Arcana Rising

The Arcana Chronicles, Book 4

By: Kresley Cole

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Losses mount and deadly new threats converge in this next action-packed tale of the Arcana Chronicles by #1 New York Times best seller Kresley Cole.

When the battle is done....

The Emperor unleashed hell and annihilated an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind - but Circe struck back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies.

And all hope is lost....

With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other her worst nightmare.

Vengeance becomes everything.

To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future - and her chilling past - will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before?

©2016 Kresley Cole (P)2016 Kresley Cole

Such an amazing story line!

This is series is so well done, the storylines, heart break, love, and the will to fight for a better future. This is put under category for young adults, well I'm 52 and I will tell you this is as good and any adult novel. Having a story being told in which the Taro is real and all the cards are people that have to fight each other to the death to win the game is just ingenious on Cole's part. The minor and major details that she does on characters is amazing. There is no way to predict how this story will unfold, and she never misses the mark on her cliff hangers! Will be sad when this series ends.

Must Read!

This series is amazing! Always anxious for the next book. Complex characters. Complex relationships and histories. Well performed. A definite read and reread!

Love triangle supremacy

Its to the point where i just want them to be a throuple tbh i love them both . But the narration is good and im enjoying the story excited to listen to next book

What! Wait, I need more!!!!!

I wish I would have reread this series before starting this book. There is so much that happens in the previous book that I have forgotten, that I am now kicking myself for not listening to them all over again. I have kept notes on all 22 Tarot cards and who is who, I will share them with those others that wish they would have. I did like how this book reiterated all the major arcana's again in this book. Pardon misspelled names.

0. The Fool/ Game Keeper of Old - Matthew
1. The Magician/ Master of Illusions - Finnegan
2. The High Priestess/ Ruler of the Deep/Water Witch - Cerci
3. The Empress/ Our Lady of Thorns - Evie
4. The Emperor/ Stone Overlord - Richter
5. The Hierophant/ He of the Dark Rights - Guthrie
6. The Lovers/ Duke and Duchess most Perverse - Vincent & Violet
7. The Chariot/ Wicked Champion/ Centurion - Kentark
8. Strength/ Mistress of Fauna - Lark
9. The Hermit/ Master of Alchemy - Arthur
10. Wheel of Fortune/ Lady Luck - Zara
11. Justice/ She who Harrows/ The Fury - Spite
12. The Hanged Man/ Our Lord Uncanny - ? (we all have our suspicions who this is)
13. Death/ The Endless Knight - Arik
14. Temperance/ Collector of Sins - Calanthy
15. The Devil/ Foul Desecrator - Oran
16. The Tower/ Lord of Lightning - Jules
17. The Star/ Arcane Navigator - Unknown name
18. The Moon/ Bringer of Doubt - Selina
19. The Sun/ Hail the Glorious Illuminator - El Sol
20. Judgement/ The Archangel - Gabriel
21. The world/ This Unearthly one - Tess

And then to find out the minor tarot cards are also people. For a young adult book, I am again surprised that there are sex scenes in the series. Not that it bothers me, it is just surprising. I still reeling at the direction this book took, not what I expected. I love this series and can't wait for the next installment. I feel there will be a twist when it comes to Death in books to come, and of course this book left off with some really big questions. Narrator is awesome as usual and I would be willing to read any of her readings. Ending is at 8:20ish and there is an excerpt from Cerci's story.

This series is AMAZING!!!

This series is AMAZING!!! I HAVE listened to EVERY SINGLE ONE & I can't wait for the next one!! GREAT JOB TO EMMA GALVIN & KRESLEY COLE!!!

This series is awesome!

The author can't write book 5 fast enough! Love triangle is awesome. Can't decide whose team to be on Team Jack or Team Death. I have listened to all the books multiple times. Wish Day Zero was on audio... Emma Galvin is one of the best readers out there. She does fabulous reading this whole series.

SO GOOD! Dying for the next one to come out

What made the experience of listening to Arcana Rising the most enjoyable?

I love the narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I still like Death. His undying love for Evie is so sweet, and he is a badass.

What does Emma Galvin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has done a pretty good job this whole series. The guys voices aren't bad, and they flow pretty nicely. They are all easy to tell apart.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Death loves Life, up is down. Who will win in this epic game of the gods?

Any additional comments?

I have been waiting for this book to come out for so long. I can't say I didn't see the end coming, but it was still a surprise that it actually happened. If you have read the rest of the books, you have to read this!

Such a great series!!

I love this series so much. Unique spin on the Hunger Games-type atmosphere with so much action and excitement. The love story is good but maybe a tad too much back and forth. I’ll be glad when the final book comes out so there will be some kind of resolution! I don’t even care at this point if it’s Jack or Aric. Just choose one already!!

I love Emma Galvin’s voice for this series. She does a good job with all the accents and really gives a distinct sound to each character.

Only one more

I started this series to see if I wanted to delve into her series for grown ups :). I'm hooked, laughing out loud, yelling and omg the tears! I've read a couple or a bunch of review's and I get that the love trial can be uncomfortable, there was a "just pick one and get back to the game" and one about Evie whining? So I'm old, like I'm not going to say old. The reason I love these characters so much is because they are written so well. Hopefully the people that complained about the indecision and whining are young adults who haven't had much self doubt or grief in there lives so they just don't get it. Hardcore paranormal/scifi/romance readers are always looking for a series that is surprising or different. Usually a series that takes you into an unrealistic, yet romantic world made real. Take it from an old woman who in a prior life was a teenager having a baby, then suddenly burying her very young husband and trying to make it in a world where no one (thank God) knew how hard it could be just to wake up. Because unless they burried that person, love of there life, soul mate, other parent of that beautiful child, they couldn't know. Sorry, even as an older person, I can identify with these books. JC has done a great job bringing out my inner child. I am greatful that I recently stumbled on this series, I hate that its almost over but I got to listen to them from start to finish.

The plot thickens

The Plot Thickens! The 4th book in the series finds Evie dealing with so much grief and loss that she has compressed her own emotions to deal with it. (Minor spoiler here). I think in away Death is her bandage to deal with that pain and sex is her crutch. There is so much going on, and Evie isn’t sure who to trust. Are her allies, really allies? or will they turn on her? Down is up and up is down. I don’t think anything is as it appears. There are too many gaps in Evie’s memory, and she doesn’t know why.

The ending is a doozy that left me reeling. I did not see that coming. I have read other reviews, and people think they know where Kresley is taking this story and world. Personally, I’ve read her IMD series, and she is never predictable, so I say hang on for a wild ride because Kresley is just getting things started.

As for the Team Jack or Team Death, I am still going to stick with my original stand I am for Team Evie. It’s the end of the world, why does a modern woman need to choose one man? With that thought, I am giving Arcana Rising 5 Boundless stars, bring on the next battle.