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…
I absolutely adore Shami Stovall’s Frith Chronicles series so when I saw that there was another series set in the same world at an indeterminant time later I was delighted.
Shami’s writing style in incredibly readable and as I was already familiar with the world I felt right at home. We get to meet new people as they strive to become Arcanists (bonded to a magical creature). This time our protagonists are aiming to do so with the help of an academy that not only offers training to existing Arcanists and their Eldrin but also offers those who would not usually get the opportunity to try and bond – either through geographic or financial restrictions – a chance to try and bond with magical creatures who have chosen to be housed in the academies menagerie.
Like Volke in the Frith Chronicles, Gray is determined to become an Arcanist, not only because it would take him out of his poor town but because something keeps trying to hunt him down in his dreams and he needs to protect himself. So taking his twin brother along he heads off to the academy.
I loved the menagerie scenes where we got to spend time with some creatures not explored in depth in pervious series, the bonding process is always a great part of the story.
I thought the choices of Eldrin for Gray and his brother Sorin were interesting as were those of their eventual classmates – it’s nice to get to learn about other creatures, but I’m also delighted that we get to spend time with a Knightmare again – they are my favourites!
Gray was at times hard to like – he complained a lot and spent a lot of time trying to mould his brother to be a different person because he found him embarrassing. Gray did improve throughout the book so there is hope he will be easier to like going forwards.
An interesting start to a series and I will certainly be reading others (I have book two downloaded to read as I type this)
With thanks to The Write Reads and Shami Stovall for inviting me on the tour.
Academy Arcanist is available now.
Mug Full of Books 