Dread Pirate Arcanist

In the second installment in the “Frith Chronicles” by Shami Stovall, Dread Pirate Arcanist, we follow Volke and Illia again after their heroic, but no less tough, defeat of a master arcanist from the end of Knightmare Arcanist. The two amateur arcanists are still trying to perfect their skills, with the goal of being as good as their Master Zelfree. Volke and Illia are still inseparable, as siblings should be, but maybe the definition of their relationship isn’t quite as unanimous as Volke has originally thought. All of the members of the Frith Guild are improving on their individual skills with their eldrin, but due to personal issues from Master Zelfree, progress isn’t being made as quickly or efficiently for some of the arcanists as they would like. The Frith Guild is assigned the job of finding a missing griffin and his cub on the Isle of Landin, with the rumor of the arcane plague spreading amongst the people. Volke is told the Third Abyss, a dastardly group of pirates with the Dread Pirate Calisto as the head, is behind everything. As a manticore arcanist, Calisto has the advantage of strength and brutality against the members of the Frith Guild. Seeing as the Dread Pirate is the one who has stolen from Illia, she knows she must do something, if only for vengeance for her parents and her eye.

Following the members of the Frith Guild in Dread Pirate Arcanist will take the reader on an adventure through a magical world where each new eldrin you learn about may be more destructive than the last. New characters are introduced, new relationships are made, and past history is discussed in more detail to give the reader a better understanding of the depth of each character. I would liken Stovall’s “Frith Chronicles” to those of the “Harry Potter” series, the “Maze Runner” series, or the “Percy Jackson” series. Stovall has done an excellent job of continuing with this novel like there was no break between the first book and now. The style of her writing really makes you feel for the characters, even if you haven’t gone through exactly the same situations as they have. I would recommend this series to both younger and older adults who enjoy the adventure of fantasy, and following a well thought out story of good versus evil, with all the other emotions thrown in for the ride.