ESOTERA Book Review

Esotera (book 2 in Echo of Arcanum Trilogy) by Niki Fixtion, eBook, 400 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: What does it mean to wield power without becoming the thing you’re fighting against? Kennedy didn’t mean to kill her brother. But now there’s no going back. Branded a fugitive by the crown, Kennedy escapes into the rebellion determined to help build a better world. But that resolve is tested when Drayzen, the first man she’s ever felt more than friendship toward, is taken prisoner and leadership refuses to help.

To save him, Kennedy must defy orders and risk everything including the fragile hope of figuring out where she belongs. But revolution is never simple, and the longer she spends within their ranks, the more she questions who the real enemies are. The prophecy says Kennedy could change the world, but will she be the spark that saves it, or the flame that burns it down?

BOOK REVIEW: I think if I had revisited the last quarter of book 1 to refresh my mind, the beginning wouldn't have felt like I had missed something. It's been almost a year since I read Arcana (see related posts) and while I kind of remember how it ended, I forgot some of the details...you know...like that Kennedy had killed her brother...or that she found out that she had a brother. I did take a glance at my Arcana review and remember that I mentioned Kennedy was all of a sudden being called Nee as a nickname and that didn't carry on into this book but I definitely remembered the major parts of the story and the ending and the book picks up right where Arcana left off.

One of my favorite lines came early on in the book from Kennedy

Being able to see what magic a person has before even meeting them probably sounds really useful, but really, it feels like I've accidentally eaten shrooms and am having a bad trip.

I saw someone say that one of their icks or something in fantasy is seeing characters in a land that is supposed to not be like our reality using slang and whatnot and I get that but you have to remember that Kennedy was taken to Earth after birth and was raised human so for her to attribute one of her magic abilities to tripping on shrooms is funny to me. I've never done it but I can only imagine the trip.

Obviously this is a 5 star for me again. The author did an amazing job expanding on the characters that we knew from book 1 and introducing new characters seamlessly. She does have a character that I will help you pronounce the name because I messaged her and asked her for help. It is spelled Calixte and I was calling the character Cali and it's pronounced Cal-ee-stay. You're welcome! There are a couple of spicy scenes and I guess I've been reading more fantasy than I thought because it hasn't been mentioned but the couple have the fated mates vibes and I'm here for it! This book and book 1 are available in the KU member library as well as hardback and paperback. I hope that it's not almost a year before I get to read the final of this trilogy!

5/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 64/50 complete