Title: A Clap of Thunder
Series: Arcane Hearts: Book Six
Author: Nazri Noor
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 322 Pages
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 5 Stars
At a Glance: It’s not often a Fantasy series offers an equal measure of sweet romance, delightful narration, and life-threatening encounters, and balances them so cleverly. Noor manages it effortlessly.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Some secrets are best left buried.
Jackson Pryde and Xander Wright are happier than ever. The guild of artificers grows stronger thanks to the Black Market’s masters. The second AI is awakening, closer to divulging its forgotten secrets. And most shocking of all, Jackson has finally invented something worth selling.
But war is brewing in the arcane underground. Madame Catherine Grayhaven does not forgive easily. The grand dame of the elite academy has rallied her students for a vengeful attack on the Verdance, the realm of the fae.
Jackson and Xander join the fight with their own motives: find King Oberon and hold him accountable for his crimes. But what awaits beyond the portal may shatter everything they believe in.
Review: Jackson Pryde continues to charm as the narrator of the Arcane Hearts series, as he takes readers along with him and the love of his life, Xander Wright, on a journey into the Verdance in an effort to fend off a fae incursion—a trek that finds him and Xander at odds with Madame Catherine Grayhaven, the revered and powerful leader of the Grayhaven Academy, in a clash between what is right and what is easy. And one that has now fostered a worthy alliance.
Nazri Noor reveals a great little plot twist in A Clap of Thunder that promises further challenges for Jackson and company as they continue with the rebuilding of the Halls of Making while bringing the Black Market Guilds together to foster cooperation and good will between them. The question of who destroyed the Artificer’s compound and murdered Jackson’s parents, not to mention why, is still unresolved. There’s a new entity who comes into play and holds that dark and terrible secret, though, and it seems the truth will not be given up easily.
A dangerous enemy also resurfaces late in the game, bringing more suspense and danger to the Black Market and delivering a battle straight to SEER’s doorsteps, which results in a rather heart-stopping and touching moment, but there’s a new and valuable ally who has joined the gang and proven her worth and friendship. I hope to see more of her as the action continues.
The Arcane Hearts series is not entirely fraught with drama and tension, however. Jackson is still as cheeky as ever, and he and Xander are as solidly in love as any fictional couple has ever been. They are the light in the darker moments of the journey, and the way they are learning to work together to strengthen their partnership is as lovely as this world is delightfully fantastical. It’s not often a Fantasy series offers an equal measure of sweet romance, delightful narration, and life-threatening encounters, and balances them so cleverly. Noor manages it effortlessly.
You can buy A Clap of Thunder here:
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