Kresley Cole’s New York Times bestselling Arcana Chronicles series comes to a spectacular and fiery conclusion in this final installment.
When even the gods hold their breath . . .
To defeat the Emperor and Fortune, Evie, the great Empress of Arcana, must repair her bond with Death, despite the earth-shattering developments between them.
And danger lurks in every shadow . . .
Their allies—a sea witch, a band of roving warriors, and more than a couple of rogues—overcome terrifying obstacles to help them. But when Jack makes a shocking discovery, the fallout threatens to tear their alliance apart.
One girl could deliver salvation—or doom.
If the Empress and her friends can remain united, will their powers be enough to defeat a catastrophic curse on the world, or will hellfire reign forever? The end looms for us all until the best hand wins. . . .
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From the Grave has been a difficult story to review. I finished it over a week ago (at the time of writing this review) and I’m still not sure how to rate it. I’ll start by explaining why I haven’t given it a star rating before I discuss the points that I enjoyed. It might come across as a little vague to keep it spoiler-free.
Essentially, the big surprises/reveals at the end of this series weren’t my thing. They contained elements that I have tried in the past and didn’t particularly enjoy, so now I generally avoid books with said elements.
Since they were part of the big surprise ending, this was not something I could have known before requesting the ARC. This is simply a personal preference. However, I know several people who enjoy books with these types of situations and I plan on recommending this series to them.
That all being said, I have always been a huge fan of Kresley Cole. I’ve spent the last 12 years reading and re-reading her books. To date, there are only two that I have yet to read–something I plan to remedy when I get the chance.
As a fan of her work, I was already familiar with her fun writing style and intricate world-building. (Honestly, her world-building is insanely expansive and detailed!). So, I knew to expect the same with From the Grave, which she delivered.
Kresley is also fantastic at creating a huge range of characters in depth. There were no flat 2D characters here. Each has their own backstories, feelings, and decision-making processes. Even when I didn’t agree with their decisions, I could understand that the choices were in line with who they were as characters.
I also enjoyed many of the side characters, and if this wasn’t a series about characters fighting to the death, I absolutely would’ve wanted several to have spin-offs.
Overall, I think people who enjoy the elements revealed at the end are going to absolutely love this book. As previously mentioned, I have several friends who I know enjoy books like this and I plan to recommend this series to them!
Also, while this series was originally considered YA, I feel that it somewhat crosses over into NA territory. I enjoyed that it was a bit different from her usual subgenres (historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotica), and I highly recommend you check out her other series while you’re at it!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC.
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Buy From the Grave today!
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Want more books similar to From the Grave? Check out these titles!
Kiss the Fae – Natalia Jaster
A Trial of Sorcerers – Elise Kova
A Fate of Wrath and Flame – KA Tucker
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