Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall
Ultimate Tour
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Magic
Length: 446 Pages
Published: 23rd August 2022
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Academy-Arcanist-1-Astra/dp/1957613173
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60839624-academy-arcanist?
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…
Nightmares have tortured Gray for years. He knows that something is after him, getting closer to hurting him every night. His twin brother Sorin believes him but doesn’t know how to help. His father doesn’t believe him at all. On a night when the monsters are at their worst, a woman appears in his dream. She saves Gray, introduces herself as Arcanist Professor Helmith, and invites Gray to join Astra Academy. Gray has always wanted a way out of his boring life as the son of a candlemaker on an island, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. As long as he doesn’t have to be separated from Sorin, Gray is willing to do anything to become an arcanist and meet the woman who saved his life.
Academy Arcanist is set in a universe where every person with magical powers is bound to a mythical creature. The lands are filled with unicorns, griffins, and all sorts of magical folk looking to bond. Very few are selected by these creatures to complete a Trial of Worth, and even fewer people pass their trial. Gray is faced with a very steep hill to climb to not only bond with a creature but bond with one over the other applicants who were born into arcanist families and received years of extra training.
The most interesting thing that I enjoyed about his character’s journey was his relationship with his brother. Gray was the smaller twin, always being plagued by dreams, and probably getting sick more often. Sorin was gigantic for his age, always ahead when it came to anything athletic. Seeing their relationship grow as they take on these challenges made reading more fun, especially seeing Gray adjust from a boy who felt like he lived in his brother’s shadow into a far more confident teen.
This book is a perfect read for those who enjoy magic school stories. Gray and Sorin are working hard to get into the school, and the people they meet along that journey sparked my interest to keep flying through the novel. It has the perfect balance of “planned challenges to get into magic school” and “unplanned escapades due to kids trying to find out what’s really going on.”
I’m also a sucker for books that include a dream link for the characters. It’s always fun for me to read about characters meeting in dreams and having adventures there, and then having to return to the real world. When Academy Arcanist started this way, I knew that I was in for a fun ride.
The only thing I can say to be somewhat critical of this book is that I’m not really sure how to rate it! This is a book that is clearly an introduction to a more extended series, and I feel like my final thoughts about the book cannot be said until I continue with the next installment. Some of the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as I had wanted them to be, but that could easily be remedied in book 2. I felt like the beginning dragged on for a bit before they started getting into their magic school trials, but book 2 could completely change my mind on how I feel about the pacing. This book is just begging me to read the sequel, and I can’t wait to do so.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA fantasy novel set in a magical school.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books
About the Author
Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.
If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:
Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameOverStation/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAStovall/
Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com
