Aracron by Bethany Arliss | Book Review
*This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Contents
BOOK BLURB
MY REVIEW
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Book Blurb
The Shadow Fractures of the void will be penetrated, and worlds will collide bringing hope and horror and oblivion.
Tall and tenacious, seventeen-year-old Kelsey Denner can run faster, kick further and jump higher than anyone else at her Australian high school
Why then, if she’s such a winner, does she feel like anything but?
With her friends acting weird and her father dating, Kelsey thought she had troubles, until a sparkling light mysteriously sends her to the strange world of Aracron. Suddenly lost in a forest of giant, gnarled trees submerged in a blanket of suffocating silence and heavy green mist, Kelsey’s troubles just got real.
Here, strange customs rule, wild beasts roam, people with special abilities wear tattoos on their faces, and societies are united by a deep reverence for Ara-rima, the soul of the land. Kelsey’s arrival uncovers dangerous secrets, and the terrifying myth of ancient invaders re-emerges. Now she must believe the inhabitants can help her return home and trust that Kamen, Protector of Pardok, can teach her the skills she needs. But lowering her guard might also mean surrendering her heart.
There is one hope - the Ostiron gem. It opens a portal to other worlds once every thirty-three years and is due to activate. With time running out, Kelsey embarks on a high stakes journey across the land to make it to the Ostiron Altar in time.
Failure will mean she is stuck here forever, but success could destroy her and, if the prophecy is true… the whole of Aracron.
“I couldn’t make sense of anything. Had I been knocked unconscious and was experiencing some sort of comatose nightmare? Had someone slipped me a drug, sending me on a psychedelic trip? I didn’t believe either of those things, but I hoped they might be true because then, at least, there was an end in sight. While I walked I came to the conclusion.
Kelsey, you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole. ”
My Review
I love this book so much! It ticks all the boxes for me with amazing characters, a vivid setting I wanted to jump into and live in, and a story that kept me up late at night not wanting to stop.
Plot
Aracron is a YA fantasy where a modern day Australian teenager is thrown into a strange fantasy world.
Kelsey is just minding her own business when a portal transports her to some crazy unknown land. One thing is for sure, she isn’t in Australia anymore.
She battles strange forest creatures and barely makes it out before she is discovered by a local girl. Taken in by a family in a village with many strange customs, Kelsey must quickly adapt to this new land and these new people if she has any chance of making it back home.
But there might be a solution. A sacred gem in a faraway mountain. But it’s a perilous quest to get there and it’s more than Kelsey’s own life at risk. Alongside her new ‘found family’ and a certain Protector she has grown close to, they embark of a dangerous journey to help Kelsey get home.
Setting
It starts out in the Australian bush, but before long Kelsey is thrust into a new and mysterious land. This gave me vibes from Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. The forest she lands in is amazing, and is a great contrast between the Australian bush and this verdant green landscape. It is everything I want a fantasy forest to be. It has beautifully, vivid descriptions of this strange new land. But alongside the beauty and wonder, are terrifying creatures and unknown paths. I love it so much!
The village Kelsey travels to has all the vibes of a traditional fantasy village, but feels like a totally new place I have never come across before. Then the places they travel to all feel new and interesting, each with different dangers.
World Building
Aracron is an epic world with a vastness that makes you feel there is so much more out there. The people born with gifts (ingeniums) have tattoos on their faces identifying their skills. For some, the ingeniums are more of a curse than a gift and they must work hard to control them.
We get snippets from the villain Irapra’s point of view throughout the story which gives a real feeling of underlying tension and mystery. I highly recommend reading the free origin story of Irapra on Bethany’s website.
Oh, and the creatures are awesome! So imaginative and vivid. I particularly hated the flyders. I hope someone makes some fan art of the creatures because they all sound amazing.
Characters
Kelsey is a great main character. She is super tough and proactive, which I really liked, but she is also stubborn and makes some bad decisions that get her into more trouble, which makes for a great story!
Kamen is a Protector tasked with getting Kelsey trained up for the journey. I love how their relationship has its ups and downs, this makes them a very shippable couple! Kamen is a complicated character and we see many sides of him through the book as he is torn between his duty and his heart.
Hallim reminded me of Hamitch from the Hunger Games— he is such a great character. He’s a hard-arse and super gross, but deep down has a kind heart and is someone you definitely want on your side. I loved Sakura, she was so sweet and kind.
There is a large cast of characters in this family Kelsey finds herself in, and they are all so different and interesting that I actually liked all of them, which is rare for me.
Summary
I can’t wait for book two! I want to go back to Aracron now and continue the journey.
If you like books like A Blade so Black, Graceling, and A Curse so Dark and Lonely, you will love this!
“Despite the sharp fear, I couldn’t help but think how cool this place looked. The vines here had more leaves and were softer, less creepy. Large butterflies flitted through the air, colourful with vivid patterns. Flowers, bright red and pink, dotted the green and filled the air with soft, sweet perfume. ”
About the Author- Bethany Arliss
While Bethany's fantasy might be to travel in the Tardis with The Doctor, she finds adventure instead through her bad-ass female characters. Her action-packed stories are set in fantastic fantasy worlds. They are threaded with female friendships and trimmed with fresh romance.
Bethany has been a nurse, a manager, and an IT nerd. She's a member of the Victorian Writers Center and continually works to hone the craft of writing.
She lives in country Victoria with her hubby, two dogs and some chickens. She enjoys growing her own food and taking in magnificent sunsets at the day's end.
Other books you might enjoy
A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1)- By Brigid Kemmerer
Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)- by Kristin Cashore
A Blade So Black (The Nightmare-verse #1) - by L.L. McKinney
Pin this review to pinterest
Leave me a comment I’d love to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
