Happy Saturday, friends! Today I’m excited to share my review for Academy Arcanist by Shami Stovall as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads.

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour and to the author for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

TL;DR: Academy Arcanist is a fast-paced YA fantasy that’s a little bit dark and filled with a lot of magic! If you love magical creatures/companions in your fantasies then there’s no doubt that you will love this world and the magical system linked to forming a life-long unbreakable bond with a supernatural animal. The characters were intriguing, the plot was mysterious (if not a little predictable) and I adored the found family vibes that always come with starting a new life in a magical academy. Although I struggled with the main character and his perspective at times, there was never a moment I didn’t root for his success. This is a great start to a series and I can’t wait to see where this goes next!

Several years ago I read another book by this author and I don’t know why I never continued with that series (also set in this world of arcanists) because I remember really enjoying it. I was excited to dive back into this world and Stovall didn’t disappoint!

This reads very easily in that the language used was straightforward and the descriptions were not overly elaborate while still being enough to allow you to vividly picture the surroundings and sink into the setting. Little bits of the world’s history are dropped along the way as some parts of the lore play a role in the main plot but for the most part, we get to learn about the magic system alongside our MC, Gray—and it’s a really fun and great system! We meet a wide array of mythical animals or eldrin that have magical abilities and trials of worth that a human must pass in order to bond with them. I loved learning about the different creatures and their trials and it was fascinating to see the abilities that each one possesses and bestows upon their arcanist. It’s clever, inventive and fun!

Throughout the story, we also meet quite a few characters that come along for the journey and become compelling side characters you will definitely want to learn more about. However, the story focuses on Gray and his journey to become an arcanist to protect himself and solve the mystery of the nightmares that have caused deaths. Gray is… a fifteen-year-old boy. He’s emotional, he’s easily embarrassed, he’s judgmental, and he thinks he knows everything and can do everything better than anyone else. He has a bit of a holier-than-thou attitude that at times was a bit exasperating and I was worried, especially at the start, that I would end up not enjoying this because of how irritating I found him to be. That said, I admired his tenacity and how he never gave up searching for answers. I also appreciated that he has a genuine love and appreciation for his twin brother and the heartfelt moments between them—when Gray would actually allow himself to feel and be vulnerable—made it possible for me to tolerate his stinky attitude. 😂 I’m hoping that the author wrote Gray in such a way to show how he develops as an individual and arcanist throughout the series.

Another character that made Gray tolerable was Twain, the most precious eldrin to probably ever exist! He’s freaking ADORABLE and I just wanted to scoop him up and cuddle him forever, lol. His grumpiness, sass and personality were so fun! Other characters I really liked were Sorin with his sweet, gentle-hearted, ever-optimistic and supportive personality. He’s this lumbering giant of a teenager which stands in contrast to his cinnamon roll persona. I loved him! 😍 The bond that he starts to form with fellow “outcast” Nini was also very sweet and I loved how supportive he (and even Gray) were of her despite how everyone else treated her. I can’t wait to learn more about her!

The plot has a little bit of mystery to it and though it was easy to predict what would happen, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all. The main storyline does slow down slightly in the middle but it was balanced by the interesting world-building, academy life, magic practice and eldrin bonding, which definitely held my attention the whole time. I really liked the magical school setting and seeing this motley group of very different young adults learn to be in each other’s orbit. Overall, I think this was a solid first book in a series and I’m looking forward to seeing where the adventure goes next.

Have you read Academy Arcanist or is it on your TBR?

• Follow me on Goodreads!
• Follow me on Twitter!
• Follow me on Instagram!