An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole is the first book I’ve read by this author but if her other books are anything like this one, it will not be the last.
When Ellory Morgan receives an unexpected full scholarship to Warren University, it seems like a dream come true, but soon after she arrives on campus strange things start to happen, and it soon seems more like a nightmare. When Ellory comes across information that indicates the school’s founders were involved in the occult, and she hears about the strange disappearances of minority students over the years, she decides to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing students and the strange experiences of déjà vu she’s been having.
I’ve been in a reading slump for most of this year, but if I could find more books like this one, I don’t think it would be a problem. An Arcane Inheritance captured my imagination almost from the first page, and it kept me reading long past the time I should have been asleep, I just couldn’t stop turning the pages on my ereader.
I am relatively new to dark academia novels, having only read a few, but so far I’m loving the dark, mysterious, scholarly settings, and the mysteries that are hidden within. I loved the magical elements of this novel and found myself speeding through the pages trying to find out what was happening to Ellory.
I found myself a bit confused at times by the romance between Hudson and Ellory. Not because I couldn’t envision them together, it was clear that they were drawn to each other, but more so because just when I thought they were intent on some kind of relationship, they seemed to have some kind of falling out and were back on rocky ground. It made for a bit of a roller coaster ride.
I found the first half of the book a bit slower pace, but still hard to put down, but the second half picked up the pace with so much happening I could feel my self becoming anxious to see how Ellory could possibly solve the mystery and come out of it safely on the other side. When it came to the final chapters, I found the resolution a bit bittersweet for reasons I don’t want to spoil here.
This was such an enjoyable read for me, I stopped before I was even halfway through to pre-order a hard copy, and I can’t wait to add it to my library.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
An Arcane Inheritance will be available on December 30 2025.
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