The story offers familiarity with twists of imagination to
keep things fresh. Ella heads off for her first year at the Arcanum Training
Institute with other Marvellers, although being a Conjuror is feared and
misunderstood by others. Conjurors are in charge of the bridge between life and
death, and Ella’s father is in charge of the Underworld. The Arcanum is divided
into five Paragons, the focus of different sources of magic. There are Paragons
of Spirit, Sound, Touch, Vision, and Taste with different Marvels within each
group. For example, a Paragon of Taste might have a specialty with spices, a
Paragon of Sound might be able to communicate with animals, and a Paragon of
Vision might see into the future. Ella can’t wait to discover her own Paragon
and Marvel and she finds solace that her godmother will be teaching a new class
at Arcanum about conjuring.
The plot contains subplots woven into the overall story.
Ella is the first Conjuror to attend Arcanum and it isn’t without controversy.
Her presence polarizes many students and Marvellers and signs of prejudice and
bigotry frequently pop up. Ella’s new roommate (her first roommates wanted Ella
gone due to the conjuring) named Brigit wants nothing to do with the school and
doesn’t care about her classes or what others think. She carries a small clown
doll everywhere which Ella finds very peculiar. Brigit’s abnormal behavior
toward Marvellers and the school will make readers watch the character
carefully. Every few chapters, there’s an update on a villain named Gia as she
plans and implements her escape from prison. She leads a rogue group of
criminals called the Aces and most Marvellers believe they’re associated with
Conjurors. You can see where that will become a problem for Ella.
Especially early on, the Arcanum seems like a United Nations
of Marvellers. Ella hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and her roommate is from
New York City but their classmates and teaching staff come from all parts of
the planet. Students are provided with translators so they’re able to easily
communicate with each other, although some of them turn the translators off
when Ella is around. The cafeteria serves meals from all different cultures and
Ella loves exploring new flavors. The Arcanum was founded to unite all
Marvellers but it’s experiencing problems associated with blending their
differences. Putting people together doesn’t necessarily end prejudice and the history
of the Arcanum’s origin is waiting to be revealed.
What didn’t work as well:
It takes some effort to figure out this magical world. Some
aspects feel familiar from other books about schools with magical students but
then this book adds new twists or rules. Ella doesn’t fully understand
everything either which makes readers’ understandings take a little longer.
However, the variations to familiar ideas make this book feel fresh and new.
The Final Verdict:
This book is a finalist for a 2022 Cybils Award in
Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction. Some aspects of the story are
predictable but it holds many surprises ranging from plot twists to the
characters. The imaginary world created by the author is sure to please middle-grade
readers and I highly recommend you give it a shot.
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