Review by Kara Eng, grade 12

Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole

Arcana Rising is the fourth book in the Arcana series. It picks up right where the last one left off. I’ve really enjoyed reading the other books in this series and this latest installment was not a disappointment (except for another cliffhanger, but what can you do?).

While the setting of this book is captivating, it is not the focus of the novel. By now, we’re pretty familiar with the terrain and the whole post-apocalypse thing. The main focus of this book is the Game. We’re introduced to almost all of the rest of the Arcana, and each of them has their own unique personality. None of these additional characters are just props for main characters. If they had their own books, I would read them. Kresley Cole reveals enough about the characters to draw you in, but hides enough information that you need to know more. The characters are interesting and realistic. There wasn’t a time when I totally disagreed with any of the decisions or actions that they had made/done.

The plot itself was a little more shaky. While it was incredibly interesting, it was all build up. Book 4 is clearly setting up for book 5. This can be frustrating at times, but I was too caught up in reading about the buildup to care too much. Honestly, I read this entire book in one sitting because I just had to know what was going to happen next.

Overall, I recommend that anyone who has read the series up until now to keep on reading since Arcana Rising is a wonderful continuation. If you haven’t started the series yet, I highly recommend that you do. 5/5 stars.