Arcana (Book 1 in Divination Duology) by Niki Fixtion, eBook, 482 pages
Synopsis from GoodReads: Kennedy thought she had come to terms with the fact that she would never know where she came from. Raised on Earth and bounced between foster families, she accepted her lot in life. Until a stranger offers her the chance to not only learn about her family, but magic as well. She soon finds herself diving headfirst into another realm. One where magic is not only real, but prevalent in everyday life. Where the Esotera gods have gifted people with the power of tarot. Unique abilities determined at birth and manifested in adulthood.
Now she must attend school to learn how to manifest a power she's convinced she doesn't have, find her family, and avoid being cast out to the human provinces if she fails. But the realm holds a dark secret entwined with her very existence. Will finding out where she came from be worth it all in the end?
BOOK REVIEW: THIS IS SO GOOD! Y'all I don't even know where to begin with this review. I found this author on Tiktok when she was looking for ARC readers. I am late with my review due to illness and injury in our house but when I tell you that I was sucked into this book, I am not kidding! I don't know anything about Tarot but the magic in this book is noted early on that it's kind of like the images on Tarot cards. The author lists after her Table of Contents the different types of magic in her world. What they are called and the power they yield be it mental (like Judgement can hear lies), physical (like Hermit can astral project), and worldly (like Empress can control nature like growing a plant from a seed). I was very grateful for that key!
I loved (or hated) the characters so much. She gives such great descriptions of the characters and their magic making it easy for me to follow along. I did notice that at some point someone started calling Kennedy "Nee" which like I get it's a shortened version but it was mentioned way later in the book for it to make sense to me but it didn't irritate me enough to deter from the story. That's just my own opinion.
Obviously it's a 5 star read. This is book 1 a duology and it just released on 12.1.24 so it's going to be a minute until the next book is released and if you don't like reading a book with a cliffhanger and then having to wait for the next book, you might want to hold off on this one because I legit tossed my kindle and my page turner away from me when the book ended. Like jaw on the ground cliffhanger. I love them and this is the first time in a long time that I've read a book that is part of a series that is just being released. I didn't read Harry Potter when the books were coming out until like Order of the Phoenix came out. I have the entire Eragon series to read. I had the privilege of reading the Hollis Timewire series right before the final book was coming out so I didn't have to wait between books. I'm invested in these characters. I think the only thing that had me stumbling a bit to remember the storylines is I read this way too close to Bound Souls which also deals with a female main character in her early/mid 20s, finding out she has magic, and is sent to a school to learn how to use it. There are a couple more little similarities but I won't mention them because you have to read both of these books!
Arcana is currently in the KU library. It is also available in hardback and paperback. If you love the fantasy world, magic, world building, giving this a shot. You won't regret it!
5/5 Stars
2024 Reading Challenge: 53/50 complete
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