Title: Arcanum
Author: M.C. Moulton
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: November 19, 2011
Description (from Goodreads):
Between fighting a race of magic-wielding winged monsters, scaling Krakens, blinding Cyclops, running from Sirens, and being abducted by pirates it’s all Arc Arcanum can do to keep his head on straight; literally. After losing the only home he’s ever known, and with nowhere else to turn, Arc enlists with the Human Liberation Front to help fight against a ruthless species known as the Winged Ones and stop them from unleashing a world-wide human holocaust. He quickly finds that he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he’s tasked (completely by accident) with escorting humanity’s last hope, a red-eyed android named Celeste, across the sea to one of the few remaining human safe havens. To make matters worse he’s accompanied by two fellow cadets: the feisty vixen Rose and the polyamorous playboy Prince, both of whom seem entirely set on making sure nothing goes as planned. It’s a magical journey that proves blood isn’t the only bond that makes a family.
Review:
I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.
Arcanum was hard for me to put down. The basis of it isn’t a new idea: the human race is in danger of being eradicated by another race. In this case, it’s the winged ones and they’re magical as well as downright evil.
The main characters are brought together because of their desire to fight the winged ones. They meet on a base where they’re all learning to fight and they quickly become friends. Arc finds himself the leader of this small band of “heroes” but he’s young, inexperienced, and human so, of course, he’s going to make some mistakes. Rose is beautiful – so much so that all the guys want her and all the girls are jealous of her. She’s great with a bow and arrow, though, and she’s loyal to her friends. Then there’s Prince. He’s an annoying wannabe womanizer but I couldn’t help but like him. He tries too hard to be funny and, oddly enough, he ends up being funny despite his trying too hard.
The relationships between the characters are as confusing as teen relationships in real life. For the most part they don’t know what they’re feeling or how to deal with what they’re feeling.
M.C. Moulton’s writing is easy to read and flows well. I did skip a little bit when it came to the battle scenes. They seemed a bit long but that’s a personal preference.
I definitely recommend Arcanum for both young adults and adults.
Bound 4 Escape