Prince of Swords (Arcana Academy, 2)

Nachdem mich Arcana Academy begeistert hat, waren meine Erwartungen an Prince of Swords entsprechend hoch. Gerade zweite Bände fallen für mich oft etwas ab. Das Worldbuilding rund um Oricalis und das einzigartige Magiesystem haben mich erneut komplett überzeugt. Das Pacing war bemerkbar langsamer als im ersten Band, dafür haben die vielen Twists dafür gesorgt, dass ich unbedingt weiterhören wollte. Und dieses Ende… Obwohl Band 1 bereits Hinweise gestreut hat, hat mich der Cliffhanger trotzdem eiskalt erwischt. Jetzt brauche ich Band 3 am liebsten sofort. Vielen Dank an NetGalley UK und Hodder & Stoughton Audio für das Hörbuch-Rezensionsexemplar. Das Hörbuch war für mich eine absolute 10/10….die Sprecher:innen haben die Geschichte perfekt zum Leben erweckt.

What I enjoyed most about book 1 was the magic system with tarot cards. It's such a strong concept and got me completely hooked. And I was glad to see that there is even more lore and worldbuilding around the Arcana (both Major and Minor). I also really enjoyed spending more time with Kaelis. There is much more to him than first meets the eye, and I loved seeing his character unfold. The romance continues to develop, and even though the spice descriptions made me cringe at times - I can always just fast forward. :) The pacing at the start and middle was a bit slow, so that I did not know if this book would eventually catch my interest - but be assured it's worth hanging in there. And then came the ending. I genuinely just stared at the page for a while. It left me completely speechless and immediately pushed book 3 onto my list of most anticipated upcoming releases. Another one of these immersive readings I was so lucky to get. Listening to the audiobook while having the ebook at hand let me dive deep into this fascinating world. 4/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @delreybooks and @hodderbooks for the eARCs! #PrinceOfSwords #NetGalley #Bookstagram

This book was absolutely everything I hoped for after I devoured the first book already. And now the sequel was just as interesting, heartbreaking and I just could not stop reading it. Clara and Kaelis will absolutely always have my heart and I love how both of them are on the morally grey part of morality and it’s matching sooo well. The dynamic between both of them developed in a way after book one that was absolutely realistic with their story in mind - I loved it. (And of course we should not forget Priss, she’s the actual star of that relationship) Otherwise the story of full of political intrigue and sooo many heartbreaking moments. If you have any triggers- better check them out before. Especially Arinas story was heavy… I loved how we met old characters from book one, how propaganda managed to make friends into foes and how you couldn’t trust anyone. Yeah, and about that ending? I am not well. Not at all. Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!