Synopsis:
Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones—and forbidden magic—of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.
Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.
Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.
Review:
The premise of the book got me interested. I love me an academy setting, two rival students, a secret society and magic sounded like a combination I would enjoy a lot.
It started out interesting enough. We meet our FMC Ellory after only recently arriving at the academy and one her way home, she suddenly feels lost and has no idea where she is. It is dark and rainy, and it immediately set the stage for wanting to know what is going on.
Meeting her rival Hudson felt a bit lacklustre. We have no idea why is disrespecting her with never having met her prior.
When Ellory runs more and more into situations, that feel unnatural and she wants to find out what happens to her and the history of the academy, she must accept that she cannot do it alone and must reach out to Hudsen.
While I enjoyed the writing stile and premise, it lost me a bit in the middle. I was wondering what exactly we are going for. What is the main plot here? We covered to many things at once and instead of trying to give them all the same focus, I felt like bringing two of them at the centre could have benefited the emotional connection to the characters and story elements.
While the resolution explained a lot, I felt that the characters adopted to quickly to the situations they were in without really offering a hurdle to overcome.
What I did like was the banter between Ellory and Hudson. There interactions made me smile here and there and the connection being there, but not overtaking the story. Overall, a lot of potential, but missing some unique elements (having the main characters being Black offered some variety, but not enough) that would make it even better.
🌙 Recension: An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole
📚 Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
📅 Release Date: December 30, 2025
📖 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
📗 available in various formats
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free by NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 428
⭐️ 3.5/5
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