Arkspire (Arkspire, 1)

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Soon Juni, Cinder and everyone she loves are pulled into an extraordinary world of magic, power and prestige – but also grave danger. It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie – and now only Juniper and Cinder can bring it down. Juniper Bell, an up and coming relic hunter of The Betrayers (who are the enemies of the Arcanists), with her ever optimistic partner in crime, Thea, the only two members of the Misfits, stumble across one very important relic. This one explodes, emitting colour and strange symbols into the sky… and releasing one strange and mysterious creature. One that is believed to be a dangerous enemy of the Arcanists…

Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists – a group of all-powerful magicians – have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. A triumph . . . The magic is mesmerising, the humour masterful and the adventure magnificent.' A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe.

Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who’d do anything for her family – even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem…) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder – who appears to ‘bond’ with Juni. Five Nights at Freddy's: Nexie: An AFK Book (Five Nights at Freddy's: Tales from the Pizzaplex #6) gbp prices This review would be incomplete without highlighting the gorgeous illustrations! What better combination than the author and the illustrator being the same person?! Jamie Littler’s illustrations are one of the best I’ve come across and not only do they add depth to the story, they also function as a catalyst to fuel your imagination of this well-constructed fantasy world! A thrilling adventure and astonishingly illustrated new fantasy series, from the bestselling author of Frostheart.

Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem…) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder – who appears to ‘bond’ with Juni. The only creatures like that are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists . . . and it’s not long before they turn their attention to Juni. Well, let us get this out of the way before I carry on praising everything about this book. And frankly, there was not much, IF anything that I did not like or enjoy with this book. Only one thing I will complain about is – WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER! And so I have to admit I am not the target audience of this book, clearly being a children’s fantasy book, but can I really fault the book for me being too old? Oh definitely not, and there was so much that this book had to offer to me being of an older age (maybe in body but not in maturity…) Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem...) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder - who appears to 'bond' with Juni. The only creatures like that are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists . . . and its not long before they turn their attention to Juni.

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The author's previous series began with Frostheart. Certainly at one point in Arkspire you feel the heroine will cross to another world – in The Nowhere Thief by Alice M Ross that happens aplenty. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who'd do anything for her family - even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem...) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder - who appears to 'bond' with Juni. Two sisters, Juniper and Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are growing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is an eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left out in the Badlands. Elodie is intent on getting closer to power in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, perhaps even to become the child in line to inherit the power of the Watcher, the closest to a ruler the district has, and one of the five major victors in said earlier war. Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of the whole family. But in finding something oddly magical, Juniper might just be able to gain some power of her own – for good, or for very, very bad… As I make it a point to mention in every Middle Grade review, friendships are the show stoppers of Middle Grade fiction and the friendship between Junie and Thea was something that warmed my heart! The author doesn’t shy away from discussing complicated family dynamics (I am looking at you, Elodie) and that was definitely a plus! Madame Adie and Everard were fun side characters and I would love to discover more about them in the upcoming books!

Summary: This fantasy world offers riches, and a kind of a lesson about our own circumstances, but the jolly fun is the stand-out reason for buying. If you enjoyed his Frostheart then you will love this book. I found this book to have many more moments of some lighthearted comedy while still not losing those sweet tender moments you can to love in Frostheart. His mix of the two truly make for some great moments between his characters.There is a touch of the steampunk about this, giving it something straighter fantasies don't always have. That said there is an ageless magical ability too, controlled by a few for the benefit of the many, and a class system yet to deliver from its lower ranks anyone to be one of the few. Principal, however, in reading this is a boundless energy that makes it seriously worth your attention. A hilarious and astonishingly illustrated new fantasy series, from the bestselling author of Frostheart. About This Edition ISBN: It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie – and now only Juniper and Cinder can bring it down. The heroine, Juniper Bell, is wonderfully feisty and creative and the book is peopled with vivid characters. Arkspire, the city setting for the story, is a richly imagined world, with real social divides and class issues that ring true for the present day. The magic is both scary and fantastic and the reader sees the glamour fall away from Juniper’s eyes and experience her new understanding that the way things are is not necessarily the way they should be. The heroine is flawed, she argues with her sister and does not always do the right thing. She challenges authority and the ‘religion’ of the city and that is why the reader is drawn to her. The love/hate relationship between siblings was well observed.