Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall

Source: Purchased – Thank you Past Sarah!
TL;DR: Magical Creatures + Magical School with Saturday Morning Cartoon Vibes!

Plot: Volke and his sister gain magical creatures and join a magical school and it’s a FANTASTIC adventure
Characters: The characters were diverse and super interesting!
Setting: It is just beginning to introduce the world, but so far I’m loving the scope of it
Magic: The best part by far. The creatures all bestow unique magics and I cannot wait to see what other creatures we’ll meet moving forward

Thoughts:

This is pitched as Pokemon + Magical school. I’d like to add in ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes’.

Not going to lie on this one, the beginning had me a little concerned. I knew it started young, and it does read young at first. However, once past the initial few chapters, which were good for what they were, you truly get pulled into the story and the rest of the book more than makes up for it.

The cast is varied, and I ended up both loving and hating them (a fantastic mix). Though the story felt a hair predictable I was always surprised by side character actions and (best of all) Shami Stovall’s creativity with the creatures and magic in this world. It was SO good! I loved the ideas she had, the variety of magical creatures we saw and the different magic each had.

I will be continuing the series and highly recommend it if the initial pitch sounds up your street.

5 Arcanist Stars out of 5