Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Arcana: A Novel of the Sylvani
Arcana: A Novel of the Sylvani
Arcana: A Novel of the Sylvani
Ebook359 pages5 hours

Arcana: A Novel of the Sylvani

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

"Leake weaves together a beautifully rendered historical setting, magic and romance in this stunning debut." Elizabeth May, author of The Falconer

Amid the sumptuous backdrop of the London season in 1905, headstrong Katherine Sinclair must join the ranks of debutantes vying for suitors. Unfortunately for Katherine, she cannot imagine anything more loathsomeor dangerous. To help ease her entrance into society, Katherine’s family has elicited the assistance of the Earl of Thornewood, a friend and London’s most eligible bachelor, to be her constant companion at the endless fetes and balls. But upon her arrival in London, Katherine realizes there will be more to this season than just white gowns and husband hunting.

Through her late mother’s enchanted diary, Katherine receives warning to keep hidden her otherworldly ability to perform arcana, a magic fueled by the power of the sun. Any misstep could mean ruinand not just for her family name. The Order of the Eternal Sun is everywherehunting for those like her, able to feed on arcana with only a touch of the hand.

But society intrigue can be just as perilous as the Order. The machinations of the fashionable elite are a constant threat, and those who covet Katherine’s arcana, seeking the power of her birthright, could be hiding behind the facade of every suitoreven the darkly handsome Earl of Thornewood.

With so much danger and suspicion, can she give her heart to the one who captivates her, or is he just another after her power?

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherTalos
Release dateJan 5, 2016
ISBN9781940456577
Arcana: A Novel of the Sylvani
Author

Jessica Leake

Jessica Leake is the author of the adult novels Arcana and The Order of the Eternal Sun, both with Skyhorse. She worked for years as a psychotherapist, but even though she loved her clients, she couldn’t stop writing. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, four young children, lots of chickens, and two dogs who keep everyone in line. Beyond a Darkened Shore is her YA debut and is followed by Through the White Wood. Visit her at www.jessicaleake.com.

Read more from Jessica Leake

Related to Arcana

Related ebooks

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Arcana

Rating: 4.277777666666667 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

18 ratings4 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed this - the romance was predictable (although, honestly, I kind of think they all are) but it was fun getting there. Made me think of Mary Robinette Kowal. The author isn't as good a writer,but for a debut novel it was very good.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Katherine Sinclair has the power of arcana, magic drawn from the power of the sun. Her mother was a Sylvan, passing the power down to her children. Katherine's arcana is particularly powerful, with the ability to heal. However, with power comes responsibility and in the early 1900's, Katherine must be careful to not be accused of being a witch. At the age of debut, Katherine and her younger sister are sent away from their country estate where they have the freedom to roam and ride horses to the stuffy and rule-filled London season with their Grandmother. Katherine must make her debut amid London society and find a suitor that will not betray her and her gift. Luckily, she has her mother's enchanted journal for guidance which warns her of two suitors, each with their own intentions. I loved the premise of this book, a girl born with magic fueled by the sun who must be careful with how she practices her magic, or be called a witch. Katherine, or Wren, is a great character. She would rather be racing horses with her brother, has an incredibly quick wit and is compassionate and caring. The descriptions of the London debut season were elegant, with the gowns, carriages and dances. The two men that Katherine must choose between are presented early and each of their intentions become obvious rather quickly. The majority of the book is Katherine vying for the attentions of each man, quickly finding out which one means her harm and then regaining the attentions of the other. These parts dragged a bit for me, however, there were some racier romantic parts that piqued my interest. I would have loved to see the magic and paranormal aspects woven into Katherine's story a bit more, the land of Sylvani was intriguing and I would have loved to see what else could be done with the powers of arcana.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Love the characters! A fun and romantic adventure to read.

Book preview

Arcana - Jessica Leake

6/abook_preview_excerpt.html}}ےF寠癕kc3*+u[iZ-cP $E=G|ɜs#2ڦFb@_w}u?|M_]_Oa.mMw_b݄O}c?^9)s3SS؜]G1í90%᛹vpnx8wIG&7Ò}O'$tSbxq\1Kcgl/|//2u,av_2,# FfsoM~&l4u-wxn~j<iy\ω}qĐox!؇Xկx\]|Qv_急c˼[e0۩p C}jonCe61]3_-$jrAP_|v?L8x"S-菒} AZ>Q"̣_aA)mjDiはחqNT0xګtX5S(r# hn LiGK  l,4} _s3kmOP& <ډ2!WCyS2MchfrRwzjgfoD 0ӟ]Fz6S<éUClEE\1F8ՠ,R,˂˳՘p4B*-cp ")}u\Z&1Z\C-kW̮9a:Qc>cu}s[S}AGK[oڶ7_MDAI[ַ41Ue_9 < .C&7 oڛ2VUDv~C͝%W3"8S)}ub3@|^:誠t:f茴gfJpQEZ=5a:eۼDdHOX 8+$9x)N|jDSwsV!"*#b/~ҵɬ|uG[2~t :ɯ@$0J8p=wPHlħXШ Th,ZSy0J޻;D :*<X#qhsQLA6Bbq^c+A(H>؏oXCl=CTѠ+@ ϵ0S1 ;8-#A駒IŞpRYhO }[)f 6dꆋbFPO= J.qaRщf[8/DQ "n537ƕ63Aw, |\SߨCf+dpy20D' o#ruÞHy yXBM΁~II? IKtLΊmSq*_ı"+r|h~ƿr0_N?o1p H"P&,|Ғ-j<{W*L̪lrԦ%0w͠mbFE)# sE' 6fhThlV Ko 9l|ϠBuАAn7'h#I~!->lc+[B56GRgsWb=r1@ HABI:+"yyk>Ülf`ZB0gÕ4&o~/2t`D>%zcψTj9SO7LE@|q}Թq@+-M_&_J{G۹ʈVa|\͡6z7$)1>wSK{{ ?[wKzy&OW\\Mir*KQ4VitB$YНPcD8\H%/ߕB`$Ki0i:^ gQ;a.K`6>4_Ʀ҅У|p:῜dH:NF<451T@Oro:e^@F鑁\hU+PqŬkhJ<%E6-eOB:S{;Ub8~ٱ/$Z,YL0Z?(3| Pc{dAǡY|ԎhVuGF >po54\OdwKf #3\}8f,#0. B~xO:(LԶg-JρRbd/`UڕGv(u5wnF'˔(Aer IiL33s/i%Ĝ 48Wd:)٘!~x2xis#"d`@}[=HGS{b`92W$Ɩsݩ fx?\ݻ V+jvО,- ?'%l[1r GXZt&z>8OP0 b1!?,G10yҳJNKT=4-{P'pj!Z1c C!Fj0Ŗu$|z?y8qy k2֗)sn۴T2~J}I=ӛ$-+%ȗɷݫMMR պҚowip@ߖxB~YO(i%HҪ:Ed42J!UDqH *$fL/p B+?zR]uiNҪ.MD;xo@NDcAaPf2mNb5LGȗg֧ʃ%Ap>~K}%ן?4h!:g#%逛|qzfy"R#x/[mċKo"Rh`s-p뀯AvŹ41Y-O aS`RmlDz=~g(ِ%ɩi^C7*#P # xX֧e #p'BmE4я*XɄn w7֚Mqߌj˱`mQD[#U!ߠ9OCǟ [ƫUds1wnVRݘIQ°ZoH&),R`o$bGSmM\.VXmL_T5ևv]:YrUTP怋= )i5z=:ƌ"FZg`g8w #w6Jbt֚v.*US;c&:w®ҢΛr5,PgTM Yυz)-Q$x17s^k@CiuZ8vg†-5Ԛ Vx༓Eu0+Ui5ܝ iǫsG)ǿ#VBPu5?PXc4D^Y/ZKjc^-+Ɨ\:EdrS=A "@#ƪY}9wXnWU}KAֿN?%Y+~1:8EK7f7ToK9|nCGs{a7 }tj'uI9tVBLNBʃ2Sl#vZFXp,q8MJЏi>^.g:1QQ["5chWаAݣwX%Al%E}3aZUEM<ס֔deeT|_npE.pX}JƝ t\RVxք>8r)4wtv:r:4 ϡ /UXٸĒǠ,|=b8#.)lXOC30{.l .7aR{.tT_W/5dDIJ&O o_ť6X_|FJ7aگ6x}nM&s\j~*0 Zq1A lv({hƑ\Y\X-y?EzAtMr9P'p͝<7HPin۩m55X$$"$s`εHR.۠ ]8dBV4šbe 6g\ND8 ;P>l>}#0oՂ3L^ehZ :[A|^5@|6QQs6"elQ%E$z6{Oy\R^%X'fz"ZF8j-8a5Sj #ۜ1}EŸ SӺ ^dVSS}-\>/eVGy!ֹx  ٚF>$YH}.F䔂0 Ru;2}N0Λ tfW~!JF2Vۼ01X53曪Z 8nj7@Q_cT>-sQ*cPC`d6`1ŤAʣ{a&od'acqsvr*> vc_KJ y|.s/j[~DZjPwחO[Ÿm~Tq.[(j^uOOiK&휐,+mM&?ҫ+7d%nm5?<Z 43z6RħC=X(8YUqlOdNRLF]y`ߖSυ& Lb3: 'No {q8hVy8/ǣZ}B>,N[1`4($h K3"'-f( Rw1u[ _cLj6J!@>^!6ܕfŕwV#NXvj M2-)HHfxԵ9(Zݬڱpv3Srg-|^Ol}qrĊda84Msc$٭ME<ކ5hVfl'xOeٚ.&Ff^ :ɔgZFQOAT'X8sp:< pVΔ"{ tF{XɥI!z&JmymY'>jNq՚jhƫI ]7RӴpuxaļhK+}cNVߔRʁ6X9nn )6d L<XQgky\=%æL& tZ _sz^Ik}ޱծ!i'LR2urFoڹ].'v/c=9xM\Aj=w+iVWc w @}BQ+"p1qo]BR`^DinkTVZuq<5ZkT/Ƴao.)ąu!ipNŤXDB鼜aMd L Ԋ?ڙ;XwSʗx`pkpQHV{xSӲ#q{TH+BѳV P t-I8;lR|rZuCa0DGxC|+jW߉92> Z:aoǐrq\x\rmd( v_M|ůLk) i:F"`c7V-՗ 1lw?5[kɺ#s!<2Z64ҍN#9 fMMRtCjuSN6eR]2|l-W-' j:&8Sv$8qm٨jِlڂ TPVi-6-ҪشuLWaf2[fI8j (wmnweuh?x7U5+]=ɉzdV8wv̝m[pGP@GSmqW|&Vg vuqaeI0\?\Snҹ@nR*U`2*-pP:L/>NfcYF[\kƸ~g3/TgZme)r`ljrB& c9'Eu2Q:jdbIdeTܓ*[TmIJhؓAi翔q2$ վ@M ku{%4*T/JYlQ?]rS^|`ߝNv!^,@= KAFGNU(OΛB*X S"Pmb%2ne ['vUVwuF]aҗz◽v] Rn3:nd<;;qGMzmG/tt^*}z,r7wy Q/PM5oYЕa^Jx_W)Ȍ* |T W/xUEdOؕn{ʾ4m;2r ~xޔ[411ȿKMՑfZ]zx~˭uϷ]#xS8 urґаѱCzZ.Z2 j*lBrm(=+һ2S] `w ~ͶU[%eSsh*n7j6u Xl(;}IȨPvK]2M0o۬Knr?ZpCSB.F ~yt2ר>΢/Z/eՒD9 i*b`Y9F47̡ F]!:YF;<tsV3֧~HkBъ[FH06q N{li KZi0*&xs%4~ ;M;hmU(v+"b?w21_s:m?Uì\^.[rb]ߤkԊJ`S7qo3/W-2pb= Mֆ炱#U=*خ`Hp!pqܿpvfw)vYڋU)Rc /-U$7ufu usƅ.u <kow?7J];],Jl-ҩL,q[갆#o\~ԍmuF՟v(wn=x :'V#~I NVjumH!00-hzyz-U|o Qug2|}q;\O]'*%ϻĴLI MEY}t\2ZkߔUz l~fy1M32踙M%Mwu¸;&QGK OaٮohΙZ%ڕj7ܥ7,yت]pe^xwBKϼq6x uֳ( (u}2`Aƚ&f[(7oSV?$Ul
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1