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yogicath's review
5.0
This is book one of the Arcane Academy and the main character is seventeen year old Marlowe Thorn, who lived in a poor area of Manchester, and after first her father and then her mother walked out of their home and never returned, she was left to fend for herself and got mixed up in petty crime. She is what is classed as an inert, someone with slight kinetic powers, something nearly everybody on the planet gained, when rockets were sent up into the atmosphere to help with problems with the ozone layer. Somehow, those in privileged situations have ended up with powerful kinetic powers, whilst those from poorer areas were mostly inert, barely able to produce any sort of kinetic powers. She was the latter and used her slight powers for a life of crime to steal items, until she was caught and put in to a detention centre until she went to court. It was the first time she had been caught, but it seemed the judges weren’t looking to be lenient and were sending her to a young offender’s institution for a custodial sentence, rather than a community payback order as she’d hoped for. The only other option is to compete for a place at the Arcane Academy’s Umbra House, more commonly known as the House of Shadows, the house for inerts. Only major issue with that is that over half of the applicants don’t make it through the test, it is deadly! She grabs the chance rather than be locked up again, causing most in court, including her social worker, to be shocked. The main kinetic powers the students have are the ability to manipulate the four elements, via geokinesis, aquakinesis, pyrokinesis and aerokinesis, and also shadows.
She and a few others end up at the Arcane Academy, where the best graduate to go and work at the Agency, an organization that was set up to monitor kinetics. It is against the law not to register and kinetic powers. Most graduates would get into low level admin jobs for the Agency, but they would be a lot better off than those from the poorer areas, who had no such chance of a job, never mind well paid! A written test and then practical tests follow and only Marlowe and another boy called Liam are left standing at the end. Something strange occurs and only Marlowe gets a place at the Academy, but the way she got in doesn’t gain her any friends. She ends up in a shared dorm room with a number of other girls, one called Jessy, who helps show her around and get through some hard times. Marlowe somehow manages to catch the eye of an older student, Culhane, who was the marshal at the water part of the test, but his apparent girlfriend Brooke doesn’t want him talking to such a nobody as she sees Marlowe! A short time after she arrives, one of her roommates turns up dead and Marlowe doesn’t believe it to have been an accident or a suicide, like those in charge of the Academy seem to call it! She tries to look into it and has to earn a few favours, to help her, with a dangerous task as part of it. Culhane tries to warn her to leave it alone, but she doesn’t know if he is warning her for good reason, or because he may be mixed up in the deadly conspiracy linked to the Academy and the Agency. Something strange is going on and Marlowe seems to be getting into the thick of it! There seems to be so much more to come as Marlowe learns more about her kinetic powers and how they may increase whilst she is at the Academy, giving her a better chance of a future. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing what part Marlowe and Culhane will play in finding out the truth! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
She and a few others end up at the Arcane Academy, where the best graduate to go and work at the Agency, an organization that was set up to monitor kinetics. It is against the law not to register and kinetic powers. Most graduates would get into low level admin jobs for the Agency, but they would be a lot better off than those from the poorer areas, who had no such chance of a job, never mind well paid! A written test and then practical tests follow and only Marlowe and another boy called Liam are left standing at the end. Something strange occurs and only Marlowe gets a place at the Academy, but the way she got in doesn’t gain her any friends. She ends up in a shared dorm room with a number of other girls, one called Jessy, who helps show her around and get through some hard times. Marlowe somehow manages to catch the eye of an older student, Culhane, who was the marshal at the water part of the test, but his apparent girlfriend Brooke doesn’t want him talking to such a nobody as she sees Marlowe! A short time after she arrives, one of her roommates turns up dead and Marlowe doesn’t believe it to have been an accident or a suicide, like those in charge of the Academy seem to call it! She tries to look into it and has to earn a few favours, to help her, with a dangerous task as part of it. Culhane tries to warn her to leave it alone, but she doesn’t know if he is warning her for good reason, or because he may be mixed up in the deadly conspiracy linked to the Academy and the Agency. Something strange is going on and Marlowe seems to be getting into the thick of it! There seems to be so much more to come as Marlowe learns more about her kinetic powers and how they may increase whilst she is at the Academy, giving her a better chance of a future. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing what part Marlowe and Culhane will play in finding out the truth! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
nessan651's review
5.0
Not too bad
This feels like xmen with extra special powers.
I loved this and it wasn't too bad.
I love Marlowe and I think she's only gonna get better.
Can't wait to start book 2 now
This feels like xmen with extra special powers.
I loved this and it wasn't too bad.
I love Marlowe and I think she's only gonna get better.
Can't wait to start book 2 now
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