for her, add in the fact that Aric, her lover and father of her child wants to kill her, you can say things are pretty tense! How much more tension addled can things get at this point? I’m glad you asked! How about the reappearance of Jack?! Yes, Jack returns as we knew previously he was still alive and had let Evie go so that she could have a happy life with Aric, but when fate has them collide together again, he’s not wanting to walk away again.

I know I’ve mentioned this in my previous reviews of this series, but omg, can we talk about the romance? Never, and I mean NEVER have I ever felt so, SO conflicted over what guy I want Evie to end up with! Her struggle is real! There’s Jack who she survived so many dangers with, endure long hardships and journeying all over the place after the flash that ended the world took place. They grew to love one another and I fell hard for that guy just as she did. Then there’s Aric, Death himself. They have a shared history with one another, not all of it was pretty either. They manage to overcome all that past and pain and find love with one another again. Both men love Evie more than life itself, more than they value their own lives and they even respect one another! They are almost kinda sorta friends! It’s insane!!  I feel like every time Evie gets closer to one of them, I am wanting her with the other and she even feels this way too at times. That being said, you can expect there to be plenty of toe-curling moments with Evie and the guys.

The ending leaves things unsettled. Much was resolved, but there’s still a lot left unresolved. There’s one final book to come in this series and it’s going to be explosive! Whether I survive it or not is the question, lol! That and like a dozen other ones too! Richter, public enemy number one still needs to be defeated, whether they end the game for true or not. It’s safe to say that the next book will be focusing on him and the ensuing battle to come! This final book will bring about the end to a lot of things and I am not sure my heart is ready for that, but at the same time, I am so desperately dying to know what will happen!!

The Arcana Chronicles is without a doubt one of the most thrilling and spine-gripping series out there! It’s tarot cards come to life as they battle it out in an end all war! Only one can win, only one can survivor and gain immortality, until the next game that is. If you haven’t picked this series up yet, I highly recommend that you do! It’s one of my most favorite series ever and has cemented itself on said list a long time ago! I highly recommend checking it out!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars