Endless Knight: Arcana Chronicles, Book 2

By: Kresley Cole

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In this seductive follow-up to Poison Princess, New York Times best-selling author Kresley Cole takes us deeper into the dark world of the Arcana Chronicles.

With threats lurking around every corner, Evie is forced to trust her newfound alliance. Together they must fight not only other Arcana, but also Bagmen zombies, post-apocalyptic storms, and cannibals.

©2013 Kresley Cole (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

amazing series!

Love this series so much. I love immortals after dark series as well, but I think these are even better!!!

loved it

I've finished the entire series, every book is awesome and kept me wanting more. This is absolutely in my top 10 favorite series.

Thrilling!

Well Kresley Cole does it again! Another thrilling, sexy, fun, romantic adventure and one outstanding sequel. I never thought the 2nd book would ever come close to Poison Princess but much like her IAD series they just keep getting better and better. This story has so many twists and turns and “I didn’t see that coming” moments. I was literally on the edge of my seat for the entire listen.

The world building, character development and plot twists are pure genius. Nothing feels contrived or forced just to move the plot along. Endless Knight has a lot more action and is a little darker than the first book. The Arcana are starting to form alliances as battle lines are drawn in a fight to the death. Throw in some bagmen, militia and cannibals and you have a non-stop, thrilling adventure.

Definitely a 5 star listen!

Team Death all the way!

Going into POISON PRINCESS I couldn’t help thinking Young Adult—this is going to suck, but Kresley Cole’s writing quickly won me over to Evie’s side, and then Emma Galvin sealed the deal with her mesmerizing narration. And now, here I am, completely committed to this series, and putting my stamp of approval on book 2. The characters show a level of maturity that I never expected from this genre, and there was even a sex scene in this installment. Yes folks, don’t let these teenagers fool you, this is grown up YA at its best. The author does such an amazing job of making readers dislike Death that when the love triangle began to develop I was convinced that nothing could sway me from Team Deveaux. Well, now I’m eating crow because Aric was so skillfully fleshed out that the Cajun is just a distant memory. Jackson who?

For a girl that doesn’t want to play the game, Evie sure is racking up Arcana symbols! I love how far she’s come from that scared young woman refusing to accept her new, albeit harsh reality, to the ring leader of an unlikely alliance of Arcana. Greene shows mercy when the situation calls for it, and still believes that more than one power card can survive the coming battle, but when he friends’ lives are on the line, she doesn’t hesitate to do what must be done. I enjoyed witnessing the Empress embrace her powers in ENDLESS KNIGHT; her abilities may be the complete opposite of Death’s, however life can, and does annihilate just as easily. Evie continues to surprise me at every turn from how she deals with the teeth (carnivores), to certain characters’ two-facedness, to Aric’s unexpected past. The Red Queen is no pushover!

Coles’ dystopian world-building marched forward in this installment with the Hierophant, Devil, Tower, Strength, Judgment, and World cards. I liked learning more about their tableaux, calls, and powers as well as the characters that they represent. I also developed a soft spot for Scarface, Cyclops, and Maneater—Lark’s wolves. The plot line was uncomplicated: escape Death, and when that fails, survive him. I enjoyed the showdown leading up to Evie’s capture, and her time with Aric was enlightening to say the least. I was happy that Jackson was finally clued in to the game and ecstatic when he and Evie found a brief respite in each other’s arms. But of course, just when Greene decides to trust him his deception comes to light.

This novel took so many turns that I did not see coming, and oddly enough, I found myself rooting for the bad guy! Like most other readers, love triangles are the bane of my existence, but the one in ENDLESS KNIGHT is so far removed from what is typical of this trope that I wasn’t the least bit upset by it when it eventually surfaced. I’d mentioned in my review of book 1 that Emma Galvin’s narration carried that installment, so I was relieved to see her flying solo this time around. I’m not knocking Keith Nobbs’ delivery, but I prefer to give credit where it’s due. Galvin excels at bringing THE ARCANA CHRONICLES’ dark tone to life while still doing the youthful characters justice with a YA authenticity that so many performers in this genre lack.

ENDLESS KNIGHT concluded with one heck of a cliffhanger, but that’s a recipe for success as far as pre-orders of DEAD OF WINTER go because you can bet I’ll be glued to my earbuds come hell or high water on January 6th, 2015.

Edge of Your Seat Story!

This book was WAYYY better than the first book. In the first book, the story lingers and is drawn out. I didn't enjoy it as much as I did this book. Although, you have to start with the first book in order to understand the whole story, it prepares you for this book that leaves you at the edge of your seat wanting more! Talk about sleeping with the enemy, Evie finds herself captured by Death who reveals what her past lives of the Empress was like. Evie doesn't like what she finds and wants to remedy her past faults. However, in order to remedy her past faults, she might have to sacrifice the one she loves most. Very credit worthy and I can't wait until the next book comes out. Kresley Cole is one of my favorite authors and all of her books are an automatic download for me.

I'm in Love!

my favorite series by far! And each book is that much better. The narrator really brings the story to life with her reading!

The Poison Princess is Back!

I loved Poison Princess, and Endless Knight had a lot to live up to. For me it almost hit a home run with new characters, more action, and suspense, but I did feel the romance aspect of it lacking.

Endless Knight picks up right where the last book left off, our main character Evie has just made her first kill in a deadly game where 22 kids, each representing a tarot card, must fight to the death. So without spoiling anything the first half of the book reminded me why I feel in love with the series. Evie and her allies fight to stay alive in the twisted post apocalypse world while being hunt by the other assassins in the game. Evie and Jack romance hit a snag, now that Jack has seen Evie all Carrie-like.

The second half was slightly less enjoyable. Death romance is what i didn't enjoy. It creates a pointless love triangle. I mean a horrible secret sort of make Jack less likable, but the grudge death have against Evie is sort of childish. Let just say you can't stab someone, decide you in love with them, then be surprise when they stab you in the back.

Overall, I still loved it. The ending wasn't as strong a Poison Princess, but it set the third book up nicely. I will defiantly read this one again, maybe I'm judging death to harshly, but I can't wait for the next installment.

Outstanding as usual!

What made the experience of listening to Endless Knight the most enjoyable?

Kresley Cole's craftiness! She's a clever writer. Exceptional at weaving in game changers and "WTH!" moments.

Who was your favorite character and why?

That's a hard question to answer. I think right now it would be Death. But Ms. Cole has a way making you change your mind from one book to the next.

Have you listened to any of Emma Galvin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure I'm a fan yet. the verdict is still out.

Loved the Love affair

Death has a wicked hold on me. I've had a thing for death since the beginning. I always new they had history just not That much history. I started off not so sure about Kresley Cole in YA, but I'm sucked in!!!! This book was a little slower than the first but still good. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Amazing!

I wanted to listen to the 3rd audio in The Arcana Chronicles so I had to relisten to this one again. The author has amazed me with her vivid imagination. The first two stories are written to perfection. I love listening to the audio version rather than read a book. You really feel like you're in the story and seeing everything as it happens.