Arkspire

Living in a city ruled by magic does not guarantee that you will have a good life. Arkspire is ruled by the five Arcanists and they each have magical powers that relate to different parts of life and which they use to run the areas of the city in their control.

Juni and her family live in the area called the Dregs, which is controlled by the Watcher, only no one has seen this person for many years.  As time grows near for a potential replacement to be chosen, strange things start happening in the city of Arkspire. Magic seems to be getting free and Juni finds that an artefact that she has ‘liberated’ suddenly explodes and she becomes linked to the creature that is released from its prison.  What follows is a desperate attempt to uncover the hidden agendas of the Arcanists, whilst also trying to save Juni’s sister from possibly being chosen as a replacement.

What a truly fascinating and at times scary story that will have the audience longing to find the answers, but which will also have them rooting for feisty Juniper and her friends as they try and battle against a society which wants absolute control. I especially loved the character of Cinder, the creature that was released in the explosion and the way that he gradually becomes more positive about his new life and the humans who surround him.  This is a book that reminds us that ‘absolute power, corrupts absolutely’, something that we have been reminded of over the last century and we also can be guilty if we do nothing to change things when they go wrong. After what can only be described as a true roller coaster of a journey the author leaves us on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to find out what happens as the story continues.