Book 57, 2023
Arcane Rising by Nicole R. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I completed an ebook last night--Arcane Rising, which is the first in the urban fantasy series "Darkland Druids" by Nicole R Taylor. The main character is Elspeth Quarrie, who learns her entire life has been a lie.
After her father passed, leaving her alone in the world, Elspeth travels from Australia to Scotland in hopes of learning more about her father and any other family she may have. Not long after she arrives and sets out to explore, Elspeth is accosted in a graveyard and nearly abducted by a dark creature masquerading as a human. She finds help from an unlikely ally, Rory Mackenzie, but Elspeth turns the tables and ends up saving Rory using magic she did not know she possessed. Rory tells her she is a Druid, the same as he is, and he takes her to the underground dwelling place of the Druids who are trapped on this plane and unable to return to their home. There, Rory begins teaching Elspeth how to control her powers, but not all is sunshine and roses. The other Druids view her with suspicion and hostility. Elspeth later learns it's because she is only half Druid. Her mother was a Fae, meaning she never should have existed.
This story was interesting and it held my attention. I think I would have preferred a slower build, however. Instead, the entire story was almost an info dump. Both Elspeth and the reader were bombarded by new revelations constantly. I also would have appreciated it more if she had gradually come into her powers, instead of shifting so quickly from 'I am an ordinary person' to 'I have ALL THE POWER!' And, I'm throwing this out there:
- I am betting that Ignis turns out to be Elspeth's father.
Favorite lines:
♦ I wondered what chaos today would bring.
♦ "Here comes your hourly existential crisis."
♦ "I feel like I've been tricked into thinking you're more awesome than you really are."
I would dearly love to give this 3 1/2 stars, as that's what it deserves in my opinion. Since halfsies aren't an option, I'll be kind and bump it up to a score of four.