Knightmare Arcanist

At the age of fifteen, Volke has not been dealt the best hand in life. Both of his parents were criminals, and, living in a society where status means everything, the best he could do with his life from a young age was to become an apprentice for the gravedigger William. Also working under William is Volke’s “sister,” Illia, an orphan whose parents were killed by pirates. Both Volke and Illia have the dream of becoming arcanists – people who bond with a magical creature and take on their magic, thus making the two more like one.

A ritual is performed every ten years at the island of Ruma, in which the schoolmaster selects students to compete to bond with two phoenixes. It just so happens that this year is a special year because tradition states that certain people, such as gravediggers, aren’t allowed to be involved in the ceremony. However, Volke is choosing to ignore this. Fast-forward after the competition, he is not chosen to bond with a phoenix but later finds a knightmare who will bond with him by the name of Luthair. Luthair’s mission in life is to seek revenge on the killer of his first arcanist and to eradicate The Plague that is taking over magical creatures. Volke experiences the Plague first-hand in a magical creature, and now he must strengthen his magic and work with Luthair to defeat a currently unbeatable foe.

Shami Stovall’s novel, Knightmare Arcanist is not quite like anything else I have read. It has similar features to other fantasy works of art, such as Harry Potter, Avatar, and Percy Jackson. Being the first book in the Frith Chronicles, I look forward to the next books in this series, as this one kept my attention and was a different read than other more normal real-life stories. The story is fast-paced and an easy read but doesn’t skimp on any of the extras, such as adventure and relationships. Good versus bad and nice versus entitled are different themes that are brought up in the story. The final chapters are full of suspense and intrigue, where you are led to believe one thing but then discover the truth. The characters are all a little different in their personalities and actions, yet they work well with each other and learn through their time together. I would recommend this book to lovers of young adult novels who enjoy fantasy.