Review: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole (The Arcana Chronicles #2)

Shady
Nov 26, 2014
2 min read

Evie has accepted her powers as the Empress and formed a shaky alliance with Selena and Finn to take down Death. Jack finally sees Evie as what she really is and has learned about her and the other Arcana, which has troubled and shaken him. The group, along with Matt, also encounters a new possible ally - Lark, the fauna card. But in the post-flash world, danger lurks everywhere, and nobody - and most definitely the Arcana - is to be trusted. After a betrayal, Evie is captured and taken prisoner by Death. Now confined to his seemingly unbreachable fortress, Evie lives with the knowledge that Death may kill her at any moment.

But Death is conflicted over Evie's fate. In the past, the Empress always offed Death first. It only seems logical that this time, he should get her first. But the Empress and Death weren't always enemies, and Evie has no wish to participate in the game with the other Arcana. She wants to end the game, resolving conflict among the cards. But cards like the Lovers and the Tower may not have the same ideals, and she's going to have her work cut out for her.

Meanwhile, Jack is desperate to find Evie, but he, Matt, and Selena aren't having any luck. On the other hand, Evie is slowly beginning to understand Death and his past, even beginning to sympathize with him. (And, yes, you learn what Death's real name is.) But in the end, Ev'ess going to have to choose to either stay with Death (in his totally awesome fortress where nobody can get to her) or go back to her friends.

Evie develops as she learns more about her powers, and so does her relationship wth Jack. (Speaking of which, I highly suggest against reading chapter 10 in public. Need I explain?) As always, the romantic relationships took a while to develop and could be frustrating, but there wasn't any insta-love, which was great. Lark seems OK, and I can't blame her for wanting to look after herself. And having control over giant wolves? HELL yeah!

This was a really good follow-up to Poison Princess. You get a lot of character development and Lark, although maybe not likable, is very interesting and has depth that makes her character entertaining. Death's character also has lots of thoughtful development. The plot was good and well-paced, and there were plenty of interesting plot twists and action to keep me hooked. 4/5 stars! The next book, Dead of Winter, is being released sometime in early 2015, and I can't wait!